Royal Ascot 2016 Opening Day: What to Expect

Royal Ascot 2016 gets started tomorrow on Tuesday, June 14^th.  The opening day of the event is always one of the most exciting race days.  What can we expect this year?

We have a lot of horses coming from international ground to the UK racetrack this year.  That means we are going to see some of the top champions from around the world fighting to claim prizes in the Queen Anne Stakes and other big events.

Running in the Queen Anne Stakes this year will be Tepin (the favourite), an American filly trained by Mark Casse.  Tepin has won her most recent four races in the US and is considered one of the top horses in the world right now.  There are some other close contenders, however, including Roger Varian’s Belardo, former Ascot winner Limato, and French filly Ervedya.  It’s likely going to be a close race and quite an intense one to watch.

While the Queen Anne Stakes is the biggest event of the day, it is followed up by five other thrilling races in quick succession: The Coventry Stakes, The King’s Stand Stakes, The St. James’s Palace Stakes, The Ascot Stakes, and The Windsor Castle Stakes.  Three of these events are Group 1: The Queen Anne Stakes, The King’s Stand Stakes, and The St. James’s Palace Stakes.

When should you tune into Channel 4 to watch Day 1 of Royal Ascot?  The first race (The Queen Anne Stakes) will kick off at 2:30 p.m.  Here is the full schedule:

2:30pm The Queen Anne Stakes 

3:05pm The Coventry Stakes 

3:40pm The King’s Stand Stakes 

4:20pm The St James’s Palace Stakes 

5:00pm The Ascot Stakes 

5:35pm The Windsor Castle Stakes 

If you are going to bet on any of these events, be sure to do some thorough research in advance.  You can look up betting tips online for a great starting point, but it is up to you to do the extra legwork if you want to bet on the horses effectively.  Even though favourites often go on to win, surprise upsets are common at Royal Ascot.  It’s all part of the thrill of racing.  So dive into your research with enthusiasm.  Join several horse racing betting sites so that you can hunt down the best values.  Good luck!