2025 Royal Ascot Festival Preview: Races, Odds, Favourites and More

You know summer is truly on the way when the flat season comes around, and the Royal Ascot festival is the mark of summer. It is indeed the big meeting of the season.

In this preview, we have you covered for the races on every day of the festival, some favourites, and everything else you want from a racing preview.

Day 1: Preview

The sun is shining, the flat season is in full swing, and what does this mean? Well, I've probably jinxed it, and we're in for five days of racing with a lot of rain! Regardless of the weather, though, it is Royal Ascot week!

For flat racing enthusiasts, this is the big meeting. Five action-packed days of racing, with some of the best horses in the game, with all of the best jockeys and trainers present. For a UK card, there is nothing really better than Ascot. So, let's get into the opening day.

It starts with the Queen Anne Stakes, which is the first Group race of the day, and in turn, the festival. Ran over a mile, it is a fantastic start to the festival, with a number of top quality horses lining up.

At present, 11 are expected to line up for the starter, and the market is still rather open at the top end, with the first four no higher than the 5/1 mark, at least at the time of writing. Currently, the options are led by Rosallion, who is priced at 11/4. In other words, it's still anyone's race.

Then, we have the Coventry Stakes, another group race, this time run over six furlongs, so much shorter than the opener. However, this does not mean the race will be any worse, instead, it means that we will see some great sprinters.

21 are expected to lineup, and barring any changes in the next few days, it should remain this way. So, as you may expect, the market is really open, with the favourite Gstaad currently priced at 9/2. However, Military Code and Postmodern, the other two favourites, are not priced much differently - you can use our odds page to find the best prices, indeed.

Race three of the day provides another big field, with 23 expected to run in the King Charles III Stakes - which is again shorter, following the trend, at five furlongs. Despite its name, this is not the biggest purse of the day, but we should still see a phenomenal race.

Led by Asfoora and Believing, the market is, again, quite wide. However, with the number of runners here, this is to be expected.

Things continue with the St James's Palace Stakes, which sees the action return to a one-mile race, and we also, thankfully for some, see the field return to a more manageable size, with only seven runners.

Unfortunately, this means prices are not as big, and with Field Of Gold leading the market, there are not going to be many big prices. Winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas, the impressive Gosden-trained horse is the clear favourite at under Evens.

Race number five is one for the stayers of the game, with 20 set to take on the challenging two-mile, four-furlong distance. Of course, we are speaking about the Ascot Stakes here, which is a class two race.

Again, past the three favourites, the market is quite big with Reaching High, East India Dock and Poniros priced in the 4/1-5/1 region, at the time of writing. In other words, you will not need to rush to get a bet on here; the prices should not move too much.

The only listed race of the day is the Wolferton Stakes at 5:35, so the penultimate race of the day, and we return to the mile mark. However, we do not really return to a lower field size, with 16 lining up here.

Enfjaar, at present, leads the market at a price of 4/1 and is the clear favourite, which sounds weird to say at this price. However, with his rivals coming in at 6s and 7s, it shows the belief in him for this race.

Over a mile and six furlongs, the final race of the opening day is the Copper Horse Stakes, which is the only handicap race of the first day. So, big prices with a lot of runners are expected here, and it delivers.

19 are expected to take to the starting line, which certainly fills the first part of this idea. However, French Master, the favourite, is currently as high as 5/2 in some places, with others following him at 4s and 6s before a quick jump to 12/1 and above.

It should still be a great end to the racing on Day 1.

Day 2: Preview

As is expected, Day 2 hosts another fantastic card, with some more great racing on the day.

The second day of Royal Ascot starts with a Group 2 Fillies' race. Of course, we are talking about the Queen Mary Stakes here, which is run over five furlongs, with 29 currently entered to take the field.

Despite the big field, there is a clear favourite in place, with Zelaina preferred heavily at a price of 7/4. The next favourite comes in at 7/1, which is a telling sign of the preference for the Burke-trained filly.

Following that is the Queen's Vase race, which is run over a mile and six furlongs, and with 20 currently entered, the prices in the market are quite high, meaning some value can certainly be had.

Shackleton and Scandinavia, both trained by A P O'Brien, are the preferences for the betting markets currently, with both around the 4/1 and 5/1 mark. However, Amiloc and Nightwalker are also in contention. In other words, there is value to be had.

11 runners are currently expected in the Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at 3:40, and we are seeing a favourite emerge in the market so far.

It is no surprise for a Godolphin horse to be backed well in the market, and this is the case with Cinderella's Dream, who comes into this race with a weight of 9-5, the highest of the field. Nevertheless, the price of 5/2 is far from others in the market.

Race four is the Prince Of Wales's Stakes, which offers a staggering purse of £599,708. We certainly wouldn't mind winning that much! A 10-horse field is anticipated currently, with it clearly being the best race of the day, especially due to the rematch at the front.

Los Angeles, trained by A P O'Brien, and Anmaat, trained by Owen Burrows, currently front the market at prices of 9/4 and 7/2 respectively. However, the first seven are all priced under the 15/1 mark. Put it this way, it is a tight market for the field size.

A huge field is expected for the Royal Hunt Cup, run over a mile with more than 70 horses entered. Nevertheless, only 30 will take to the field, so there will be a few left a little upset, you'd imagine.

My Cloud is currently the market's preference at 5/1, and with final declarations, this price would only drop, you would imagine. However, The Liffey is not far behind, with 8/1 currently available on the market.

Another big field is expected for the Class 2 Fillies' Handicap race at 5:35, where a field of 30 will take to the start for the Kensington Palace Stakes, which is again run over a mile.

For the penultimate race, we have a royal favourite, as Rainbows Edge is the heavy preference for the market at 5/1. Trained by the Gosdens and with William Buick on board, it is easy to understand why such a preference exists.

Finally, day two ends with the Windsor Castle Stakes, a rather short race at five furlongs. However, the field is really wide with 50 entries at the time of writing this.

As such, you can understand why some of the prices are so high, and Rogue Legend is the current preference at 6/1. It is all to play for in that race, with a lot of bookings still yet to be made.

Day 3: Preview

Day Three is the 'unofficial Ladies Day', it seems, so expect some flamboyant choices in the fashion department. Maybe that will carry on to your picks too, so let's take a look at the day's racing.

The Norfolk Stakes starts us off for the third day, with 28 runners maximum allowed to take the starting position. However, with 32 entries, there is still a chance to get some good prices that may drop.

Charles Darwin is currently the favourite, at 2/1, though Naval Light is also challenging in the market at 5/1. In both cases, you would only imagine that the prices will get lower.

19 are allowed in race two for the King George V Stakes, which is run over a mile and four furlongs, and the market is delightful at the moment, you have to say.

The favourite, Merchant, is trained by William Haggas and is priced at 13/2 at the time of writing, but he faces a Serious Contender, literally in both name and nature, with the A P O'Brien horse currently priced at 8/1.

£141,775 is the allocated purse for race number three on day three, with the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes expected to be another well-contested bout.

Catalina Delcarpio and Serenity Prayer are the two leaders in the betting so far, both priced at 3/1. However, there is not a huge jump to the rest of the market with four priced at 10/1 or below, past the favourite duo.

Race four is a huge one, with a prize of £368,615 on offer, and it seems the market has already decided who will be the winner, with a clear favourite already in place for the Ascot Gold Cup.

It is no surprise that the favourite here is trained by a certain A P O'Brien - a name that you will surely never have heard before (just with a sprinkle of sarcasm, of course). Whilst he is not the highest rated horse in the race, Illinois is priced at 13/8, and the expectation is on him to win.

With 56 entered into the Britannia Stakes, you would expect the market to be quite open. However, the favourite, Consolidation, is currently 12/1. A lot of declarations need to be made, but there might be some fantastic value available!

Unfortunately, the prices drop back to normal in the Hampton Court Stakes. However, that does not mean that the prices are bad, not by any means.

Detain, ridden by Colin Keane and trained by John and Thady Gosden, is the current favourite at 7/2. However, Trinity College and High Stock also enter this race with nice prices, 4/1 and 5/1 respectively.

Again, with more than 30 additional horses entered into the race, you can get some fantastic prices for the Buckingham Palace Stakes, which sees English Oak and My Cloud currently lead the betting at 7/1.

Day 4: Preview

Hopefully, you'll be up by this point of the festival, but fear not, as we still have two days of racing left to go with another action-packed card on day four.

The day's action starts at 2:30, as it does every day at the Royal Ascot festival, and we start over six furlongs for the Albany Stakes, a Group 3 Fillies Race, and there are some good prices available again.

Venetian Sun currently leads proceedings, after winning at Carlisle last month, and you can get 5/1. However, Fitzella, Signora, Gold Digger and Green Sense each offer a bit of competition in the market, all coming in under 9/1.

A 23-horse field is currently in place for the Commonwealth Cup at 3:05, and there is a huge prize pot available at £411,573. Again, we'd happily take it if there is any left over! Nevertheless, there are some fantastic horses set to run here.

Shadow of Light, owned by Godolphin, is the clear favourite here at 7/4 and you would imagine this price will only get shorter with the market clearly fancying the Appleby-trained horse. In fact, Babouche is the next favourite, and the Juddmonte-owned horse is priced at 11/2.

59 are currently entered into the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, and this means that there are some huge prices available. However, many will take interest in Ethical Diamond's entry here, with the 5-year-old mainly known for its jumps runs; nevertheless, it is the favourite at 11/2.

We return to the huge races with number four, as the Coronation Stakes takes place at 20 past 4. A Group 1 Fillies race, this should be an absolute spectacle with more than £400,000 on offer here again.

Zarigana, after winning the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at Longchamp in France, is well backed here, and is 13/8 at the time of writing, which is understandable. This price will probably get shorter in the next few days, so it may be of value now.

The Sandringham Stakes Fillies' Handicap follows after, and the market is really open with Supermodel and Tabiti currently leading the market at 10/1.

Following that, we have another big race in the form of the King Edward VII Stakes which is run over a mile and four furlongs. Another Group race on the card, there are some nice prices available here.

In fact, Amiloc, the market leader, is around the 5/2 mark and should stick into favouritism as we get closer to this race. Nevertheless, Puppet Master is only a little less preferred at 4/1.

Finally, the day ends with the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes, which is quite a short race at only five furlongs. Nevertheless, value is still to be had, with almost half of the entries needing to be scrapped. Realign currently leads the preference at 6/1.

Day 5: Preview

Entries are yet to be fully finalised for the final day of Royal Ascot, so we will provide what we can for now. However, be sure to check back closer to the time for the full race information.

The Chesham Stakes starts off a fantastic card on the Saturday, and runs over seven furlongs. It should be a great opener.

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Number two of the day is the Hardwicke Stakes, and it is also the first Group race of the day, meaning we should be on for a real spectacle. Furthermore, a purse just shy of £250,000 is available, which shows the standard.

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Race number three is the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, which is run over six furlongs and offers a whopping £567,100 purse for the runners. At 3:40, you would certainly argue that this is the biggest race of the festival.

Lazzat, the four-year-old Reynier-trained horse, is the current market favourite at 7/2. However, Inisherin and Storm Boy are also being backed well at 5/1 and 6/1, respectively. In other words, more movement in the odds is to be expected.

Another Group race follows the big one, with the Jersey Stakes scheduled to take place at 4:20 on Saturday afternoon. Ran over seven furlongs, and with some historic winners, we could see another great race here.

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Then, at 5:00, we have the Wokingham Stakes, which is rather open currently. More Thunder leads the market for the six-furlong race at 6/1, then you have to go up to 12/1 and above for the nearest competitors.

The penultimate race of the festival is the Golden Gates Stakes, which is a Class 2 Handicap race, ran over a mile and a furlong.

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Ending things off is the Queen Alexandra Stakes, which is run over two miles and five furlongs. Again, this should be a superb race for the stayers of the flat.

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