So, the tap has been turned off of the scintillating run of from I showed on the first few days of the meeting and now the winners are arriving at a rather pitiful drip: one winner and a second (no bubbly for me today, just humble pie – disgusting).

Time to make amends on the concluding day of the Royal Meeting – Golden Jubilee day – one that sees the reappearance of an American sprinting superstar back to the world stage.

First though, we have the Chesham: a seven-furlong listed event for 2-yr-olds, that sees all the usual suspects in the line-up. Hannon and O’Brien are duly represented by the fancied King Torus and Jackaroo, respectively, and neither one of those would leave me sleepless with shock should they take the honors. If you fancy something at a bigger price, try Sonning Rose from the Mick Channon stable – a horse on the upgrade at the right time.

Unless the Pterodactyls that Spielberg created for Jurassic Park turn out to be real, swoop down and snatch Harbinger literally yards before the winning line, he’ll win, and win by a mammoth margin. It’s not that the others are useless, they’re simply facing a potentially serious group 1 horse in a group 2 playground. At a big price, Jukebox Jury is capable of smart form, and while the penalty he carries will prevent him from giving Harbinger a real race of it, don’t be surprised to see him in the immediate wake of the winner.

Then we have the Golden Jubilee Stakes, and the first run since his heroic win in Dubai for Kinsale King, Carl O’Callaghan’s runner. Much as his memorable performance last time out was an bonafide David and Goliath effort, I feel as though this race here is even tougher still, and throw into the mix the question of his oft-reported foot problems, and the fact it’s his first race on turf and the doubts keep stacking up like an Agatha Christie mystery.

If Kinsale King doesn’t do the business for team U.S.A., then the beneficiaries could be O’Brien’s Starspangledbanner and, at a handsome price, Lord Shanakill. The Irish runner was a veritable Usain Bolt back in Australia, and was far from disgraced in his first run here at York (and Lillie Langtry proved how much O’Brien’s runners can improve from their first run). Lord Shanakill is a horse I’ve always suspected capable of springing a surprise in a big race, and as a horse who has always shown a ton of speed over a mile, I feel as though the dimensions of this race will bring out the best in him.

The Wokingham is like a dog with rabies – it should be left well alone. But if you insist upon having a wager, then may I suggest Ingleby Lady and Prohibit: the last named ran creditably in the same race a year ago.

The Duke of Edinburgh Handicap sees Micheal Stoute’s Imposing take another step towards what is obviously a group race career beckoning. He couldn’t have been more impressive at York last time out, and this lightly raced individual is built to carry the high weight with which he’s burdened. At the other end of the handicap, I do like Cill Rialaig. This mare is tough and honest and demonstrated with a second last time out at Epsom that she’s in good form.

To finish the meeting with a flourish (albiet one acted out in slow motion), we have the Queen Alexandra Stakes over two miles and nearly six furlongs. For horses who are quite good at being slow, but not nearly as proficient at it as the Gold Cup horses, this race often attracts horses and trainers from the jumping sphere. With that in mind, I’m going to suggest Bergo from the Gary Moore stable. A decent jumper with a touch of class on the flat, he’s the type to do well.

Good luck.

They were uncharacteristically quiet during the first two days of the royal meeting, but on Ladies Day, the Irish finally made their presence felt with a thrilling one-two finish in the Ascot Gold Cup. In the process, they afforded the winner, Rites of Passage, the honor of being the best slow horse in Europe. (I cannot say with any certainty that he is “the best slow horse in the world” because the Aussie’s have lots of very good slow horses, some of which could be better at being slow than Dermot Weld’s warrior).

With four-time Gold Cup winner Yeats having finally reached for his walking stick, pipe and slippers, the staying crown was ripe for the pilfering, and a vast swathe of opinion was that Manifest would be the one doing the pilfering (I was part of that vast swathe). However, two and a half miles proved to be well beyond him, and it was left to Rites of Passage and Aiden O’Brien’s gallant runner up, Age of Aquarius, to give us all a sublime demonstration of blood, guts, stamina and endurance.

Turning into the straight there were only three horses with a realistic chance of winning, Purple Moon the only other player not to have already thrown down his sweat-soaked towel in defeat, but it was Age of Aquarius who grabbed the race by the jugular, and with Rites of Passage in hot pursuit, they settled down to a ding-dong battle all the way to the line, with Rites of Pasage just inching out his younger adversary.

Rites of Passage isn’t just satisfied with being the best slow horse on the flat, he’s also a pretty accomplished slow horse over hurdles (where the competition is infinitely hotter). There was talk after the race that Dermot Weld may send him Down Under to try to give the Aussies another famous drubbing in their “race that stops a nation,” the Melbourne Cup. Whether he quite possesses the peculiar qualities necessary to win that race, I’m not so sure, but what I do know for certain is that the sight of those two grizzled combatants slugging it out up the straight will stay with me for a while.

Being Ladies Day, there were plenty of weird and not so wonderful outfits on display (if you were to glance quickly at the Royal Enclosure, it closely resembled a massacre at the local exotic bird sanctuary). But being Ladies Day, it’s only fitting the other standout performance of the day belonged to a lady: Hibaayeb. A runaway winner of the Ribblesdale Stakes, she gave the Godolphin Blue Jays a second win of the meeting, and I’m eagerly anticipating the moment when she and Snow Fairy, the Epsom Oaks winner, meet for an estrogen-fueled showdown.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings and onto the penultimate day of Ascot, Coronation Stakes day.

If the first race, the Albany, were a film, it would be St. Trinian’s: hordes of skittish young fillies capable of causing all manner of mischief. However, there is one filly that jumps out at me from the page, and that filly is Hooray.

When I too was just an impressionable young girl, I used to work for her trainer, Sir Mark Prescott, and I can assure you, without a moment’s hesitation, that he would not subject any horse to the rigors of Royal Ascot, especially a once raced 2-y-old filly, unless he thought it completely worthy of its berth. Ignore the fact her sole start was on the all-weather, Hooray is there for a very good reason, and that reason is to win.

The next race, the King Edward the VII stakes, a group 2 over a mile and a half, sees the quick reappearance of the Epsom Derby second, At First Sight. Aiden O’Brien’s charge made a valiant effort to run ragged the Derby field, and had Workforce not came and thrown a dirty great spanner in the works, his efforts would have been handsomely recompensed.

The virtuoso of Ballydoyle obviously feels confident that AFS is suitably recuperated from his exertions, but however strong are Aiden’s convictions, I have the nagging suspicion the Royal Ascot hoodoo may strike again. A litany of Epsom also-rans has turned up at this meeting feeling mightily assured of victory, only to leave dejected and empty handed. At First Sight is the best horse in the field, but should his Epsom efforts have taken a toll, then the runner most likely to benefit is Green Moon: on a roll and ready to seize any dropped baton.

Then we have the Coronation Stakes, a group 1 over a mile for 3-y-old fillies, and in it we have three vexed vixens with one thing on their mind: revenge. Jacqueline Quest is looking to avenge her disqualification from first place in the English 1000 guineas, Music Show is looking to make amends for her ill-fated effort on the wrong side of the course in the same race, and Anna Salai is looking to go one better than her second-place finish in the Irish 1000 guineas. Throw in Lillie Langtry and Tabassum, and this race has the makings of a mouthwatering treat the likes of which Gordon Ramsey could only dream of mustering.

Having “conquered” the mighty Special Duty, Jacqueline will be a tough nut to crack (and like they say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned). But her preceding run in the Nell Gwyn showed that she is not necessarily a straight forward character, and I think perhaps that the peculiarities of this race may prove her undoing. So, in her place, I choose Music Show. Lauded by her trainer, Mick Channon, as comparable to some of his most illustrious inmates, I believe that she is overdue a big win, and this race will only play to her strengths.

The Wolferton Handicap will probably go to Michael Jarvis’ runner, Rainbow Peak: a lightly raced gelding with potential group race performer scribbled all over him in indelible marker. Then we have the Queen’s Vase over two miles, a testing ground for some prospective slow superstars of the future.

Mark Johnston wins this race more often than Lindsay Lohan goes to court, and his representative in tomorrow’s race is Corsica, a horse nicely on the upgrade. If you don’t like Corsica (and who can blame you if you did – I’d much prefer a rainy weekend away in Seattle any day), then how about Theology (if ever you’re going to discover the meaning of your existence, it’s more likely to be at Ascot than Stockton). Jeremy Noseda, his trainer, knows how to ready one for this meeting, and Theology’s profile fits the requirements of this race handsomely.

Lastly, we have the Buckingham Palace Stakes: a race that has left me scratching my head so much, I wonder whether mange is the culprit. In the end I decided upon in-form Crown’s Choice from the Walter Swinburn stable. Brae Hill should also perform creditably, and his trainer, Richard Fahey, has already provided for me one winner this meeting.

Good luck, and make sure you check my predictions for the concluding day of Royal Ascot.