In 1711, Queen Anne organised the first Royal meeting at Ascot racecourse and during the next 300 years, the best flat racers on the planet descended upon the Berkshire every June and battled it out for some of the biggest prizes in the entire sport.
Royal Ascot is the perfect platform for the best equine athletes to show off their immense talent. It’s also a celebration of British summertime and remains one of the most looked forward to events on the social calendar for celebrities, dignitaries and, of course, royalty.
Aside from the fantastic sporting action, fashion takes centre stage during Royal Ascot, as racegoers are encouraged to wear their finest and most flamboyant outfits. Attendees will also be treated to a wide range of refreshments and noteworthy DJs will be around to entertain guests long after the racing card has concluded.
Royal Ascot week is one of the busiest five days of the year for punters, with many horse racing lovers and sports betting enthusiasts scouring the internet for tips in the build up to the meeting.
The team at RacingTips.com will be breaking down all 30 races at Royal Ascot, providing early ante-post previews and further tips when the fields have been confirmed and the stalls have been drawn, helping you to land some winners and enhancing your enjoyment of this magnificent festival by pocketing a few pounds of profit. You can follow their tips and news in the build-up to Ascot on Twitter at @racingtips.
The best flat racers in the business will be out in force at Royal Ascot and there are some mouth-watering clashes to look forward to in the final full week of June.
Ribchester and Galileo Gold look set to tackle the returning Solow in the opening race of the Royal Ascot meeting, the Queen Anne Stakes. Later on that Tuesday afternoon, Lady Aurelia and Acapulco will head the field in the Kings’ Stand Stakes, before Churchill bids for glory in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
The Prince Of Wales Stakes is shaping up to be one of the most exciting races of the entire week, with Champion Stakes winner and reigning European Horse of the Year, Almanzor set to lock horns with Aiden O’Brien’s super-filly, Minding and a whole host of other top quality challengers, like Jack Hobbs, Ulysses and US Army Ranger.
The middle Thursday at Royal Ascot is headlined by the Ascot Gold Cup, which will see Order Of St. George bid for a second successive title. He will face stiff competition from Dubai Gold Cup winner and runner-up, Vazirabad and Beautiful Romance, as well as Mizzou, Simple Verse and British Long Distance Cup winner, Sheikzayedroad.
Carravagio is the firm favourite to follow up his victory in the 2016 Coventry Stakes, when he returns to Royal Ascot to fight for the Commonwealth Cup crown. The Coronation Stakes will follow the Commonwealth Cup on Friday afternoon and that race could see 1000 Guineas contenders, Rhododendron, Hydrangea, Daban, Fair Eva and Dabyah renew their Newmarket rivalry on an even bigger stage.
The feature race on the final Saturday at Royal Ascot is the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. Henry Candy’s Limato will be the strong favourite to claim a maiden Royal Ascot crown, but worthy rivals like Brando, The Tin Man and Quiet Reflection will ensure that the 2017 Royal Ascot meeting comes to an end in fitting fashion.
