Last year’s race Winner: Pledgeofallegiance Jockey: Luke Morris Trainer: Sir Mark Prescott Owner: Victorious Racing Age: 4 Weight: 8st 13lbs Starting Price: 20/1 Season Form Figures: 31 Previous Best: 1st - Class 3 Handicap, Goodwood (May 2024) By Paul Jones Despite Reshoun winning at 66/1 four years ago, the Ascot Stakes has unquestionably been the most punter-friendly handicap at the meeting, with 13 of the last 16 winners sent off no bigger than 14/1, while in the last 35 years as a many as 23 winners could be found in the first six in the betting. Not so Pledgeofallegiance last year though, who at 20/1 was giving Sir Mark Prescott his first Royal Ascot win for 28 years, also overcoming stall 1 in the process, which his trainer argued would be a stumbling block for a traditional slow starter. There used to be a bigger draw angle when there were bigger fields of 30 than since the safety factor was cut to 20 but it still has an effect as low numbers have fared best with six of the last nine winners drawn no higher than stall 7, notably in 2022 when the 1-2-3-4 emerged from the seven lowest stalls and the first six were drawn no higher than 11 in 2021. Six of the last 13 winners were trained in Ireland but they were not allowed to travel over for the 2020 running due to Covid regulation for non-Class 1 races, so that reads even better. Willie Mullins has won four runnings since 2012 and has also saddled four runners-up including twice in the last four years. In fact, when Lagostovegas won seven years ago, she led home a Mullins-trained 1-2-4-5. Another mare in Ahorsewithnoname was following up her victory at the Cheltenham Mares’ Day in April for Nicky Henderson when successful two years ago, thus becoming the fifth successful filly or mare in the last 17 years from low representation. Fillies/mares have also finished second in three of the last six runnings. It should be pointed out that virtually every trainer holds both a flat and jumps licence but I like to particularly look at trainers better known for their jumps horses with Willie Mullins (x4), Nicky Henderson, Charles Byrnes, Jonjo O’Neill, David Pipe, Alan King, Suzy Smith, Paul Webber, Tony Martin (x2 and two more placed) and Jarlath Fahey all better known for jump racing taking this prize this century and Martin Pipe won it four times between 1993-2003. Ian Williams is equally adept at both codes and can also boast a couple of Ascot Stakes wins in the last six years. In addition to Ahorsewithnoname, the runner-up in 2021 and 2022, as well as the 1-2 in 2020, had all been running over hurdles during the previous winter. The Ascot Stakes used to be very much a race in which to concentrate on four and five-year-olds but eight of the last 11 winners were aged between six and nine (five of which were trained in Ireland). Prior to those Irish-trained victories, 15 of the previous 19 winners emerged from that 4-5 age bracket. Horses carrying less than 9st had been responsible for approximately 50% of the total runners between 1996-2008 but only won on three occasions but, in the last few years, the weights have been so much more compressed that very few horses have run off below 9st and the class acts are coming to the fore. For example, The Grand Visir overcame top weight six years ago and three other winners going back to 2012 carried 9st 10lb. In 2020 the top weight, Verdana Blue, finished second under 9st 10lb with the second-top weight, Summer Moon, finishing third and in 2023 it was a 1-2-3 for horses in the top six in the handicap. At a glance summary Positives Trained by a National Hunt-focused stable Trained in Ireland (notably by Willie Mullins) Mares Drawn in the lower half (preferably lower third) The first six in the betting Negatives British-trained contenders aged older than five Likely to be sent off 14/1 or bigger