Horse racing fans are gearing up for the most famous event in the global calendar as Queen Elizabeth II prepares to hold court at Royal Ascot this week. Europe's best attended race meeting will draw in 300,000 spectators across the five days of the festival, and the TV audience will be huge. There are 30 races in total, with Group 1 action every day, and more than £6.5 million in total prize money will be shared out. All the biggest names in flat racing will converge on Berkshire, and owners, trainers, jockeys fans and punters are set for a nail-biting week. It will also be an enormous week for the bookmakers as the best sportsbooks will offer odds all week on all the action. Here we preview some of the biggest races, offering tips on who might emerge victorious:
Gold Cup
The centrepiece event of Ladies' Day, which takes place on Thursday, features a field of 17 that will battle it out over 2m 4f. Order of St George, the 2016 champion, heads the field, best priced at even money, and is seeing the most action. He went more than a year unbeaten, winning six races from July 2015 to September 2016, but then was narrowly beaten by Wicklow St Brave in the Irish St Ledger. That was the start of a spell of four races without victory, where this son of Galileo was there or thereabouts but kept narrowly missing out against some of the country's top horses. He returned to winning ways last time out, however, claiming the Seamus & Rosemary Memorial Saval Beg Stakes in comfortable fashion in May. The price has gone in from 11/8, and at such low odds it could be risky to back him, so it might be worth finding a longer shot and going each-way. Big Orange could be a good option at 8/1 after a fantastic five-length win with Frankie Dettori in the saddle at Sandown.
Hardwicke Stakes
Another horse seeking back-to-back victories in a famous race is Dartmouth, trained by Sir Michael Stoute. He got the better of Highland Reel in a ferocious battle in the 2016 Hardwicke Stakes, helped by Highland Reel's jockey dropping his whip, and survived a steward's enquiry to seize first place. His career has since followed a similar trajectory to that of Order of St George, as he went on a spell of zero wins but then got backing to winning ways with an impressive victory over Highland Reel in the Yorkshire Cup last month. He is the 7/2 favourite in this race, but the field is littered with danger, including old adversary Highland Reel (an 11/4 shot; Highland Reel beat Dartmouth in the King George Stakes last year), Frontiersman (4/1), Hawkbill (10/1), Wings of Desire (12/1) and Idaho (14/1). Idaho twice placed in Derby races in 2016 and could be an interesting each way shot as he should enjoy the slightly uphill gallop, while Jack Hobbs (6/1) is a serious contender as he the trip will suit his running style.
Diamond Jubilee Stakes
A huge field of heavy hitters is lining up for the Diamond Jubilee, led by Limato, The Tin Man, Magical Memory and Quiet Reflection. It is sure to be an incredibly competitive race and deservedly so, with a prize pot north of £600,000. It is easy to see why Limato is the favourite as he was rated Britain's second best horse in 2016 in the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings, which ranked him 18th in the world and also declared he was the world's joint best sprinter. But he flopped in Dubai and failed to win his last two races, so backing him at 5/1 in such a broad and competitive field looks a tad risky. Tasleet looks a good choice at 10/1. The four-year-old bay colt won the Group 2 Duke of York Clipper Logistics Stakes last month, comfortably beating The Tin Man and Magical Memory.
