Royal Ascot: Desert Hero set for return

The horse, owned by His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla, looks set to return to Ascot in 2024, a year on from experiencing success last year.

With the 2024 renewal of the illustrious and iconic Royal Ascot at the historic and equally famous Ascot Racecourse, excitement and anticipation amongst horse racing fans in this country and across the globe is only set to increase dramatically over the coming weeks with this prestigious event edging ever closer to finally making its return. This year’s Royal Ascot is set to take place over 5 enthralling days, from Tuesday 18th to Saturday 22nd June 2024.

The first day of action will see the following seven races take place: the Queen Anne Stakes (14:30pm), the Coventry Stakes (15:05pm), the King Charles III Stakes (15:45pm), the St. James’s Palace Stakes (16:25pm), the Ascot Stakes (17:05pm), the Wolferton Stakes (17:40pm) and finally the Copper Horse Stakes (18:15pm).

Each day will have seven races, and the ones that will feature on the second day (Wednesday 19th June) are as follows: The Queen Mary Stakes (14:30pm), The Queen’s Vase (15:05pm), The Duke of Cambridge Stakes (15:45pm), The Prince of Wales’s Stakes (16:25pm), The Royal Hunt Cup (17:05pm) and finally the final race of that day: the 2024 edition of the Kensington Palace Stakes (17:40pm).

The third day (Thursday, June 20th) will begin with the 2024 Norfolk Stakes at 14:30pm that afternoon, followed by the King George V Stakes (15:05pm), The Ribblesdale Stakes (15:45pm), The Gold Cup (16:25pm), The Britannia Stakes (17:05pm), the Hampton Court Stakes, and lastly, the Buckingham Palace Stakes (18:15pm).

Then, the penultimate day on Friday 21st June has seven races that are set to be the following for the 2024 renewal of Royal Ascot at the Ascot Racecourse. They are as follows: the Albany Stakes (14:30pm), the Commonwealth Cup (15:05pm), the Coronation Stakes (15:45pm), The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (16:25pm), The Sandringham Stakes (17:05pm), The King Edward VII Stakes (17:40pm) and then ending with the 18:15 The Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes.

The fifth and final day on Saturday, 22nd June 2024 will then see the following seven race take to the iconic Ascot track: The Chesham Stakes (14:30pm), the Hardwicke Stakes (15:05pm), The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (15:45pm), The Jersey Stakes (16:25pm), The Wokingham Stakes (17:05pm), The Golden Gates Stakes (17:40pm) and finally The 2024 Queen Alexandra Stakes, which will be the last race to take place in the entirety of the 2024 renewal of Royal Ascot.

Each day will feature a Royal Procession featuring the Royal Family, including His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Talking of royalty, they look set to enter a horse once more this year – Desert Hero.

Desert Hero enjoyed success at the 2023 edition of Royal Ascot in that year’s King George V Stakes on the third day, winning the race with Jockey Tom Marquand on board. Marquand was able to hold off stern competition from the likes of Oisin Murphy’s Valiant King and Ryan Moore’s Bertinelli, who came in and had to settle for second and third place finishes in this race in the end. This win was King Charles III’s first since he began his reign as Monarch.

This is, however, not the first time that a reigning Monarch has won a race at Royal Ascot, with the late Queen Elizabeth II doing so with Estimate, ridden by Ryan Moore, in the 2013 edition of the iconic and historic Ascot Gold Cup.

Now, in 2024, Desert Hero seems set for a return to Royal Ascot, with King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s horse being rumoured to take part in the upcoming Hardwicke Stakes on the fifth and final day on Saturday, 22nd June 2024.

This is what William Haggas, the trainer of Desert Hero had to say on the matter (via the Daily Mail): “The King is looking to run him for a while and he should be a very handy horse for them. We took a long-term view and gelded him and I think it has done him good. He was never really flush last year but he has matured a lot. He seems to be a strong horse.

“We are planning the first half of the season around the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot. He will run once or twice before but I don’t know where yet.”

With the 2024 renewal of the iconic and illustrious Royal Ascot underway in a matter of weeks at Ascot Racecourse, excitement and anticipation are certainly on the rise amongst horse racing fans.

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