A proven star, a rising star and an Aussie star look set to sparkle the brightest at Royal Ascot. This meeting is a five-day feast of the senses and Tuesday's amuse-bouche is the ultimate sporting palate cleanser for the tasty fare to come.
Indeed, you could make a strong claim there isn't a better day of racing in the UK this year, with three sparkling Group Ones, which pit the best of Great Britain and Ireland against global all-comers, the Queen Anne Stakes, King's Stand Stakes and St James's Palace Stakes.
Twelve months ago, Baaeed's position as favourite for the opening Queen Anne Stakes (2.30pm) was so rock solid the only question was how much he would win by. This year's renewal is more open but Breeders' Cup star and recent Lockinge winner MODERN GAMES looks the pick ahead of Frankie Dettori's Inspiral.
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Aussie sprinter COOLANGATTA looks to follow up on last year's success of compatriot Nature Strip in the blink and you'll miss it King's Stand Stakes (3.40pm)
Home hope Highfield Princess is a worthy favourite with two Group One wins last season but the filly from Down Under looks all class to deliver an eighth Royal Ascot win for an Aussie raider and a first for Melbourne Cup winning handler Ciaron Maher.
It’s 34 years since an unknown 18-year-old Italian rode Rain Burst to finish fifth in the Coronation Stakes, 12,422 days later, Dettori will call time on his Royal Ascot career this weekend.
He is desperate to score the three winners he needs to move to a career tally of 80 at the meeting and has plenty of live day one opportunities.
Inspiral was his only winner last year and 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean is another great chance on Tuesday.
However, the preference over the favourite in the St James's Palace Stakes (4.20pm) is Aidan O'Brien's fast-improving PADDINGTON, the winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas. After a quiet juvenile career, he was fired into action this season, with three straight wins, including that Classic prize at the Curragh, where jockey Ryan Moore held plenty in reserve before pushing the button on his charge to accelerate clear.
This is traditionally not one for the favourites - only 38 have won in 77 runnings - with O'Brien the most successful trainer with eight wins. Since 1969, 12 Irish Guineas winner have followed up with a win the Champions Series race, most recently when O'Brien's Gleneagles won in 2015.
O'Brien boasts arguably the banker of the day in the highly-rated juvenile RIVER TIBER, who looks primed for the Coventry Stakes (3.05pm). Athletic and physical, this two-year old colt has looked the real deal in two unbeaten starts at Naas and Navan.
The Master of Ballydoyle has won this race a record nine times since Harbour Master gave him the first of his 81 Royal Ascot wins 26 years ago. River Tiber will certainly improve from his last run, with his trainer confident he'll thrive on the quick ground expected.
And it could be a hat-trick of O'Brien winners with son Joseph, looking for only his second Royal Ascot win as a trainer, entering the well-regarded BUCKAROO in the Wolferton Stakes (5.35pm).
Buckaroo is a former Classic favourite with Group One experience but little has gone right in their career so far, including an illness that threatened his life.
He claimed the scalp of Irish 1000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs at the start of the season and could well have won the G1 Prix d'Ispahan in Longchamp in May, a fourth place in a blanket finish certainly no disgrace. With Oisin Murphy, returning to Royal Ascot for the first time since finishing top jockey in 2021, in the saddle, this could be one to watch.
Willie Mullins is swapping his trademark trilby for a top hat and the master of the jumps could be the champagne toast at Ascot on Tuesday. Ireland’s champion jump trainer on 17 occasions, has gained four victories since 2012 in the Ascot Stakes (5.00pm) and fires BRING ON THE NIGHT at the race.
His lightly raced star is attracting plenty of buzz, having lost by just under a length in his last outing, in the same race, just over one year ago.
Andrew Balding's Coltrane, the horse that narrowly beat him, is now joint favourite for Thursday's showpiece Gold Cup. However, Mullins is a master plotter and this would be a textbook example of good things coming to those who wait.
Hollie Doyle is looking for her fourth Royal Ascot win this week and has won the Copper Horse Handicap (6.10pm) before.
Her ride AADDEEY looked impressive at Ripon earlier this year in a first appearance in over a year, following wind surgery. It's a wide-open handicap but this could be one to end the day on a big price.
Selections: 2.30: Modern Games, 3.05: River Tiber, 3.40: Coolongatta, 4.20: Paddington, 5.00: Bring On The Night, 5.35: Buckaroo, 6.10: Aaddeey
