King Charles III Stakes Tips: Repeat Affair on the cards

The King Charles III Stakes, the second of three Group 1 races at Royal Ascot on Tuesday, has attracted a field of 26 runners and promises to be one of the real highlights of the five-day festival. 

Inaugurated in 1860 as the Queen's Stand Plate, this iconic Group 1 sprint is contested over a minimum trip of five furlongs on the straight track, and is the ultimate test of explosive, raw acceleration.

We’ve given our views on Tuesday’s renewal below, providing a selection and best alternative. 

King Charles III Stakes Odds 

American Affair @ 17/2

im Goldie has wrapped American Affair in cotton wool since his 11-1 success in this race last year, but there were some encouraging signs from the six-year-old behind Night Raidar in the Group 2 Temple Stakes and he’s sure to relish today’s predicted quicker ground.

He’s got a high cruising speed and seemed to relish this stiff finish when coming fast and late to pip Frost At Dawn in last year’s renewal. I’m confident he’ll have the race run to suit once again and nobody knows him better than Paul Mulrennan.

There have been five French-trained winners of the race during its long and illustrious history, the most recent of those being Chineur in 2005 (it was run at York, not Ascot, due to the major redevelopments).

They are double-handed in Tuesday’s race, Francis Henri Graffard’s Rayevka looking the pick of their runners, having won a Group 3 at Longchamp last month and acquitted himself well when sixth in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan earlier in the year.

He’s performed well in two previous appearances at Ascot, finishing sixth in the Champions Sprint over 6f here in October and third in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup. This trip on ground this lively does temper enthusiasm for his chances, however.

Next Best: Overpass @ 11/4

There have been nine foreign-trained winners of the King Charles III Stakes since 2003, six of those from Australia, which are doubly represented in Tuesday’s renewal, including Asfoora, who landed the prize in 2024 and finished in a dead-heat for fifth last season.

Henry Dwyer’s mare has looked a shadow of her former self in two outings this year, but she’s been without her usual blinkers and could well be revitalised by the returning headgear this afternoon.

She’s effective on all types of ground and proved herself just about the best sprinter around in Europe last year, winning the Nunthorpe Stakes at York on good to firm in August and the Prix de l’Abbeye at Longchamp on good to soft in October.

She’s very much second-best of the Aussie runners according to the betting; however, two-time Group 1 winner Overpass is heading the market at just 3-1. The second highest-rated horse in the field (116, 1lb behind Big Mojo), he’s won ten of his 36 career starts to date, though is on a losing run of seven, dating back to November 2024.

The seven-year-old has been running to a high level in defeat during that winless run, finishing a highly creditable fourth behind the record-breaking Ka Ying Rising in the Group 1 Everest at Randwick and when short-headed in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot (the Australian one).

That’s very likely the best form on offer, particularly this year, but he’s been running over 6f and 7f and hasn’t contested this minimum distance of 5f since his two-year-old days - which is surely a concern, albeit this is a stiff track.

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