Day one of Royal Ascot offers a trio of Group 1 action. Check out our guide and free Royal Ascot day one 2021 tips.
When Is Day One Of Royal Ascot 2021?
Day one of the 2021 Royal Ascot Festival is on Tuesday 15 June.
14.30 – Queen Anne Stakes 2021
The Queen Anne Stakes is a Group 1 race run over a mile that is open to horses aged four and older. It is the traditional Royal Ascot curtain-raiser and kicks off the Royal Meeting in grand style.
Queen Anne Stakes Trends 2021
4-year-olds have an excellent record in the Queen Anne Stakes, winning seven of the last ten editions. The other three were won by two 5-year-olds and one 6-year-old.
Five of the last six winners have been drawn in either stalls one or four and, though Tepin came out of stall 12 in 2016, she was helped by the soft ground that year.
Eight winners had enjoyed at least one prep run, while five of those eight had won their previous run. Aidan O’Brien has saddled two of the last eight winners. Five of the last ten favourites have won, but there have been 14/1 and 33/1 winners in the last three years.
Who Will Win The Queen Anne Stakes?
Palace Pier sets a high standard for the others to surpass on his official rating of 125. Fast ground and a wide draw in stall-11 are possible reasons for taking on the odds-on favourite, but nobody is going to be surprised if the top-class 4-year-old bolts in after his stable fired in a couple of winners over the weekend.
Aidan O’Brien fires two darts, with Ryan Moore opting to ride Order Of Australia, who won at last season’s Breeders’ Cup Meeting. He’s making his seasonal debut, but he still looks more of a danger than Lope Y Fernandez.
Regal Reality is another making his seasonal debut, but he should love the fast ground and he could go well from stall three. Another improving 4-year-old Top Rank is drawn in stall one, while past winner Lord Glitters is drawn in stall four.
If you fancy backing a longshot in the Royal Ascot opener, Accidental Agent is fancied to outrun his outsider odds. If any of the bookies bet four or five places nearer the time, he might be worth an each-way poke.
Free Queen Anne Stakes 2021 Tip
Palace Pier
15.40 – King’s Stand Stakes 2021
The King’s Stand Stakes is a Group 1 race over 5 furlongs that is open to horses aged three and older.
King’s Stand Stakes Trends 2021
The draw seems to have had little effect in the King’s Stand Stakes, with fancied runners winning everywhere from stall one to stall 18.
6-year-olds have won five of the last ten editions, with horses aged three, four, five, and seven also winning. Nine of the last ten winners had enjoyed at least one prep run, with five of them winning their previous race.
Favourites don’t have an outstanding record, but only two of the last two winners were returned at double-figure odds.
Who Will Win The King’s Stand Stakes?
On a mark of 123, Battaash sets a high standard for his 15 opponents to aim at. He is now seven but, as a gelding, any future he has in the sport is a racehorse rather than a stallion. If you’re backing him, we may be the end of the race realise he’s regressed since we last saw him, but he did win last year’s edition of this race on his seasonal debut.
The other worry is that he’ll get outstayed in the latter stages, just as Blue Point has done twice before. The problem is, finding a horse that’s as good as Blue Point in this line-up.
The American raider Extravagant stays six furlongs but the first time booking of Frankie Dettori needs to help him find a bit of improvement. The other interesting runner is Winter Power, with the 3-year-old filly getting 10lb. But she’s no Lady Aurelia and this front-runner is expected to set the race up nicely for Battaash who, at around 9/4, is also a much bigger price than he was last year.
Free King’s Stand Stakes Tip 2021
Battaash
14.20 – St James’s Palace Stakes 2021
The St James’s Palace Stakes is a Group 1 race run over 7 furlongs and 213 yards that’s restricted to 3-year-olds.
St James’s Palace Stakes Trends 2021
Nine of the last ten winners of the St James’s Palace Stakes have been drawn in stall seven or lower. All ten winners had run between 17 to 45 days earlier and only five had won that prep run. No winners in the last ten years were returned at odds bigger than 10/1.
John Gosden has trained three of the last seven runners, while Aidan O’Brien has trained two of the last six. Frankie Dettori has ridden three of the last five winners, while Ryan Moore has ridden two of the last six.
Who Will Win The St James’s Palace Stakes 2021?
The unbeaten Mostahdaf catches the eye for trainer John Gosden, as he has a similar profile to his last two winners of this race. But after two wins on the all-weather and one on soft ground, he has questions to answer stepped up in grade on faster ground. However, he is by Frankel out of a Dubawi mare, so could be anything.
Battleground is interesting returned to the scene of last year’s Coventry Stakes win, but War Front-sired 3-year-olds disappoint more often than not at this level.
Race-specialist Frankie Dettori rides Thunder Moon but, though his 2-year-old form gives him a strong chance, he disappointed last time. Jim Bolger horses can also stand plenty of racing and Poetic Flare could be the answer returned to a fast surface.
But Chindit gets the vote after being kept fresh for this since finishing fifth in the 2,000 Guineas. He was beaten four lengths by Poetic Flare that day but seemed to hate the track and is fancied to run well at around 9/1 returned to a track he ran well at last season.
Free St James’s Palace Stakes Tip 2021
Chindit (Each-Way)
