Royal Ascot 2026 Preview - What Are The Best Bets This Week?

Ed Quigley sets the scene for one of the highlights of the sporting calendar, Royal Ascot. Ed gives us a whistle-stop tour of some of the key clashes to look out for across the 5 days...

Tuesday

The Queen Anne Stakes is the traditional curtain raiser (2.30), and this looks a belter, where the likes of Notable Speech, Opera Ballo and Docklands are all set to clash in an exciting test for the older horses over 1m. It's always a race to set the tone of the week and it looks fiercely competitive.

Undoubtedly the big clash on the opening day comes in the St James's Palace Stakes (4.20) where we have the eagerly anticipated rematch between Bow Echo and Gstaad. Bow Echo convincingly got the better of the argument in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, but the Aidan O'Brien team will be confident of reversing the form back at Ascot where he was victorious 12 months ago in the Coventry Stakes. With a nice win in the Irish 2000 Guineas since their meeting, Gstaad should really lay it down to Bow Echo in what looks a cracker of a rematch.

Wednesday

The highlight on the second day of the Royal meeting is undoubtedly when we see Daryz and Ombudsman go toe to toe in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes. Two elite global performers will be locking horns, and this looks like it has the ingredients to be one of the clashes of the season, not just the meeting. Connections of the French raider Daryz will be looking for more top-level glory, but may just want to see a drop of rain in order for their superstar to be able to show his true colours.

One of the big betting heats of the week is the following race, the Royal Hunt Cup (5.00). This will be a huge field of up to 30 runners, so keep your eyes peeled for Bookmakers' offers and specials, as they often given enhanced terms in one of the trickiest puzzles of the entire week to solve.

Thursday

Let's keep it simple - it's all about the Ascot Gold Cup (4.15) on Thursday. Scandinavia is likely to be warm order to give Aidan O'Brien more success in this staying contest at Group 1 level. He may be one of the best backed horses of the week as punters will be relying on him to get the job done. With the headgear on, Carmers is a lively outsider who could outrun his odds with headgear on. Let's not forget he beat Scandinavia at this meeting 12 months ago, and if there is a joker in the pack it could be him! This looks like an exciting contest and one I am looking forward to immensely.

Friday

I'm really looking forward to the Commonwealth Cup (3.05), where it will be good to see the clash over 6f. Last year's Albany winner, Venetian Sun is likely to be all the rage in this market and for good reason. Sprinting suits this filly, and she looked much happier back at the 6f trip when winning last time out. With Royal Ascot winning form on the CV, she could prove a tough individual to pass for the Karl Burke team.

Saturday

We have quality action throughout the final day of the 2026 Royal Meeting, with the Hardwicke Stakes (3.05) always a good encounter, and the Jubilee Stakes which follows (3.40) means it is an exciting hour or so at the track. I will be fascinated to see how some of teh game's top sprinters get on in the Jubilee, where we have raiders from all around the globe due to make the line-up in what is a certified international affair. That is a race not to miss!