Each June, Royal Ascot becomes the arena where racing dynasties measure themselves against one another and against time. On the second day of the 2025 meeting, the established empires of Coolmore and Godolphin bring their finest, but newer syndicates — Wathnan and Amo among them — arrive not as guests but as genuine rivals, their ambitions backed by millions spent at auction. The question the day poses is an old one dressed in new silks: whether inherited supremacy or rising ambition will prove the stronger force.
Racing powerhouses reveal day-two Royal Ascot entries as Coolmore, Godolphin vie for supremacy
The sport's wealth and ambition are spreading beyond the old guard
Mark
So what's actually at stake on day two? Is this just a preview of who's running, or does it tell us something about how the sport is changing?
Mimi
It's both. You've got the established powers—Coolmore and Godolphin—doing what they've always done, but Wathnan and Amo are fielding genuinely competitive teams. Zelaina is the favorite in the Queen Mary. That matters.
Luke
But we should be careful here. Zelaina is favored because she won at Nottingham, following the path of last year's winner. That's form, not destiny. And the Queen Mary is a two-year-old race—anything can happen.
Mark
What about the Prince of Wales's Stakes? That seems like the real test.
Mimi
It is. Los Angeles won the Tattersalls Gold Cup over Anmaat, so he's proven at a high level. But Ombudsman is progressive—he's been improving, and this is his first Group 1. Map Of Stars from Wathnan also ran well in France.
Luke
Three horses, three different narratives. Los Angeles has the form. Ombudsman has the trajectory. Map Of Stars has the recent run. But we don't know which one will handle Ascot's track or the step up in class. That's what makes it worth watching.
Mark
The money involved is staggering. Galveston cost two million guineas. Wise Approach cost a million. Are these syndicates just throwing cash at the problem?
Mimi
Not quite. These are carefully selected purchases, often made as yearlings or at breeze-ups. Zelaina cost £650,000 at the Goffs Breeze-Up in April. That's a specific investment in a specific type of horse.
Luke
But here's the thing—we don't know if the money translates to wins. Coolmore and Godolphin have the infrastructure, the trainers, the jockeys. Wathnan is newer. Amo is newer. They're competitive, but are they winning the big races yet? That's the real question.
Mark
So day two will tell us something about whether money alone can shift the balance.
Mimi
Exactly. And it's not just about the feature race. The juveniles, the Queen's Vase—these are races where different syndicates are testing their depth. By the end of the day, we'll have a clearer picture of who's really challenging the old guard.
Il Polso
- Los Angeles enters the Prince of Wales's Stakes as the 9-4 favorite, carrying Coolmore's hopes and the weight of a Tattersalls Gold Cup victory that demands confirmation at the highest level.
- Godolphin's Ombudsman steps into Group 1 company for the first time, his progressive form making him the most credible threat to Coolmore's centerpiece and the clearest sign that the day's marquee race is genuinely open.
- Wathnan's Zelaina has seized favoritism in the Queen Mary by mirroring last year's winner's path, signaling that newer money is no longer content to watch from the margins.
- Across seven races, horses purchased for sums ranging from $600,000 to two million guineas are set to run, turning the afternoon into a high-stakes audit of the sport's most expensive judgments.
- By the final race, the day's results will either reinforce the old hierarchy or accelerate a redistribution of power that has been quietly building across the racing world.
Each June, Royal Ascot becomes the arena where racing dynasties measure themselves against one another and against time. On the second day of the 2025 meeting, the established empires of Coolmore and Godolphin bring their finest, but newer syndicates — Wathnan and Amo among them — arrive not as guests but as genuine rivals, their ambitions backed by millions spent at auction. The question the day poses is an old one dressed in new silks: whether inherited supremacy or rising ambition will prove the stronger force.
Royal Ascot has long been the property of its dynasties, but day two of the 2025 meeting suggests the boundaries of that ownership are shifting. Coolmore and Godolphin remain the dominant forces, yet Wathnan and Amo are fielding runners that demand to be taken seriously rather than merely noted.
Coolmore's centerpiece is Los Angeles, who enters the Prince of Wales's Stakes at 9-4 following his Tattersalls Gold Cup win over Anmaat. Aidan O'Brien also has four runners in the Windsor Castle Stakes, including the recent Navan winner Warsaw, and three entries in the Queen's Vase — among them Galveston, purchased for two million guineas in 2023. Shackleton, a promising two-year-old last season, returns in that same staying contest.
Godolphin counters with Ombudsman, a progressive runner making his Group 1 debut in the Prince of Wales's Stakes after finishing second in the Brigadier Gerard. William Buick takes the ride. Cinderella's Dream, who beat Elmalka convincingly at Newmarket, is expected in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes, while Devil's Advocate — a remarkable fourth at 80-1 in the Dante — holds a Queen's Vase entry that hints at hidden ability. Wise Approach, a million-guinea Windsor Castle entry, completes a deep Godolphin hand.
Wathnan's Zelaina leads the Queen Mary market after winning at Nottingham in the manner of last year's winner, Leovanni. The stable also has Map Of Stars in the Prince of Wales's Stakes following a neck defeat in the Prix Ganay, and Naval Light holds juvenile entries after a promising debut second at Beverley. Amo, meanwhile, sends Kayhana into the Kensington Palace Stakes on her first run in the stable's colors, with David Egan riding, while Love Olivia offers each-way appeal in the Queen Mary and Tony Montana contests the Royal Hunt Cup.
Juddmonte's five entries include Pinhole in the Queen's Vase — a horse who finished fourth behind Derby winner Lambourn at Chester and may have more to offer over distance — and Qirat in the Royal Hunt Cup, where his course form and Victoria Cup second make him a genuine contender.
What the entries collectively reveal is not a settled order but a live contest. The Prince of Wales's Stakes will test whether Coolmore's proven form or Godolphin's momentum prevails. The juvenile races carry genuine depth across all four syndicates. And the Queen's Vase draws Coolmore, Godolphin, and Juddmonte into direct competition over a mile and six furlongs. The fortunes spent assembling these teams — and the results that will follow — may leave British racing's balance of power looking meaningfully different by evening.
Royal Ascot has long belonged to the racing dynasties—Coolmore and Godolphin chief among them—but the second day of the 2025 meeting reveals a shifting landscape. Alongside the established superpowers, newer syndicates like Amo and Wathnan are fielding competitive teams that suggest the sport's wealth and ambition are spreading. With entries now largely confirmed for day two's seven races, the contours of the week's most prestigious matchups are becoming clear.
Coolmore arrives with Los Angeles as the centerpiece, the horse carrying 9-4 odds into the Prince of Wales's Stakes at 4:20. Los Angeles won the Tattersalls Gold Cup over Anmaat and now seeks to confirm that form at the highest level under Aidan O'Brien's training. Beyond the feature, O'Brien has entered four runners in the Windsor Castle Stakes, including Warsaw, who won recently at Navan, while Charles Darwin is expected to contest either the Coventry or Norfolk. Shackleton represents an intriguing longer-shot entry in the Queen's Vase at 3:05, a horse who showed promise as a two-year-old and returned with a fourth-place finish at the Curragh. O'Brien has three entries in the Queen's Vase itself, including Galveston, a horse purchased for two million guineas at the Tattersalls October Book 1 Sale in 2023—a price tag that underscores the scale of investment Coolmore deploys.
Godolphin counters with Ombudsman in that same Prince of Wales's Stakes, a progressive runner making his Group 1 debut after an encouraging second in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes. William Buick will ride him. Elsewhere in the Godolphin team, Cinderella's Dream beat Elmalka convincingly in the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket last month and should feature in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at 3:40. Devil's Advocate, entered in the Queen's Vase, defied 80-1 odds to finish fourth in the Dante at York, suggesting the form from that race may not have held up but that this horse possesses hidden ability. Wise Approach, a Windsor Castle entry, cost one million guineas at last year's Tattersalls October sale.
The rising syndicates are not merely making up numbers. Wathnan's Zelaina is the favorite for the Queen Mary Stakes after winning at Nottingham in the manner of last year's winner, Leovanni. The same stable has Map Of Stars entered in the Prince of Wales's Stakes following a neck second to Sosie in the Prix Ganay. Naval Light, another Wathnan runner, showed promise when second on debut at Beverley and holds entries in both the Coventry and Windsor Castle. Amo's Kayhana makes her first appearance in the stable's colors in the Kensington Palace Stakes at 5:35 after a second-place finish on her stable debut at Gowran. David Egan will ride her. Tony Montana represents another Amo candidate in the Royal Hunt Cup, while Love Olivia is positioned as an each-way option in the Queen Mary after showing speed at York. Paris Carver, a Curragh fourth that cost $600,000 at the Ocala March Sale, will have multiple juvenile entries across day two.
Juddmonte, the third-generation powerhouse, has five entries on the second day. Pinhole catches the eye in the Queen's Vase—he finished fourth behind the subsequent Derby winner Lambourn at Chester and possesses untapped potential over longer distances. Qirat has course form and finished second in the Victoria Cup, making him a player in the Royal Hunt Cup. Arolla, entered in two races, posted a career-best effort on her recent return at Musselburgh and could be significant if she lines up in the Kensington Palace.
What emerges from these entries is not a simple hierarchy but a genuine competition for supremacy. Los Angeles and Ombudsman will meet in the Prince of Wales's Stakes, a race that will test whether Coolmore's established form or Godolphin's progressive runner holds sway. The juvenile races—the Queen Mary, Windsor Castle, and Coventry—show depth across multiple syndicates, with Zelaina's favoritism in the Queen Mary challenged by Love Olivia and others. The Queen's Vase, at a mile and six furlongs, draws entries from Coolmore, Godolphin, and Juddmonte, each believing they have a horse capable of stepping up. The prices paid for these runners—millions of guineas, hundreds of thousands of dollars—reflect the stakes. By day's end, the balance of power in British racing may look different than it did at the start of the week.
Citazioni salienti
Los Angeles bid to confirm the form of his Tattersalls Gold Cup win over Anmaat in the Prince of Wales's Stakes— Racing Post entry analysis
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