Royal Ascot 2025 Day 5 Selections | The finale

It’s the final day of Royal Ascot 2025, and we are teetering on the edge of having a good week for the column.

Thursday put us in a fine position, but just the one place yesterday (9/1) put us back behind the 8 ball.

Saturday of Royal Ascot 2025 looks like an interesting card to swing for the fences, and as such, I have a 50/1 and 33/1 fancy.

Let’s go.

Royal Ascot 2025 Day 5 Selections

3:05 Ascot – Al Riffa @ 5/1 General – 1pt EW

I’m slightly pleased that Al Riffa is the right side of 5/1 in order to have a dirty each-way play because he must have a sterling chance in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes.

Firstly, I respect Rebel’s Romance greatly. He is a monster globetrotter who likes this ground, and he’s gone well around Ascot before.

However, based on his run in the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup Stakes last month when he just got home in a bunched finish, and Charlie Appleby’s form this week, I’ll take him on at the prices with Joseph O’Brien’s younger legs.

It feels like this son of Wootton Bassett has never really hit the heights that he once promised, but he is full of quality, and he’s shown this throughout his career.

As a three-year-old, he ran behind Ace Impact in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano, he chased home City Of Troy in the Coral-Eclipse as a four-year-old, and he finished a fine third in the Group 2 Neom Turf Cup at the start of this year behind Shin Emperor.

Furthermore, his fourth in the Group 1 Prix Ganay in April looks good, as Sosie (the winner) went on to beat Sardinian Warrior in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan, Map Of Stars (the second) wasn’t disgraced when fourth in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes this week, and Royal Rhyme (the third) was only beaten by four-and-a-quarter lengths in the Tattersalls Gold Cup on his next start.

The first-time blinkers are an interesting addition over his usual cheekpieces, and with his form in the book, he’s the one I like.

3:40 Ascot – Iberian @ 50/1 with William Hill (4 places) (0.5pt EW)

You’ve read it correctly, Iberian at 50/1 is my selection in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.

To begin with, even though this doesn’t have a bearing on how this year’s renewal will go, this race has a history of throwing up surprises.

In case you are one of the very few people that I haven’t told this to yet, I did find Khaadem at 80/1 (and Age Of Kings at 50/1 on the same day) two years ago. I think about this day at Ascot quite often.

Khaadem then won the race again last year at 14/1, and Naval Crown won the race for Charlie Appleby in 2022 at 33/1.

So, why Iberian? I’m not willing to give up on him so soon after his promising run at Doncaster in the Listed Cammidge Trophy two starts ago.

He should have beaten Spycatcher at Doncaster, and that sets a decent standard of form considering she was a close sixth in the Champions Sprint last season.

Iberian’s form as a juvenile still warrants respect, considering he finished a slightly unlucky second to Haatem in the 2023 Vintage Stakes before beating Rosallion in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.

He does need to step up, that’s for granted, but he is clearly a classy animal at his best who is a wild price.

4:20 Ascot – Comanche Brave @ 4/1 with William Hill (1pt Win) & Yah Mo Be There @ 25/1 with William Hill (0.5pt EW)

Two make the most appeal in the Jersey Stakes because their form stands out, and that is Comanche Brave and Yah Mo Be There.

The former has run two big races this season, once when behind Henri Matisse (French 2000 Guineas winner) in the Group 3 Red Rocks Stakes in March and the other time when fifth in the Irish 2000 Guineas behind Field Of Gold (subsequent St James’s Palace Stakes winner).

Both efforts were notable, but I really liked how he battled on his seasonal reappearance in late March, and he really went 12 rounds with Henri Matisse.

Back to seven furlongs is no issue at all, and Ryan Moore jumps on for the first time. Moore and Donnacha O’Brien have a 40% all-time strike rate in the UK (two winners from five), and their strike rate in Ireland is 33% (two winners from six).

As for Yah Mo Be There, I thought he shaped really well in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket last month, and you may not believe me, but he was one of the last horses off the bridle with two furlongs to go.

With it being his first stab at eight furlongs at Newmarket, he faded in the final furlong, but it was a fine effort in the opening Classic of the year.

Last year, he looked good when winning the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury, and he was just touched off on debut at York by Andesite.

This drop back in trip will be appreciated, and he could be given a Jamie Spencer Special from the rear of the field.

5:00 Ascot – Orazio @ 14/1 General (6 places) & Apollo One @ 25/1 with William Hill (6 places) – 0.5pts EW

When in doubt, back Orazio. This is the third, yes third, year I’m backing him in the Wokingham, and he is finally running off a mark in the 90s.

Admittedly, he’s rated 99, but that is still in the 90s, meaning he is 1lb below the rating he had when third in the race last year and 3lbs below the rating he had when sixth in 2023.

His win in April 2023 off a 102-day break, as well as his third in the Listed Cammidge Trophy Stakes in March 2024 off a 182-day break and his third in this race last year off a 66-day break, show he can go well fresh, so this being his first start of the season isn’t too much of a worry.

In last year’s race, he managed to run into Dark Trooper and Unequal Love (Champions Sprint third), so it was a big run, and he is primed for another one this year.

As for Apollo One, while he has to carry top weight off 109, he is such a classy animal who nearly won the Stewards Cup last season off 102.

His penultimate run of the year saw him finish a nose second in the Portland Handicap, a race that has produced American Affair (Group 1 winner), Jm Jungle (Epsom Dash winner), Rumstar (Group 3 winner), Shagraan (Listed placed), and Cover Up (Listed winner).

His run in the Group 3 Abernant Stakes will bring him along nicely, and while his rating is on the steep side, he is a very good animal.