Royal Ascot is just around the corner and fans of flat racing will already be eagerly anticipating some of the big battles due to take place between some of the world’s best thoroughbreds across the meeting’s blockbuster five days and 36 high-class races.

Tahiyra, who was second in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket to Mawj before bouncing back with a win in the Irish edition of the Classic at the Curragh last month, will now look to reserve the Rowley Mile form against her Godolphin rival in the Coronation Stakes on June 23, while 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean will also face the winner of the Irish version Paddington in the St James’s Palace Stakes on the opening day (June 20).

The Gold Cup will also attract a lot of attention, with Coltrane the ever so slight favourite in the Royal Ascot betting ahead of St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov for the highlight race of the week under a resurgent Oisin Murphy and in-form trainer Andrew Balding. The contest that has caught our eye the most, however, is the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes on June 21.

The one-mile and two-furlong Group 1 will potentially see two former Derby victors pitted against multiple Group winners — what more could you ask for? Let’s take a look at the market at this stage.

Desert Crown

A big market mover after being spotted having a reportedly rather impressive racecourse gallop under Ryan Moore at Newmarket earlier this month, 2022 Derby winner Desert Crown is now the 2/1 favourite for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.

The lightly-raced Sir Michael Stoute-trained four-year-old was only seen twice before winning what is arguably the world’s most prestigious flat race at Epsom 12 months ago, landing a two-year-old Maiden Stakes at Nottingham in November 2021 and the Group 2 Dante Stakes in May 2022.

He justified his pre-race favouritism in the Derby, streaking clear of Hoo Ya Mal to win by over two lengths but suffered an injury that had him sidelined for 355 days. Desert Crown reappeared at Sandown last month and ran well for second in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes and should come on well from that.

Luxembourg

The long-time ante-post favourite for last year’s Derby, Luxembourg picked up a muscular injury after finishing a respectable third in last year’s 2,000 Guineas — paving the way for Desert Crown to go to the fore of the market.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained horse had a flawless record before the Guineas, winning all three of his races, and returned last Autumn to pick up another two wins in a row in Ireland. But he was then seventh in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on his final outing of the season and flattered to deceive when fifth on his reappearance last month.

Luxembourg was back in the winner’s enclosure on his last day, however, bouncing back to form with a half-a-length win over Champions Stakes victor Bay Bridge in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh. If he can display that form at Ascot, the four-year-old has a great chance of landing O’Brien his ninth win in this race.

 Adayar

Another Derby winner, Adayar delivered Charlie Appleby and Godolphin their second win in the 2021 renewal of the esteemed Classic — comfortably beating 50/1 outsider Mojo Star by four-and-a-half lengths while the major operator’s so-called ‘first-string horse’ Hurricane Lane was a further three and quarter lengths back under William Buick in third.

He followed up that success with a win in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Royal Ascot less than three weeks later, this time under Buick, but wasn’t seen again until October when fourth in the Arc and fifth in the Champion Stakes.

Six outings in 2021 were perhaps more taxing on Adayar than Appleby initially imagined, as he didn’t reappear until September 2022 — winning at Doncaster after 327 days off but faring no better than second in the Champion Stakes. After another lengthy break, this time 204 days, Adayar returned in May to win a Group 3 at Newmarket. Whether or he’s up to this company remains to be seen.