Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 St James's Palace Stakes Preview
The race features on the opening day of Royal Ascot is the St James's Palace Stakes, which is open to three-year-old colts and is run over just shy of a mile (7f 213yds).
The inaugural running of the race took place in 1834, although that race was eventually a walkover. Originally a Group 2 race, it was upgraded to a Group 1 in 1988.
St James's Palace Stakes Information:
- St James's Palace Stakes Past Winners
- St James's Palace Stakes Trainer Statistics
- St James's Palace Stakes Jockey Statistics
If you are interested in other predictions at Royal Ascot, then head over to the Royal Ascot tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below. We cover every race at Royal Ascot, and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday. In addition to those, we also cover numerous races at Ascot during the flat season; you can find links to those here.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the St James's Palace Stakes market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2025 when the race had an over-round of 109%. The race in 2017 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 131%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the St James's Palace Stakes, the over-round has been 116%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £116 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 St James's Palace Stakes Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the St James's Palace Stakes Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run St James's Palace Stakes races over the last 20 renewals:
- Barney Roy (1:37.22) in 2017
- Poetic Flare (1:37.40) in 2021
- Rosallion (1:38.38) in 2024
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the St James's Palace Stakes next time out, then you would have backed a total of 6 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -8.92. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Barney Roy, trained by Richard Hannon and ridden by James Doyle, who set the fastest winning time in the St James's Palace Stakes. That runner won the race in a time of 1:37.22 in 2017. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Hugo Palmer and jockey Frankie Dettori with Galileo Gold who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 1:44.01 in the 2016 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
St James's Palace Stakes Past Winners
Here are the St James's Palace Stakes' past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the St James's Palace Stakes are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 1:38.41 | Field Of Gold (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (5 of 7) 8/11F | Colin Keane John & Thady Gosden (GB) |
| 2024 1:38.38 | Rosallion (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (1 of 8) 5/2 | Sean Levey Richard Hannon (GB) |
| 2023 1:40.74 | Paddington (GB) 3yo 9-2 (8 of 9) 11/5 | Ryan Moore A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2022 1:39.42 | Coroebus (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (2 of 11) 10/11F | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2021 1:37.40 | Poetic Flare (IRE) 3yo 9-0 (7 of 13) 7/2F | Kevin Manning J S Bolger (IRE) |
| 2020 1:42.38 | Palace Pier (GB) 3yo 9-0 (6 of 7) 4/1 | Frankie Dettori John Gosden (GB) |
| 2019 1:39.90 | Circus Maximus (IRE) 3yo 9-0 (1 of 11) 10/1 | Ryan Moore A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2018 1:38.64 | Without Parole (GB) 3yo 9-0 (2 of 10) 9/4F | Frankie Dettori John Gosden (GB) |
| 2017 1:37.22 | Barney Roy (GB) 3yo 9-0 (4 of 8) 5/2 | James Doyle Richard Hannon (GB) |
| 2016 1:44.01 | Galileo Gold (GB) 3yo 9-0 (7 of 7) 6/1 | Frankie Dettori Hugo Palmer (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the St James's Palace Stakes have been based:
- GB: 12 winners with an additional 19 placings from 108 runners
- IRE: 8 winners with an additional 12 placings from 60 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 4 placings from 13 runners
- JPN: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- USA: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2025 St James's Palace Stakes Replay
St James's Palace Stakes Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the St James's Palace Stakes over the last 20 renewals is A P O'Brien, who has won the race six times, with those six winners coming from Excellent Art (2007), Henrythenavigator (2008), Mastercraftsman (2009), Gleneagles (2015), Circus Maximus (2019) and Paddington (2023). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the St James's Palace Stakes are John Gosden (3 wins), Richard Hannon (2 wins) and J S Bolger (2 wins).
Here are some of the top St James's Palace Stakes trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| A P O'Brien | 45-6-17 | -16.87 | -9.81 |
| John Gosden | 11-3-7 | -1.02 | -0.39 |
| Richard Hannon | 8-2-4 | -1.00 | +1.17 |
| J S Bolger | 6-2-2 | +0.75 | -1.15 |
| Charlie Appleby | 9-1-3 | -7.09 | -3.15 |
| Brian Meehan | 7-1-2 | +3.00 | -0.60 |
| John & Thady Gosden | 4-1-1 | -2.27 | -2.54 |
| Hugo Palmer | 2-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.75 |
| William Haggas | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -4.10 |
| Saeed bin Suroor | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | -2.90 |
St James's Palace Stakes Jockey Statistics
There are two leading jockeys in the St James's Palace Stakes over the last 20 renewals, with both Ryan Moore and Frankie Dettori, who have both won the race three times. Ryan Moore winners have been with Gleneagles (2015), Circus Maximus (2019) and Paddington (2023). Frankie Dettori winners have been with Galileo Gold (2016), Without Parole (2018) and Palace Pier (2020). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the St James's Palace Stakes is James Doyle (2 wins).
Here are some of the top St James's Palace Stakes jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Moore | 18-3-11 | -2.27 | +2.40 |
| Frankie Dettori | 15-3-5 | +0.25 | -3.04 |
| James Doyle | 8-2-2 | -2.77 | -4.04 |
| William Buick | 11-1-3 | -9.09 | -5.15 |
| Jamie Spencer | 5-1-1 | +4.00 | +0.80 |
| Sean Levey | 4-1-1 | -0.50 | -1.50 |
| Colin Keane | 2-1-1 | -0.27 | -0.54 |
| Tom Queally | 2-1-1 | -0.70 | -0.82 |
| Seamie Heffernan | 8-0-0 | -8.00 | -8.00 |
| Jim Crowley | 6-0-1 | -6.00 | -3.50 |
2026 St James's Palace Stakes Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 5, 1, 1, (1, 7), 1, 12, 1, 1, 1, 2, 4, 1, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 7, 1
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (43%) - No bigger than 10/1
- 20 / 20 (57%) - Within the first 5 of the market
- 20 / 20 (72%) - Won within last 3 starts
- 20 / 20 (74%) - No bigger than 12/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Achieved an RPR of 110+ (Last 3)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - No bigger than 16/1 (Career Place)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Carried 126 - 131lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - In a field of 6 - 15 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Placed within last 2 starts
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Achieved a TS of 66+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Ran in 3 - 8 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Achieved an RPR of 95+ (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Achieved a TS of 58+ (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - No bigger than 16/1 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Not on GS/FM/STD-SLW/FS (Debut)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Royal Ascot racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the St James's Palace Stakes. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the St James's Palace Stakes by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
St James's Palace Stakes Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +7.35, is when runners were 1st in the betting market.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 career starts with the jockey, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-30.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 5 (1) [7 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 1 (7,2) [8 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 8 (1,7) [9 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 2 (4,7) [11 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 7 (11,2) [13 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the St James's Palace Stakes is Curragh; there have been a total of 11 winners of this race who ran at Curragh last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Newmarket (Rowley); there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Newmarket (Rowley) last time out.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the St James's Palace Stakes:
- Galileo (3 Wins)
- Kingman (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the St James's Palace Stakes despite multiple attempts:
- Dark Angel (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Wootton Bassett (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Iffraaj (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Lope De Vega (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- War Front (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Circus Maximus in 2019, winning for A P O'Brien at odds of 10/1 under the guidance of Ryan Moore. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 12 winning favourites in the race. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 St James's Palace Stakes.
Route to the St James's Palace Stakes
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the St James's Palace Stakes. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Field Of Gold Curragh - 1st of 9 (1/1) | Irish 2000 Guineas |
| 2024 - Rosallion Curragh - 1st of 8 (10/11) | Irish 2000 Guineas |
| 2023 - Paddington Curragh - 1st of 11 (3/1) | Irish 2000 Guineas |
| 2022 - Coroebus Newmarket (Rowley) - 1st of 15 (5/1) | 2000 Guineas |
| 2021 - Poetic Flare Curragh - 2nd of 11 (5/1) | Irish 2000 Guineas |
| 2020 - Palace Pier Newcastle (AW) - 1st of 7 (11/10) | Betway Heed Your Hunch Handicap |
| 2019 - Circus Maximus Epsom - 6th of 13 (10/1) | Epsom Derby |
| 2018 - Without Parole Sandown - 1st of 9 (4/6) | Matchbook Is Commission Free Heron Stakes |
| 2017 - Barney Roy Newmarket (Rowley) - 2nd of 10 (7/2) | 2000 Guineas |
| 2016 - Galileo Gold Curragh - 2nd of 8 (5/4) | Irish 2000 Guineas |
Schedule for Tuesday at the Royal Ascot Meeting
The five-day Royal Ascot meeting kicks off on Tuesday with three Group 1 events on the seven-race card, with the Queen Anne Stakes, King Charles II Stakes and St James's Palace Stakes all part of the British Champions Series.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 Royal Ascot Queen Anne Stakes | Docklands (GB) 5yo - 14/1 | Harry Eustace Mark Zahra |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Coventry Stakes | Gstaad (GB) 2yo - 7/2 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot King Charles III Stakes | American Affair (GB) 5yo - 11/1 | Jim Goldie Paul Mulrennan |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot St James's Palace Stakes | Field Of Gold (IRE) 3yo - 8/11 | John & Thady Gosden Colin Keane |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Ascot Stakes | Ascending (IRE) 6yo - 20/1 | Henry De Bromhead W J Lee |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Wolferton Stakes | Haatem (IRE) 4yo - 8/1 | Richard Hannon James Doyle |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Copper Horse Stakes | French Master (IRE) 4yo - 5/2 | John & Thady Gosden James Doyle |
Schedule for Wednesday at the Royal Ascot Meeting
The feature race on the second day of Royal Ascot is the Prince of Wales's Stakes, a race which carries a prize fund of £1m and is part of the British Champions Series.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 Royal Ascot Queen Mary Stakes | True Love (IRE) 2yo - 9/4 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Queen's Vase | Carmers (IRE) 3yo - 9/2 | P Twomey W J Lee |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Duke of Cambridge Stakes | Crimson Advocate (USA) 4yo - 13/2 | John & Thady Gosden James McDonald |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Prince of Wales's Stakes | Ombudsman (IRE) 4yo - 7/1 | John & Thady Gosden William Buick |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Royal Hunt Cup | My Cloud (IRE) 4yo - 3/1 | Roger Varian Silvestre De Sousa |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Kensington Palace Stakes | Miss Information (IRE) 4yo - 11/1 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Windsor Castle Stakes | Havana Hurricane (GB) 2yo - 7/1 | Eve Johnson Houghton Charles Bishop |
Schedule for Thursday at the Royal Ascot Meeting
There are a couple of decent handicaps on the third day of Royal Ascot, the highlight of the day, though, is the Ascot Gold Cup, a Group 1 marathon for the flat runners.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 Royal Ascot Norfolk Stakes | Charles Darwin (IRE) 2yo - 8/13 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot King George V Stakes | Merchant (IRE) 3yo - 3/1 | William Haggas Tom Marquand |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Ribblesdale Stakes | Garden Of Eden (IRE) 3yo - 7/1 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Ascot Gold Cup | Trawlerman (IRE) 7yo - 85/40 | John & Thady Gosden William Buick |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Britannia Stakes | Arabian Story (IRE) 3yo - 15/2 | Saeed bin Suroor Oisin Murphy |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Hampton Court Stakes | Trinity College (IRE) 3yo - 5/2 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Buckingham Palace Stakes | Never So Brave (IRE) 4yo - 4/1 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
Schedule for Friday at the Royal Ascot Meeting
A couple of British Champions Series races on the Friday at Royal Ascot, the Commonwealth Cup over six furlongs and then the Coronation Stakes over just shy of a mile.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 Royal Ascot Albany Stakes | Venetian Sun (IRE) 2yo - 7/1 | K R Burke Clifford Lee |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Commonwealth Cup | Time For Sandals (IRE) 3yo - 25/1 | Harry Eustace Richard Kingscote |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Duke of Edinburgh Stakes | Ethical Diamond (IRE) 5yo - 3/1 | W P Mullins Ryan Moore |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Coronation Stakes | Cercene (IRE) 3yo - 33/1 | Joseph G Murphy Gary Carroll |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Sandringham Stakes | Never Let Go (GB) 3yo - 22/1 | Ed Walker Kieran Shoemark |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot King Edward VII Stakes | Amiloc (GB) 3yo - 11/8 | Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes | Adrestia (GB) 3yo - 10/1 | Simon & Ed Crisford Oisin Murphy |
Schedule for Saturday at the Royal Ascot Meeting
The final day of Royal Ascot is all about the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, a Group 1 race run over six furlongs which is part of the British Champions Series and carries a prize fund of £1m.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 Royal Ascot Chesham Stakes | Humidity (GB) 2yo - 4/1 | Andrew Balding James Doyle |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Hardwicke Stakes | Rebels Romance (IRE) 7yo - 6/4 | Charlie Appleby William Buick |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes | Lazzat (FR) 4yo - 9/2 | J Reynier James Doyle |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Jersey Stakes | Noble Champion (IRE) 3yo - 25/1 | Ed Walker Kieran Shoemark |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Wokingham Stakes | Get It (GB) 7yo - 28/1 | George Baker Seamie Heffernan |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Golden Gates Stakes | Quai De Bethune (FR) 3yo - 12/1 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Queen Alexandra Stakes | Sober (FR) 6yo - 4/5 | W P Mullins Ryan Moore |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this St James's Palace Stakes Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for Flat Racing.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
