Horse Racing

Australian Racing - Royal Ascot: All You Need to Know

bet365 News Team 13 Jun 22

Royal Ascot is the biggest and most prestigious flat racing carnival on the UK calendar and takes place over five days in June with the action getting underway on Tuesday.

Royal Ascot dates back hundreds of years and has developed into a huge celebration of all things racing and fashion. Ascot racecourse will be brimming with crowds in top-hats and tails as well as high fashion.

It is known as Royal Ascot as the Queen and Royal family members attend each day of the carnival and usually arrive via a horse-drawn carriage down the centre of the track.

When is Royal Ascot?

Royal Ascot takes place from Tuesday 14th June to Saturday 18th June, with five days of quality racing in store.

Where is Royal Ascot?

Royal Ascot takes place at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, England.

What are the big races at Royal Ascot?

There are five bumper days of racing action to to look forward to at Royal Ascot. But the biggest race of the week and the main event is the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup which will be raced on Thursday 16th July.

Other big races to look forward to are the St James Palace Stakes on the opening day Tuesday. On Wednesday the Prince of Wales Stakes is the main event of the day. The Coronation Stakes takes place on Friday.

Royals Ascot’s biggest race on Saturday is the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. The Group 1 event is raced over six furlongs.

Who are the most fancied horses at Royal Ascot?

Stradivarius is the hot fancy for the Royal Ascot Gold Cup on Thursday. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the now eight-year-old has won the Gold Cup on three occasions, but came up just short when trying to win number four 12 months ago.

Will now get another crack at joining Yeats, the only horse to have ever won four Gold Cups.

Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated horse of the entire week will line up in the first race of the meeting, as William Haggas' unbeaten colt Baaeed goes in the Queen Anne Stakes.

Sir Michael Stoute has high hopes with short-priced Bay Bridge in the Prince of Wales Stakes on day two. Bay Bridge won all four starts in 2021 and he began this term with a taking display in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown in late May, cruising away for a five-length win.

The impressive Irish 1000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs is a big chance for glory in Friday's Coronation Stakes

Who are Australia’s biggest hopes at Royal Ascot?

Australia have not had a winner at Royal Ascot since the mighty Black Caviar won the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes. But Nature Strip, trained by Chris Waller, will be looking to end the drought.

Nature Strip goes in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes which takes place on Tuesday. The champion sprinter has drawn well in barrier 10 and has had a faultless preparation as Waller looks to pick up his first winner on the international stage.

Waller says Nature Strip has “never been better” so hopes are high.

Waller also has Home Affairs who will go in Saturday’s Group 1 Platinum Jubilee Stakes, and will be joined by another Aussie, the Sam Freeman-trained Artorius.

Aussie sprinters do have rich and proud tradition at the carnival. As well as Black Caviar, Choisir (2003), Takeover Target (2006), Miss Andretti (2007) and Scenic Blast (2009) have also been successful at Royal Ascot.

Who are the leading trainers heading into Royal Ascot?

Aidan O’Brien has an amazing record at Royal Ascot having amassed 76 winners at the carnival. He has also been crowned the leading trainer on 10 occasions, his most recent success coming in 2019.

Charlie Appleby had two winners at Royal Ascot last year and is in great form heading into this year’s carnival. He has already picked up six winners and six seconds in June and will be keen to add to that at Ascot.

John and Thady Gosden. The father and son team were leading trainers at Royal Ascot last year with four winners. While John Gosden also claimed the crown in 2020. They have been in outstanding form in June when picking up 13 winners so far.

Who are the leading Jockeys heading into Royal Ascot?

Ryan Moore has been one of the best jockeys in recent years and has been crowned the leading jockey at Royal Ascot on eight occasions.
Moore also set a post-war record of nine winners for a single Royal Ascot meeting in 2015.

Frankie Dettori is no stranger to the winner's enclosure at Royal Ascot with more than 70 victories to his name at the carnival. And Ascot is the track where he rode his famous 'magnificent seven' in 1996.