The Royal meeting always throws up more than just the winners. It's the horses who didn't quite get the job done that often pay the bills later in the season. Here are my five eye-catchers from Royal Ascot 2026, one from each day. Click any horse's name to jump straight to their RatingTheRaces profile and pop them into your NagMe tracker so you don't miss them next time out.
Tuesday: Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1)
Opera Ballo (3rd)
The one everyone needs on their tracker. Opera Ballo just went a shade too hard in front under Billy Loughnane and was only collared in the final few strides by the 50-1 shock winner Ten Bob Tony. He lost the lead and the race right on the line, and that's the key. If he can learn to settle out in front, he has to be a major player in all the 1m Group 1s this season. Settling is the whole job for him; get that right and there are future top-level wins in this horse.
Wednesday: Duke of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2)
Friendly Soul (3rd)
Very unlucky. Denied a clear run over 1m and then absolutely flew home once she got daylight, which also tells you she's plenty quick enough to win over 1m, not just further. There were question marks after she stumbled in that listed race at Haydock, but she's bounced right back. Give her a clear passage and she'd have won this. One to follow in the fillies' and mares' races from 1m to 1m2f all season.
Thursday: Chesham Stakes (Listed)
On Just Terms (2nd)
Second on his racecourse debut and the run of an exciting prospect. Yes, he'd had the benefit of a trial beforehand, but that's never quite the same as the real thing. He missed the break, switched, and ran on really strongly to grab second. He'll get 1m in time. It wouldn't surprise me to see him win a maiden or a novice next time before heading into group company, potentially over 1m. A very nice horse in the making.
Friday: King Edward VII Stakes (Group 2)
Ancient Egypt (2nd)
Don't read this as the winner flopping. Causeway did exactly what was expected and ran a huge race to win. The story is that Ancient Egypt pushed him all the way to the line, beaten only a neck. That's strong form. He was thoroughly disappointing on the soft ground in the Derby at Epsom, but back on a sound surface he's shown what he's really about. There's a Group 2, quite possibly a Group 1, winner in the making here. A very good effort.
Saturday: Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2)
Goliath (3rd)
The obvious one. Christophe Soumillon lost his irons inside the final furlong, and but for that Goliath may well have beaten both the winner Giavellotto and the runner-up Kalpana. A cracking effort in the circumstances from a genuinely quality animal. I'd expect to see him back at Ascot for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes in July, a race he won back in 2024, and I see no reason why he won't go very close. An unlucky third.
