Docklands Edges Rosallion in Royal Ascot Opener

ASCOT, England, June 17. The Royal Ascot 2025 meeting opened with a dramatic finish as Docklands edged out race favourite Rosallion horse in the first race of the day. Under sunny skies, a large crowd watched the Harry Eustace-trained runner recover from a slow start and make a strong move in the final stretch to secure the win.

Jockey Mark Zahra guided Docklands through the pack after the Rosallion horse missed the break from the gates. Despite losing his whip in the final stages, Zahra kept the momentum, pressing forward and meeting Rosallion horse stride for stride before the judges confirmed Docklands as the winner.

“I just crept as much as I could and just got a room at the right time,” Zahra said. “He burst through and just kept responding. It’s one of the top moments of my career for sure.”

This marks Eustace’s third Royal Ascot 2025 win and redemption for Docklands, who finished second in the same race last year. With 35 races scheduled during the event and a prize fund of £10 million ($13.5 million), expectations remain high across the board. The meeting features eight Group 1 races with minimum purses of £650,000 and a mix of handicaps attracting competitive fields.

Later on Tuesday, attention shifts to the King Charles III Stakes and the St James’s Palace Stakes. The former includes Australian contender Asfoora, last year’s winner, facing off against Believing, a proven Group 1 mare currently in foal for Docklands. These races add more eyes to the first day, as both horses are seen as big names in their groups.

The St James’s Palace Stakes, a key race on Tuesday, draws in the best three-year-old male horses of the year from Britain, Ireland, and France. Field Of Gold, Ruling Court, and Henri Matisse, winners of their respective 2,000 Guineas, meet over the round mile with hopes of confirming their place at the top of the mile division.

This year, the Royal Ascot 2025 has people from nine countries. This includes Japan, Australia, France, Ireland, and the US. The big news is that US trainer Wesley Ward will not be there. It’s his first time missing since 2012. However, international entries remain strong. Among them, France’s Lazzat runs in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes under Jerome Reynier and new owner Wathnan Racing. Japanese sprinter Satono Reve, trained by Noriyuki Hori, is also attracting interest ahead of the same race on Saturday.

Aidan O’Brien, the top horse trainer at Royal Ascot 2025, starts this year’s event with 91 wins. He aims to hit 100 wins by the end of the week. His stable includes several high-profile runners. On Wednesday, O’Brien will send out Irish Derby winner Los Angeles in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, along with Puppet Master, who comes off a win in the Lingfield Derby Trial.

O’Brien’s hopes in the Gold Cup rest with Illinois, who now leads Ballydoyle’s long-distance team following the retirement of Kyprios due to injury. The Gold Cup, going since 1807, is one of the first races at Ascot. It spans over two and a half miles, and puts the horses’ staying power to the test. It is seen as one of the top long races in Europe.

Illinois will face seven other runners on Thursday, including Candelari from the Aga Khan stable and Trawlerman, a well-supported runner owned by Godolphin.

Among the jockeys, Ryan Moore heads into the week as Ascot’s current leader with 85 wins. Just out of his big win at the Epsom Derby, Moore is set to be a key player in many races at the event.

Hollie Doyle, the top woman rider in Britain, will race in 10 events this week. With more than 1,000 wins to her name, Doyle stands as one of the busiest and steadiest figures in the game. She still pulls a lot of eyes, more so at big events like this one.

The Royal Ascot 2025 meeting runs through Saturday, with a full card of races and international participation setting the tone for a competitive week. The strong turnout, consistent weather, and high stakes have added weight to the opening day, which already produced a headline finish through Docklands’ performance.