Bet on Prince of Wales’s Stakes 2021

One of the highlight horse races of the 2021 Royal Ascot horse racing meeting is the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, with this Group 1 encounter taking place on 16 June and the runners will compete over a distance of one mile and two furlongs.

There’s a healthy sum of £400,000 on the table for the winner of the race, with Lord North having won the 2020 Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the same horse will return to the same track bidding to land another high-profile success.

Can Lord North Triumph on the Royal Ascot Racecard?

Lord North is a talented five-year-old who is among the best horses in the extensive John Gosden stable, with the trainer having high hopes that the runner can build on a recent success in the Dubai Turf at Meydan, with Frankie Dettori riding the charge to victory as the 11/8 betting favourite.

Dettori was previously on board the horse in the Breeders’ Cup Turf where he managed to finish fourth at betting odds of 9/1 and we know that this horse has previously produced the goods in the same race at the Royal Ascot meeting, with a victory of four lengths occurring twelve months ago.

Love Might Line Up in Prince of Wales’s Stakes

Love is guaranteed to line up at the 2021 Royal Ascot meeting and it’s a horse that has multiple entries, with the filly having enjoyed a sensational 2020 which saw her land the Epsom Oaks among other high-profile races.

Previously to this, the Aidan O’Brien horse won the 1000 Guineas and after her Oaks win, there was a Darley Yorkshire Oaks victory which means that punters will want to back Love wherever she ends up.

The other big pretender in the race could be Addeybb and it’s clear that trainer William Haggas will have his seven-year-old focused on this event, with the horse always in the frame when it has come to recent races.

Indeed, this horse gave Lord North the most to think about twelve months ago and the horse has recently returned from a successful trip to Australia where he triumphed in the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

The History of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes

Having been established in 1862, the race was named after the Prince of Wales who would later become King Edward VII, with Carisbrook the inaugural winner of the race followed by horses named Avenger and Ely. This race started off being only open to three-year-olds and it was run over a mile and five furlongs.

The Prince of Wales’s Stakes achieved Group 1 status in 2000, having been a Group 1 race between 1971 and that date. It has been traditionally held on the second day of the five-day meeting that comprises Royal Ascot, with this being a showpiece race of the actual day.

Recent winners have included Crystal Ocean, Poet’s Word and Highland Reel, with these horses all obliging at the age of 5. Indeed, Sir Michael Stoute saddled the former two horses in 2018 and 2019 respectively, while Aidan O’Brien was the winning trainer in 2017.

O’Brien has had three successes in this race, with Duke of Marmalade and So You Think obliging for the Irish handler, while Saeed bin Suroor saddled a consecutive hat-trick of winners between 2000-2002 when Dubai Millenium, Fantastic Light and Grandera delivered the goods.

How to Bet on the Prince of Wales’s Stakes

Punting on this race is always enjoyable, with the betting market usually wide open considering this is a competitive race which attracts some of the best horses that are training in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It’s also not unusual to see horses travel from overseas for a chance to land this Group 1 encounter.

We recommend studying the form and, considering the horses entering the race are aged four or older, there is generally plenty of available information which shows how they have been performing to date.

It’s possible that we can see repeat winners of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes although this doesn’t tend to happen a huge amount, with several punters favouring each-way selections where they can back a horse at a reasonably big price and make some money if the runner finishes in the frame.

There is also the chance to land Best Odds Guaranteed with selected bookmakers and that means being able to take an early price and get the Starting Price if it turns out to be bigger.

The Prince of Wales’s Stakes is among the biggest races at Royal Ascot and this year’s renewal promises to be something special, with a maximum of sixteen horses able to line up in a race which occurs on Day Two of the meeting.

There are some seriously classy horses entered for a race over one mile and two furlongs, with Enable having been ruled out of the encounter after John Gosden confirmed that the Coral Eclipse Stakes was now the likely target for the Breeders’ Cup winner.

It means that we’re likely to see Sea of Class heading the betting and the horse won’t have been seen at a racecourse for over 250 days, although that hasn’t stopped punters latching on to the four-year-old who was visually so impressive last season.

Sea Of Class is trained by William Haggas and boasts an impressive track record that includes being narrowly beaten by Enable in last autumn’s Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. That was run over one mile four furlongs, although the shorter distance at Royal Ascot could see him win the encounter.

Previously to this race, Sea Of Class had won four races on the spin, with jockey James Doyle steering him to success in the Yorkshire Oaks at the Knavesmire on 23 August, while there was previously a double at Newbury and a win at the Curragh.

Haggas will consider the biggest danger to come from the Aidan O’Brien yard, with the Irish trainer having recently enjoyed success in the Epsom Derby when Anthony Van Dyck stormed through to land the spoils in this classic.

O’Brien will bring an army of horses to Royal Ascot and that includes Magical, with the horse having finished second to Enable in the Breeders’ Cup Turf race back in November and he is sure to run a big race on Day Two of the Royal meeting.

Magical enjoyed a lucrative 2018, winning the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot before that impressive win in America, although this is a seriously competitive race and Sir Michael Stoute has a lively runner of his own.

Crystal Ocean has won on both of his appearances this season, with the five-year-old trading at around the 9/2 mark to win on Day Two of the Royal Ascot. Ryan Moore is likely to be on board this runner who won a Group 3 race at Newbury on 18 May.

While it wasn’t the most competitive of races, Stoute will feel as though the horse is on the right path after previously winning the bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes in the previous month, obliging at odds of 5/6.

Charlie Appleby will have a squad of horses that could line up in this race and Ghaiyyath is trading as a 7/1 shot at the moment, while stablemate Masar is available at the same odds.

The latter hasn’t been seen at a track this season although Appleby reports that the horse has been training well and just needs to decide on the right race for his charge.

"We have made the entries for the Prince Of Wales's Stakes and the Hardwicke Stakes," said Appleby.

"It is a day by day situation with him and he is doing everything we have asked of him. The only thing I would emphasise is that he is a horse who helps himself potentially getting to Ascot because he is an athlete and a very good horse. He is a very clean-winded horse and if he comes in time for Ascot then great, we will be there.

"However, if I'm a gallop short with him, then I'll wait as I'm not going to force him into getting to Ascot. It would be a lovely stage to bring him back, but it is a big stage and I wouldn't want to bring him back there only 75 per cent fit. Let's hope it's all good news from here on in.

"Personally, we feel that the mile and a quarter will be the right starting point for him. We saw what he has done over a mile and we haven't explored 10 furlongs.

"The Prince Of Wales's is a G1 race, but I feel after such a long layoff, 10 furlongs could be the better starting point. Our ultimate aim is going to be the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with him."