Opportunity
Opportunity was impressive in winning the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot on Friday. Smartly away from stall one, he settled into a nice racing rhythm for James McDonald, just behind the pace. Seventh of the 17 runners as they turned to race up the side of the track with six furlongs to run, he had to angle off the inside as they turned for home. He had to move back to his right early in the home straight in order to secure racing room but, once into the clear, he picked up well for James McDonald. He had to be brave to get the better of the Royal runner Warrant Holder on the far side, but he did, he went on and won by almost two lengths, with the pair of them clear of their rivals.
The handicapper raised William Haggas' horse by 10lb for this win, which is obviously not insignificant, but he continues on an upwards trajectory. He got 8lb for running out an impressive winner at Carlisle on his previous run, a Class 2 race that was re-routed from Haydock, and this was obviously a step up again on that. He was almost certainly disadvantaged too by racing from stall one, and that factor may not be fully appreciated. The three horses who chased him home raced, respectively, from stalls 17, 20 and 13, and the statistics tell you that an inside draw over a mile and a half at Ascot really is a disadvantage. Only three of the previous nine winners of this race raced from a stall that was lower than 12 and, of the 40 places available in the last 10 renewals of the race, first to fourth each year, just 13 were filled with horses from single-figure draws from greater than 50% representation. He sees out this 12-furlong trip well and, by Frankel out of the top-class mare Izzi Top, winner of the Middleton Stakes and the Pretty Polly Stakes and the Prix Jean Romanet, all over around 10 furlongs, he could go out in trip if he needs to.
Ascot, 19th June 2026
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