Willie Carson — Hall-of-Fame jockey, rider of 56 Royal Ascot winners, and the man on Dayjur’s back through one of the great chapters in British flat racing — gave us his read on the remaining big races at Royal Ascot 2026. Below, in his own words: the filly he can’t see past in Friday’s Commonwealth Cup, the comparison to Dayjur she’s earned, and his calls on the Coronation Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee.
By Willie Carson, exclusively for horse.bet UK
In the Commonwealth Cup, I cannot see past Venetian Sun. That Haydock win, in the Sandy Lane Stakes, totally blew me away. That was unreal. You don’t see horses win races of that quality very often.
She’s still got to go and win her race on Friday — and at Royal Ascot, nothing is certain until the line — but the way she did it at Haydock reminded me of Dayjur. After watching the Haydock run, it just made me feel like I was watching Dayjur again. He was the fastest horse I ever rode, and possibly the fastest horse anyone has ever ridden.
Venetian Sun’s got a way to go before she gets up to Dayjur’s level, of course — let’s not get carried away. But watching her at Haydock took me right back to those days. They don’t make many like Dayjur anymore. Venetian Sun, though? She might just be cut from a similar cloth.
The Coronation Stakes — Precise to be hard to beat, but watch Touleen
Precise looked like she really improved for the Newmarket Guineas with how she won in Ireland. I’d say she’ll be hard to beat in the Coronation.
But keep an eye on Touleen. I think she could come on again from that run in the Guineas — she’s the kind of filly who finds something extra when the meeting gets serious, and she’d be the value play if Precise drifts at all in the market.
The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee — the Aussies are a different class
Joliestar looks tough to oppose in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee.
These Aussie sprinters are a different class right now. When you look at who they’ve been running against — the likes of Ka Ying Rising, who is the best sprinter in the world at the moment — the Europeans are surely going to struggle to live with them. I think Joliestar carries that form into Ascot and it’ll be enough.
Royal Ascot 2026 runs Tuesday 16 to Saturday 20 June at Ascot. For full racecards, form, and our editor’s picks across the meeting, see our Ascot racecards & form page, today’s UK racing, and the horse.bet predictor for daily predictions across every UK meeting.
Willie Carson is one of British flat racing’s most decorated jockeys. He won five Classics, was Champion Jockey five times, and was inducted into the British Flat Racing Hall of Fame in 2024. His 56 Royal Ascot winners include the Gold Cup and multiple Group 1 victories. Dayjur, ridden by Carson and trained by Major Dick Hern, was the dominant sprinter of 1990.
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