Coventry Stakes betting with William Hill

The Coventry Stakes is one of the most prestigious sprint races for two-year-olds run all season and takes place on the final day of Royal Ascot.

It’s a 6f Group 2 contest run on the straight course at Ascot and has become a truly international contest that attracts some of the best juvenile sprinters from the US, France and Ireland.

This hugely competitive sprint is often won by a horse who goes on to have a great career in the sprinting division or a major impact in Classics the following season.

Henrythenavigator and Dawn Approach, both winners of the Coventry Stakes since the turn of the century, both went on to 2000 Guineas glory at Newmarket the following season.

With so many unknown quantities, as well as a field including horses on the upgrade, it can prove a real conundrum for punters.

However, that hasn’t prevented a high proportion of market leaders landing the spoils since the turn of the century, something which needs bearing in mind when assessing William Hill’s Coventry Stakes betting.

Coventry Stakes betting tips

The Coventry Stakes regularly attracts a big field that spread across the Ascot straight course, so the draw can play a part.

Draw bias can vary and, as ever in straight-track races, being drawn near the speed is always an advantage, but horses coming out of stalls 1-5 have a significantly worse record of hitting the frame than the middle to high stalls.

You need to stay 6f at least if you are going to win a Coventry Stakes. The combination of a stiff track and strong pace means horses ideally need to stay further than 6f.

Horses who win this often go on to be 2000 Guineas candidates the following season, so a pedigree check is important when assessing Coventry Stakes betting.

Some winners, like Henrythenavigator and War Command, had already won over 7f by the time they turned up at Ascot.

The straight track at Ascot provides a very different test than racing round a bend, so try and focus on two-year-olds who won their maiden on straight tracks.

Given how strong the gallop is over the straight 6f, it often pays to race off the pace in the early stages, so any horse that’s impressed in quickening up from off the pace in its maiden would be a big player.

Coventry Stakes betting trends

One of the longest standing Coventry Stakes betting trends is that the winner is nearly always a horse that won on his previous start.

Harbour Master won the race in 1997 without having done so, but he stands alone in recent history so it’s possible to whittle down the shortlist of possible winners by crossing out runners who didn’t win their previous contest when studying Coventry Stakes betting.

Furthermore, it is imperative that you stick with horses that ran in a Class 4 event or higher on their previous start. Runners who ran in low-grade maidens or novice races have a poor record in the Coventry, whether they won or not.

Favourites have quite a good record in the race despite the fact that so many runners are unknown quantities. Very few horses that go off 20-1 or bigger win this race, in fact it’s also pretty rare they even make the frame.

The ability to stay 6f and beyond is key. Nearly all Coventry Stakes winners already had a win over the trip in the bag, so be wary of horses whose maiden/novice stakes success came over the minimum trip, although Art Connoisseur bucked that trend in 2008.

Also, pay close attention to horses with a US pedigree because they have a really good record in the race. Many were been trained by Aidan O’Brien, who has a quite stunning record in the Coventry Stakes winning the race nine times, including last year with Arizona.

Coventry Stakes ante-post betting pointers

The Coventry Stakes is contested by the top-quality juveniles who have displayed a blend of speed and stamina or are bred for such a test.

Most of the main contenders will have run only once or twice and will have either won or ran very well in defeat in a maiden or novice event. Horses who run out impressive winners of a maiden or novice race will automatically assume prominence in William Hill’s Coventry Stakes betting.

Coventry Stakes winners will nearly always become major factors in the big end of season juvenile events, particularly the group 1 Middle Park Stakes, which also run over 6f.

The Dewhurst Stakes is a slightly stiffer test of stamina, but horses who win the Coventry Stakes often stay well, so that Newmarket contest is often on the radar of connections, especially if they harbour Guineas hopes down the line.

The race has produced Guineas winners in the past, with horses like Henrythenavigator and Dawn Approach going on to prove top-class milers at three.

The obvious long-term target for any sprint-bred Coventry Stakes winner is the Commonwealth Cup, a Group 1 sprint contest for three-year-olds at Royal Ascot.

Coventry Stakes history and memorable winners

Few horses have won the Coventry Stakes in as devastating style as Three Valleys in 2003. The Roger Charlton-trained star displayed a stunning turn of foot to score by eight lengths and dip under the track record.

Three Valleys would never go on to score at Group 1 level (he won the Middle Park Stakes but was later disqualified after a banned substance was found in a sample) but will forever have a place in Coventry Stakes folklore as one of the great winners.

Aidan O’Brien has saddled many brilliant winners of the race, but one of the most dominant was 2016 hero Caravaggio who justified 13-8 favouritism under Ryan Moore in emphatic fashion.

The always highly-regarded Caravaggio returned to Royal Ascot 12 months later to win the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup.

O'Brien always targets this race with his best two-year-olds so is a trainer to keep on the right side of when assessing Coventry Stakes betting.

Many Coventry Stakes winners have gone on to top-flight success, but 2012 winner Dawn Approach was a cut above the average winner despite only winning the race by three-quarters of a length.

The Jim Bolger-trained colt went on to win the National Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes at the backend of his two-year-old campaign before progressing into a top-class miler at three, winning the 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes.

Coventry Stakes betting 2020

Assessing contenders for the big two-year-old contests is pretty much impossible at this early stage and Coventry Stakes betting will only really take shape in the weeks leading up to the race.

Any horse that wins his maiden or novice race at one of the bigger tracks in June this year will have to be considered a potential Coventry Stakes candidate.

Bet on Horse Racing with William Hill here