The Royal Family won’t be in attendance but at least we have racing. One of the most well-known horse racing meets, the five-day bonanza known as Royal Ascot gets underway on June 16 from the Ascot Racecourse. To combat the coronavirus and give horses a chance to stretch their legs, six additional races have been added to the card, increasing the number to 36. Seven races will be contested over each of the first four days with an unprecedented eight gallops, including three Group 1 races, on the final day’s slate.
Royal Ascot has something for every horse racing enthusiast making the Royal Meeting the best of the best. Non-stop races offer plenty of wagering opportunities and these aren’t low level races with horses no one has ever heard of. Over the course of five days there will be an impressive 19 Group races.
The Royal Ascot will be held at Ascot Racecourse in Ascot, Berkshire, England beginning on Tuesday, June 16 at 8:30 a.m. ET. The races will be televised on NBC Sports Network with Saturday’s final day coverage on NBC.
We'll have horse racing odds at BookMaker.eu available for every notable race of the 2020 calendar year.
Odds Analysis & Preview
The biggest concern for bettors is just how the COVID-19 lockdown will affect odds. I’m sure the horses and jockeys could care less about having throngs of fans in the grandstands, so running behind closed doors isn’t a concern. The issue here is that in a typical year four of the Classics would already have been completed giving handicappers a better idea of the Royal Ascot field. That’s not the case with less recent form to work from.
Those familiar with the Royal Ascot will notice a change in the schedule of races as well as the number of pursuits. The Buckingham Palace Handicap, which was scratched from the program in 2015, makes a return to get the festivities started.
Traditionally run on opening day, the St James's Palace Stakes and the Coronation Stakes, a past Friday event, have been moved to Saturday’s ticket to give entrants some additional time off from the Guineas earlier this month.
Without a lot of recent form to go off in lower level races it would be wise to look at the Group 1s to find a betting angle.
The first Group 1 race of the Royal Ascot is the Queen Anne Stakes on Tuesday. There were no standout milers last season leaving the outcome for this race wide open. Taking a risk on a horse with good value is the way to go and Fox Chairman checks all the boxes. Unraced as a juvenile he showed a lot of promise last season improving in each of his four starts. He opened at 8/1. At 3/1 Circus Maximus tops the field and looks to rebound after a fourth place showing at the Breeders Cup Mile in his final start of last season.
Don’t blink because this one will be over in a hurry. The sprinters take to the track for the five furlong Group 1 King's Stand Stakes on Tuesday. After finishing second the last two runnings, Battaash looks to go one better. A 2/1 favorite last year, Battaash currently tops the odds board. Keep an eye on Sceptical and Liberty Beach, two hot sprinters in the 14-horse field.
The gem of the five-day, 36-race Royal Ascot is the Gold Cup, which takes place on the third day of competition. Two-time winner Stradivarius is sure to be a popular pick but his usual Yorkshire Cup prep run was scrapped. That formula worked well the last two years. Running earlier this month leaves him with a short turnaround bringing him back to the pack.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien has churned out a number of top-quality thoroughbreds and Kew Gardens is next on the list. Last season didn’t go according to plan, but Kew Gardens has the stamina to make the 2 ½ mile trek interesting.
Royal Ascot Betting Picks
Once again the Royal Ascot will give bettors the chance to throw down on their favorite horses from across the pond. Handicapping 36 races is too much, so focus on a few. Taking a peak at some of the lesser races to find value would be a wise strategy in most instances. However, since the contestants haven’t had the typical prep time handicapping horses for those races is more difficult.
Sticking with some of the Group 1 races we’ve identified a few potential money-makers. For the Queen Anne Stakes I like Fox Chairman to lead the pack. Sceptical is an underrated sprinter that will perform well in the King's Stand Stakes. Stradivarius dominated the Gold Cup the last two years but I like what Kew Gardens brings to the track.
Horse Racing Betting Lines
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