Royal Ascot Predictions: Day 1 Preview, Picks, and Odds (June 20)

• Legendary Royal Ascot meeting kicks off on Tuesday, June 20
• Stars from around the world compete in three Group 1 races

The excitement reaches its climax on Tuesday, June 20, as the opening day of Royal Ascot 2023 kicks off. There will be challengers from both sides of the Atlantic on the opening day, with Wesley Ward plotting a huge raid on the British festival this year. However, you can find our predictions for the opening day of the Royal meet below.

Schedule and How To Watch

• When: Tuesday, June 20, 2023, from 9:30 a.m. ET
• Where: Ascot Racecourse, London, England
• How To Watch: NBC

Queen Anne Stakes

Odds

Latest odds taken from an offshore sportsbook.

Race Preview

Group 1 action kicks us off at Royal Ascot this week, with the Queen Anne Stakes being competed over a one-mile distance. The betting is headed by two-time Breeders’ Cup hero, Modern Games, who only secured a first Group 1 win on home soil last month. However, Inspiral is the primary danger, despite running below her best in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot last year.

Ground conditions will be key for this contest on Tuesday, and I’d be more than happy to take on the top two in the betting. Native Trail could be the forgotten Charlie Appleby runner in this field, and there are positives to take from his second at Newmarket over a mile last time out. That was his first effort after wind surgery, and last year’s G1 2,000 Guineas runner-up could be the value play in an ultra-competitive opening contest.

Royal Ascot Predictions

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King’s Stand Stakes

Odds

Latest odds taken from an offshore sportsbook.

Race Preview

The first big international showdown at Royal Ascot this year will come in the super-quick G1 King’s Stand Stakes over five furlongs. Australia has an excellent record in this race, highlighted by Nature Strip’s win in the race 12 months ago. Cannonball and Coolangatta represent the Aussies, with the latter ticking a lot of boxers.

The three-year-old is clearly still improving, and was a dominant winner of the G1 Black Caviar on his previous start in Australia. That performance was slightly unexpected, but conditions will certainly suit the Ciaran Maher and David Eustace-trained runner.

At a price, I’d be keen on the American challenge from Wesley Ward. Love Reigns was slightly disappointing at the Breeders’ Cup, but she put that showing behind her when bouncing back at Keeneland in the middle of April to land the Limestone Stakes by just under a length from Lady Hollywood. She is another that could still be improving, leaving six-year-old Highfield Princess vulnerable at the top of the betting.

Royal Ascot Predictions

St James’s Palace Stakes

Odds

Latest odds taken from an offshore sportsbook.

Race Preview

The final Group 1 on the opening day at Royal Ascot comes in the form of the St James’s Palace Stakes. This is run over seven furlongs, and there will be Irish and British Guineas form represented. Chaldean was an impressive victor in the G1 1,000 Guineas in early May, but conditions will be completely different at Ascot on Tuesday.

In truth, I think Paddington is one of the best value plays of the entire week. If using Hi Royal as a measuring stick between the top two in the betting, Chaldean beat his rival by one and three-quarter lengths, while Paddington landed victory over the same horse by just under three lengths. Aidan O’Brien has won this race a record eight times, and this progressive contender ticks all the boxes.

At a price, Royal Scotsman could be worth keeping on side. The three-year-old ran a cracking race to take third in the G1 1,000 Guineas over a mile, and a return to seven furlongs could suit his aggressive finishing style.

Royal Ascot Predictions

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