On June 20th, horse racing fans across the United Kingdom will tune into their television sets for Royal Ascot – arguably the highlight event of the flat season. The quickest sprinters in the industry will compete over five days of exhilarating action and plenty of punters will be keeping a close eye on the ante-post markets ahead of the meeting. If you are looking to bet at this years Royal Ascot Festival, then it might be worth checking out The Winners Enclosures nap of the day page to see who they fancy most each day of the festival. For not, we’ve had a look at five horses to watch closely in the build-up to the 2017 Royal Ascot festival.
Churchill
Arguably the best three-year-old in training, Churchill will run in the St James’s Palace Stakes on the opening day of the meeting. The Aidan O’Brien-trained star has won seven races in a row and he was simply sublime when winning both the 2000 Guineas and Irish version of the same race last month. Give him firm, yielding or heavy ground and he will get the job done: Churchill just doesn’t know how to lose and he is likely to go off as the red hot favourite come race day.
Order of St George
If you’re looking for a horse with experience of winning at Royal Ascot, look no further than Order of St George. The 2016 Ascot Gold Cup winner has been aimed at the same race this year and he will take some beating. Since romping home last summer, he has struggled but he tends to save his best form for the big stage and O’Brien will be quietly assured of an improved effort this time around. He was supreme when winning at Leopardstown last month and he should go better for that run.
Mori
Mori, a filly out of Ascot legend Frankel, has leading claims for the Ribblesdale Stakes on Thursday and it may prove prudent to side with Sir Michael Stoute’s mount. Having already won at this famous racecourse, Mori is the standout horse in the race and could be the banker of the meeting. Plenty of tipsters, including the Winners Enclosure, will be looking at Mori as a NAP of the day, which may prove best value alongside the latest offers and welcome bonuses with bookies.
Winter
The Coronation Stakes takes place on the Friday and there is one standout contender right now: Winter. With Ryan Moore on board, the O’Brien-trained star looks almost unbeatable in a relatively weak field and she deserves plenty of respect after romping home ahead of stablemate Rhododendron in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket earlier this season. For some, she is the banker of the festival and this could be a procession if she has a clear break.
Limato
Last but not least, we have Limato. If punters have a successful week, Limato will be much shorter than 5/1 on the final day of the meeting and it might be worth snapping those odds up as soon as possible. Limato finished second to Muhaarar in the Commonwealth Cup back in 2015 but bypassed Royal Ascot last season. On his reappearance on the biggest stage of all, Limato can prove that he is still a leading star in the flat racing business.