Nick Luck
Nick Luck’s William Hill blog: Royal Ascot 2026 Day Two Best Bets
William Hill ambassador Nick Luck is back with his best bets on Day Two of Royal Ascot.
Wednesday, Royal Ascot
ALTA REGINA is the speculative choice in the Queen Mary (2.30), the opener on Day Two of Royal Ascot. She was less expensive than some who came from the breeze-ups, but she showed a smart turn of speed at Lingfield and is bred to be fast. She looks quite nicely drawn, will really appreciate the sound surface, and figures to do much better still.
GALIYAN is a lovely prospect and can win the Queen’s Vase (3.05). I was quite taken with his debut at Newmarket, but he really sealed the deal on his second start at Chester when he pounded a smart rival into submission.
Granted normal progress and his clear potential to improve for the trip, he should be right in the mix.
CATALINA DELCARPIO can pay back last year’s defeat in the Ribblesdale by winning the Duke of Cambridge (3.40). Clearly, she’ll need pace to run at over this trip, but that looks almost assured here, and she travelled so well around this track 12 months ago that she makes plenty of appeal off the back of a striking win against colts last time. Her trainer exploits the versatility of horses, distance-wise, better than most of his peers.
ALMAQAM is probably the play at the prices in the Prince of Wales’s (4.20). I’ve been back and forth for two weeks over Ombudsman or Daryz, but very much appreciate that there are more than two big players here, with Almaqam already holding one verdict over Ombudsman, not far behind him in the Champion Stakes when too close to the frenetic gallop and arriving here in top condition. I could envisage any of the top three winning, but the selection is the overpriced one.
JAGGED EDGE gets the nod in the Royal Hunt Cup (5.00). Although I’m ambivalent about the merits of stall 15, I’m pretty convinced he remains an interesting and exciting prospect with this trainee, for whom he made a sparkling debut at Naas recently. He moved through that race like a stakes performer in the form of his life and – with Colin Keane taking over – can surely step up again. His sire was fully effective on this track, while the bottom half of his pedigree entitles him to come forward for an end-to-end test at the trip.
ZGHARTA is the fancy in the Kensington Palace (5.35). I’d be confident she can leave her reappearance run behind – she found herself too far back in a tempo-led affair, not dissimilar to the fate that befell her in the Sandringham last year. The hood comes off this time, and I’d expect her to be better placed to challenge and fulfil her early promise.
BOLETO looks a biggish price in the concluding Windsor Castle (6.10). He comes out of what looked a pretty warm race at Pontefract and would have won a deal more comfortably had he not nearly ended up in the grandstand. Clearly you hope that run has straightened him out, but that win was very much expected by his respected stable and – in a sire restricted race – he’s by one of the very best.
