6 6 24 Leopardstown Bedtime Story and Wayne Lordan near win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies MaidenPhoto Healy RacingRoyal Ascot tips and pointers are in high demand for the world-class meeting, when 35 quality contests provide a true spectacle at the Berkshire track.
Editor Vincent Finegan has taken a deep dive into the form and selected his Royal Ascot tips while pundit Emma Nagle has also cast an eye over the cards to unearth a few horses to follow from the sensational Ballydoyle team.
Tanya Stevenson joins us each day and picks out her value bets in her typical meticulous style.
A host of Royal Ascot free bets and betting offers are available to spend on the action and on our Royal Ascot tips below.
Kyprios looks to be one of the bankers of the week and can win this race for the second year in a row. He has demonstrated his well being with two easy victories in Ireland and will appreciate the step back up to 2m4f for this contest. He is versatile regarding the going and all in all it’s difficult to find any weaknesses in his profile.
Scorchio is from a family that trainer Jack Davison knows well and they all perform better on grass than the all-weather. With that in mind it was noteworthy that Scorchio won twice at Dundalk last season and no surprise that she made a winning return to the grass at Cork on seasonal debut last month. The form of that victory can be marked up as the runner-up, Kendall Roy (first reserve for this race) has been a massive improver this season, winning twice in the UK (broke the track record at Windsor) and has won again since the defeat by Scorchio at Cork.
Bedtime Story, a daughter of Frankel out of top sprinter Mecca's Angel, is bred to be a star and produced a high quality effort on debut at Leopardstown when beating a well-touted stablemate Giselle (entered in a Group 2 next week). The fourth horse from that race has bolted up since and it should turn out to be very good form.
Emma Nagle takes a close look a the main Ballydoyle protagonists and has selected the five Aidan O'Brien trained contenders that she thinks are heading for Royal Ascot glory next week.
On the 31st anniversary of Aidan O’Brien’s first ever winner as a trainer, the master of Ballydoyle is closing in on his 400th Group 1 success, a feat which seems beyond reality for any trainer and with Royal Ascot fast approaching it is just a question of in which race that record extending 400th Group 1 will fall. Below I have taken a look at some of his top contenders for this year's Royal meeting.
Henry Longfellow and Ryan Moore win for trainer Aidan O Brien in The Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Futurity Stakes Group 2 Photo Healy RacingInterestingly, Henry Longfellow has already written his name in history when providing Aidan O’Brien with his 4,000 career win in the G1 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes last year and he could solidify his place on the mantelpiece in the St James’ Palace. By Dubawi and out of 7-time Group 1 winner Minding, Henry always was going to have lofty expectations on his shoulders and perhaps he raised that bar even higher when producing some top-drawer performances at two. His run in the French 2000 Guineas was too bad to be true and with excuses to be made there I can see him bouncing back emphatically on day one of Ascot.
Get your Royal Ascot free bets and betting offers and back Henry Longfellow to win the St James's Palace Stakes.
Curragh 6 May 2024 Whistlejacket and Ryan Moore win for Owners Peter Brant Coolmore and trainer Aidan O Brien Photo Healy RacingPlenty of exciting two-year-olds have emerged from Ballydoyle already this season but none more taking than the exciting Whistlejacket. A full brother to champion two-year-old Little Big Bear, he clearly has the pedigree to be very good this year. After finishing second on debut, he stepped forward markedly next time when dropped back to 5f to comfortably dispose of a field of winners in the First Flier Stakes, form which has been franked strongly since. Aidan has won The Norfolk three times in the past, most recently with Sioux Nation in 2017, and Whistlejacket looks hard to oppose in this year's renewal.
See all Royal Ascot free bets and betting offers to spend on a magnificent week of racing.
KYPRIOS with trainer Aiden O Brien after winning the Qatar Prix de Cadran Group 1 Paris LongchampPhoto Healy RacingUnbeaten over staying trips at four, Kyprios landed this back in 2022 before missing the majority of his five-year-old campaign through injury. While perhaps not the most visually impressive when winning on both starts this term he still sets the standard in the staying division. After toppling the four-time champion stayer Stradivarious in 2022, his task this time looks less daunting in a division which may lack real depth. Stablemate Point Lonsdale was a big improver when stepping up in trip last time and could run a big race at a nice price, perhaps to bring up the Ballydoyle forecast.
View all Royal Ascot free bets and betting offers and claim your free bets to back former Gold Cup winner Kyprios.
Opera Singer and Ryan Moore winning the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac Group 1 for trainer Aidan O Brien Paris LongchampPhoto Healy RacingAfter a disrupted spring preparation, plenty of encouragement can be taken from Opera Singer’s performance in the Irish Guineas and if progressing as expected she should be very hard to beat in Friday’s Coronation Stakes. Vibes from the yard post Guineas suggested the Justify filly was just about ready enough to line up in the Curragh Classic and so a big step forward is likely. There will be no walkover with two Classic classic winners likely to line up, but the striking chestnut was the standout two-year-old filly last term and has the ability to match any.
See a full list of Royal Ascot free bets and betting offers and place a bet on Opera Singer to win the Coronation Stakes.
Betfred St Leger Stakes Group 1 Continuous and Ryan Moore win for owners Coolmore and trainer Aidan O BrienPhoto Healy RacingContinuous looked to be in good shape when galloping after racing on Guineas day at the Curragh, an outing which should put him just right for seasonal reappearance. The Leger winner was extremely progressive last season and rounded off his campaign with a very respectable effort when beaten less than four-lengths in the Arc on softer than ideal ground. Dropping back to Group 2 company for the first time since that emphatic Great Voltigeur win at York he should be very hard to beat.
Royal Ascot free bets and betting offers can be found here.
Royal Ascot provides some of the most competitive races run each year, with everyone trying their hardest to find winners at big prices. Because the racing is so competitive the best advice regarding Royal Ascot betting is to be selective with your bets. Don’t bet in every race.
One simple way to avoid the temptation of betting in every race is to do a Tote Placepot each day. This bet involves:
If you have mutliple fancies at the Royal meeting which is likely thanks to the world-class racing on offer and the fiercely competitive action then it is worth seeking out Royal Ascot free bets and betting offers. For example, if you sign up to BoyleSports and bet €10 you will get €60 in free bets to spend on your selections. You will also be gifted a €10 casino bonus.
A host of specials will be up for grabs over the five days of the meeting including top trainer, top jockey, doubles, trebles, horses to win by a certain distance and so forth. Well worth a look once you have signed up with a bookmaker.
Do not miss out on getting the best odds on your fancies. Most bookmakers offer BOG on the day of the race, usually in the morning as prices closer to the event tend to fluctuate. If you fancy a horse at 6-1 in the morning and its price shortens to 3-1 before the off then you will get bigger odds of 6-1 with BOG.
Most bookmakers will offer enhanced odds or money back concessions on selected Royal Ascot races so check which sites are offering something extra on any race you are intending to have a bet on. The enhancement may only apply to a portion of your stake but every little helps when trying to show a profit at the end of the week.
Consider horse and trainer form and which yards have their horses most forward for the meeting. It is also worth analysing which trainers have excellent records in specific races. For example, Sir Michael Stoute has won the Hardwicke Stakes a staggering 11 times. Aidan O'Brien has an excellent record in the Ascot Gold Cup and has been crowned leading trainer at the meeting for seven of the last eleven years. Trainer Archie Watson is one to watch in the sprint races, while Kevin Ryan enjoys winning form in two-year-old races and handicaps.
Delve into the pedigree of regally bred horses to help with your Royal Ascot selections and tips. Some horses are bred for the sprint races, while others have staying pedigrees. Look out for sires and dams who may have had excellent records at the meeting.
