A wise man once said he would rather start reading the morning newspaper by going straight to the sports pages as they dealt with more tangible achievements than the exploits of politicians, corporate interests and criminals that hog the headlines on the front pages. For such a person, there is no better time of year than June in Europe. Euro 2016 football is in full swing, Wimbledon tennis commences shortly, and to top it all are the strawberries and cream of that most prestigious of horse race meetings: Royal Ascot. Starting from Tuesday, June 14^th, the fan of the turf will find 5 straight afternoons of the most intense competition in this, the year of Queen Elizabeth's 90^th birthday. Fifteen runners from outside Europe will add lustre to the occasion.

The English monarch, Queen Anne, whose reign lasted from 1702 to 1714, is credited with having introduced the Royal Meeting in 1711. Held each year in middle of June at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, England, it is a veritable feast of top-class horse racing action. Of course the programme has been modified and amended from time to time. At present, every category of good-class runner is catered for and barring some rescheduling of the events (as, for example, moving some races from the top-heavy opening day to later days in the week) it is hard to think how the programme could be bettered.

Alas, this year rain has already softened the ground enough to lead to notable withdrawals, such as the likes of Sole Power and Acapulco (from the Kings Stand Stakes – though they may run later in the week) and Time Test, while Nemoralia is another doubtful runner. More defections are possible and form could conceivably be topsy-turvy!

2:30 p.m. BST (7 p.m. in India) on opening day will see the recently-revived Belardo (by Lope De Vega) and Ervedya (by Siyouni) – both winners on soft to heavy – take on the top American racemare Tepin (by Bernstein), winner of nine of her last eleven starts, in the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr.1; 8 fur.). The last-named has been sent over by the Canada-based Mark Casse, with regular rider Julien Leparoux also making the long trip. French raider Esoterique (by Danehill Dancer) displayed some of her very best form on very soft while the lightly-raced Endless Drama (by Lope De Vega) can potentially step up and become the star act instead of a bit player.

Thirty-five minutes later, a number of promising two-year-olds will vie for honours in the Coventry Stakes (Gr.2; 5 fur.). Aidan O'Brien's unbeaten-from-2-starts Caravaggio (by Scat Daddy), with Ryan Moore, looks a worthy sort but faces three others with identical records – Psychedelic Funk (by Choisir), Yalta (by Exceed And Excel) and the interesting Silvertoni (by Tapit). The last-named has been sent across the Atlantic by Wesley Ward, who has an excellent record with his runners at the meeting. Both the filly and rider Jose Valdivia, Jr., will be encountering alien conditions and it's not certain how she will act on the going.

The King's Stand Stakes (Gr.1; 5 fur.) at 3:40 p.m. has 21 declared, of which a couple have already been pulled out. Over the straight course there should be no hard luck stories and Profitable (by Invincible Spirit) could well live up to his name at around 9 to 2. That's assuming the consistent Mecca's Angel (by Dark Angel) fails to get her grey nose in front in what is likely to be a blanket finish. Also, money has been spent by the connections of Mongolian Saturday (by Any Given Saturday) to get him to England, which suggests a degree of confidence on the part of his trainer Enebish Ganbat, a native of Mongolia. Florent Geroux takes the mount, just as he had done when the gelding surprised in the Breeders' Cup Sprint last October. His recent form is not encouraging.

Then follows what could be the race of the day – the St. James's Palace Stakes (Gr.1; 8 fur.) – with the winners of the English, Irish and French 2000 Guineas taking each other on at 4:20 p.m. on Ascot's round course to determine who is the best three-year-old miler. The individuals concerned are Galileo Gold (by Paco Boy), Awtaad (by Cape Cross) and The Gurkha (by Galileo), respectively. Rider of the last-named, Ryan Moore, reckons his Aidan O'Brien-trained mount to be one of his best chances during the week, while Kevin Prendergast, schooler of Awtaad, said simply that his ward would win. Last year's good two-year-old Emotionless (by Shamardal), reappearing after a chipped bone sidelined him for a while, could add a piquant flavour to the finish.

The terms of the Jersey Stakes (Gr.3; 7 fur.), the opening race at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15^th, favour the unbeaten duo of Castle Harbour (by Kyllachy), a Frankie Dettori/John Gosden special, and Thikriyaat (by Azamour), trained for Sheikh Hamdan by Sir Michael Stoute. Both will carry 127 lbs. while fellow three-year-olds Ribchester (by Iffraaj) and Herald The Dawn (by New Approach) will be burdened with 132 lbs. Incidentally, Kyllachy has already provided a winner of this race in the shape of Tariq, who holds court at the Equus Stud, near Pune.

Coming to the 3:05 event, Wesley Ward won the Queen Mary Stakes (Gr.2; 5 fur.) last year while employing the services of Ryan Moore. This time around he teams up with Dettori in a race which has 17 two-year-old fillies engaged. Ward's runner is Lady Aurelia (by Scat Daddy), but the once-raced winner of a maiden special weight in America might find Al Johrah (by Bated Breath) a shade better suited to the conditions. Meanwhile, Moore has been pencilled in for Aidan O'Brien's Roly Poly, who – as a daughter of War Front – is expected to hate the underfoot conditions.

Next on the agenda is the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes (Gr.2; 8 fur.) for females aged 4 and above, due off at 3:40 p.m. As is the case for most French-trained runners, the prospect of rain-softened ground holds no terrors for Godolphin's Usherette (by Shamardal), whose enviable record of 5 wins from 6 starts makes her the one to beat here. Sporting the same silks but from a different stable is Always Smile (by Cape Cross), whose 4-from-5 record is only marginally less impressive. Value may lie with Graham Motion's Miss Temple City (by Temple City), last seen demolishing male rivals in the Maker's 46 Mile Stakes at Keeneland. With Ryan Moore up, her 9 to 1 quote looks quite juicy.

Finally we come to the very intriguing puzzle that is the Prince Of Wales's Stakes (Gr.1; 10 fur.), scheduled for 4:20 p.m. The race provides the vehicle for the English debut of Japanese ace, A Shin Hikari (by Deep Impact), currently rated the world's best racehorse in training. Not surprisingly he is at odds-on. Realistically, only Coolmore's Found (by Galileo) and Frank Gillespie's The Grey Gatsby (by Mastercraftsman) from amongst his five rivals possess the credentials to pose a challenge.

More to follow on the remaining day's racing…….