Royal Ascot 2026 once again demonstrated why it remains one of the most important fixtures in the international racing calendar, delivering five days of top-class competition featuring many of the sport’s leading thoroughbreds.
Across 35 races, including eight Group 1 contests, the meeting showcased the depth and quality of the ‘Sport of Kings’
For UAE racing fans, there was also a familiar theme as Dubai-owned interests enjoyed another week to remember at Ascot, featuring prominently in several of the meeting’s most prestigious races.
Dubai-owned runners secured three marquee victories, with Godolphin, Shadwell and the family of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum all contributing to another successful Royal Ascot campaign that highlighted the depth of the UAE’s deep-rooted ties to British racing.
The first Dubai success arrived on Tuesday when Bow Echo provided a breakthrough victory in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes.
Representing the family of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid the unbeaten colt displayed tremendous determination to edge Irish Guineas winner Gstaad in a thrilling finish over Ascot’s famous straight mile, where earlier in the afternoon, the racecourse had staged its traditional Royal Procession as King Charles III, Queen Camilla and their guests arrived from nearby Windsor Castle in ceremonial horse-drawn carriages.
Godolphin’s Talk Of New York also ran with credit in third, ensuring Dubai-owned runners filled two of the first three places in the contest.
Dubai’s all-powerful Godolphin operation took centre stage on Wednesday through their outstanding middle-distance performer Ombudsman.
Already a winner of the $5 million Dubai Turf on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan earlier this year, the five-year-old returned to Ascot seeking to defend his Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes crown, and he produced an even more dominant display than he had managed twelve months earlier.
Ridden with supreme confidence by Godolphin’s stable jockey William Buick, the John Gosden-trained Ombudsman settled at the rear of the field before unleashing a devastating burst of acceleration in the home straight to power four lengths clear of Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Daryz and top-class filly Minnie Hauk.
The victory handed Godolphin an eighth Prince of Wales’s Stakes success and added another chapter to a Royal Ascot record that stretches beyond 60 winners. It also reinforced the importance of Dubai’s domestic racing programme, with Ombudsman’s victories in both the Dubai Turf and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes underlining the quality of the horses competing throughout the Dubai World Cup Carnival.
Founded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Godolphin remains one of the defining forces of modern Royal Ascot. Trainers Saeed bin Suroor and Charlie Appleby have been central to that success, with Bin Suroor alone responsible for 40 winners at the Royal Meeting.
Thursday’s Ladies’ Day provided another significant result for Dubai connections when Moonfall, racing for the family of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, landed the prestigious Britannia Stakes.
The victory meant Dubai-owned runners had collected major prizes on three consecutive days.
The final chapter of the UAE story unfolded on Saturday through Shadwell and the continuing legacy of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s former Deputy Ruler and Minister of Finance, whose racing and breeding operation he established in Newmarket continues to thrive at the highest level.
The operation’s continued ability to produce elite performers was demonstrated when homebred sprinter Almeraq captured the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, one of the meeting’s most competitive races.
Bred at Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud in Norfolk, England, the four-year-old produced a stunning late surge under Tom Marquand to prevail by a nose in a thrilling four-horse blanket finish in a race involving challengers from Japan, Australia, Ireland, France and Britain.
For Shadwell, it represented a third victory in the Jubilee Stakes following the successes of Atraf and Malhub in the colours of Sheikh Hamdan. Among those present to witness the triumph at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday was Sheikha Hessa bint Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the equine-loving daughter of Sheikh Hamdan, who continues to play a leading role in upholding her father’s legacy.
As Royal Ascot drew to a close, Dubai’s racing patrons once again proved they remain among the most influential forces in the sport.
Source: Khaleej Times