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Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips - Race-by-race guide to the opening day

Jon Vine

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Last updated: 16 Jun 2025

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Jon Vine 16 Jun 2025

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Royal Ascot 2025 Day 1 opens with three Group One races.
Group Two Coventry Stakes and lucrative handicaps add to the action.
Top betting tips include Andab, Meydaan, Barnso, and Artistic Star.

Expired

Royal Ascot Day 1. (Getty)

Royal Ascot 2025 gets underway with three Group One races headline the opening day on Tuesday.

The Day 1 action also features the Group Two Coventry Stakes and a couple of lucrative handicaps. Get our betting tips and race-by-race guide.

Royal Ascot 2025 Day 1 Tips

Queen Anne Stakes Tips

Read our full guide to the 2025 Queen Anne Stakes to find out who we've backed in Tuesday's opener.

Coventry Stakes Tips

I always think that the stands' side is the best place to be on the straight track at Ascot and most of the market principals have been drawn in double-figure stalls. Gstaad (14), Military Code (15) and Postmodern (19) are locked in a battle for favouritism, but I'm happy to give another chance to ANDAB, drawn just outside the market leaders in stall 20.

Joseph O'Brien's colt powered to an impressive victory over Gavoo on debut at the Curragh, which took his trainer by surprise, as he hadn't shown much at home. Andab was then beaten into third in the Marble Hill Stakes by Albert Einstein - who topped the betting for this Group Two before he was ruled out of the meeting.

O'Brien said in a recent stable tour that his colt had a small problem in-between those runs and he's been training well since that length-and-a-half defeat. I'm sure Andab will step up to seven furlongs before the season is out, but a stiff six furlongs should be ideal now, given the stamina in his breeding.

If something was to take him into the race on the inside of the straight, RAAKEB could challenge for the places. Richard Hannon's youngster won well on debut at Ripon, and has since placed third in two valuable conditions races.

Sean Levey's mount recovered well after a shocking start to place a close third in the Woodcote Stakes at Goodwood, seeing out six furlongs well on his first attempt. Raakeb has got plenty of experience, and seems to have improved with each effort thus far.

King Charles III Stakes Tips

We've picked out two outsiders to back in our free guide to the 2025 King Charles III Stakes.

St James's Palace Stakes Tips

Find out whether we're for or against Field Of Gold in our guide to the 2025 St James's Palace Stakes.

Ascot Stakes Tips

A tight affair, as usual, where Willie Mullins plays a particularly strong hand. I'm struggling to split the leading contenders, so I've decided to take a punt on ARTISTIC STAR at a massive price.

Ralph Beckett's gelding finished seventh in the Epsom Derby on his third career-start back in 2023, and went on to run solid races in the King Edward VII Stakes here at Royal Ascot and the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood. Artistic Star only ran twice during a troubled 2024 campaign, and finished last on the all-weather at Kempton at the start of this year.

Beckett's five-year-old was much more competitive on his return to turf at Newmarket on 1000 Guineas day, keeping on to finish fourth having sat prominently throughout the Betfred Handicap. That was a huge effort under 9-12 and Beckett has called upon talented claimer, Luke Dace to take seven pounds off Artistic Star's back on Tuesday. With just 9-5 to shoulder, I'm hopeful that this once classy operator can see out this marathon distance.

Wolferton Stakes Tips

Simon & Ed Crisford thought they might have a St Leger contender on their hands after MEYDAAN made an encouraging start to his career last term. This son of Frankel proved to be a little one-paced over middle distances, however, and simply hated soft ground on his final three-year-old start at Longchamp.

After an autumn gelding operation, the Crisfords dropped Meydaan down to a mile for his return in the Paradise Stakes, where he ran a solid race to finish fifth, having tracked Sardinian Warrior through the early stages. Back over ten furlongs in the Festival Stakes, Harry Davies' mount made stealthy progress from the rear, but hung a little right in the closing stages as Liberty Lane repelled him.

I liked the way Meydaan travelled in the Paradise Stakes, and ten furlongs seems to be his optimum trip. A wide draw can often be favourable on the round course at Ascot and Meydaan has enough quality to get involved in this competitive affair.

Copper Horse Handicap Tips

Just nine pounds separate the entire field in Tuesday's card closing handicap. The four-year-olds have a stranglehold on this betting heat and I'm quite interested in Oisin Murphy's mount, BARNSO.

Natalia Lupini's youngster won on his second start in handicaps at Fairyhouse in May, and has since gone close a number of times. Barnso was touched off in the Ulster Derby, finished second to Aeronautic in a rated race, and then kept on to finish a very close third behind two decent operators in the Listed Vinnie Roe Stakes at Leopardstown last August.

Barnso was last seen finishing fourth behind Kyprios in the Vintage Crop Stakes and Lupini has opted to lower his sights since that Listed effort. He remains open to further progress and could be worth chancing at an each-way price.

Verdict

Royal Ascot 2025 Day 1 Tips

Royal Ascot 2025 Day 1 Top Tips:

Andab E/W

3:05pm Ascot

@16/1 - 5 Units

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Meydaan E/W

5:35pm Ascot

@20/1 - 5 Units

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Barnso E/W

6:10pm Ascot

@16/1 - 5 Units

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Artistic Star E/W

5:00pm Ascot

@33/1 - 5 Units