Stradivarius’s reign as king of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot ended last summer when Subjectivist won the Gold Cup. But Subjectivist suffered a serious leg injury and has not started since his Gold Cup victory last year.

Stradivarius, the Gold Cup winner in 2018, 2019, and 2020? He just soldiers on. He comes into Thursday’s Group 1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot after winning his 8-year-old debut in the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup, a 1 3/4-mile race on May 13 at York, for the third time, and a fourth Gold Cup win is far from out of the question.

If Love Reigns can run down a straight course on the second day of Royal Ascot anything like she ran around a turn on the closing day at Keeneland, she’ll stand a strong chance of giving trainer Wesley Ward his fifth win in the Group 2, $140,000 Queen Mary on Wednesday.

Plenty of overseas bettors think she will. Love Reigns as of Monday was a little less than 3-1 with British bookmakers to land the Queen Mary. She’ll have Irad Ortiz Jr. on her back and 20 2-year-old fillies opposing her in the five-furlong Queen Mary, which kicks off the Wednesday action at Royal Ascot.

The crack American-based Puerto Rican is no stranger to big-race success and is widely regarded as one of the best jockeys in the world, having collected a host of Grade One victories across North America over the past decade, together with three Eclipse awards.

Staring with Strike the Tiger’s victory in the Windsor Castle Stakes in 2009, US-based trainer Wesley Ward has won 12 races at Royal Ascot.

This year, he brings only five horses to Berkshire, but four of them have very live chances in their respective races. Top US jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride all five of Ward’s horses. Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables owns four of Ward’s five runners.

Lady Tilbury will be looking to give a new syndicate an immediate return on their investment in Wednesday’s Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The Bated Breath filly has won two of her three outings, finishing second on her debut, and beat the well-regarded Mehmar last time out.

She is trained by David Marnane who set up the MRC International syndicate only last year, so to have a Royal Ascot runner so soon has been a huge bonus.

Last year’s race

Winner: Indie Angel

Jockey: L Dettori

Trainer: J & T Gosden

Owner: Cheveley Park Stud

Age: 4 Weight: 9st 0lbs

Starting Price: 22/1

Season Form Figures: 54

Previous Best: 1st - Listed EBF Fleur De Lys Fillies’ Stakes, Lingfield (October 2020)

By Paul Jones

Last year’s race

Winner: Kemari

Jockey: W Buick

Trainer: C Appleby

Owner: Godolphin

Age: 3 Weight: 9st 0lbs

Starting Price: 15/2

Season Form Figures: 21

Previous Best: 1st - Class 4 Maiden, Yarmouth (May 2021)

By Paul Jones

Last year’s race

Winner: Quick Suzy

Jockey: G F Carroll

Trainer: G P Cromwell

Owner: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners LLC

Age: 2 Weight: 9st 0lbs

Starting Price: 8/1

Season Form Figures: 212

Previous Best: 2nd - Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes (Group 3), Naas (May 2021)

By Paul Jones

It was after nine starts, all wins, five at the Group 1 level, that the great Frankel began his 2012 season with smashing score in the J.T. Lockinge Stakes, a straight mile at Newbury. From there, Frankel went on to the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, which he captured by a remarkable 11 lengths over the very good horse Excelebration.

No one’s yet saying Baaeed could be the next Frankel . . . though, come to think of it, some people kind of are.

Wesley Ward has taken to steadily using an arresting turn of phrase to describe his crack sprinter Golden Pal: “The best horse I’ve ever trained.”

The question regarding Golden Pal is whether he needs a turn to live up to that description.