King Charles suffers Royal Ascot blow as top race contender pulled from lineup

Trainers opted against rushing the three-year-old horse into elite competition at Ascot

King Charles appears poised to forgo a potential £400,000 windfall at Royal Ascot after trainers opted to hold back one of his most promising thoroughbreds from a flagship event.

The monarch’s unbeaten colt Portcullis has been withdrawn from the St James’s Palace Stakes, a prestigious one-mile contest reserved for three-year-olds carrying a total prize fund of £700,000.

 

Father and son training duo John and Thady Gosden decided to pull the horse from the race, with his name absent from the confirmed entry list, according to The Sun.

Portcullis, bred by King Charles himself and fathered by the legendary Frankel, has already demonstrated considerable promise on the track.

King Charles

King Charles has suffered a Royal Ascot blow as the top race contender has been pulled from the lineup

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The colt secured victory on his debut outing at Newmarket, a performance that sparked speculation about his potential to become a significant force in flat racing.

With two wins from two starts, the horse has accumulated approximately £30,000 in prize money for his royal owners, King Charles and Queen Camilla.

The Gosdens have chosen to prioritise the colt’s future development rather than rushing him into elite competition, withdrawing him with careful management in mind.

Frankel himself claimed the St James’s Palace Stakes in 2011, meaning Portcullis will not replicate his sire’s achievement this year.

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive by carriage during day four of Royal Ascot

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive by carriage during day four of Royal Ascot in 2023

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Speaking after Portcullis secured his most recent victory last month, John Gosden indicated the colt remains a work in progress.

“He has still got his L plates up,” the trainer remarked, noting the horse “got on the wrong leg on the bend and got in a muddle and was a little confused in the straight.”

Gosden added that jockey William Buick felt Portcullis “didn’t get the idea of racing until inside the last half-furlong and feels there’s a lot of improvement to come”.

King Charles, Queen Camilla

Queen Camilla arrived with King Charles and Prince William at Ascot in 2025

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King Charles

King Charles appeared in good spirits for the final day of Ascot last year

 | PA“It won’t be big steps. You won’t see him launched into the deep end yet. We’ll let him come to it as it’s only May. We’ll find the right race for him.”

Royal Ascot runs from 16 to 20 June, and Portcullis may yet appear at the meeting in an alternative race.