Assessing the three Group 1 contests on day one of Royal Ascot

Royal Ascot is less than a week away and both novice and experienced fans of flat racing alike are starting to get excited for the prestigious five-day meeting. There are 35 races across the course of the week, eight of which are Group 1 contests.

Three of those top-level races are on the first day of the Royal affair, as the Queen Anne Stakes opens proceedings before the King’s Stand Stakes and the St James’s Palace Stakes run back-to-back at 3:40 and 4:20.

With a Listed race, a Group 2 and a Heritage Handicap also on the card, the opening day of Royal Ascot is sure to be one of the best of the week. That said, read on as we take a look at the three Group 1s and assess the favourites in the racing betting for the respective races.

Queen Anne Stakes

As already mentioned, the Queen Anne Stakes draws the curtains on proceedings, and what better way to kick things off than with a Group 1 for the more seasoned thoroughbreds? Open to horses aged four and over and contested over a mile on the straight, the Queen Anne Stakes dates all the way back to 1840 and is named after the monarch who founded Ascot Racecourse.

Modern Games is the favourite at 7/4 for this year’s renewal as Charlie Appleby looks to add to his growing list of Royal Ascot winners and potentially improve on his personal best of four winners at one meeting from last year. But the Godolphin horse will face stiff competition from three-time Group 1-winning filly Inspiral and French raider Erevaan.

King’s Stand Stakes

Another race that dates back to the 1800s, the King’s Stand Stakes was inaugurated in 1860 and is a five-furlong sprint for horses aged three and older. The race was formed as a result of adverse weather conditions, with the torrential rainfall meaning that the Royal Stand Place couldn’t be contested over two miles. Instead, they raced on a five-furlong stretch and it has remained part of the Royal meeting ever since.

It is a popular race for international horses, particularly those from Australia who boast six different winners of the sprint highlight. Coolangatta is the leading hope for the Aussies this year as the 5/1 second favourite if you’re looking for Ascot bets, but John Quinn’s Highfield Princess (11/4F) will be hoping to win it back for the hosts.

St James’s Palace Stakes

Inaugurated in 1834, the St James’s Palace Stakes is open to three-year-olds only and is also contested over a mile — making it a regular feature for horses who ran in the 2,000 Guineas earlier in the season, as well as those who took part in the Irish and French (Poule d’Essai des Poulains) equivalents of the British Classic.

This year’s renewal looks set to be a classic, with 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean set to take on Irish 2,000 Guineas victor Paddington in a much-anticipated clash of Classic winners. The former, who will be the mount of Frankie Dettori on what will be his final Royal Ascot, is the favourite at 7/4 but Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington cannot be overlooked having won all of his last three.