Another day, another massive Royal Ascot handicap.

The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes is a mile and a half handicap for the older horses. Run for £100,000, this race has a stellar reputation with the last two winners Candleford and Quickthorn both going on to better things in the staying division.

We have a full field of 19 once again, these being the six we like best: 

Main Contenders

Aimeric

Roger Varian has two on our list, the first being Aimeric. A talented four-year-old with his best days still ahead of him, Aimeric comes into this fit and in form following a narrow win at Doncaster over this trip earlier in the month.

Although he only just got there, some improvement seems likely given his profile. That was also his first run back after both gelding and breathing operations.

He won a race over a mile and five furlongs last season so it seems staying the full distance up the Ascot straight won’t be a problem, as long as it doesn’t take him too long to get organised after the bend.

Al Nafir

We’d guess there must have been some chatter about how this horse is working at Newmarket as he comes into the race as the ante-post favourite despite not having run since last autumn. We also wish there wasn’t, as his price would have been bigger and we fancy him!

Charlie Appleby’s four-year-old reached a mark of 100 last October and there’s no way he stops at that. He began last season at around this time, improving plenty from the year before, running well at York in the Melrose before disappointing at Ascot.

That poor run was on much softer ground which he seems to hate, hence the improvement to beat Wild Crusade, La Yakel, First Ruler and others which is rock-solid form.

He’ll move on and up now, will love the trip and will have been prepared superbly by a top yeam.

Haunted Dream

As well as the aforementioned horses, Haunted Dream was another to finish behind Al Nafir at Newmarket in October. He ran third that day and has won on the all-weather since in April, so he should be fit.

He may be just a tad better on an artificial surface, but he makes this list on merit having improved steadily on the turf to be placed six times from 10. The fact however that he is on the list only strengthens confidence in Al Nafir.

Nagano

Even more so than Al Nafir, Nagano is a head-scratcher for punters as he hasn’t raced for a while, in this case 20 months.

Before that enforced break, Nagano was going great guns for Roger Varian. He’d finished third in the Wood Ditton, won a decent race at Newcastle and beat Siskany and the likes in a Glorious Goodwood handicap.

If he begins in the form he left the scene in he can run a place, he may even improve to win, but we simply cannot know how he’ll react after so long away.

Okita Soushi

This horse represents Joseph O’Brien, Ryan Moore and Group form so has the potential to be over bet.

That’s not to say he can’t win, that would be daft but on recent evidence, and he has run three times this year, he is handicapped about right so needs to take a sudden step forward to score in a competitive race.

Teumessias Fox

Andrew Balding has something like 290 horses in training, so he’s bound to land his share of races such as this one.

His Teumessias Fox, owned by King Power, is two from two since being gelded before this season and reached a new career high last time when winning comfortably at Newmarket in a competitive handicap.

That was good, but he was prepped for that day given the big prize and he was favourite to get the job done. Others may be ready to peak right now, though natural improvement still brings Oisin Murphy’s mount into calculations.

Summary

A super race. Nagano will win his share of prizes, while stablemate Aimeric could easily step up to the mark.

If Teumessias Fox can continue his recent improvement then of course he is a massive threat, but we can’t get away from the fresh AL NAFIR who may yet reach Group level as so many of Charlie Appleby’s horses do.

Conditions are right for him now and he has the always reliable William Buick up top.