Royal Ascot 2017 Betting Preview
Royal Ascot 2017 Betting Preview
The horse racing season is in full flow and we’ve already seen some truly spectacular performances, but let’s face it – the real highlights are yet to come. The famous Royal Ascot meeting will be on the cards from June 20th to June 24th, so put those dates down and get ready for the action!
What exactly can you look forward to, however? Well, there are a couple of races that everyone should watch – and it’s those that we’ll examine in some depth here!
Queen Anne Stakes
The Queen Anne Stakes race is going to open the entire festival, so there’s no doubt that it will be keenly watched by all horse racing enthusiasts. The betting is headlined by Ribchester, a very talented horse that’s made a lot of progress since he’s first appeared on the scene. In fact, many experts believe that he will be without a match in this particular race, so it’s hardly surprising that the odds for his win have been battered down to 4/5 with Bet365.
If you aren’t a fan of short odds, you could consider backing Miss Temple City. She is a proven winner and she might be able to reach one of the top places. Right now, she’s being offered at 20/1 – and that price might be worth an each-way punt.
Remember, there are a lot of £5 pound betting sites available for your horse racing bets.
Ascot Gold Cup
The Ascot Gold Cup tends to be the hidden gem of the entire festival and this year should be no different, so keep an eye on this event. The betting market is heavily skewed towards Order Of St George, who now can’t be backed above 4/5.
A lot of money has been placed on that particular horse over the last couple of days, but he’s won only once in his last five starts, which is a fact that should encourage all punters that would like to oppose him. The field certainly has a lot of depth, with the second favourite, Big Orange, being on offer at 7/1.
That price is certainly appealing, but we’d be willing to look even further, with Sheikhzayedroad garnering our support at 9/1.
Commonwealth Cup
The Commonwealth Cup is there for everyone who prefers speed over stamina and tactics, with Caravaggio currently taking the cake at Evens. He’s a huge favourite by all the possible ratings one could think of – and the rumours about his speed can’t be easily ignored either.
Anything can happen in a race that’s all about pure speed, however, and we certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see Harry Angel win at 7/2. It’s hard to say if there’s any real value in those odds, however, as Harry Angel does seem to be a bit worse than Caravaggio in nearly everything. Backing him could be betting on Caravaggio to underperform – and that’s not a particularly interesting prospect as far as we are concerned.
Coronation Stakes
Winter is the massive favourite in the Coronation Stakes, with the vast majority of bookies having her at just 4/7. The form is certainly on her side, but the odds are just crazy no matter how you look at it – and that does open some space for shrewd punters that are all about value.
Looking at the rest of the market, it’s Tomyris who well and truly stands out at 16/1. That’s a price that can be backed each-way for nice returns and Tomyris has the potential to go well in the conditions that should be on offer on Friday. She might not be good enough for a win unless Winter underperforms, but we’re sure that a place will be within her reach.
Diamond Jubilee Stakes
The Diamond Jubilee Stakes will be on the cards on Saturday and there’s a lot of promise hidden in this one if the last year is anything to go by. Limato is the horse that leads the market at 9/2 – and he has certainly done enough to deserve that sort of favouritism. His form book could be better, however, so backing him could turn out to be quite dangerous.
Once you look past Limato, you’re going to discover that there are many possible options for each-way punts, with Suedois and Dancing Star holding the most value in our opinion. Suedois has a fairly good record in similar conditions and is on offer at 20/1, while Dancing Star has more than enough speed for this race and can be backed at the very same price.
Queen Alexandra Stakes
The final race of the entire event, the Queen Alexandra Stakes, is as open as it gets, with the main favourite, Penhill, currently standing at 8/1. The race is so tricky and so far away that it’s probably wise to wait for more news, but, if you just can’t do without a bet, we would suggest backing Oriental Fox at 12/1 – he’s not only had some tremendous performances in recent races, but he’ll also be ridden by an incredibly talented jockey.
