Royal Ascot Preview

We are set for the strangest Royal Ascot for many years in 2020 due to the current racing schedule. Action resumed on June 1st, so we have a mix of horses coming here who have either not ran for a considerable period of time, or who are running again for the second time in very quick succession.

This is going to make it tough on punters, but there are winners to be found throughout the week.

Here we pick out some runners to look out for across the biggest races of the five days.

King’s Stand Stakes – Tuesday

If there is going to be a horse that stands out and does something special this week then that horse could well be Battaash. The six year old has ran here three times and is yet to win, but the fact there is no crowd in attendance will really play into his hands.

Anyone who has seen this horse run in the past will know that the crowd can get to him, and we have seen him lose races in the paddock before hitting the track. That shouldn’t affect him here. It’s a good race, but by no means a great renewal and this could be the year that Battaash shines at the Royal meeting.

Prince of Wales’s Stakes – Wednesday

A clash between Japan and Barney Roy is the highlight on day two, and it is the older horse Barney Roy that looks the best of those for this particular contest. Japan may be the best runner out of the two, but although winning over 1m2f and 1m4f last season, he looked a lot better over 1m4f. Another year of growing and maturing and that looks as though it will be the trip he needs this season.

Barney Roy is the opposite, this is as far as he wants but the speed he possesses could be enough to outdo Japan on the day over this trip.

Ascot Gold Cup – Thursday

We have lost Kew Gardens from this race, a big blow and a horse that would have gone very close. Stradivarius comes back for another shot, but you have to be concerned by him having a run already. He ran over 1m4f just 13 days ago, and now comes here to run over 2m4f, that is a big ask for any horse.

Taking him on with something at a bigger each way price seems the thing to do, and this is another horse who has ran already this season. Nayef Road is trained by Mark Johnston, a trainer known for having very durable horses who can run many times in quick succession, so don’t be worried about the quick run for him. He won at Newcastle and looks set to improve further for this trip, he can be close to the pace and hopefully prove very difficult to pass.

Hardwicke Stakes – Friday

Anthony Van Dyck was the only horse to get close to Ghaiyyath when they met in the Coronation Cup at the start of the season and that form would be more than enough to take this Group 2 contest. The Aidan O’Brien runner won the Derby last season but hasn’t won since then. This drop in grade looks to be the ticket to change that.

There are plenty of others who will feel they have a shout, but all have small question marks beside them about the run they have already had this season. That seems to leave the door open for Anthony Van Dyck to take this.

Royal Ascot Betting Tips

• King’s Stand – Battaash to win @ 4/6 (888 Sport)
• Prince of Wales’s Stakes – Barney Roy to win @ 6/1 (Ladbrokes)
• Ascot Gold Cup – Nayef Road EW @ 12/1 (Bet365)
• Hardwicke Stakes – Anthony Van Dyck win @ 9/4 (Ladbrokes)

Royal Ascot Betting Offer – Mansionbet Beaten by a Head

There is nothing worse than cheering a horse home only to see it beaten by the narrowest of margins. While those can be the cruellest of losses for a punter, the ‘beaten by a head’ offer from Mansionbet goes some way to easing the pain of that defeat.

They offer this across selected meetings, and Royal Ascot will be one of those meetings for the full five days.

Simply place a single bet of £5 win or £5 each way on any Royal Ascot race over the week. If your horse is beaten into second by a head or less, then you will receive your money back as a free bet up to a maximum of £25.