Four horses to follow at Royal Ascot

There are few venues more prestigious in the world of horse racing than Ascot Racecourse, and as we rapidly approach the summer season, the prestigious meeting that is Royal Ascot is beginning to appear firmly on the horizon.

Of course, there is the small matter of the Derby Festival at Epsom Downs to come first on the British flat racing calendar. But such is the nature of the flat campaign that major events come thick and fast and we can’t help but look ahead to Ascot as we edge ever closer to the Royal meeting, which is due to take place in mid-June.

There are a huge 35 races, eight of which are Group 1s, held over the course of Royal Ascot’s five action-packed days — meaning the novice punters might find the markets on sites like Betdaq somewhat overwhelming as they attempt to make their crucial selections for the big races.

So, with that in mind, we are going to take a look at four horses to follow at the meeting. Read on to find out more!

Golden Pal – King’s Stand Stakes

While it’s likely that William Haggas’ unbeaten Baaeed will steal the limelight on the opening day of Royal Ascot — taking his impressive record to eight victories in as many rules’ races; with another Group 1 victory in the opening Queen Anne Stakes — we’re going to turn our attention to Golden Pal.

The 5/2 favourite for the second Group 1 of day one, the Wesley Ward-trained horse has been impressive stateside — with two Grade 2 wins wedged either side of victory in the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in his last three races.

He’s yet to win on a trip to Britain, finishing second to The Lir Jet at Ascot in 2020 and seventh in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York last season. But he’s fine form and if he travels well, he’ll take all the beating.

Coroebus – St James’s Palace Stakes

After beating his stablemate Native Trail in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket last month, expectation is high for Coroebus this season and all eyes will be on the Charlie Appleby-trained horse when it’s time for the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot — the third feature race of day one.

The Godolphin-owned horse was fancied as the second favourite to his Moulton Paddocks stablemate in the Rowley Mile Classic, but James Doyle ground him out to a three quarters of a length victory over Native Trailand the pair will now be separated — with Native Trail set to head to the Curragh for the Irish 2,000 Guineas.

Another of his stablemates, Modern Games, could prove stiff competition at Ascot though, as he recently won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (the French equivalent of the 2,000 Guineas) at the iconic ParisLongchamp.

Trueshan – Gold Cup

The feature race of the entire week, the Gold Cup’s ante-post market is certainly beginning to heat up — with very little to separate Trueshan, Kyprios and Stradivarius, who have all started this season with wins, in the Betdaq horse racing tips. 

Trueshan is one to watch in the highlight though, as Hollie Doyle looks to become the first female jockey to win the Ascot Gold Cup — following in the footstep of National Hunt rider Rachael Blackmore, who broke the mould by becoming the first woman to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup back in March.

The Alan King-trained horse is in fantastic form as well. In fact, the six-year-old is heading into the Gold Cup on the back of four successive victories after winning the Goodwood Cup, the Prix Du Cadran (both Group 1s), the Group 2 Long Distance Cup and the Listed Further Flight Stakes on his seasonal reappearance last month.

Inspiral – Coronation Stakes

There will be a lot of excitement surrounding the return of Inspiral for the Group 1 Coronation Stakes on the penultimate day of the meeting. The John & Thady Gosden-trained horse was the long-time favourite for the 1,000 Guineas, but she ended up missing the Newmarket Classic after suffering a setback in training.

The Irish edition of the race at the Curragh was another option for Inspiral, but the three-year-old’s connections opted against sending her across the Irish Sea in a bid to keep her fresh for Ascot.  

It’s not yet clear what the issue in training has been with the Cheveley Park Stud-owned horse, but she’s still fancied as the favourite to win the Coronation Stakes. Inspiral won’t be given an easy run of it though, with 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet set to run in the Coronation Stakes.