Ascot horse racing betting with William Hill
Ascot is one of the leading racecourses in Britain, staging top-class Flat and jumps racing all year round. The Berkshire venue plays host to 13 of the 36 Group 1 Flat races in the summer, as well as three Grade 1 National Hunt contests, the Ascot Chase, Clarence House Chase and Long Walk Hurdle.
Ascot becomes the focal point of the sporting world every summer when it stages the five-day Royal Ascot meeting before gearing up for King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes day in July, then the showpiece event of the autumn, British Champions Day. Read on for a guide to Ascot betting with William Hill.
Ascot betting – the big meetings/races
Royal Meeting
Queen Anne Stakes – Traditionally the curtain raiser of the Royal meeting, this Group 1 contest is the first big mile contest of the season for older horses.
King's Stand Stakes – The first Group 1 sprint of the Flat season and a race that showcases the fastest thoroughbreds from not only the United Kingdom, but, increasingly from around the world, with top US and Australian-based sprinters now regular visitors.
St James's Palace Stakes – A Group 1, 1m contest for the Classic generation and, unless he goes up in trip for the Derby, this is normally the next port of call for the 2,000 Guineas winner. This crack contest brings together the pick of the Irish, French and English three-year-old milers.
Prince of Wales's Stakes – One of the highlights of the second day, this Group 1, 1m2f race is normally won by a real top-notcher. It's a race that can have a major impact on Juddmonte International betting and Champion Stakes betting.
Gold Cup – The premier staying race of the Flat season and the first leg of the Stayers' Triple Crown. It can only be won by a genuinely top-class stayer but it takes a special horse to win it more than once. Yeats earned himself legendary status when winning the race four years in succession earlier this century.
Commonwealth Cup – The youngest Group 1 in the Flat calendar, this 6f event for three-year-old sprinters is the only top-flight race for horses of that age open to geldings. Muhaarar, trained by Charles Hills, won the inaugural running in 2015.
Coronation Stakes – The fillies' equivalent of the St. James's Palace Stakes, so a race that brings together the pick of the female English, Irish and French milers. It often provides the ideal platform for one of the vanquished horses from Newmarket to reverse Guineas form on Ascot's much more even track.
Diamond Jubilee Stakes – One of the most prestigious sprint races in the flat calendar and a race that often attracts the cream of the southern hemisphere three-year-olds, none more so that legendary Australian race mare Black Caviar, who won the race in 2012.
British Champions Day
British Champions Sprint Stakes – The concluding Group 1 sprint of the season and the obvious target for the winner of the Golden Jubilee and Commonwealth Cup at the Royal meeting.
British Champions Fillies' and Mares' Stakes – This 1m4f event brings together the best of the Classic generation and the older brigade. It serves as an obvious target for Oaks heroines.
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes – A definitive clash of the best milers of all ages and a race won by the mighty Frankel back in 2011.
Champion Stakes – The middle-distance final of the British Champions Series and a definitive race in terms of deciding the best ten-furlong horses of the season.
Other notable races
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes – Widely regarded as the most prestigious open-aged Flat race, certainly over the mile-and-a-half trip. The 'King George' is normally won by horses who go on to run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, unless connections preferred end of season target is the Breeders' Cup Turf, for which the King George winner earns an automatic invitation.
Clarence House Chase – A Grade 1 contest over 2m1f and a race won by legendary two-milers like Master Minded, Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy, all of whom went on to follow up in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Ascot Chase – A Grade 1 chase over two-miles five-furlongs contested by some of the star staying chasers of their time. It is the ideal contest for those that have a preference for going right-handed, like Cyrname who posted an almighty performance to win the race in 2019. The winner of this race would have to be a major player in King George betting the following season.
Long Walk Hurdle – The only Grade 1 staying hurdle run on a right-handed track all season and although it is often won by a genuine Stayers' Hurdle contender, it can also be the main event of the season for horses with a clear preference for going right-handed.
Ascot odds – impact on ante-post betting for future races
Royal Ascot's prominent two-year-old races like the Coventry Stakes and Windsor Castle Stakes have significant ante-post implications for the following season. Those that are expected to appreciate going up in trip will shorten in the Guineas betting while those that are likely to remain sprinting will be given quotes in the Commonwealth Cup betting.
There will be movement in the British Champion Sprint Stakes betting after the Commonwealth Cup, Golden Jubilee and King's Stand Stakes.
Winners of the Queen Anne Stakes and St James's Palace Stakes could clash at Glorious Goodwood a month and a bit later, where both would be prominent in the Sussex Stakes betting.
The Prince of Wales's Stakes winner has a number of options open to him later in the season but he is likely to shorten in the King George betting and also Champion Stakes betting, two races also staged at the Berkshire venue.
The three Grade 1 jumps races at the track all have major implications on Cheltenham Festival betting. The winner of the Clarence House Stakes will nearly always be cut in the Queen Mother Champion Chase betting, while Cheltenham Gold Cup odds (as well as King George odds for the following season) tend to shift on the back of the Ascot Chase.
The Long Walk Hurdle winner will nearly always see their odds contract in the Stayers' Hurdle betting.
Ascot course characteristics
Ascot is a right-handed, triangular circuit of one-mile four-furlongs, with a stiff run-in of two-and-a-half furlongs. Despite the downhill run into Swinley Bottom and relatively short run-in from the final turn, Ascot is considered to be a largely galloping track.
There is a straight mile course and the Old mile course which joins the round course in Swinley Bottom.
Nowadays, the ground in the straight drains quicker than the rest of the course, meaning going descriptions can vary.
The jumps track is again right-handed and galloping, but often favours horses who are ridden prominently. The fences are some of the stiffest in the land, and provide a real test of jumping, especially for novices. The three fences that come in quick succession coming out of Swinley Bottom are a crucial part of any chase contest because what horses do on that section of the track can determine how well they are positioned on the turn for home.
Ascot betting tips
For races over five and six furlongs, there is a small bias towards high numbers, i.e. horses drawn closest to the stands' side, although being drawn the pace is probably more important.
The tendency to go quite hard early on the straight course lends itself to horses having a good record coming from off the pace over the straight seven-furlong and mile trips. It's a stiff test, with the final three furlongs a gradual incline, making the straight track a very difficult one on which to make all the running.
It’s worth bearing in mind that the bend into the home straight on the round course is quite sharp, which can often spell trouble for horses either locked in a pocket or having to fan very wide into the straight to find daylight. With that in mind, it can often be advantageous (in round course races specifically) to be on or close to the pace.
Whilst the jumps track is perceived to be a fair test, the relatively short home straight means it is very difficult for horses to make up significant ground from off the pace, so the ability to get into a rhythm on the downhill section and lay up handy around the final turn can be crucial.
Ascot racecourse – how to get there
Ascot Racecourse
High St,
Ascot
SL5 7JX
If you are travelling by car from London or the North, take the M4, Junction 6 onto the A332 Windsor by-pass and follow the signs to Ascot. From the West, take the M4, Junction 10 to the A329(M) signed to Bracknell and follow the signs to Ascot.
From the South & East, take the M3, Junction 3 onto the A332 signed to Bracknell and follow the signs to Ascot.
If you are driving from the Midlands, take the M40 southbound, Junction 4, then the A404 towards the M4 (Junction 8/9). On the M4 head towards Heathrow/London. Leave M4 at Junction 6 and follow the A332 Windsor by-pass to Ascot.
There are more than 8,000 car parking spaces available at Ascot Racecourse. During the jumps season (3rd November 2018 - 31st March 2019) all car parking is free of charge, and only available on the day at the racecourse. Blue Badge holders should display their badge on entry to the car park and they will be directed to a forward parking area. There is no pre-booking available for public car parks.
For rail passengers, South West Trains operate a frequent service to Ascot from both Reading, Guildford and London Waterloo. The average journey time is 27 minutes from Reading and 52 minutes from Waterloo. The station is a seven-minute walk from the racecourse.
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