The final day of the highly-anticipated five-day Royal Ascot meeting is scheduled for this Saturday, highlighting this weekend's racing calendar. A truly international field will line up for the day's feature race, the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, led by Hong Kong's top sprinter Wellington.
Stateside, the weekend's top event is likely the Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby, featuring the brave Kentucky Derby runner-up Two Phil's. He'll have a new jockey in the irons, Gerardo Corrales, following the injury to regular rider Jareth Loveberry, but the Larry Rivelli trainee is easily the 8-5 morning line favorite in the field of eight 3-year-olds.
The G3 Chicago Stakes is the other graded race on offer this weekend, to be held at Ellis Park. Dual Grade 1 winner Matareya is the favorite in the field of six, though she'll face a challenge from another Grade 1 winner in Society.
Other stakes action on Saturday includes: Wild Applause at Belmont, Carry Back at Gulfstream, Bertrando at Los Alamitos, four stakes at Lone Star, Goldwood at Monmouth, three undercard stakes at Thistledown, and the Ballade at Woodbine.
A pair of Breeders' Cup Challenge races offer “Win and You're In” berths on Sunday. The winner of the Takarazuka Kinen (G1) at 1 3/8 miles on turf, led by the world's top-ranked racehorse Equinox, at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan, will gain a free berth into the $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1). The winner of the Gran Premio Pamplona (G1) at 1 1 /4 miles on turf, for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up at Hipodromo De Monterrico in Lima, Peru, will earn an automatic starting position into the $2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1), which will be run at 1 ¼ miles.
Saturday
10:40 a.m. – Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot
A glittering international field with contenders from Australia, Hong Kong, France and Ireland has assembled for the first running of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, renamed in memory of the late monarch.
Englishman Richard Gibson has made the journey from Hong Kong with one of their top sprinters Wellington, twice a winner of the Group 1 Chairman's Sprint and, last December, winner of the Longines Hong Kong Sprint under Ryan Moore on the turf at Sha Tin.
Ralph Beckett trainee Kinross is another class performer, who has travelled the world and was unlucky not to win the Breeders' Cup Mile when third behind Modern Games after being put on the back foot by early scrimmaging.
Mauricio Delcher Sanchez won the Jubilee with Equiano in 2008 when he was champion trainer in Spain, but now based in Chantilly, he makes the shorter trip with Coeur de Pierre, third to The Platinum Queen in the Prix de l'Abbaye at ParisLongchamp last October.
Many of last year's field are back for another crack with Australian sprinter Artorius having got closest to the Godolphin pair Naval Crown and Creative Force in dead-heating for third under Jamie Spencer.
Highfield Princess and Cannonball, second and last respectively in Tuesday's King's Stand, also feature in the field of 16.
4:55 p.m. – Grade 3 Chicago Stakes at Ellis Park
Godolphin's Derby City Distaff (G1) winner Matareya headlines a field of six fillies and mares entered for the $225,000 Chicago Stakes.
Matareya, a 4-year-old daughter of Pioneerof the Nile trained by Brad Cox, is a two-time Grade 1-winning sprinter. Prior to her top-level victory in the Derby City Distaff, Matareya won last year's Acorn Stakes (G1) as a 3-year-old. Matareya has one prior start at Ellis Park when she broke her maiden as a 2-year-old by 4½ lengths. Jockey Flavien Prat, who has been aboard Matareya for her last six starts, will be in the saddle from post No. 2.
Another Grade 1 winner that entered the Chicago Stakes is Peter Blum Thoroughbreds' Society. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Society won last year's Cotillion Stakes (G1) at Parx. In her most recent start, the 4-year-old Gun Runner filly faded to ninth in the 1 1/16-mile La Troienne Stakes (G1) but will cut back in distance in the Chicago Stakes with Tyler Gaffalione in the saddle from post 5.
6:20 p.m. – Grade 3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown
Trainer Larry Rivelli has confidence in his Kentucky Derby runner-up Two Phil's ahead of this Saturday's $500,000 Ohio Derby, despite the late rider change. The 3-year-old son of Hard Spun drew post four in the field of eight runners entered for the 1 1/8-mile contest.
Second choice at 3-1 goes to the Brad Cox-trained Bishops Bay, last-out second in the G3 Peter Pan to eventual Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo. Florent Geroux ships in to ride the son of Uncle Mo.
Scratched from the Kentucky Derby after his trainer Saffie Joseph sent out a pair of unexplained sudden deaths earlier in the week, Lord Miles has not raced since winning the G2 Wood Memorial on April 8, 2023. The son of Curlin is the third choice on the morning line at 7-2 in the Ohio Derby, and will be piloted by Edgard Zayas.
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