Hugo Palmer Blog | Royal Ascot Day Five
19 Jun 2026
Coral Racing Ambassador, Hugo Palmer, previews his four runners on the final day of Royal Ascot, Savage Mariner in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes.
14:30 Ascot – Savage Mariner
Savage Mariner lines up in the Norfolk Stakes after a promising debut at Leicester. We may get a good guide about that run in the Albany Stakes as the filly that beat him, Libertango, features in the Group Three contest. We are looking forward to seeing him in action, he's been doing everything right at home and I think I drop down to five furlongs will be ideal for him.
16:20 Ascot - Ardisia
In the Jersey Stakes, Ardisia takes his chance. He’s a tremendously tough and genuine horse who ran much better last time out, he’s been a wonderful servant for his owners and has given them a lot of enjoyment over the years. Realistically, though, he would probably need the weather forecast to be wrong and for the heavens to open to have a serious chance. That said, he never lets us down and you can always rely on him to give his running.
17:00 Ascot – Dubai Bling & Roman Dragon
Dubai Bling has been drawn in stall 23 in the Wokingham and looks to have a solid chance. He’s a horse I feel is well handicapped and, importantly, he’s been fairly lightly raced. I think he’s one of our stronger chances of the entire week. He was unlucky at Chester last time and comes here in good order. We’ve got a top-class jockey on board and he was very much his choice of ride, which is always encouraging. Hopefully, things can fall into place for him.
Roman Dragon, meanwhile, is perhaps a more difficult one to assess. He wouldn’t be the most obvious winner on paper and his best form has come around the bends, particularly at Chester. However, he’s the sort of horse you ignore at your peril, he's won on a straight track before, he absolutely loves fast ground, and if the race unfolds in the right way, with a strong pace and some cover where he needs it, he could easily outrun his odds. We’ve also taken another five pounds off with the jockey booking, which may help.
Hugo Palmer, Coral Racing Ambassador
14:30 Ascot – Savage Mariner
Savage Mariner lines up in the Norfolk Stakes after a promising debut at Leicester. We may get a good guide about that run in the Albany Stakes as the filly that beat him, Libertango, features in the Group Three contest. We are looking forward to seeing him in action, he's been doing everything right at home and I think I drop down to five furlongs will be ideal for him.
16:20 Ascot - Ardisia
In the Jersey Stakes, Ardisia takes his chance. He’s a tremendously tough and genuine horse who ran much better last time out, he’s been a wonderful servant for his owners and has given them a lot of enjoyment over the years. Realistically, though, he would probably need the weather forecast to be wrong and for the heavens to open to have a serious chance. That said, he never lets us down and you can always rely on him to give his running.
17:00 Ascot – Dubai Bling & Roman Dragon
Dubai Bling has been drawn in stall 23 in the Wokingham and looks to have a solid chance. He’s a horse I feel is well handicapped and, importantly, he’s been fairly lightly raced. I think he’s one of our stronger chances of the entire week. He was unlucky at Chester last time and comes here in good order. We’ve got a top-class jockey on board and he was very much his choice of ride, which is always encouraging. Hopefully, things can fall into place for him.
Roman Dragon, meanwhile, is perhaps a more difficult one to assess. He wouldn’t be the most obvious winner on paper and his best form has come around the bends, particularly at Chester. However, he’s the sort of horse you ignore at your peril, he's won on a straight track before, he absolutely loves fast ground, and if the race unfolds in the right way, with a strong pace and some cover where he needs it, he could easily outrun his odds. We’ve also taken another five pounds off with the jockey booking, which may help.
Hugo Palmer, Coral Racing Ambassador
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