Appleby stars on collision course in Queen Anne

Charlie Appleby’s top-class pair of Notable Speech and Opera Ballo are among 10 confirmations for the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on Tuesday.

The traditional curtain-raiser for the five-day meeting always attracts a quality field and this year’s renewal is no exception, with Appleby responsible for the top two in the betting.

Notable Speech finished fourth last year renewal after encountering trouble in running, but is a warm order to set the record straight following an impressive victory in the Lockinge at Newbury last month.

His stablemate Opera Ballo has really come of age this year, with a couple of high-profile wins in Dubai during the winter followed by a successful return to Britain in Sandown’s bet365 Mile, where he claimed the notable scalp of multiple Group One winner Field Of Gold.

Appleby could also saddle possible pacemaker First Conquest.

The defending champion and Ascot specialist Docklands will return to the Berkshire circuit to defend his Queen Anne title for Harry Eustace, while the William Haggas-trained More Thunder and Karl Burke’s Zeus Olympios could renew rivalry with Notable Speech after finishing second and third respectively in the Lockinge.

John and Thady Gosden’s Lockinge sixth Damysus and the Charlie Hills-trained seventh Cicero’s Gift also feature along with Ed Walker’s recent Tattenham Corner Stakes winner Ten Bob Tony and Expanded, who is Aidan O’Brien’s sole representative.

Australian raider Overpass is the headline act in the King Charles III Stakes, for which 27 sprinters have stood their ground.

His biggest challengers appear to be Burke’s Temple Stakes winner Night Raider, Francis-Henri Graffard’s Rayevka, O’Brien’s three-year-old Mission Central, Jim Goldie’s 2025 hero American Affair and the 2024 winner of this race, Asfoora.

As expected George Scott has supplemented his dual Lingfield winner Behike, while at bigger odds George Boughey is looking forward to saddling Rosy Affair, who has won three of her last four starts and was last seen claiming a Listed prize at Haydock late last month.

“She drops back to five furlongs and I’ve been wanting to do that for a while. She’s shown loads of pace at home and the quickest we’ve ever had a horse go over five furlongs was her yesterday, which gives me confidence to run five furlongs with her,” said Boughey.

“She used to miss the kick but she’s matured as a five-year-old now and she’s just starting to learn how to sprint.”

Another horse expected to outrun his price is Simon and Ed Crisford’s Cover Up, who won two of his four winter starts at the Dubai Carnival.

Simon Crisford said: “Cover Up is going to run in the King Charles III Stakes. He’s had a nice break since Dubai, he looks fantastic and I really think that race is going to suit him. He’ll go there fresh and well.

“He’s looking like a bull, he’s fresh and well and I think he will go nicely in a race like this.”

Thirty-one two-year-olds have been entered for the Group Two Coventry Stakes, a race Aidan O’Brien has won on a record 11 occasions.

The Ballydoyle handler appears intent on adding to his tally, with Confucius, Great Barrier Reef and Sergei Diaghilev giving him a strong hand.