Horse racing is one of the most popular betting markets we have at Bet UK, and one of the major events in every calendar is a week of racing at Royal Ascot. Here at Bet UK, we have all of the markets for the key races in the build-up to the Festival, as well as the odds for the remaining fixtures at Ascot, including British Champions Day for the flat season and National Hunt Racing for the Christmas Festival.
We currently don't have betting tips for the latest round of horse racing at Ascot. However, we recommend checking out the Bet UK Horse Racing Betting Tips podcast - Fallons Fancies as all Fallons Fancies podcast tips can be found every week for the main event of the horse racing weekend.
Ascot Course Guide
Famous for hosting both Flat and National Hunt racing, Ascot is located in the heart of Berkshire. The home to key racing fixtures across the UK horse racing calendar, it hosts many Group 1 races from the Gold Cup and the fast-paced King Stand Stakes. The National Hunt course is also famed for hosting the Long Walk Hurdle, the Clarence House Chase and the Ascot Chase, all of which are key build-up races to the Cheltenham Festival.
Founded in 1700 by Queen Anne, Ascot is a course heavily associated with the Royal Family, with The Queen attending the Royal Meeting and also presenting the trophy of the Ascot Gold Cup to the winner. Now the home of 13 of the country's 36 Group 1 races, the course is owned by Ascot Racecourse Ltd.
Flat Course
The flat course at Ascot is a right-handed course that includes a straight mile and the Old Mile course, which joins the round course at the famous Swinley Bottom entrance. Due to its short run in, if not racing on the straight mile, runners leading from the front tend to have a strong chance. However, given the recent developments to the course, the going conditions can vary from day to day.
Ascot's National Hunt Course
The National Hunt Course is also run right-handed, and thanks to the drainage now available on the course, it offers betting running conditions than previously. The fences on the far side of the track can prove the most tricky, but if horses are front runners in small fields, they may not be caught.
Ascot Top National Hunt Trainers
Many National Hunt trainers pinpoint the Christmas Meeting at Ascot as preparation for Cheltenham. The current leading trainers on the chase course are Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson, with both of those alongside Dan Skelton ranking in the top three in hurdle wins.
Ascot Top Flat Trainers
In terms of flat trainers, John Gosden, alongside his son Thady, rank top of the Flat trainer standings at Ascot. Behind that successful pair are Andrew Balding, Roger Varian and Aiden O'Brien, who normally targets the group ones on offer.
Ascot: British Champions Day
Ascot's British Champions Day reached its 12th year in 2022 and is the race day that is deemed as the finale of the European Flat racing season. As one of the most highly regarded racedays outside of the big three (Cheltenham, Royal Ascot & Grand National), we see the greatest jockeys and horses in the world compete for grand prizes.
This event sees the culmination of the British Champions Series, a number of races across the year featuring horses at a similar level. Some of the biggest competitions across the day are:
A. Yes! You can use any of our Ascot tips for placing a free bet on Bet UK. Once you've collected your £30 in free bets. You can place any of the 3x£10 bets on all races at the racecourse. Qualifying bet must have reached bet settlement, minimum odds apply and free bets expire after the time period mentioned on the link below.
A. Technically, you can add up to 20 races into your bet slip at any time. In this regard, the Horse Racing market is no different to the likes of football and cricket, you can add up to 20 selections in your accumulator. However, as Horse Racing bets are less likely to come off than football bets, we recommend steering clear of 20 horse accumulators. If you're going to create an accumulator for a full days worth of racing, we recommend a sevenfold to back the seven races in a single day at Ascot.
Q. What is the most prestigious race at Ascot?
The most prestigious race at Ascot takes place on the final day of Royal Ascot and this is the feature race of the day. Known as the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, this Group One contest hosts sprinters over six furlongs, the winner of this race in 2022 was Naval Crown.
Q. What day is Ladies Day at Ascot?
Ladies Day at Ascot looks set to be hosted on Thursday 15 June 2023 during the Royal Ascot festival.
Q. Can I watch racing at Ascot for free?
Yes! You can watch all races at Ascot over the course of the year for free using the Bet UK live streaming service attached to our sportsbook.
Royal Ascot Betting Tips
Betting on Royal Ascot is a great way to get closer to the action from one of the UK’s best horse racing festivals each summer. Royal Ascot is steeped in tradition and is the place to go if you want to spot aristocrats mingling with the general public.
And when you bet on horse racing with BetUK you can follow every race direct from your phone – and place quick, easy bets without the need to handle bundles of cash.
Much of the attention when Royal Ascot betting focuses on the Ascot Gold Cup. This £375,000 race is the most prestigious flat sprint in the country and attracts thousands of sports betting fans. Horses such as Stradivarius, Yeats, Sagaro and Gildoran won this race on multiple occasions to become legends of the sport.
But it’s not the only event worth following! BetUK offers extensive horse racing odds on every Royal Ascot start during the festival – and you can access the latest Ascot betting odds right here.
Tips for Ascot
You can find our full range of Ascot betting odds above, with more markets dropping the closer we get to race week. Our horse racing odds are designed to be easy to understand and place bets on, so you can focus on the sport and winning those big wagers.
Simply click on the race time to find the list of runners and riders for each run, and explore the details of each horse before making your choice.
Horse racing odds work exactly the same as odds on any other sport. If you’re using the fractional odds type, simply multiply the first number by the second in order to see your profit for a £1 bet. So, odds of 9/1 would be 9 x £1 = £9 profit (+ you £1 stake!). Using decimal odds is easy too. Decimal odds show you your total return (winnings + stake) when you multiply your stake by the number. So, a £1 bet on odds of 2.50 will earn you £2.50 in total. You can choose which odds type you want in the sportsbook.
Realistically you don’t need to calculate your potential winnings with a pen and paper when placing a bet, because you can always check your risk and profit potential by entering any stake in the bet slip before clicking ‘place bet’.
It’s also worth remembering that horse racing odds change in the build-up to each event. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, horse odds in the ante-post markets can change until the runners are confirmed. And secondly, any wagers placed on a horse from other punters will cause that horse’s odds to fall, and the price of others to rise.
Ascot Ante Post Betting
You may have heard the term before by what is ante post betting? Well, ante post betting is when horse racing odds are available to punters before the horses have confirmed their place. You will see Ascot ante post betting odds on the biggest races – such as the Gold Cup – because punters want to wager on these markets all year round.
Ante post markets often feature better odds because there’s no absolute guarantee your chosen horse will run in said race. And the prices can shift too. For example, if a horse wins its first two races of the Flat season and is suddenly tipped to run in the Gold Cup, its odds are almost certain to fall in the ante post betting. Likewise, a horse that keeps losing will see its odds widen.
Placing an ante post bet is done in exactly the same way as any other wager. Simply click on the odds you want to back, enter your stake in the bet slip and hit ‘place bet’.
Ascot betting tips
If you’re new to Royal Ascot betting then you might be seeking some horse racing tips to get you started. Well, look no further! Here are some easy Ascot betting tips to get you started…
Do your research – You can find Ascot tips throughout the festival and making sure you know your horses before placing a wager is always advised. After all, you wouldn’t bet on a football team without knowing if they were any good – so why would you do differently with horse racing?
Check the going – Some horses fare better on certain conditions than others, and it’s likely that Royal Ascot will be firm in the height of June. But that’s not always the case, and if it’s rained in the days leading up to the festival then you might choose to back horses that can handle heavier ground.
Consider Each Way – Each Way betting is where you split your wager in half. One half backs a horse to win, the other half backs it to ‘place’ in the top three or four spots. E/W bets are a great way to cover yourself if you’re not totally confident your horse will win.
Explore the sportsbook – Never feel like you have to place a rushed bet. Our sportsbook features plenty of betting markets and there is always a race just around the corner. So take your time, think about your wagers and have fun!
Many punters will use their Ascot free bets to place wagers early in the day, and then use those winnings to fund later bets. Building a pot of funds over a raceday is one of the smartest horse racing betting tactics – and staying within your limits is the best way to enjoy race day without risking it all.
Ascot: What you need to know
When it comes to Ascot racecourse betting many punters will wager with cash at bookmakers on the forecourts, as well as betting on their phone apps. Ascot is home to numerous race meetings throughout the year, including June’s Royal Ascot festival, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in July, October’s British Champions Day and the Ascot Chase in February.
Ascot racecourse has been in existence since 1711 and welcomes around 600,000 spectators to its doors every year. There are 26 race days at Ascot each year, including the June festival Royal Ascot. Ascot is one of the few racecourses that is equally dedicated to flat racing as it is National Hunt (jumps). And it is the place you’re most likely to catch a glimpse with the royals as they enjoy the races during the height of the British summer.
Interestingly, the ground at Royal Ascot can often affect racing more than other racecourses. This is because June is an unreliable month for Flat racing, as spring showers in May can lead to softer ground than expected. The grass is always lush green but races can be laboriously slow for some horses if the ground isn’t dried out.
