See Andy Newton’s Royal Ascot tips on Thursday as the big meeting rolls into day three – Ladies Day and with the Ascot Gold Cup – one of the big highlight races of the fixture.
On Tuesday (Day One), Andy fired in three top Royal Ascot winners – Great Barrier Reef (6/1), Mission Central (14/1) and Bow Echo (5/6).
2026 Royal Ascot Tips On Thursday with Andy Newton
Andy Newton’s quickfire selections for the third day of Royal Ascot 2026, including his leading fancies in the Ascot Gold Cup and King George V Stakes.
There’s also a standout Gold Cup NAP, plus 14/1 pick in the Britannia Stakes.
Don’t forget to check out the full ITV Racing schedule for Royal Ascot day three, and catch Andy Newton throughout the week on the Final Furlong Podcast with host Emmet Kennedy.
Quickfire Royal Ascot Tips on Ladies Day
- 2:30pm Chesham Stakes – AIX LA CHAPELLE
- 3:05pm King George V Stakes – JOULANY / TIERRA DEL TORO
- 3:40pm Ribblesdale Stakes – EARTH SHOT / COMPOSING
- 4:20pm Gold Cup Group – SCANDINAVIA (NAP)
- 5:00pm Britannia Stakes – LAUREATE CROWN / WE’RE GOOSERS
- 5:35pm Hampton Court Stakes – ENDORSMENT / MOUNTAIN KING
- 6:10pm Buckingham Palace Stakes – COSI BELLO / BLUE BROTHER
For exclusive stories and all the detailed Racing news you need, subscribe to the Racing Ahead website, digital edition, or magazine from as little as 8p a day.
Andy Newton’s Royal Ascot Tips on Thursday: Day Three Best Bets Including Gold Cup NAP
2:30pm Chesham Stakes (Listed) 7f – ITV / Sky
Aidan O’Brien has an outstanding record in the Chesham Stakes, winning seven of the last 10 renewals, with Ryan Moore aboard for six of those successes.
The pair team up once again with AIX LA CHAPELLE, who overcame obvious signs of inexperience to score on debut at the Curragh. That victory came just 15 days ago, but as a well-bred son of Justify, he’s entitled to improve significantly for the experience.
The draw also looks a positive. Seventeen of the last 18 winners emerged from stalls 1-8, so gate seven could hardly be much better.
O’Brien also saddles South Dakota from stall five. He finished fourth on debut at the Curragh and the form has worked out nicely. Backed up with both the second and third winning since.
Elsewhere, Aperoll for the Hannon yard, along with Time For Moon and Sea Venture, are worth considering.
🥇 AIX LA CHAPELLE
🥈 South Dakota
🥉 Aperoll
3:05pm King George V Stakes (Handicap) 1m4f – ITV / Sky
Charlie Appleby and William Buick have combined to win two of the last 12 runnings and they’ll be hoping to add another with Into The Light, who ran a solid race when second at Sandown last time.
However, the current form of the yard and their recent Royal Ascot record are slight concerns.
History suggests a middle-to-high draw is beneficial, with 13 of the last 20 winners coming from stalls 10-20. Favourites haven’t dominated either, with just five of the last 23 getting the job done.
This has also been a productive race for Ralph Beckett, who has won two of the last six renewals, making JOULANY and TIERRA DEL TORO obvious contenders.
Joulany enters handicap company for the first time off a mark of 91. While still a maiden, he’s run four respectable races and arrives here after being gelded, which could help unlock a little more improvement.
His third behind Maltesse Cross at Newbury in April also looks stronger now, with that horse going on to finish second in the Epsom Derby.
Tierra Del Toro returned with a good third at Newbury and, despite a 2lb rise, should come on plenty for that first outing of the season. James Doyle takes the ride.
🥇 TIERRA DEL TORO
🥈 JOULANY
🥉 Into The Light
3:40pm Ribblesdale Stakes (Group 2) 1m4f – ITV / Sky
Legacy Link is likely to attract plenty of support after finishing a creditable second in the Epsom Oaks, beaten just 3¾ lengths and leaving several talented fillies behind.
The concern is that run came only 13 days ago, and you have to wonder how much it may have taken out of her. She’s the obvious one to beat, but at the prices there’s not much value.
French challenger Gilded Prize will appeal to many, especially with Oisin Murphy booked. A return to quicker ground should suit, but this is her first run outside France and her first attempt at this trip.
That leaves EARTH SHOT and COMPOSING as the pair I want to be with.
Earth Shot caught the eye when finishing a close second to Inis Mor at Goodwood.
That form has been boosted since, with the winner going on to finish third in the Group 1 Prix de Diane at Chantilly. With just three starts under her belt and a strong finish over 1m2f last time, the extra distance looks a definite plus.
Composing is harder to assess after a disappointing start to the season.
She looked a potentially top-class three-year-old after some impressive victories last year but hasn’t quite hit the same heights since returning.
Connections now reach for first-time blinkers and step her up in trip, which could help. Her pedigree offers encouragement too, with former Derby winner Australia featuring as her dam’s sire.
Ryan Moore takes the ride, and this is another Royal Ascot race that O’Brien has dominated, winning six of the last 12 runnings.
🥇 EARTH SHOT
🥈 COMPOSING
🥉 Legacy Link
4:20pm Gold Cup (Group 1) 2m4f – ITV / Sky
Now for the feature race on Thursday and, for many, the highlight of the entire meeting.
Aidan O’Brien has won the Gold Cup nine times, while John Gosden has collected four victories since 2018, including last year’s success with Trawlerman.
He’s back to defend his crown and bid to join recent multiple winners such as Kyprios, Stradivarius and Yeats.
However, he’s now eight years old, and only one horse aged eight or older has won the race since 1901 – Yeats in 2009.
That stat points me firmly towards SCANDINAVIA, who looks the emerging force among the staying division and could easily establish himself as the next dominant Gold Cup horse.
He’s won six of his 10 starts, including each of his last five, and has looked better than ever this season with victories at Navan and Leopardstown.
Some may point to his fifth-place finish in last year’s Queen’s Vase at Ascot or question the step up in trip, but his Goodwood Cup victory over two miles strongly suggests he’ll stay this longer distance.
Rahiebb arrives after an excellent Yorkshire Cup win and continues to improve as a stayer.
Meanwhile, Oisin Murphy believes Caballo De Mar is one of his strongest rides of the entire week.
He comes here on the back of a Group 1 victory in France and has already proven his stamina by winning over 2m4f on very soft ground.
Even so, Scandinavia remains the selection to freeze out his rivals and hand O’Brien a record-extending tenth Gold Cup success.
🥇 SCANDINAVIA
🥈 Rahiebb
🥉 Caballo De Mar
5:00pm Britannia Stakes (Handicap) 1m – ITV / Sky
You’ll probably need your trusty Ascot pin for this one. With 20 runners and plenty holding legitimate claims, it’s a fiendishly difficult race to solve.
One angle that does stand out is the draw. The Gosden team has won this race four times, while higher-numbered stalls have generally held the advantage.
The last 10 winners emerged from stalls 12, 3, 15, 29, 19, 19, 10, 18, 15 and 29.
At the other end of the spectrum, stall one has produced just a single top-three finisher from the last 20 runners drawn there. That’s not ideal news for my old friend Blue Courvoisier, who did the business for me last time.
Clive Cox also saddles Langstone, who finished second to Blue Courvoisier and has fared much better with stall 20.
73% of Recent Winners Came From Stalls 10-19
Eight of the last 11 winners were drawn between stalls 10 and 19, so that’s where my focus lies.
Wise Prince catches the eye from stall 15 on his handicap debut for the Gosden yard.
Toby Moore claims a useful 7lb and could find himself battling with his father Ryan Moore, who partners Aidan O’Brien’s Flushing Meadows. O’Brien is still seeking only his second Britannia success after War Envoy’s win in 2015.
The Gosden team also fields the well-fancied Organise and Runman.
LAUREATE CROWN appeals as well, with Jamie Spencer taking the ride. The Hugo Palmer-trained colt is a course winner, has returned this season with two wins from two starts and beat Organise by half a length at Sandown last time. He’s only a pound worse off here.
Another Hugo Palmer runner, WE’RE GOOSERS, also makes plenty of appeal. I was very taken by his Newmarket success last time and his form ties in closely with Blue Courvoisier from an earlier run. Oisin Murphy is booked.
One horse who could be massively overpriced at 100/1 or bigger is HILITANY for George Boughey and Billy Loughnane.
He disappointed at Goodwood on his seasonal return, but the track may not have suited. Prior to that he was a Listed winner at Lingfield in February and finished seventh in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes behind Wise Approach last season.
🥇 LAUREATE CROWN
🥈 WE’RE GOOSERS
🥉 Wise Prince
4th – Hilitany
5:35pm Hampton Court Stakes (Group 3) 1m2f – ITV / Sky
Stall one has failed to produce a winner in the last 20 runnings, which is a slight concern for Godolphin’s Maho Bay.
By contrast, 12 of the last 19 winners came from stalls 5-9, while 16 of the last 20 were drawn five or higher.
It’s another race Aidan O’Brien has an excellent record in, with five wins in the last 23 runnings, so it’s no surprise that both Italy and ENDORSMENT feature prominently in the betting.
Italy was fourth behind Derby winner Christmas Day in the Ballysax at Leopardstown and, while lightly raced, has managed just one victory from six starts.
Ryan Moore has opted for Endorsment and, despite a few high-profile selection calls not going his way this season, I think he’s made the right choice here.
The son of Wootton Bassett was hugely impressive when winning by seven lengths at Leopardstown last time. Before that, he finished a close third to James J Braddock in the Derby Trial.
That form has worked out particularly well, with the winner going on to finish an excellent third in the Epsom Derby, giving this O’Brien runner a strong endorsement. Stall seven looks ideal too.
Of the others, MOUNTAIN KING deserves respect after two impressive wins. Saeed Bin Suroor is bidding for a 41st Royal Ascot winner and, although this represents a rise in class, Mountain King scored well at Windsor last time and the runner-up has since won.
🥇 ENDORSMENT
🥈 MOUNTAIN KING
🥉 Italy
6:10pm Buckingham Palace Stakes (Handicap) 7f – ITV4 / Sky
The final selection on Ladies’ Day comes in another notoriously difficult handicap.
Recent trends may help, though. Seven of the last eight winners were drawn in stall 24 or higher, while the last four winners were all four-year-olds.
Those statistics bring COSI BELLO firmly into the picture for Charlie Fellowes.
He got up by a head at Haydock last time and is only 2lb higher here. He also has previous Ascot form, having finished fourth of 17 in a competitive Class 2 handicap at the track last July.
Among the other high draws, Blue Brother looks interesting for Wathnan Racing from stall 28 with James Doyle aboard.
Course-and-distance winner Wizard Of Eye in stall 29 and Royal Velvet from stall 24 also warrant respect.
In truth, if you’re looking for the lucky last to rescue the day, this is far from straightforward.
🥇 COSI BELLO
🥈 BLUE BROTHER
🥉 Wizard Of Eye
Follow us
Read our latest news on any of these social networks!
Get the Inside Line
- Sign Up to our Horse Racing Newsletter.
