Royal Ascot 2019
 ascot racecourse

Tuesday 28th May 2019
Prince of Wales Stakes Looks Set to Provide Much-Anticipated Arc Rematch

There are a number of much-anticipated races taking place at Royal Ascot 2019, but very few of them can match the buzz surrounding the Prince of Wales Stakes. The Group 1 event, which is competed over 1 mile and 1 furlong, always attracts a high-quality field, and has produced recent winners such as Poets Word and Highland Reel, but this year's renewal is shaping up to be a cracker.

The likes of Masar, Old Persian and Crystal Ocean have all been touted for an appearance in the race, which will be held on the second day of the festival, but all eyes are likely to be on Sea of Class and Enable, as they renew hostilities once again. 

The pair met in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October with Enable coming out on top in a memorable contest which helped secure her second success in the iconic race. Sea of Class finished just a neck behind her rival, but despite some late urgings, she wasn't able to draw level with Frankie Detorri's mount. It was the jockey's 30th appearance in the race, and he was able to benefit from a favourable looking draw in stall six. 

Since that victory at Longchamp, Enable has been over to the United States, where she continued her winning run with a victory in the Breeders Cup Turf. She remains unbeaten in eight of her nine runs, and is likely to be very popular in the betting for the Prince of Wales Stakes.  

Sea of Class is yet to reappear. He was rumoured to be featuring at York's Dante meeting, but a raised temperature meant that William Haggas opted to redirect his talented four-year-old straight to Royal Ascot. 

Although there will some stiff competition in the race, the leading pair look to be head and shoulders above the remainder of the field, and racing fans are looking forward to witnessing the talented duo battling it out in the final couple of furlongs once again. 

The race is one of the highlights of the five-day festival, which also attracts a number of participants from overseas. It is one of the standout events on the sporting calendar, and is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the UK flat season. Fans of horse racing in the UK can follow all of the action from the Berkshire track using one of the many live streams which will be showing all 30 races. With six Group 1s scheduled across the five days, there are likely to be plenty of talking points once again. 

Other highlights include Stradivarius' return to two miles after enjoying success on the Knavesmire, and the St James' Palace Stakes, which will test the credentials of Too Darn Hot, who was beaten in the Dante despite going off as a short-priced favourite. 

Plans are always likely to be altered in the run-up to a festival, but the ante-post betting is currently pointing towards another fascinating battle between Enable and Sea of Class. The latter will be hoping for a more favourable draw this time around, whilst the former will be aiming to keep her unbelievable winning run intact. 

It will be a fascinating tactical battle between two of the sports biggest stars, and it's the rematch that many fans have been dreaming of. 

BetGoodwin