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). In 2024 Charyn was the ninth successful favourite in the previous 14 runnings. There have been a handful of upsets including Accidental Agent (33-1), Lord Glitters (14-1) and Triple Time (33-1) in 2018, 2019 and 2023. Docklands (14/1) joined that group last time out.

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 seven of the last twelve winners having been favourites and another being in the first three in the betting. Only five of those 12 priced above 10-1. That five includes two large outsiders with Nando Parrado (150-1) in 2020 and Rashabar (80-1) in 2024.

First run in 1860, this five-furlong contest is the fastest race of the week, usually completed in less than a minute. Price has been a good guide in this race despite only one favourite winning in the last twelve years, as eight winners were in the betting top three. The remaining three were Goldream (20/1) in 2015, Bradsell (14/1) in 2023, and American Dream (11/1) in last year's race.

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 15 winning in the 25 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. Last year Field Of Gold became 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 12 winners coming from the top five in the betting. The only two successful favourites in the past 21 years were both trained by Mullins. In 2024 Pledgeofallegiance (20-1) won with the lowest RPR in the last decade of 97. Ascending won a year ago, making it consecutive 20/1 winners.

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. Israr won for John & Thady Gosden in 2024, the first favourite/joint favourite to win since the change. Haatem (8/1) won last year at fifth in the betting.

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). John and Thady Gosden trained French Master (5/2) won the last running to make three out of six winners the favourite/joint-favourite and four out of six in the betting top three.