Royal Ascot hosts the racing world this week, although Tuesday’s longest race at the renowned meeting could turn out to be a very Irish contest.A total of 13 horses trained in Ireland line up in the 20-strong field for the marathon Ascot Stakes. They include seven from Joseph O’Brien’s yard alone.A contest that appeared ideally suited to stamina-laden dual-purpose types from this country failed to live up to that six times in a row until Ascending won for Henry de Bromhead last year. De Bromhead is back with Tim Toe, who won over a mile last time, while Reaching High and Bunting will try to give Willie Mullins a fifth success in the race. But the O’Brien camp could hold the key and Puturhandstogether should be a major player given a bad draw ruined his Chester Cup chance almost from the off last month. The mare Annabel’s Ghost represents France and will be ridden by former French champion jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot. He returned to race-riding at the weekend, having been reissued a licence by France Galop after rape charges against him dating from five years ago were dropped by French authorities. Boudot has a pair of Royal Ascot winners, including Group One success on Watch Me in the 2019 Coronation Stakes.If Tuesday’s St James’s Palace Stakes features a rematch between the Guineas winners Bow Echo and Gstaad then another of the afternoon’s Group Ones, the King Charles III Stakes, underlines Ascot’s global reach.Top Australian sprinter Overpass will be joined by compatriot Asfoora, who landed the race formerly known as the King Stand in 2024. Last year’s winner, American Affair, is also in the line-up. Aidan O’Brien’s Mission Central is the sole Irish starter and one of a trio of three-year-olds in the big sprint. France is hardly renowned for its sprint talents. However, Francis-Henri Graffard won an “Abbaye” with Wooded in 2020 and his filly Rayevka couldn’t have been more impressive at the minimum trip than on her warm-up for this at Longchamp last month. The week gets under way with the Group One Queen Anne Stakes where Godolphin pitch in both Notable Speech and Opera Ballo. Notable Speech was brilliant in the Lockinge when beating More Thunder, but might struggle to confirm that form.Ryan Moore has opted for Confucius over the Marble Hill winner Great Barrier Reef in the Coventry Stakes, although Cut A Dash shapes as a value alternative.