Royal Ascot 2026: A Week of Champions and What's Next at Churchill Downs

The 2026 Royal Ascot meet delivered five days of spectacular racing, and TwinSpires was right there with expert selections that put money in players' pockets. From longshot winners to Group 1 upsets, here's your recap, plus a look ahead to Saturday's $2 million Stephen Foster (G1) at Churchill Downs.

TwinSpires Handicap Selections: A Week to Remember

The TwinSpires turf writing team went on a handicapping hot streak for the Royal Ascot meet. By opting into the Royal Ascot BetBack promotion each day of the meet, players found themselves able to keep their action rolling.

The lucrative week started in spectacular fashion on Day 1, when Alastair Bull's top pick, Kizlyar, a Joseph O'Brien-trained longshot, stormed home to win the Ascot S. at 37-1 odds in the world pool. That set the tone for the entire week.

RELATED: Betting the Handicaps at Royal Ascot for Day 1 on June 16 by Alastair Bull

On Day 3, Bull's exotics inclusion Mezcala, recommended at 15-1 in the Buckingham Palace S., came through by winning the race outright.

The Day 5 Wokingham S. capped off Bull's successful week-long analysis of the ultra-competitive handicap events. Double Rush, a horse included prominently in Bull's exotics, won the race outright, and Completely Random finished second, keying a $2k trifecta in the world pool.   

For stakes bettors, Day 3 columnist Vance Hanson also landed Earth Shot ($11.40), Scandinavia ($5.30), and Generic ($36.90) in group race efforts in a remarkable single-day trifecta of winners.

And international insight specialist Kellie Reilly highlighted several horses that finished in the money, resulting in consistent BetBack returns to reinvest the next day!

Royal Ascot 2026 Group Race Highlights

The meet opened with a 59-1 shocker when Ten Bob Tony upset reigning Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) champion Notable Speech in the Queen Anne (G1), earning a Win and You're In berth to the Breeders' Cup Mile.

Day 2's centerpiece, the Prince of Wales's (G1), belonged to Ombudsman, who demolished his rivals by four lengths to become the first back-to-back winner of that race since 1994-95. He's now the one to beat in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1).

Aidan O'Brien made history on Day 3, becoming the first trainer to saddle 100 Royal Ascot winners when Scandinavia held off the gallant Trawlerman in a breathtaking Gold Cup (G1) finish. O'Brien topped the meet's trainer standings with seven wins; jockey Ryan Moore matched that tally to lead all riders.

RELATED: A clue in Aidan O’Brien’s Breeders’ Cup record

Day 4 gave us Precise dominating the Coronation (G1) and Venetian Sun edging the Commonwealth Cup (G1), both fillies with eyes on Breeders' Cup glory.

Closing day delivered arguably the meet's most emotional moment, as Almeraq, a 38-1 longshot trained by William Haggas, won the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee (G1) in a four-horse photo. Jockey Tom Marquand's first thoughts at the finish were for injured regular rider Jim Crowley, who was watching from the stands. And Orthodox dominated the Norfolk (G2) by 3 1/2 lengths, earning his Win and You're In to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1).

Up Next: Stephen Foster (G1) at Churchill Downs on Saturday, June 27

The summer's biggest dirt race is nearly here. Sovereignty, last year's Kentucky Derby (G1) winner and Horse of the Year, arrives as the horse to beat after a rare off day at Oaklawn, where he was asked to set a contested pace — very much against his nature.

The beneficiary that day was the wily veteran White Abarrio, now seven years old, who has a habit of running his best away from Churchill Downs. Meanwhile, Magnitude has been brilliant, stringing together wins in the Clark (G2), Razorback (G3), and Dubai World Cup (G1). Baeza, now trained by Bill Mott, adds intrigue as a horse who has repeatedly run against the very best.

The 1 1/8-mile Foster is a Win and You're In for the Breeders' Cup Classic, meaning the winner has a direct path to Keeneland in October. With Sovereignty likely to get a more favorable setup than he did at Oaklawn, expect him to remind everyone why he's the champion.

Bet the Stephen Foster and all the action on the Churchill Downs card exclusively on TwinSpires, where our experts have been delivering winners all week long.