Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips

The world-famous Royal Ascot Festival has arrived, and we’ve put together our top tips for Day 1 of the world-class horse racing event.

Royal Ascot is a sporting occasion enjoyed by millions across the world, and our top tipsters have looked over each one of the races on Day One of the spectacular event and chosen their selections.

They have looked at the form, potential, draw bias, ground conditions, and more to help you make a balanced selection.

Check out our Day 1 Royal Ascot Tips:

Royal Ascot 2026 Festival Day One Racecard

Here are the races for day one of the 2026 Royal Ascot Festival.

• 14:30 – Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Str)
• 15:05 – Coventry Stakes (Group 2)
• 15:40 – King’s Stand Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series)
• 16:20 – St James’s Palace Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Rnd)
• 17:00 – Ascot Stakes (Heritage Handicap)
• 17:35 – Wolferton Stakes (Listed)
• 18:10 – Copper Horse Handicap

Queen Anne Stakes Betting Tips 2:30

The Queen Anne Stakes is the first race on Day One of the Royal Ascot Festival, the curtain raiser of the whole week.

It is a Group 1 flat horse race run over 1 mile and is open to horses aged four years or older. Many greats have won it over the years, including the legendary Frankel. It is the second most valuable prize of the week and the first of seven races on day one.

Our selections for the Queen Anne Stakes are:

• Queen Anne Stakes Win Tip – Notable Speech
• Queen Anne Stakes EW Tip – Zesus Olymios

Coventry Stakes Betting Tips 3:05

The second race of the day is The Coventry Stakes, the first race of the week for 2-year-olds, over the stiff 6-furlong trip.

The Group 2 flat horse race has been won over the years by great horses such as Mill Reef and Dawn Approach.

The Coventry Stakes runs a distance of 6 furlongs.

• Coventry Stakes Win Tip – Rulers Pride
• Coventry Stakes Each Way Tip – Royal Hertiage

King’s Stand Stakes Betting Tips 3:40

The King’s Stand Stakes is another Group 1 on the opening day of Royal Ascot.

This race is for horses aged 3 and over and is one of the premier sprint races of the entire season. Previous top-class winners have included Battaash and Sole Power.

The race is over the minimum trip of 5 furlongs.

• King’s Stand Stakes Win Tip – Night Raider
• King’s Stand Stakes Each Way Tip – Asfoora

The betting tips for the King’s Stand Stakes at the Royal Ascot Festival are updated regularly based on betting markets and inside knowledge on how the horses are training ahead of the race. The market is often lively and worth monitoring.

St James’s Palace Stakes Betting Tips 4:20

The James’s Palace Stakes is the third Group 1 flat horse race of the day on Day 1 of the Ascot Festival.

This race is only for horses aged three and is run a total distance of 7 furlongs and 213 yards – a mile! It is for three-year-old colts and fillies.

As with other races, it has been won by outstanding horses over the years, with the winner often crowned the champion miler. Some of the best winners of the St James’ Palace Stakes have included Mark of Esteem, Frankel and Giants Causeway.

• St James’s Palace Stakes Win Tip – Bow Echo
• St James’s Palace Stakes Each Way Tip – Gstaad

The St James’s Palace is, without a doubt, one of the best races of the entire week at Ascot.

Ascot Stakes Betting Tips 5:00

The Ascot Stakes is a flat handicap horse event for four-year-old and over horses. It’s a 2-mile 4-furlong trip, where the staying flat horses battle it out with some speedy hurdlers. It is often a race where the top national hunt trainers pitch themselves against the best flat trainers.

The official distance is 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards – one of the longest flat races in the whole year with stamina at a premium.

• Ascot Stakes Win Tip – Small Fry
• Ascot Stakes Each Way Tip – Tim Toe

The Ascot is a highly competitive event, and it is often difficult to predict the winner, as horses from different codes compete.

Wolferton Stakes Betting Tips 5:35

The Wolferton Stakes is a Listed flat horse event for horses aged four and up.

It is set to take place on the first day of the Royal Ascot meeting and will be run over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards.

Although officially a handicap, it has been won over the years by horses who have gone on to prove themselves as Group horses. The classic “group horse in a handicap”.

• Wolferton Stakes Win Tip – Map of Stars
• Wolferton Stakes Each Way Tip – Ghost Writer

Copper House Handicap Stakes Betting Tips 6:10

The Copper House Stakes is a new race at Royal Ascot and the final race on Day 1 of the Royal Meeting.

It is a 1-mile 6-furlong handicap; like many handicaps at Royal Ascot, it is probably best to look for an unexposed sort with plenty of potential.

• Copper House Stakes Win Tip – Valiancy
• Copper House Stakes Each Way Tip – Sing Us a Song

Law of the Sea could also run a good race.

And that marks the final Royal Ascot Festival race on day 1.

How can I bet on Royal Ascot Opening Day Tips?

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to bet Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips online:

1. Create an account with the Best Royal Ascot Free Bets
2. Log in to your preferred online bookmaker
3. Click on the Royal Ascot race on Tuesday if you wish to place a bet in
4. Click on the horse you want to bet on from the racecard
5. Select your bet type
6. Enter your stake amount
7. Select win or EW
8. Click ‘Bet Now’ when you are ready to go

Royal Ascot bets online are great because most bookmakers are offering some incredible betting promotions.

What Are The Best Betting Promotions For Royal Ascot Tuesday Races?

Here is the list of the best betting promotions for Day 1 of the 2026 Royal Ascot Festival:

• Open multiple betting accounts to have the ability to compare the odds across all bookies
• Sign up for new accounts with the highest Royal Ascot Free Bets
• All 35 races are Tote World Pool, so make sure you get the best Tote Royal Ascot Betting Offers
• If wagering bets early, make sure you are getting a non-runner no bet betting promotion
• The top-rated betting companies should be offering the best odds guaranteed on all Royal Ascot races
• Choose from the best mobile betting apps to place bets via your mobile phone device easily
• Ongoing promotions are generally best with Skybet and Bet365

Make the most of the free bets and special offers for the second day of the 2026 Royal Ascot Festival.

Royal Ascot Favourites for Day 1 Racing

Here are the 2026 Royal Ascot Favourites for every race on Tuesday 18th June (1st Day of the Festival):

• We will release these once the odds have been released.

The first race at Royal Ascot on the first day takes place at 2:30 pm, and the last race is scheduled for 6:10 pm.

Of the Royal Ascot Favourites on Day 1, the best-backed horses are River Tiber and Bring On The Night.

Many will be backing Each Way Bets due to the large fields and many bookies paying extra places for EW bets.

Summary of Royal Ascot Day One – 2026

Day One of Royal Ascot is one of the top racing days of the whole year, with significant prize money and prestige on the line.

With 3 Group Ones and a couple of highly competitive handicaps, there is both top-quality racing and some decent-priced horses to look at.

Our teams have reviewed all the races and selected the best opportunities – check them out now or follow the links for more information! We hope you enjoy the racing, whether you watch it live, on ITV, or via Sky Sports Racing.

Check our other pages for the latest Royal Ascot tips.