Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips

First run in 1840, the Queen Anne Stakes commemorates the monarch who established racing at Ascot and is the meeting’s top mile race for older horses (aged four and up). Charyn was the ninth successful favourite in the last 14 running, split by a handful of upsets including Accidental Agent (33-1), Lord Glitters (14-1) and Triple Time (33-1) in 2018, 2019 and 2023. Before them, the last winner from outside the top four in the betting was Refuse To Bend (12-1) in 2004.

First run in 1890, this is the most valuable race for juveniles at Royal Ascot and the season’s first high-class contest for the age group, regularly proving a stepping stone to Group 1 level later in the year. Market position is a good guide, with 16 of the last 21 winners having been in the first four in the betting and only five of those 21 priced above 8-1. That five includes two large outsiders with Nando Parrado (150-1) in 2020 and Rashabar (80-1) last year.

First run in 1860, this five-furlong contest is the fastest race of the week, usually completed in less than a minute. Having been a Group 2 for 20 years, the race regained Group 1 status in 2008. Favourites can be found out (only three of the last 29 have won and last year Big Evs was third at 11-4) but the market is still a good guide. Since Choisir’s 25-1 breakthrough success for Australia in 2003, at a time when the strength of their challenge was underestimated, 16 of the 20 winners have been no bigger than 8-1.

First run in 1834, this mile contest for three-year-old colts is the third Group 1 of the opening day and often features a clash between the Guineas combatants in Britain, France and Ireland. The preponderance of strong Guineas form means favourites have a good record, with 14 winning in the 24 runnings since 2000. No winner has been bigger than 10-1 in that period and only one (Circus Maximus) came from outside the top four in the betting. The last shock winner was Brief Truce at 25-1 in 1992. Field Of Gold looks to become the third horse in a row to win the St James’s Palace after the Irish 2000 Guineas, following Paddington and Rosallion.

Founded in 1839, this 2m4f handicap has come to be dominated by trainers whose main emphasis is jump racing, with Willie Mullins, Nicky Henderson, Jonjo O’Neill and David Pipe on the roll of honour since 2010.This is not impossibly hard, with five of the last 11 winners coming from the top five in the betting. The only two successful favourites in the past 21 years were both trained by Mullins. Last year Pledgeofallegiance (20-1) won with the lowest RPR in the last decade of 97.

Inaugurated in 2002 with the extension of Royal Ascot to a five-day meeting, this was changed in 2018 to become a 1m2f Listed conditions race for four-year-olds and up (rather than a Listed handicap).The first three winners post-2018 were in the first four in the betting; the next two were much further down the list. Last year Israr won for John & Thady Gosden as the 11-4 joint favourite.

Run over 1m6f, this handicap for four-year-olds and upwards was introduced as part of the enhanced programme for Royal Ascot in 2020. Newmarket stables filled the first three places in the first two runnings, but North Yorkshire trainer David O’Meara struck in 2022 with 16-1 shot, Get Shirty. Willie Mullins then won the next two runnings with Vauban (evens) and Belloccio (4-1) last year.