Royal Ascot

Charlie Appleby has had just one winner from 36 runners at Royal Ascot in the last three years but he holds a very strong hand in the 2026 opener, with Notable Speech and Opera Ballo heading this field on ratings. Those two big guns command major respect but another chance is given to ZEUS OLYMPIOS, who looked so promising last term and whose two efforts this season suggest it's well worth keeping the faith in him. The selection stepped up on his reappearance effort when running creditably in the Lockinge in his first Group 1 attempt and may be on his way to resuming the great progress he showed in 2025. More Thunder (second choice) has very solid claims and is unexposed over 1m, while last year's winner and course specialist Docklands is also firmly in the mix.[Steve Boow]