Legendary flat racing jockey Willie Carson, with 56 Royal Ascot victories to his name, has offered his insights and selections for this year's prestigious meeting in Berkshire. Carson, a prominent figure in 20th-century racing, shared his views with Horse.Bet on several of the week's key races, highlighting a number of horses he expects to perform well.
Among his strongest fancies, Carson singled out George Boughey’s Bow Echo for the St James’s Palace Stakes. The three-year-old, a recent winner of the 2,000 Guineas, impressed Carson significantly. He described Bow Echo’s Guineas performance as exceptional and suggested the horse could be a contender for 'horse of the year'. Carson's strong backing for Bow Echo underscores the high expectations surrounding the young thoroughbred as it aims to follow up its Classic victory.
Looking at other major contests, Carson identified Notable Speech as his top pick for the Queen Anne Stakes, the opening Group One race of the meeting. Despite Notable Speech not yet having won at Ascot, Carson praised the manner of its Lockinge victory. He also expressed confidence in the Australian contingent, believing sprinters Overpass and Joliestar will be difficult to beat in the King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, respectively. Carson noted the high calibre of competition these Australian horses face domestically, suggesting they operate at a superior level.
In Wednesday's Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, which promises a high-class clash between defending champion Ombudsman and Arc hero Daryz, Carson sided with Ombudsman. He suggested that if conditions remain quick, the Godolphin runner could have the advantage. For the Gold Cup, Carson surprisingly looked beyond Aidan O’Brien’s expected star stayer, Scandinavia, instead backing Rahiebb to reverse a previous result over the longer distance, having been impressed by Rahiebb's return at York.
Carson also offered strong opinions on Friday’s Group One contests, the Commonwealth Cup and Coronation Stakes. He highlighted Venetian Sun in the Commonwealth Cup, noting her remarkable performance at Haydock, and suggested that Touleen could improve on her Guineas run in the Coronation Stakes, despite Precise setting a high standard following her Irish victory.