Alta Regina stands out as the most compelling selection in the Group Three Princess Margaret Japan Cup Stakes at Ascot, due off at 1.45pm.
The Wathnan-owned filly finished sixth in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot but shaped in a manner that suggests better is very much to come.
She was doing her best work late in that Queen Mary race, flying home under James McDonald in a way that strongly hints an extra furlong is right up her street.
The form of that Queen Mary race has since been franked by subsequent results in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes, boosting the form credentials of those who ran in it.
Jamie Spencer, a jockey who rides Ascot’s straight course particularly well, takes the mount having already won aboard the filly on her debut.
Alta Regina is the clear play Win and Place with World Pool and represents Hamad Al Jehani’s operation in what looks a winnable contest.
She can also be included in a World Pool Quinella alongside two other fillies who showed their quality at the Royal meeting earlier this summer.
Dee’s Funny Girl makes an intriguing reappearance, this time running for trainer Donnacha O’Brien, having previously shown ability under different connections.
The Cotai Glory filly won on debut over five furlongs at Thirsk back in May for Michael Keady before being sold for £150,000 following that performance.
She was sent off at a big price for the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot and was far from disgraced, sitting front-rank before being outpaced a furlong from home.
She stayed on to finish sixth behind a handful of high-quality fillies, a performance that reads considerably better given the calibre of those she finished behind.
With a trainer upgrade to O’Brien’s yard and a return to a more suitable grade of racing, Dee’s Funny Girl shapes as the main danger to Alta Regina.
Dark Issue finished ahead of Dee’s Funny Girl in the Albany, staying on strongly into fourth, and should not be underestimated in this field either.
Turning to the closing five-furlong handicap at 5.20pm, King Of Light is a horse well worth forgiving for a below-par effort at Ascot on his most recent start.
He reared as the stalls opened in that race and completely blew the start, making it impossible to assess his true level of form from that run.
His earlier form is far more instructive, with King Of Light only just missing the frame in the Epsom Dash on Derby Day before producing a career-best at Windsor.
He won at Windsor with a bit in hand, making no mistake in a performance that highlighted his genuine ability when allowed to race on his own terms.
He has shown consistent form throughout 2026 and the fast ground conditions at Ascot should hold no fears for him whatsoever.
King Of Light is the selection Win and Place with World Pool, with Pilgrim and Oisin Murphy-ridden Emperor Spirit added into a Quinella for what could be a significant payout.
Emperor Spirit has been beaten by half a length or less on his last two outings, making him a consistent and dangerous rival who deserves plenty of respect.