We ask our Verdict tipster Ben Linfoot some key punting questions heading into Royal Ascot 2026.
Who is your best bet of the week?
The ground is going to be at least Good to Firm in places, the weather is set fair and, while the World Cup limps towards the knockout stages via mismatches and hydration breaks, Royal Ascot starts with a bang, ends with a bang and has bangs in the middle.
What is not to like? Rule (H)6 I hear you cry. Well, quite. Let’s hope the only time we hear of it is when Benvenuto Cellini aims to keep all four legs on the ground when they’re in the stalls for the King Edward VII on Friday.
As for a best bet, what a cruel question to kick off with. Here we are, on the eve of the World Cup of Flat racing, with punting opportunities coming out of our ears, everywhere we look, and you’re asking me for one horse for the week.
In that case I’ll have to go for the big one, the Gold Cup on Thursday, and RAHIEBB for the in-form Roger Varian yard.
I thought he was unlucky at this meeting last year in the Queen’s Vase and again in the St Leger last September, when beaten by Gold Cup contenders like Scandinavia and Carmers, but everything he did at three was a platform for his four-year-old career.
A non-runner at Chester in the Ormonde due to ground-gate, the Roodee’s loss was York’s gain when he illuminated his Gold Cup chance with a storming victory in the Boodles Yorkshire Cup.
That was over 1m6f, but he relaxes well – he looks to have matured from last year mentally - and he shapes like a proper stayer, while he’s related to Ispolini, who excelled at two miles, so there’s plenty of encouragement he will get the stamina-sapping trip.
I certainly think there’s more encouragement he will get the 2m4f than there is for the 6/4 favourite Scandinavia, a neck in front of Rahiebb in the St Leger, and at 5/1 I’m happy for the son of Frankel to carry best bet of the week status.
Plenty of short-priced favourites to have a go at, who would you be keen to lay?
I have lots of respect for Francis-Henri Graffard and his Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner DARYZ, but if you’re laying one I think you’ve got to puff your chest out and take on a big gun that is short in the market with questions to answer.
The son of Sea The Stars could well answer them, as he has looked a quicker variant of himself in two starts this year, but I don’t think he has beaten an awful lot in those two races, especially if you think we didn’t see the real Sosie in the Prix d’Ispahan (I don’t think we did).
This is by far his toughest test of the season, then, and there is a question mark over whether he travels well after his no-show in the Juddmonte International the only time he has raced outside of France. Perhaps he’s mentally a different horse now, but he does also have to prove himself on quicker ground and quicker ground is right in OMBUDSMAN’s wheelhouse.
It’s a risky one given his natural brilliance, but there are enough doubts to make me twitchy about his chance at 6/5 and with Ombudsman and the rest on our side I’m happy to press the lay button.
Which two-year-old do you think has the star quality to win at the meeting?
Aidan O’Brien wouldn’t be renowned for his two-year-old speedsters but he cracked the Queen Mary code last year with True Love, who dropped back from six furlongs to win this before going onto even greater things.
This time around he has VICTORIOUS, a Wootton Bassett filly out of a Galileo mare and with that breeding she could follow True Love’s trajectory when it comes to both performance levels and going out in trip.
She already looks at a standard that can win a Queen Mary, with O’Brien favouring the five-furlong race over the Albany as he has Sun Goddess for that.
Victorious certainly shows plenty of zip and she travelled very strongly through the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes over six furlongs at Naas last month, while she showed a good attitude to fend off Controlla to win by a cosy neck.
True Love raced prominently and just kept pulling out more under Ryan Moore in the Queen Mary and we could see something very similar from this filly in the same race on Wednesday.
Unlimited Replays
of all UK and Irish races with our Race Replays
Discover Sporting Life Plus Benefits
Give us a few on your radar for the handicaps?
I’ll go one obvious and two not so obvious.
OPPORTUNITY is the obvious one for William Haggas, with the Wathnan Racing-owned son of Frankel in both the Copper Horse Stakes on Tuesday (1m6f) and the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes on Friday (1m4f).
I would expect him to stick to a mile and a half on Friday and he looks like a horse that can fulfil all of his potential now he’s matured and got his head in front again.
He ran well at this track on his seasonal reappearance and came forward from that significantly to win at Carlisle, so much so an 8lb rise might not stop him going in again.
As for the two not so obvious, there’s a couple to keep an eye on in the big mile straight-track handicaps starting with BLUE RC in the Royal Hunt Cup (66/1).
James Tate’s horse is a massive price after a below-par run at Newbury last time, but he was hampered in his run and he had previously looked a Hunt Cup type thanks to a strong all-weather record and an eye-catching run in second at Thirsk.
Then in the Britannia on Thursday watch out for Ralph Beckett’s RICHIE’S ROCKET (40/1). He looks a tricky ride but he might just be suited by an Ascot straight track that his trainer has previous over and he’ll certainly appreciate an end-to-end gallop.
Drawn in 16 last time at Goodwood on his first start since being gelded, he caught the eye with the way he moved through the field over seven furlongs and moving up to a mile should squeeze out further improvement.
Pound for pound, is there a smaller yard that can punch above their weight?
You simply have to take notice of the Harry Eustace yard at this meeting.
He is four from 12 with his runners at Royal Ascot, winning two Group 1s last year with DOCKLANDS (14/1) and TIME FOR SANDALS (25/1) and those two stable stars are back for more.
Add in LA BOTTE, second in last year’s Britannia, in the Hunt Cup, OUTBACK HEAT, in this year’s Britannia, and two-year-olds like SHIMMERING SUN and GREEN SOVEREIGN, and it’s clear that the Eustace yard have to be monitored at this meeting once again.
Finally, is there a sire whose progeny we should be looking out for this week?
I think BATED BREATH progeny are well worth keeping an eye on at Royal Ascot.
His overall record with his progeny at Ascot is good – 14 wins from 117 at 11.97% and +£8.95 to £1 at SP – and at Royal Ascot he’s had three winners including Space Traveller at 25/1 and Biometric at 28/1.
He’s had several that have run well here too, like COPPULL at 66/1 in third in last year’s Coventry Stakes and that horse is back again 12 months on to take aim at the Commonwealth Cup.
SONG N DANCE has Ascot form heading into the Kensington Palace and so does COSI BELLO in the Buckingham Palace Stakes, so there are a few to keep an eye on for a sire that can pull a rabbit out of the hat at this meeting.
Sporting Life Plus - click here to login
Did you know you're probably already a Sporting Life Plus member?
All you need is a Sky Bet, Paddy Power or Betfair account and, using the same login details, you can access:
- Timeform racecards featuring flags, comments, ratings and analysis
- Premium content including Value Bet and Kieran Shoemark
- Timeform TV Focus tips and big-meeting best bets
- Free video replays for every UK and Irish meeting
- Free horse, trainer and jockey tracking with My Stable
- Live on-site betting across web and mobile web platforms
- Enhanced football accumulators from This Week's Acca
- Early access to top sports previews including the Open and Wimbledon
Everything is underpinned by our brands' combined 200-plus years of expertise.
Everything is completely free. No catch, no payment if you reach a certain threshold, just free for everyone in the UK and Ireland.
If you're yet to sign up for Sporting Life Plus and don't have one of those accounts, you can do so HERE.
If you do have an account, login now for the complete Sporting Life experience.
Royal Ascot 2026
- Royal Ascot racecards, form and FREE video replays
- Royal Ascot going and weather forecast
- Royal Ascot odds with Sky Bet
- Royal Ascot free bets
- Andrew Balding: My Royal Ascot team
- Karl Burke: My Royal Ascot team
- George Scott: My Royal Ascot team
- Paddy Twomey: My Royal Ascot team
- George Boughey: My five to follow at Ascot
- Guineas hero Bow Echo primed for 'ultimate test'
- Outfielder and the Wesley Ward squad
- Two-Year-Old Guide including Wathnan Racing
- Alex Hammond: Royal Ascot blog
- Weighing up four stars in St James's Palace Stakes
- Three horses who could bounce back at Ascot
- Latest Royal Ascot tips and features
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org
