Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips
Royal Ascot Day 1 Races & Tips For Each Race
Royal Ascot 2025 begins with a bang with no less than seven races, including three Group 1s, scheduled on the card for Tuesday 18th June.. Here at GG, we have identified the races below, including information on the history of these contests, which could provide pointers on what to look out for in 2025. We have tips for every race at Royal Ascot 2025, and best of all, these are completely free.
2.30pm Queen Anne Stakes
The Queen Anne Stakes is the first race contested at Royal Ascot 2025. Run over a straight mile, the race is open to horses aged four or older and often has an international feel, with horses from as far afield as America regularly participating. The last US-trained winner of the Queen Anne was Tepin, who won the race for Mark Casse back in 2016. A certain Frankie Dettori currently holds the title of being the most successful rider in the history of the Queen Anne Stakes, with his victory aboard Palace Pier in 2021 his seventh victory in the Queen Anne Stakes and his first since 2007.
3.05pm Coventry Stakes
Following the Queen Anne is the Coventry Stakes, which is a Group 2 run over 6f and open to two-year-old horses. The race was established back in 1890, and received a promotion to Group 2 classification in 2004. Aidan O’Brien is currently the most successful trainer in the history of the race, having sent out nine winners – including Caravaggio (2016) who went on to take the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup the following year.
3.45pm King Charles III Stakes
The King Charles III Stakes is a 5f Group 1 is open to horses aged three or older, and regularly attracts some of the quickest horses trained anywhere in the world. Twelve horses have previously won more than one renewal of the King’s Stand, with the most recent of those being Blue Point (2018, 2019). Asfoora won the race for Australia in 2024.
4.25pm St James’s Palace Stakes
Next up is the St James’s Palace Stakes, which holds the same Group 1 classification as the King Charles III Stakes, yet it is only open to three-year-old colts. The St James’s Palace often sees entrants from the British, French and Irish 2000 Guineas. Aidan O’Brien and John Gosden have toed and froed in the St James’s Palace Stakes in recent years, with the pair winning six of the last ten renewals.
5.05pm Ascot Stakes
The Ascot Stakes is a handicap run over a stamina-sapping distance of 2m4f and was won last year by the Andrew Balding trained Coltrane, who won at odds of 14/1. The Ascot Stakes is regularly contested (and won) by horses trained in yards well known for their jumps racing accomplishments. Ian Williams has won two of the last four renewals, whilst the likes of Alan King, Willie Mullins, Jonjo O’Neill and Nicky Henderson have also sent out winners of this. National Hunt horses are therefore usually a good indicator for anyone looking at this year’s Ascot Stakes field.
5.40pm Wolferton Stakes
Following the Ascot Stakes is the Wolferton Stakes. The Wolferton Stakes is a 1m2f Listed race that is open to horses aged four or older. First run in 2002 and created as a handicap, the classification of the race changed in 2018, with the handicap element removed. Trainer John Gosden has won four renewals of the Wolferton Stakes, making him the most successful trainer in the race’s history. His latest Wolferton victory came via Monarchs Glen in 2018.
6.15pm Copper Horse Handicap
Day 1’s card closes with the Copper Horse Handicap, this race is run over a distance of 1m6f and is a handicap available for horses aged four or older. It is a relatively brand new race, having had its inaugural renewal in 2020 which was won by the Roger Varian-trained Fujaira Prince. That horse went on to land the Ebor at York in August, which is expected to be a race firmly on the radar for whoever wins the Copper Horse Handicap in 2025.
Royal Ascot Day 1 Betting Tips – Factors To Consider Before Placing a Bet
The major factor to look into for day one at Royal Ascot is the going. The last opening day of Royal Ascot to be run on soft ground was back in 2016, with no “soft” in the ground description at all since 2020. Quicker ground is almost always what day one Royal Ascot races are run on, so look out for horses with a proficient catalogue of form on good ground or quicker.
Some races, such as the Queen Anne Stakes, the first race of the festival, can be utilised to get bettors off to a quick start. As a Group 1, it is one of the higher quality races and six favourites have been successful in the last decade. However, a 33/1 shot won in 2023, and the second race, the Coventry Stakes, is usually reserved for a bigger outsider too, with an 80/1 winner in 2024.
Equally, the other Group 1s have not been as successful at providing favourite winners in the last eight years. Only one favourite has won the King Charles III Stakes in that time, with only two winning the St James’s Palace Stakes in that time. The latter is particularly significant as it usually attracts a smaller field than the other two.
Recommended Bookmaker to Place your Bet on Day One
On day one we recommend betting the tip with BetMGM, who are offering £60 in Free Bets to new customers who sign up through our links and place a £10 bet.
Expected Ground Conditions for Day One
Both the straight and round courses at Ascot are currently riding good to firm, which has often been the prevailing ground on day one of Royal Ascot in the recent past. There is not a lot of rain in the forecast, so expect the going to be good at its slowest. Fast ground horses will be to the fore and there will be quick times for some of the sprint races.
Other Days of Royal Ascot 2025
You can now watch the Royal Ascot Live when you sign up to one of the bookmakers listed on this website and claim the Ascot sign up offer. Day 1 of Royal Ascot is a show-stopping affair, but the action is far from over, with four more days of top-class action scheduled at the Royal meeting for punters to feast upon – check out our dedicated daily tips pages below.
- Royal Ascot Day 1: Queen Anne Stakes headlines Tuesday’s card
- Royal Ascot Day 2: Prince Of Wales’s Stakes is the Wednesday feature
- Royal Ascot Day 3: Thursday’s action revolves around the Gold Cup
- Royal Ascot Day 4: Commonwealth Cup is one of the main events on Friday
- Royal Ascot Day 5: Meeting concludes on Saturday with the Platinum Jubilee Stakes