The Royal Ascot Festival comprises a group of races held over a 5 day period in June at the Ascot Racecourse. While none of the races are Classics, there are certainly some well known ones such as the Gold Cup.
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Jim Bolger's Finsceal Beo heads a high-class field of 13 in Friday's feature race at Royal Ascot, the Coronation Stakes at 1545 BST.

The filly, who won the 1000 Guineas and the Irish Guineas, is in her fourth Group One race of the season.

Darjina, who pipped Finsceal Beo in the French Guineas at Longchamp, also lines up as does Rahiyah, who finised third.

The going is officially described as good, although there was 7mm of rain overnight at the Berkshire course.

Bolger is confident about his horse's chances of making up for that Longchamps defeat.

"She is very well and I am very happy with her. She is very sound and her owners like to travel," said Bolger.

"I would be hoping to make it to double digits with her in terms of Group One victories at some stage in the future.

"She has won three already so she is one third of the way there."

But those in the know about Darjina are making equally positive noises about her chances of repeating her French triumph at Ascot.

"I don't know if she has progressed at all since her last race but she has certainly showed us that she is doing very well," said Georges Rimaud, racing manager to the Aga Khan, whose daughter Princess Zahra owns Darjina.

"We have certainly not seen anything in the meantime to make us change our mind about bringing her for this race.

"She has only had three runs in her life so I would hope that there is a degree of improvement - but she will need it to be able to perform at her best.

"It looks a great race, though, bringing together the Guineas form from four different countries."

Rahiyah was beaten by just over a length-and-a half at Longchamp, but her rider Ted Durcan is hopeful Jeremy Noseda's filly can turn the tables on the big two.

"I would have preferred a better draw, but it was a similar situation in the French Guineas," said Durcan.

"She ran a magnificent race in France on what was her first race of the season and she hasn't got that much to make up on the first two."

John Oxx's Arch Swing, who came second at Newmarket but disappointed at the Curragh, is also among the runners.

To add to the feeling of Newmarket deja-vu, Richard Hannon's Indian Ink and Michael Jarvis' Yaqeen, who came fifth and sixth in that race, are also among Friday's opposition.

German 1000 Guineas winner Mi Emma adds an international flavour to procedings, and the line-up is completed by Nell Gwyn winner Scarlet Runner, Silk Blossom, Puggy, Missvinski, Majestic Roi and Cherry Hinton.

Elsewhere, trainer Mark Johnston has two shots at success, with Boscobel running in the King Edward VII Stakes, but he thinks his best chance of a winner is Hearthstead Maison in the Queen's Vase at 1655 BST, which is also the Five Live Tip of the Day.

Last year's winner Yeats will bid for a Gold Cup double when he heads a field of 14 at Royal Ascot on Thursday.

Aidan O'Brien's charge claimed a four-length win 12 months ago and bids to emulate Royal Rebel, who triumphed in 2001 and 2002.

But he could face a tough challenge from the public's favourite Sergeant Cecil, trained by Rod Millman.

The eight-year-old was only fifth in 2006 but comes into the race after victory in last month's Yorkshire Cup.

Geordieland, who was beaten by three-quarters of a length on that occasion, will try to improve on that display.

Frankie Dettori rides Cherry Mix, who will bid to give Godolphin a fifth Gold Cup success while trainer Amanda Perrett saddles both Bulwark and Tungsten Strike.

Baddam, who enjoyed a successful time at last year's Royal meeting with wins in both the Ascot Stakes and the Queen Alexandra Stakes, represents Mick Channon.

The Last Drop, who disappointed behind Sergeant Cecil at York, will try to make amends for Barry Hills, while there are also entries for fillies Allegretto and Rising Cross.

Lord Du Sud and Montare represent France with Germany having a rare runner in Le Miracle.

With Finalmente also taking his chance, the O'Brien-trained Scorpion and Diamond Quest were the only withdrawals at the 48-hour declaration stage.

Notnowcato and Dylan Thomas are in a top class field of seven horses declared for the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.

Notnowcato pipped Dylan Thomas when the pair clashed in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh last month.

Also running are last year's Derby hero Sir Percy and Breeders' Cup Turf victor Red Rocks.

Manduro, third last year, bids to become the first French-trained winner since Admetus in 1974.

Pressing, supplemented by trainer Michael Jarvis on Friday at a cost of £25,000, and Kandidate from Clive Brittain's stable, complete the line-up for the 10-furlong feature.

The four horses withdrawn at the 48-hour final declaration stage were Formal Decree, Hattan, Mandesha and George Washington, who runs in the Queen Anne Stakes on Tuesday.

The worlds of top-class Flat racing and fashion will collide when the five-day Royal Ascot meeting begins on Tuesday.

Racing has been held at the famous Berkshire course since 1711 and tradition is a hallmark of the meeting.

Top hats and tails remain compulsory in parts of the course while a daily procession of horse-drawn carriages brings the Queen to the course.

More than 300,000 spectators will visit the track over the five days although attendances are set to fall this year.

Ascot have admitted that this is due to fallout from the 20-month £200m redevelopment, which was officially unveiled 12 months ago.

The new grandstand was an impressively modern sight but there was criticism of the viewing facilities and since then, £10m has been spent on ironing out the initial problems.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the first running of the Gold Cup, which is the feature race of the meeting.

It promises to be a vintage renewal of the race with last year's winner Yeats facing the challenge of the popular Sergeant Cecil.

The famous two-and-a-half mile race falls on Thursday, which is also Ladies' Day, when the course is awash with vibrant colours and fabrics and stylish and outlandish outfits and hats.

The Gold Cup is one of six Group One races to take place over the course of the five-day meeting.

Two of those occur on day one, including the St James' Palace Stakes, which will feature dual Guineas winner Cockney Rebel.

The other top-level race is the Queen Anne Stakes, which sees the return of the Aidan O'Brien-trained George Washington to the racetrack.

The colt won the 2,000 Guineas and the QEII Stakes last season before being retired to stud.

But fertility problems led to a shock announcement earlier this year that he would be resuming his racing career.

O'Brien also saddles Dylan Thomas, the likely favourite for Wednesday's £350,000 Prince of Wales' Stakes, the joint-richest race of the week.

The fillies take centre stage on Friday with the Irish-trained Finisceal Beo going for her third Group One success of the season.

Saturday's finale has an international flavour with some of the world's crack sprinters lining up in the Golden Jubilee Stakes.

Also on the card is the six-furlong Wokingham Stakes, a fiercely competitive cavalry charge of a handicap, which is one of the biggest betting races of the season.

A considerable sum of the money wagered during the week will be on horses ridden by Frankie Dettori.

The popular Italian is synonymous with Ascot after winning all seven races on the card in 1996.

And he has been in sparkling form recently, winning three Classics this month, including the previously elusive Epsom Derby.

Double Guineas winner Cockney Rebel is one of a potential field of 11 for the St James's Palace Stakes on the opening day of Royal Ascot on Tuesday.

Cockney Rebel is aiming to emulate the brilliant Rock of Gibralter, who won both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas before winning at Royal Ascot.

But the Geoff Huffer-trained colt faces a five-strong challenge from Rock of Gibralter's trainer Aidan O'Brien.

They include French 2000 Guineas winner Astronomer Royal.

The Irish trainer's other four possible runners are Excellent Art, an unlucky fourth in France, Duke Of Marmalade, fourth in the English and Irish Guineas, Archipenko, winner of the Derrinstown Derby Trial, and Sorolla.

The £250,000 St James' Palace Stakes, which is run over a mile, is the opening Group One race of the five-day meeting.

Dutch Art, from the stable of Derby-winning trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam, was second to Cockney Rebel at Newmarket and the two could meet again at Ascot.

Also lined up for the St James' Palace Stakes is Jim Bolger's Creachadoir, who was second in both the French and Irish Guineas.

David Wachman's He's A Decoy, Brian Meehan's Jack Junior and William Jarvis' impressive Silver Bowl winner Tobosa complete the field.

The other Group One race on the opening day is the Queen Anne Stakes, which sees the eagerly-awaited return to the track of George Washington.

The four-year-old, also trained in Ireland by O'Brien, was sent to stud at the end of last season.

But after suffering fertility problems, his owners decided to resurrect his racing career.

The colt will face a maximum of eight rivals, who could include dual Group One-winning filly Red Evie, victor in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

James Fanshawe's Cesare, who won the Royal Hunt Cup at the meeting last year, has been supplemented for the race.

Other possible contenders include Sir Michael Stoute's Jeremy, winner of the Jersey Stakes 12 months ago.

Highclere have significantly boosted their Royal Ascot team for next week with the purchase of a controlling interest in the Robert Cowell-trained filly Regal Steps, a highly impressive winner of a maiden at Nottingham on her debut. She is heading for the Queen Mary on Wednesday.

Harry Herbert, who manages Highclere and the Royal Ascot Racing Club, said: "She looked very impressive and we have bought a controlling interest from the trainer's father, Bob. The only other proven horse we've bought was Hoh Dear who went on to finish second in the Cherry Hinton."

He anticipates both clubs having seven or eight Ascot runners between them including Fever (King George), Metaphoric (Vase), Conquest (King's Stand), Cliche (Sandringham) and he reported Asset, a winner at Newmarket last time, to be in great form ahead of his run in the Golden Jubilee.

"He needs good ground or faster," he said at Newbury after Altar had won for Highclere yesterday. "But it's a very competitive race with the Australians coming over, though we think a lot of our horse. This is meant to be their premier team and we haven't lived with what they've described as their second division in the past."