Renamed again ahead of this year’s renewal of Royal Ascot to commemorate another one of the Queen’s jubilees, the Group 1 Platinum Jubilee Stakes (formerly the Diamond Jubilee Stakes since 2012) is the highlight race on the fifth and final day of the royal meeting. 

Contested over just six furlongs, the race is one of the premier outings of the season for sprinters and some of the best horses from all over the world in the short-distance category make their way to the Berkshire racecourse for the Group 1 outing. 

So, with Royal Ascot gradually appearing on the horizon, let’s take a look at some of the frontrunners for the Platinum Jubilee Stakes. 

Home Affairs 

Set to make the lengthy trip from Australia for his UK debut at Royal Ascot next month, Chris Waller’s Home Affairs is the favourite for the Platinum Jubilee Stakes in the Betdaq racing betting. 

The prized sprinter won back-to-back Group 1s at Flemington, beating Bruckner by three lengths in the Coolmore Stud Stakes in October before winning the Black Caviar Lightning by a shorthead clear of Nature Strip in February.

But the three-year-old can be a bit unpredictable, with ninth-place finishes either side of those victories at the top level — including last time out. So, it will be interesting to see how he travels and if he can bounce back at Royal Ascot. 

Campanelle

Awarded the Commonwealth Cup at last year’s meeting after a dramatic stewards’ enquiry, Campanelle looks set to make the trip back across the Atlantic from the United States for another crack at the Royal meeting — this time with the onus on the Platinum Jubilee Stakes. 

The Wesley Ward-trained horse, who finished second to Dragon Symbol in the Commonwealth Cup by a head before the result was overturned, had a bit of a blip in form after Ascot — finishing last in the Group 1 Larc Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville in France before coming third in the Group 3 Franklin County Stakes on his return to the US.

Campanelle has returned to the winners’ enclosure this year, winning the Listed Giant’s Causeway Stakes at Keeneland on his reappearance and Ward will be hoping the four-year-old can add to his Royal Ascot tally. 

Creative Force

Creative Force appears to be Britain’s best chance of denying the traveling field a victory in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes. The Charlie Appleby-trained horse had a fantastic start to his three-year-old season last year, winning four successive races, but his form tailed off when stepped up in group. 

The Godolphin horse did eventually get off the mark at Group 1 level though, winning the prestigious British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot’s Champions Day in October. But Creative Force couldn’t build on that out in Meydan in March, finishing 14th of 16 runners in the Al Quoz Sprint.

It will be interesting to see how he fares back on home soil, and more specifically on his return to Ascot after that victory in October.