Racing News – May 10, 2026
The Flat season’s early pulse quickened at Ascot as The Wizard Of Eye produced a familiar late surge to regain the Victoria Cup, giving the straight-mile handicap another finish to file alongside its more dramatic renewals. Held up off a searching gallop, the gelding travelled with purpose before being angled into daylight inside the final furlong and knuckled down gamely to collar his rivals close home, a performance that underlined how quickly the big handicaps begin to matter once the Guineas weekend has passed.
Connections were keen to stress the simplicity of the plan. “He’s always liked Ascot and he’s happiest when you can switch him off and get one run,” his rider said afterwards, echoing the sense that this was less surprise than well-judged execution on a track where timing is everything. With the meeting drawing strong early-season attention, the result also fed straight into the wider narrative of established performers reasserting themselves as new-season aspirations take shape.
Across the Channel, the French Classic picture sharpened as Longchamp declarations kept a Guineas double firmly on the agenda for Aidan O’Brien, whose pair remained prominent talking points as the European three-year-old programme gathered speed. O’Brien struck a measured note when asked about the weekend’s targets, insisting the focus was on “letting them tell us” rather than forcing an early peak, but the mere presence of his runners ensured the conversation moved quickly from handicaps to Classics.
Not all the day’s headlines were celebratory. Plumpton’s meeting was cancelled due to equine flu, with the BHA’s response inevitably reminding yards and racegoers that biosecurity can still shape the sport’s rhythm even as attention swings towards summer.
The broader picture is already forming: Ascot handicaps like the Victoria Cup can be stepping stones towards the Royal meeting, while the Classic trail—Newmarket to Longchamp and on towards Epsom—dominates the sport’s centre of gravity in May.
Market Insight: The Wizard Of Eye’s Ascot revival, alongside O’Brien’s Longchamp narrative, nudged early summer thinking away from hype and back towards proven track craft.