Royal Ascot 2023 Best Bets
Mid-June can mean only one thing to racing fans, as the top-class Berkshire track of Ascot plays host to the biggest and best Festival of the flat season. Whilst famed for its unparalleled levels of pomp, pageantry, and high fashion, the best thing about this five-day feast is, of course, the racing.
Here we pick out our four standout bets of the meeting, in addition to a couple of solid each-way options.
Best Win Bets
Queen Anne Stakes: 2:00pm Tuesday 20th June - Inspiral
We kick things off in the opener, where the only filly in the line-up can show the boys how it's done. Charlie Appleby’s Modern Games is respected following his excellent win in the Lockinge, but he may be biting off more than he can chew with Inspiral.
A daughter of the living legend that is Frankel, she has won six of eight career starts, with three of those coming in Group 1 company. This hugely talented filly is a perfect 2 from 2 on her first start of the season, making her absence since October of little concern. Thrashing her fellow fillies in the Coronation Stakes last year, she receives 3lbs from the colts, and is fancied to have too many gears close home.
- Recommended Bet - Inspiral to win @ 7/4 with Ladbrokes
St. James’s Palace Stakes: 4:20pm Tuesday 20th June – Paddington
This should come down to a head-to-head clash between English 2000 Guineas winner, Chaldean, and Irish 2000 champ, Paddington.
Chaldean is hard to knock as a proven Group 1 performer, but we suspect Paddington may be a little bit special. Progressing through handicapping and Listed events to begin the campaign, he then proved well up to Group 1 standard at The Curragh. Looking set to be in for a battle at the ½l pole, the Siyouni colt produced a sudden and devastating burst of speed to win by daylight. There aren’t too many horses with that type of late-race acceleration off a strong pace and, if in similar form here, he’s going to take some stopping.
- Recommended Bet - Paddington to win @ 9/4 with William Hill
Copper Horse Handicap: 6:10pm Tuesday 20th June - Vauban
There’s bad news for the flat trainers in this handicap contest, as Willie Mullins is flying over to spoil the party. The Cheltenham Festival specialist has two runners amongst the current entries – easily the most interesting of which is the Rich Ricci owned, Vauban.
A Listed class winner on the flat in France, Vauban was an outstanding juvenile hurdler, winning three times in Grade 1 company, including in the Triumph hurdle at Cheltenham. Whilst not making it to the winner's enclosure in the jumps season just gone, he did manage fourth in the Champion Hurdle, and second in the Irish version of the same race. Whether judged on that flat success across the Channel, or his jumping exploits, he looks the one to be on with Ryan Moore doing the steering.
- Recommended Bet - Vauban to Win @ 2/1 with Coral
Norfolk Stakes: 2:30pm Wednesday 22nd June – Elite Status
Karl Burke is no stranger to success at this meeting and can hit the mark again with the impressive Elite Status.
Winning in little more than a canter on debut, he was made to work harder up at Listed level on his second start but marked himself out as a sprinter to follow when quickening into the lead before opening right up for a five-length success. He looks the best of the Burke crop of youngsters who have been sweeping all before them this season and can prove too good for these.
- Recommended Bet - Elite Status to Win @ 13/8 with BetUK
A £1 Lucky 15 on the above selections returns £216.50 with Ladbrokes.
Best Each Way Bets
Prince of Wales’s Stakes: 4:20pm Wednesday 21st June - Mostahdaf
The Day 2 feature looks set to be a cracker, with Irish Champion Stakes winner Luxembourg, 2021 Derby hero Adayar, and Ascot Champion Stakes winner Bay Bridge all in the line-up - and all understandably prominent in the market.
It would be slightly surprising were the winner not to come from the aforementioned trio, but there does look to be a decent each-way bet in the shape of the John & Thady Gosden-trained, Mostahdaf. Sent off at just 8/1 in a red-hot Dubai Sheema Classic last time out – when running well to finish fourth despite not seeing out the 1m4f trip – it makes little sense that he is as big as 25/1 for this. Only 2lbs off the top-rated runner in the field, he has never finished outside the first two in three starts over this distance and is a perfect four from four following a break of 58 or more days. With that most recent outing in Meydan coming 88 days ago, he has enough in his favour to take a chance at a big price.
- Recommended Bet - Mostahdaf each way @ 25/1 with BetVictor
Gold Cup: 4:20pm Thursday 23rd June – Subjectivist
This year’s edition of the signature staying event of the season appears a far from vintage renewal. St. Leger hero Eldar Eldarov heads the betting, but this is over 6f further than the Doncaster Classic, and he was beaten out of sight over 2m here in October. Coltrane looks more appealing as a course and distance winner who won well on his seasonal return in May, but we fancy he and the rest may be a notch below the 2021 winner of this race, Subjectivist.
A two-time winner in Group 1 company, this Charlie Johnston-trained son of Teofilo made a talented field – including three-time Gold Cup winner Stradivarius – look ordinary when scoring by 5 lengths two years ago, only to then be derailed by injury. Returning to the track following a yawning 618-day absence in February, he was always going to need that run but showed much more when 3rd to Broome out in Meydan in March. With another three months of training under his belt - and still only six years of age - he looks good value to grab gold once more.
- Recommended Bet - Subjectivist each way @ 10/1 with Ladbrokes
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