Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips
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Kicking off five glorious days of racing, Royal Ascot gets cracking on Tuesday 18th June with a hat-trick of Group One races. There’s plenty of action to check out on the first day, with six great races and close to £2million in prize money up for grabs. Check out the latest Royal Ascot 2019 betting odds at Ladbrokes!
Our first of many Royal Ascot tips – and you’re going to want to keep this one to yourself – is to head over to the Parade ring pre-race. Here you can see the horses up close and get a sense of which ones look like they’re up for it. Make a quick checklist in your head. Do they have four legs? Are they a donkey in disguise? Does the jockey resemble post-career Razor Ruddock? Heed this advice, if any of the answers to these questions are yes, it might be a good idea to steer clear.
Now, let’s get cracking with the proper Ascot tips.
Group: 1
Age: 4+
Prize: £600,000
Distance: One mile
Time: 2:30pm
Our Royal Ascot tip: Laurens (currently 13/2)
Trained by Karl Burke, Laurens has won 7 of 12 races in her career so far, winning the Prix Saint-Alary, Matron, Prix de Diane and Sun Chariot last season. Conditions look ideal for her this year after she found the ground too soft on Champions Day. Lockinge at York showed some promising signs and she could be set for a winning debut at Royal Ascot.
Group: 2
Age: 2
Prize: £150,000
Distance: Six furlongs
Time: 3:05pm
Our Royal Ascot tip: Arizona (currently 7/2)
All you need to know about our next tip is AOB. Aidan O’Brien. Known as ‘Any Other Business’ to his work friends, the Gold Cup wizard has trained seven Gold Cup winners and loves Royal Ascot. Arizona has great pedigree as the son of No Nay Never, the break-out sire of last year. Don’t be surprised if he follows in the footsteps of War Command and Carravaggio.
Group: 1
Age: 3+
Prize: £500,000
Distance: Five furlongs
Time: 3:40pm
Our Royal Ascot tip: Battaash (currently 15/8)
After winning at Goodwood last year, Battaash could shine if the conditions are fast. Trained by Charlie Hills, Battaash is an explosive sprinter. On his return to the Temple Stakes after a wind operation, the five-year-old scorched to victory over some tough competition. His Ascot record isn’t great, but the second race after a breathing operation is the time to pay attention, so Battaash is our Royal Ascot tip to watch.
Age: 3 (Colts)
Prize: £500,000
Distance: Old Mile
Time: 4:20pm
Our Royal Ascot tip: Phoenix Of Spain (currently 6/4)
Another horse trained by Charlie Hills, this three-year-old landed the Irish 200 Guineas with a fantastic ride by Jamie Spencer. Hill’s powerful grey saw off plenty of talented rivals from the front and to prove that was no fluke, the Phoenix could secure another victory.
Group: Handicap
Age: 4+
Prize: £90,000
Distance: Two miles, four furlongs
Time: 5:00pm
Our Royal Ascot tip: Coeur de Lion (currently 7/1)
This Lion was at home in the mud at Chester, impressing by showing strong staying power. He showed good form last year at Ascot and trained by Alan King. Fans of coeur on coeur action enjoyed Coeur Blimey battling at Newbury. Blimey beat Lion last time, but we are backing the Lion to bite back.
Group: Listed
Age: 4+
Prize: £100,000
Distance: One mile, two furlongsTime: 5:35pm
Our Royal Ascot tip: Zaaki (currently 4/1)
Not to be confused with former Wigan forward, Amr Zaki, this Zaaki thrives under pressure. After winning at Epsom, Sir Michael Stoute’s Zaaki is set to enjoy this step back up in trip. He should relish the challenge that is certain to come after finishing within a length last year and finishing third at Hampton Court last term.
