‘Send your best middle-distance older horses to the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes for your chance to compete for an incredible £1million prize pot!’ That’s about as much marketing as Ascot needs to promote a race of this nature. Wednesday’s Group 1 showpiece, which is one of the featured contests during Royal Ascot, can be watched live on Sky Sports Racing at 4.20pm. An intriguing nine-strong field will head to post, so let’s take a look at the runners. Watch every race of Royal Ascot 2025 live on Sky Sports Racing (Sky 415 | Virgin 519) from Tuesday 17th June to Saturday 21st June. 1.  ANMAAT (8) Jockey: Jim Crowley | Trainer: Owen Burrows Shadwell’s leading performer bids to add a third Group 1 success to his tally. Perhaps he should have already achieved such a feat in the Tattersalls Gold Cup last month given how easily he appeared on scene with a furlong to run, but fitness seemed to take its toll, something that shouldn’t affect his performance here. Quick ground may not be ideal but three victories on good-to-firm surfaces indicate he’s versatile enough to handle it. 2.  CERTAIN LAD (9) George Bass | Jack Channon No horse over the age of six has won the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes since the race distance was shortened in 1940, so nine-year-old Certain Lad doesn’t exactly fit the trend. He also falls short in the form department with his highest-profile victories coming at Group 3 level. That being said, his participation could be key due to his front-running style in a race that would be otherwise dictated by Ballydoyle’s duo. 3.  CONTINUOUS (7) Wayne Lordan | Aidan O’Brien Talking of front-running race styles, Continuous knows nothing else at this stage of his career. The 2023 St Leger winner has been redeveloped into a pacemaker for Los Angeles this season, which seems like a masterful move judged on his stablemate’s results. He’s never the sharpest away from the stalls but he quickly finds his stride. The likelihood is that he will set a fast tempo to try to put extra emphasis on stamina. 4.  FACTEUR CHEVAL (4) Flavien Prat | Jerome Reynier A globetrotting miler who returned to grass in the Dubai Turf last time out after switching to dirt for two Middle-Eastern engagements in the winter. He has twice finished second in Ascot Group 1s, albeit both on soft ground on Champions Day, so we know he has the required talent when he’s at his best. However, this trip will ultimately stretch his stamina and it’s unlikely that his tough early-season exploits will have a positive effect. 5.  LOS ANGELES (5) Ryan Moore | Aidan O’Brien Leading the way with three Group 1 scores is Los Angeles, a son of Camelot who has been extremely well placed by his connections. A long-striding horse with admirable guts, Los Angeles is sure to be forwardly-placed in a bid to outstay and outbattle his counterparts. His recent effort at the Curragh was widely considered to be a career-best, but another step forward could be required for further glory. He’s not flashy but he is resolute. 6.  MAP OF STARS (2) James Doyle | Francis-Henri Graffard France went through a sparkling patch in this race between 2007 and 2010, winning three of the four renewals, but they haven’t won it since. Can Map Of Stars end the drought? His recent Prix Ganay effort suggests he will need to improve to do so but that’s not beyond the realms of possibility given he’s only had seven runs. Watch this space. 7.  OMBUDSMAN (1) William Buick | John & Thady Gosden Punters got stuck into Ombudsman on his seasonal reappearance at Sandown only to be disappointed when he finished second. They can’t complain, however, as he did bettors a good turn last year by racking up four straight successes. Have we seen this horse’s limits or is there still room for improvement? This race will tell us all.  8.  ROYAL CHAMPION (6) Clifford Lee | Karl Burke It has been either feast or famine with this horse at Ascot. His two runs here have seen him finish 120 lengths last of nine in the 2022 Champion Stakes and then first of 16 in the 2023 Wolferton. Predicting which Royal Champion will turn up at this track is rather difficult, but even the best version of this seven-year-old is unlikely to trouble the judge against this opposition. 9.   SEE THE FIRE (3) Oisin Murphy | Andrew Balding Supplemented for £70,000, connections clearly believe this filly can justify their decision by running in the top three and consequently make a profit. Her recent York success was a clear career-best but now she tackles the boys. She was only beaten three lengths by Anmaat here in October and a similar performance could see her hit the frame. Winning isn’t totally out of the equation, either. TOM COLLINS’S VERDICT The return to Ascot with race fitness on his side can see ANMAAT reverse the Tattersalls Gold Cup form with Los Angeles. You cannot fault the tenacity or resolve of Aidan O’Brien’s market leader, but he isn’t as sexy as Shadwell’s middle-distance performer, whose course-and-distance victory in the Champion Stakes last October is the best piece of form on offer. See The Fire and Map Of Stars can fight out the places. Watch every race of Royal Ascot 2025 live on Sky Sports Racing (Sky 415 | Virgin 519) from Tuesday 17th June to Saturday 21st June.