Brown Jack, a brown gelding by Jackdaw out of Querquidella, was foaled in Ireland in 1924 and purchased as a 3-year-old by Colonel (later Sir) Harold Wernher. He was trained by Aubrey Hastings and initially competed over hurdles, winning the Champion Hurdle in 1928 when ridden by Bill Rees. When Hastings died in 1929, he was sent to be trained by Ivor Anthony, brother of the jockeys Jack and Owen Anthony, and he targeted the more lucrative long distance Flat races. It proved to be an inspired move and he embarked on a brilliant sequence of Flat race successes. His most renowned claim to fame is an unbroken success of 6 consecutive victories in the Alexandra Plate (1929, 1930) and Queen Alexandra Stakes (1931-1934), but he also won the 1930 Goodwood Cup, the 1930 Doncaster Cup, the 1931 Chester Cup and the 1931 Ebor Handicap. In a long career he contested 55 Flat races, winning 18 of them, and retired having won over £12,000 (equivalent to £900,000 in 2021).

Tristan, a brown horse by Hermit out of Thrift, was foaled in 1878 and bred by the 4th Earl of Rosslyn, Robert St Clair-Erskine. He was owned by Claude Joachim Lefevre and trained in Newmarket by Tom Jennings jnr, developing into a very versatile horse, winning the July Cup over 6 furlongs and the Ascot Gold Cup over 2 1/2 miles. In a career spanning 4 years he ran 51 times, winning on 27 occasions, defeating 3 Epsom Derby winners in that time, and amassing over £25,000 in prize money, equivalent to £3.25 million in 2021. He crowned his career by winning the 1883 Ascot Gold Cup, but also won 3 consecutive Hardwicke Stakes from 1882-1884, and the 1882 Gold Vase. He also won the Epsom Gold Cup in 1882 and 1883, the July Cup in 1882, and 3 consecutive Champion Stakes and Grand Prix de Deauville from 1882 to 1884.

Prince Charlie, a chestnut horse by Blair Athol out of Eastern Princess, was foaled in 1869 and bred by Mr H Jones of Littleport, Cambridgeshire. He was owned by Joseph Dawson and trained in Newmarket by Joseph Dawson, although there are some reports that he was trained by his brother Mathew Dawson. However, newspapers of the day reported that he was ‘owner trained’. He won the Middle Park Stakes and the 1872 2000 Guineas, defeating subsequent Epsom Derby winner Cremorne by a neck. Although he won the Craven Stakes, Cremorne did get his revenge in the Derby where Prince Charlie finished fourth. He won the Rous Stakes, Cheveley Stakes and Bickerstaffe Cup, and was a course specialist at Ascot winning the All-Aged Stakes consecutively between 1872 and 1874, the 1872 Fern Hill Stakes and the 1873 Queen's Stand Plate.

Cremorne, a bay horse by Parmesan out of Rigolboche, was foaled in 1869 at Rufford Abbey, Nottinghamshire, by owner Henry Savile. He was trained in Newmarket at the Nunnery Stables of Savile's private trainer William Gilbert and was said to be a very lazy horse at home, sometimes giving the appearance of having fallen asleep whilst on the gallops. He was a leading two-year-old of his generation, winning 9 of his 11 starts, including the Woodcote, the Champagne Stakes and the 1st leg of the Triennial Stakes, the equivalent of the Chesham Stakes today. During his three-year-old career he won the Newmarket Stakes, the Epsom Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris, as well as the 2nd leg of the Triennial Stakes, the equivalent today of the Jersey Stakes. In 1873 he won the 3rd leg of the Triennial Stakes, a race which ceased to exist after 1914, the Alexandra Plate and the Ascot Gold Cup. He did not enjoy the same success at Stud, died aged 14 in 1883, and was buried at Rufford Abbey where his gravestone can still be seen today.

Hornet's Beauty, a bay horse by Tredennis out of Hornet, was foaled in 1908 and owned by Sir William Cooke. He was sent to Newmarket to be trained by Peebles, winning both the Fern Hill Stakes (later the Sandringham Handicap) and King's Stand Plate, the former when ridden by Royal jockey Herbert Jones, the latter when ridden by the American jockey Skeets Martin. He switched to the Leach stables in 1913 and again landed a double at the Royal meeting, winning the All-Aged Stakes and King's Stand Plate when partnered by Skeets Martin again. He gained his fifth Royal Ascot victory in 1914 in the All-Aged Stakes when trained by William Elsey and ridden by Freddie Fox.

Yeats, a dark-coated bay colt by Sadler's Wells out of Lyndonville, was foaled on 23rd April 2001, bred at Barronstown Stud in Ireland and owned by Mrs Susan Magnier and Mrs Diane Nagle. He was named after the artist Jack Butler Yeats and raced on 22 occasions, winning 14 races and earning over £1 million in prize money. As a 3-year-old he won the Ballysax Stakes and Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial, while at four he won the Coronation Cup. However, it was as a stayer where he excelled, becoming the first horse, and only horse to date, to land 4 consecutive Ascot Gold Cups between 2006 and 2009. In 2007 he also secured the Irish St Leger, the Vintage Crop Stakes and Saval Beg Stakes, while in 2008 he landed his second Goodwood Cup, but it is his multiple successes in the Gold Cup for which he will best be remembered.

Trelawny, a brown horse by Black Tarquin out of Indian Night, was foaled in 1956 and owned by Mrs L Carver. He was trained by George Todd and won the 1960 Chester Cup, a handicap race, while in 1963 he captured the Goodwood Cup. However, his exploits at Royal Ascot secured his place in history, winning the Quen Alexandra Stakes in consecutive years in 1962 and 1963, and the Ascot Stakes in 1962 and 1963.

Finglas, a bay horse by Bruleur out of Fair Simone, was foaled in 1923 and owned and bred in France by Evremond de Saint-Alary (1868-1941). He was sent to Newmarket to be trained by Peter P Gilpin and won the 1926 King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal meeting when partnered by George Archibald. A year later he won the Churchill Stakes and Alexandra Plate at Ascot when ridden by Charlie Elliott, while in 1928 he repeated his success in the Alexandra Plate, but could not step up to success in the Gold Cup, being placed second.

Bachelor's Button, a chestnut horse by Winkfield out of Milady, was foaled in Ireland in 1899 and purchased by Soloman Barnato Joel. He was trained by Charles Peck and won the 1905 Manchester Cup, the Champion Stakes and the Jockey Club Cup, but will be best remembered for his Ascot victories, especially the 1906 Ascot Gold Cup when, ridden by Danny Maher, he defeated Pretty Polly. His Ascot successes began in 1904 with a victory in the Gold Vase, while a year later he repeated his win in the Gold Vase and also captured the Hardwicke Stakes.

Kilcock, a brown horse by Kilwarlin out of Bonnie Morn, was foaled in 1892 and initially owned by Captain Greer. He was trained by Sam Darling and won the 1896 Wokingham Stakes when partnered by Otto Madden. He returned to Ascot the next year to land the opening Queen Anne Stakes in the hands of John Watts, while in 1898 he won the first of his two Queen's Stand Plate victories. Ownership was transferred to trainer Sam Darling in 1899 when he again won the Queen's Stand Plate ridden by Sam Loates.

Stradivarius, a chestnut colt by Sea the Stars out of Private Life, was foaled on 28th February 2014, bred and owned by Bjorn Nielsen in Ireland. Although he only won one minor race as a two-year-old, he developed into a top-class stayer and won the 2017 Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot and the Goodwood Cup. When a £1 million bonus was offered for any horse winning the Ascot Gold Cup, the Yorkshire Cup, the Lonsdale Cup and the Goodwood Cup, Stradivarius made his bid for them in 2018 and duly won all four races to secure the bonus. He repeated the feat in 2019 to gain a second £1 million bonus. He went on to capture the Ascot Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup in 2020, but came up short in the 2021 Ascot Gold Cup.

Lowlander, a chestnut horse by Dalesman out of Lufra, was foaled in 1870, owned by Mr H Bird and trained at Epsom by William Reeves. He excelled at Ascot, although he was only third in the Queen Anne Stakes in 1873 as a three-year-old when ridden by James Jewitt, later a very successful Newmarket trainer, but he landed the 1874 Royal Hunt Cup as the 4/1 joint favourite when ridden by Henry Constable. In each of the next 2 years he won the All-Aged Stakes, equivalent today to the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, while in 1876 he won the Queen's Stand Plate.