Ten Bob Tony, Mission Central star on Royal Ascot Day 1

The five-day Royal Ascot meet at Ascot Racecourse in England kicked off on Tuesday with four group stakes, including a pair of qualifiers for the 2026 Breeders’ Cup.

Queen Anne (G1)

As usual, the meet opened with the Queen Anne, a prestigious one-mile contest that serves as a “Win and You’re In” qualifier to the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1).

Nine horses faced the starter, with reigning Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Notable Speech favored at 7-5 in the World Pool off a two-length triumph in last month’s Lockinge (G1). But Notable Speech failed to bring his A-game to Ascot, allowing unheralded 59-1 longshot Ten Bob Tony to spring a monumental upset for TBT Racing.

Trained by Ed Walker, Ten Bob Tony had spent most of his career sprinting and failed to crack the trifecta in two previous starts over one mile, including an eighth-place finish behind Notable Speech in the 2000 Guineas (G1) two years ago. But Ten Bob Tony entered the Queen Anne in good form off a win in the seven-furlong Tattenham Corner (G3) at Epsom, and after rating off the pace under jockey Kieran Shoemark, he stormed down the Ascot straight course to defeat fellow closer More Thunder and pacesetter Opera Ballo by half a length.

“This horse is just a legend. What's been the key? He's simply a really solid horse. We rode him cold and, as can happen here at Ascot, it all fell apart in the final furlong,” said Walker. “Kieran didn't commit him too early and saved him for the finish. He's a super-kind horse — just a legend.”

“He is clearly thriving,” said Shoemark. “I thought his run at Epsom was pretty good, but he's obviously taken another step forward and is in a good frame of mind. He has danced a lot of dances, but he's turned up when it mattered.”

Zeus Olympios and Damysus finished fourth and fifth, followed by Notable Speech, Docklands, Cicero’s Gift, and First Conquest. The winning time over good-to-firm turf was 1:37.53.

Plans call for Ten Bob Tony to target October’s Prix de la Foret (G1) at ParisLongchamp in France, a seven-furlong sprint that—like the Queen Anne—serves as a Breeders’ Cup Mile qualifier.

“That's exactly what we thought after Epsom – to return to France for the Foret,” said Walker. “Then we started thinking about what we'd do between now and the Foret, and as we were already in this race, we thought we'd have a go. You can't win sitting at home.”

For Notable Speech, the Queen Anne marked his third disappointing showing from as many starts at Ascot. He finished seventh as the favorite in the 2024 St. James’s Palace (G1) and fourth in the 2025 Queen Anne.

“I'm afraid you've got to say it's something to do with Ascot,” said Notable Speech’s trainer, Charlie Appleby. “He just doesn't seem to turn up here as the same horse. We know what he can do – normally William (Buick, jockey) is sitting still from the three to the one-pole, but he was asking the horse to try and pick up two furlongs out today, which is never a good sign. He just doesn’t turn up here, so we will probably head to France for the Prix Jacques Le Marois (G1) before his usual travels to North America.”

Notable Speech finished third in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Mile and won the 2025 Woodbine Mile (G1) in advance of his Breeders’ Cup triumph.

Coventry (G2)

Aidan O’Brien, the winningest trainer in Royal Ascot history, wasted little time securing his record-extending 97th winner at the royal meeting. Tuesday’s second race, the six-furlong Coventry (G2) for juveniles, went to O’Brien’s Great Barrier Reef, owned by members of the Coolmore partnership.

Sent off at 6-1 in the World Pool following a win in the Marble Hill (G3) at the Curragh, Great Barrier Reef brought his record to 3-for-3 with a gallant triumph at Ascot. Jockey Wayne Lordan allowed the son of No Nay Never to race forwardly toward the far side of the course, and in the drive, Great Barrier Reef outkicked Adaay of Scarlett and Royal Heritage to prevail by half a length in 1:13.14.

Cut a Dash, Night in Vegas, Confucius, Final Objective, Mrair, Jaan Ki Tukri, Kamaal, Cilician, Treasurer, High King, The Harv, Easy Answer, The Scallionator, Ruler’s Pride, Siouxperb, God Given Talent, Bull Shark, and The Ginger Kid completed the order of finish. Arizona Raider was a vet scratch due to lameness.

Great Barrier Reef was ridden to victory in his first two starts by Ryan Moore, but Moore opted to ride maiden winner Confucius after the latter outworked Great Barrier Reef leading up to the Coventry.

“Great Barrier Reef is obviously not a home worker and, even before he won the last day, we were a little bit disappointed with his work. But he's clearly better on the track, although we've always liked him,” said O’Brien. “He went there with a very live chance – he is an unbeaten horse and has always shown ability. We thought he was very good when he won first time, I think by five or six lengths, and then he was still green last time but won a good race. We worked him last week, and Ryan's horse [Confucius] came out the better of the two, so we thought he was the horse.

“Wayne gave him a lovely ride. He said he was finishing off very well, while Ryan felt they went plenty hard on his side. From where he was drawn, Ryan got sucked into it and had to keep going. Wayne was in the other group on the far side, and they were finishing well because the near-side group had gone so hard, perhaps.”

Great Barrier Reef’s triumph marked O’Brien’s 12th win in the Coventry. In 2025, O’Brien won the Coventry with Gstaad, who went on to claim victory in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1).

King Charles III (G1)

O’Brien’s 98th Royal Ascot win came courtesy of Coolmore's Mission Central, who launched a tremendous late rally to snag the King Charles III.

A five-furlong steppingstone to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1), the King Charles III saw a huge 26-horse field face the starter. World Pool bettors overlooked Mission Central at 13-1 odds even though he’d gone 2-for-2 against easier competition to open 2026.

At first, it appeared bettors had made the right call. Mission Central was positioned off the pace at the halfway point, and with a furlong remaining, he appeared too far back to factor. But under the urging of Ryan Moore, Mission Central unleashed an eye-catching turn of foot that carried him to first place by a head.

“Mission Central is a very fast horse. He is unbeaten this year and progressed with every run,” said O’Brien. “They went hard, which suited him. In all his previous races, he is very forward because they don't go very fast and he's got an awful lot of speed.

“Ryan gave him a great ride. He obviously knew they were going really hard. He really motivated him inside the final furlong – incredible. A big team effort and delighted for everybody involved. He is a horse that could suit The Everest (G1, in Australia) at the end of the year, so he's a very exciting horse.”

Mission Central hit the wire in :58.72. Rayevka and favored Overpass rounded out the top three, followed by Rosy Affair, Jakajaro, Heavenly Heather, Asfoora, Big Mojo, Miss Attitude, Night Raider, Jm Jungle, Azure Angel, Cover Up, Mgheera, Ain’t Nobody, Aspect Island, Shagraan, Behike, Time for Sandals, Frost at Dawn, Getreadytorumble, First Instinct, Starlust, Monteille, Rumstar, and American Affair.

The King Charles III marked a rebound compared to Mission Central’s only other try at the highest level. In the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, he finished 10th, beaten six lengths by Cy Fair.

In contrast, 2024 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Starlust failed to recapture his best form in the King Charles III, finishing 23rd in his fifth straight defeat.

St. James’s Palace (G1)

The fourth and final group stakes on opening day was the St. James’s Palace (G1) for three-year-olds racing one mile over the round course. The race produced a terrific finish as the unbeaten Bow Echo outkicked reigning Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Gstaad to prevail by a short head.

With Billy Loughnane in the saddle for trainer George Boughey, Bow Echo was bumped around between rivals during the early stages of the race, but recovered to secure fourth in a compact six-horse field. Despite racing wide around the turn, Bow Echo delivered a strong finish down the home straight to edge the rail-rallying Gstaad in 1:38.48.

Talk of New York finished third, followed by Power Blue, Lord Britain, and Puerto Rico.

“I think that was the first time Bow Echo got into a proper battle,” said Boughey, who trains Bow Echo for Exors of the Late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid. “Obviously, I have only watched it once, but it was quite a scrap early doors. He was almost keen at one point; William's horse (Talk of New York, ridden by William Buick) came past, and I think we'll see a better horse now that he's been in a scrap like that. He has done everything we've hoped; it's fine margins in this game, and luckily he was on the right side of it.”

“The first furlong was crucial, and I got squeezed out early,” said Loughnane. “There were five of us in a line, and I slightly lost my position, and Bow Echo got lit up. It was then a case of trying to manage things. The Amo horse (Power Blue, owned by Amo Racing) came back into our lap, and it meant I had to move probably sooner than ideal, but his guts got him through. He's a very determined horse with a great turn of foot and fantastic ability.

“You kind of have to adapt, and it was a case of getting him back relaxed, breathing again and into his rhythm. Once he found that, he was powerful. I felt a bit of pressure coming here today on an unbeaten Guineas winner, but thankfully we managed to get the job done.

The win brought Bow Echo’s career tally to 5-for-5. He entered the St. James’s Palace as the 1-2 World Pool favorite after beating Gstaad by 2 3/4 lengths in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Boughey indicated the Sussex (G1) at Goodwood is next on the agenda for Bow Echo. The Sussex serves as a Win and You’re In qualifier to the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

“Plan A would be to go to Goodwood for the Sussex Stakes,” said Boughey. “He is taking his racing very well; he was ready to go a couple of weeks ago. He'll have had a race today; he'll know that, but it's very much all systems go for Goodwood.”

The rough early stages of the St. James's Palace resulted in two jockey suspensions. Per the stewards' report on the British Horseracing Authority website, Moore was given a three-day suspension for "allowing his mount to edge left-handed without correction," placing Bow Echo, Talk of New York, and Puerto Rico in tight quarters.

Meanwhile, Christophe Soumillon, who guided Puerto Rico, was handed an eight-day suspension "for riding his mount in such a way that intended to give an advantage to another horse from the same stable, in that he moved his mount away from the rail thereby ensuring a clear run for GSTAAD on his inside," in the process causing "minimal interference" to Power Blue.

In other Royal Ascot action, Kizlyar led a 1-2 finish for trainer Joseph O’Brien in the Ascot Stakes handicap, Map of Stars posted a half-length triumph in the Wolferton S., and Daiquiri Bay won a driving finish in the Copper Horse Stakes handicap.