In his final column before Royal Ascot 2026, Simon Rowlands reveals his leading juveniles, with a quartet of suggested bets advised. A recurrent theme in this series of blogs dealing with two-year-olds of 2026 is the importance of knowing what it usually takes to win or place in a given race. There is a big difference between being “top on form” in a race of unknowns but 10lb below the typical winning standard and being 10lb superior to it. The former horse may well be a lay, while the latter will probably be a back. This applies to Royal Ascot and not just obscure maidens, but with the caveat that most juvenile winners at the marquee meeting improve on what they have done previously. Still, some of them will have less improving to do than others. It typically requires a useful effort or better to win any of the Royal Ascot two-year-old races, but especially the Coventry, which has gone to the likes of Caravaggio, Bradsell and Gstaad in recent years. The Tuesday juvenile highlight also traditionally requires more from a horse to run into a place than the other options. In general, the Coventry and the Queen Mary tend to reward proven achievement, while the other races reward potential more. The least improving of all among the colts will have to be done by the Aidan O’Brien-trained pair of CONFUCIUS and GREAT BARRIER REEF the way I see it. They have been vying for favouritism for the Coventry, as well as for top spot on my ratings, for a while now. There was plenty to like about Great Barrier Reef’s Group 3 defeat of CARRY THE FLAG at the Curragh last time, which was backed up by a useful time, but the winner did take some time to assert. Confucius has contested two maidens, winning at Naas in fine style from ALASKAN BEAR (rated 94) and BULL SHARK (93), both of whom have franked the form since. Whether or not Confucius is already superior to Great Barrier Reef, I suspect he ultimately will be. He looks a bet for the Coventry. The other horse I have backed in the race is EDWARD THATCH, who trotted up in a decent maiden at Cork before having to swerve his intended meeting with Great Barrier Reef at the Curragh due to a minor setback. He is jocked up and remains over-priced. The Queen Mary betting is dominated by a handful of fillies cut from a similar cloth to one another. WILD BLOSSOM  , ALTA REGINA and SENORITA BONITA (90) all won stylishly on their sole starts, with the first-named looking especially good in scoring by 10 lengths in a race the stable won with Albany heroine Venetian Sun 12 months before.       VICTORIOUS achieved more in beating CONTROLLA by a neck, the pair clear, in a Group 3 at Naas in May but that was at nearly 6f and she looks a possible in either the Albany or a revamped Windsor Castle instead of this.   The Queen Mary has seen the biggest US-trained representation in recent years – 11 runners for one win and two additional places in the last five – though raiders from that country are not to be feared in quite the way they were. SKARA BRAE (101) is just about the best of their fillies, strictly on form, but CELTIC DISPUTE (99) and RUIVA (98) are close behind in what is a somewhat muddied picture at this stage. EZ TINA (97) is up there also, and well-spoken-of following a stylish win in a Woodbine Maiden Special Weight on her only start. She may go for the Norfolk – a race in which her sire, the ultra-speedy Golden Pal, came second – and merits respect if she does. The reason Victorious may go for the Windsor Castle rather than the Albany is that Aidan O’Brien already has the short-priced favourite for the latter in the shape of SUN GODDESS. It is easy to see why given the authority with which Sun Goddess last time took a Curragh maiden out of which nothing has yet run. The time was quite good, and the sectionals even better, but the Albany is likely to take a whole lot more winning. That trio of promising fillies mentioned with regards to the Queen Mary figure in the betting for the Albany also, and are joined by similar types in SILENT BEAUTY (a £1m yearling who scored readily at Yarmouth), LIGHT OF DAWN (85) and APEROLL (83). But the once-raced filly who has achieved the most is the aforementioned Controlla, a long-striding daughter of Night Of Thunder who ran on strongly from the rear at Naas but could not quite get past Victorious. She arguably showed enough that day to get placed in a typical Albany without even improving. It remains to be seen what it will take to win the new-look Windsor Castle (up to 6f from 5f, sire has to have won at 7f+ as 2-y-o or 8f+ as 3-y-o) but if it is like it was before then Victorious is just about there already in receipt of a fillies’ allowance. CARRY THE FLAG will be top-rated, or near-top-rated, for the Norfolk following his second to Great Barrier Reef at 6f at the Curragh, where he might not quite have got home, but looks there to be shot at. FLIGHT SIGNAL (90) took the same route as the same owner’s/trainer’s Aesterius (only fifth in the Norfolk next time) two years ago when winning at Bath in ready style on pretty firm ground. I have not given up hope on FORCE NOIR for this, but he has not been seen since winning well at Naas in April. What should be clear from some of the above is that the home team are not as strong as they might be. Charlie Appleby-trained youngsters are notable by their absence, though AL HUDAIBA is only just outside the list on 94. In addition, Adonius and Hickory Lad are reportedly unlikely to turn up at the Royal meeting. Hickory Lad did another favour for this column by winning Epsom’s Woodcote Stakes last Friday in style. He probably did not have a great deal to beat, but such a clear-cut victory puts him up there with the best that Britain can muster at this stage. No doubt things will look different all round a week or two from now. I will be writing a couple of retrospective blogs from Royal Ascot for attheraces.com, covering the first two and last three days respectively, all ages, not just two-year-olds SIMON'S SELECTIONS COVENTRY STAKES, ROYAL ASCOT, TUESDAY 16 JUNE CONFUCIUS EDWARD THATCH (each-way) WINDSOR CASTLE STAKES, ROYAL ASCOT, WEDNESDAY 17 JUNE VICTORIOUS ALBANY STAKES, ROYAL ASCOT, FRIDAY 19 JUNE CONTROLLA (each-way)