12 Jun 2019
With 300,000 guests set to attend across five days from next Tuesday to Saturday, one of which will be none other than Her Majesty The Queen, it’s easy to see why Royal Ascot is one of the biggest events of the Flat-racing calendar.
£7.3 million will be up for grabs in prize money for the jockeys, as hundreds of horses grace the grass that has been cut to a pristine, yet precise length of four-inches.
That said, we took a magnifying glass to proceedings, picking out the main races to watch on each day of the festival and our top picks for glory. If there’s one race you don’t want to miss, it’s the coveted Gold Cup set to take place on Thursday. The question there - will the ‘luck of the Irish’ continue to prevail?
Tuesday - King’s Stand Stakes
As a thrilling five-furlong dash, this one is not to be missed on the first day of action and no doubt trainer Wesley Ward will hope flying filly Lady Aurelia can make it three wins in three years. After recording a convincing seven-length victory in the Queen Mary Stakes in 2016 and going on to win this race last time around, despite Aurelia’s blistering pace, we fancy Battaash to take the nod here. Having won five of his last six runs, including a dominating four-length victory in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye at Chantilly in October, he comes in at horse racing betting odds of 9/4 to win.
Wednesday - Prince of Wales’s Stakes
Stacking up similarly to Battaash, the form of Cartier Horse of the Year candidate, Cracksman, is unquestionable, with no defeats to his name in his last five races. With a record like that and none other than Frankie Dettori in the saddle on Wednesday, we fancy him at Ascot betting odds of 8/11 to win. The little Italian has ridden a whopping 56 horses to victory at Royal Ascot, more than anyone else riding at the meeting next week.
Thursday - Gold Cup
Only the mighty Yeats (2006-2009) and Royal Rebel (2001-2002) have successfully defended their Gold Cup crown, and we’re assured of a new winner this year as 2017 hero Big Orange has been ruled out for the season by injury. If luck is still to play its part though, a wise bet would be to go with an Irish-trained horse, as eight of the last 12 Gold Cup winners have been just that. Factor into the mix that 18 of the last 23 winners had previously recorded wins earlier in the season too, and we fancy Torcedor at horse racing betting odds of 10/1 to win.
Friday - Commonwealth Cup
After a convincing win in the Group 3 Lacken Stakes at Naas last month, Sioux Nation will hope to build upon the strike-rate at Ascot of his sire, Scat Daddy, as he looks to make it back-to-back wins at Ascot after winning the Nolfolk Stakes here last year. With a formidable record on the firm ground, we fancy him to do just that at horse racing betting odds of 5/1.
Saturday - Diamond Jubilee Stakes
This one could well be one of the tightest races of the festival, as the premier event on the final day sees star sprinter Harry Angel clashing with Australian raider Redkirk Warrior in the 6f dash. With Aussie-bred Merchant Navy, a close-up third to Redkirk Warriror at Flemington, added into the mix, it could go down to the wire. Having lost in his previous four visits to the Berkshire track, some might find it easy to dismiss Harry Angel, but if the circumstances are favourable, we fancy the four-year-old to give Clive Cox another Royal Ascot win. He comes in at horse racing betting odds of 11/4.
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