Royal Ascot NAPs and Best Bets

Royal Ascot is back this week and the Racing Post team supply us with their best bets for the five days.

Here are the latest horse racing betting tips for 2026 Royal Ascot from the team at the Racing Post, with Robbie Wilders, Keith Melrose and Phill Anderson all offering their NAP for the meeting.

Royal Ascot Horse Racing Betting Tips

15:05 Ascot (Wednesday) - Limestone @ 11/4
15:40 Ascot (Saturday) - Kind Of Blue @ 16/1
14:30 Ascot (Tuesday) - Docklands @ 13/2

15:05 Ascot (Wednesday) - Limestone @ 11/4

Proven stamina is thin on the ground in the Queen’s Vase and siding with strong stayer Limestone can pay dividends.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained New Bay colt is on a four-timer and continues to improve as his endurance is teased out. He became outpaced early in the straight in the Yeats Stakes at Navan last time, but the engine eventually kicked in and he ultimately beat the talented Asakir in decisive fashion.

The pair pulled eight lengths clear of an Aidan O’Brien-trained shortie in third and his performance rates the strongest produced by a three-year-old stayer this season.

The Yeats Stakes unearthed 2025 Queen’s Vase winner Carmers and it should be noted that Limestone posted a 12lb higher Racing Post Rating than he did in the previous running.

O’Brien can do little wrong nowadays and this half-brother to Irish Derby runner-up Lone Eagle looks a ready-made St Leger type. Looking further ahead, he is one to dream about for Cup races next year.

Robbie Wilder’s tip: Limestone @ 11/4

15:40 Ascot (Saturday) - Kind Of Blue @ 16/1

It takes Royal Ascot until much nearer the time to fall into place as a betting fixture compared with, say, Cheltenham.

In the meantime, there are some horses that you know will be laser-focused at the meeting, whether that is because of their Ascot record or their connections putting so much stock in these five days.

There is arguably no horse that better fits both of those criteria than Kind Of Blue, and he is an exceptional each-way price in the Jubilee Stakes on Saturday.

He won a course-and-distance Group 1 in 2024, and while he did not measure up to that last year a second in Haydock's Sprint Cup showed that he retained all of his ability. A strong reappearance second in the Minster Stakes at York suggested he is in a better place in 2026, and he can prove that by returning to his favourite track with a big performance.

This is a race with a lot of foreign interest, and the prevailing wisdom is that they are better quality than the British contingent. Be that as it may, there is a lot to be said for handling Ascot's unique straight course and if Kind Of Blue turns up, it is hard to see many finishing in front of him. He is the each-way bet of the week.

Keith Melrose’s tip: Kind Of Blue @ 16/1

14:30 Ascot (Tuesday) - Docklands @ 13/2

The latest chapter of the love affair between Docklands and Ascot looks set for the opening contest on Tuesday afternoon, the Queen Anne Stakes.

There was no fluke about Docklands success in the race last season, doing well to quicken off a slow pace and this renewal looks no more difficult on paper. He also ran a cracking race in last season’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions’ Day when beaten roughly two lengths, an effort worth marking up having done best of those from the high numbers.

There’s a good chance he has an even bigger performance if he gets a decent pace to aim at this season and he’s returned with two cracking runs this campaign, winning at Doncaster on return before running a massive race in a Group 1 at Sha Tin last time out.

His course and distance form figures now read 11322214 and I can’t see him out of the frame in this contest.

Phill Anderson’s tip: Docklands @ 13/2

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Read more Royal Ascot horse racing news on site.

Tipster’s Recent Winners

The Racing Post team picked out a 12/1 winner and a 12/1 runner-up in the 2026 Cheltenham Best Bets for bet365 while one of the team also picked out Christmas Day at 8/1 in the bet365 ante post Derby selections.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.