Royal Ascot Queen Anne Stakes

The middle of June each year is an exciting time for horseracing aficionados in the UK as the five-day Royal Ascot horse racing festival kicks off.  Each day features a number of exciting races.  The most famous race on Day 1 of the Royal Ascot is the Queen Anne Stakes, which is also the first race of the event.  The race is named in honour of Her Majesty Queen Anne, who founded the Ascot racecourse in 1711.  The Royal Family continues to attend the races every single year.

What should you know about the Queen Anne Stakes?  It’s a one-mile race for 4-year-olds and up, and was upgraded in 2003 to Group 1 Status.  The best horses throughout the UK and Europe participate.  It’s important to know that this is one of the first Group 1 races in the season each year.  As a result, there is not a lot to look back on, which can add to the race’s unpredictability.  The odds you get on the Queen Anne Stakes are not necessarily going to be all that accurate for that reason.  In the past, there have regularly been surprising upstarts.  As a result, if your betting system or knowledge of the horses gives you an edge, you might very well get excellent value on this race if your horse goes on to win. 

Recent winners (horses and jockeys) of the Queen Anne Stakes include:

There are also a few trends which it may help you to be aware of.  Over the past fiftteen years, only two favourites have actually won the race.  Just imagine how much money the punters who bet accurately on the winners probably made.  Each of the previous eleven winners had run before that season, so new runners have not been doing so well.  Since 1985, every single race has been won by a 4- or 5-year old, and in more than half a century, only one mare has won.  Additionally, 15 winners of the last 17 have won the stakes over a mile.

All of these trends are telling you something of value that can help you to place your wagers intelligently this year.  Going by past information, you are unlikely to win by betting on a mare, for example, and you are also unlikely to win if you bet on a horse older than age 5.  Betting on a new racers is quite risky as well, and ironically, betting on a favourite may actually reduce your odds for success, since they rarely win.  Inside knowledge is key here.  So follow along closely with developments leading up to the Queen Anne Stakes.  This will give you the best chance of starting out strong as you begin betting on the UK’s most exciting annual horseracing event!