Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips: Owen marks your card for Tuesday

Royal Ascot kicks off on Tuesday with a seven-race card featuring three Group 1s - namely the Queen Anne, King Charles III and St James's Palace.

My Royal Ascot Day 1 tips, ranging from 11/4 to 40/1, consists of a selection for each and every race.

14:30 - More Thunder @ 4/1

A top-rate renewal of the Queen Anne - a Group 1 over the straight mile - to kick off this year's Royal Ascot. Lovely.

Charlie Appleby's Notable Speech tops the market after his emphatic victory in the Lockinge at Newbury last month, but I'm expecting MORE THUNDER to get a lot closer, if not reverse the form on Tuesday.

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William Haggas' five-year-old son of Night Of Thunder was two lengths adrift in Berkshire, but that was his first run in 223 days and first at the trip since joining Somerville Lodge from the retired Sir Michael Stoute's in late 2024.

He ought to take a significant step forward and with Ascot's punishing mile to suit, he looks a good bet at current prices.

15:05 - Mrair each way @ 14/1

Next up is the Coventry Stakes, a Group 2 for two-year-old colts & geldings over the six-furlong trip, and there's a bunch you could make a case for.

The one I've landed on, each way with Betfred paying 4 places instead of 3, is MRAIR for George Scott.

Oisin Murphy will ride the son of Mehmas, who fetched a staggering £880k at a breeze-up just two months ago.

He debuted a few weeks later, at Newmarket, and went down as a major eye-catcher in second to one of Charlie Appleby's. The selection was five lengths clear of the next best finisher.

Mrair made amends at Lingfield just over a fortnight ago, beating the reopposing Final Objective for Hamad Al Jehani and Wathnan Racing by two-and-three-quarter widening lengths, at odds of 1/6f.

There could be any amount left under the bonnet, so he's worth chancing - again, each way - at a nice price.

15:40 - Starlust each way @ 40/1

Sprints can be a bit of a lottery, so I'm always inclined to chance one each way at a big price. That's exactly what I'm doing for the King Charles III Stakes on Tuesday.

Of the 26 set to go to post for this Group 1 over the minimum trip of five furlongs, it's STARLUST who gets the nod.

Ralph Beckett's five-year-old Breeders' Cup hero was fourth of 20, just a length-and-a-half off the pace, in this race 12 months ago before a 347-day break, during which he went to stud.

Things didn't go to plan and he returned to the track exactly 17 days ago, for a Listed affair at Carlisle, where he finished a modest sixth of eight, just under four lengths behind the winner.

He'll have needed that, big style, and while it's a big ask to go and win a race of this quality, I'm hoping he'll at least outrun his odds. They could look very silly if he's back to anything like.

16:20 - Gstaad @ 11/4

One of the most-anticipated races of the day, the entire week in fact, is the St James's Palace, which can go to GSTAAD. I'm backing Aidan O'Brien's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner to reverse the Betfred 2000 Guineas form with Bow Echo.

George Boughey's Classic hero was very good at Newmarket, don't get me wrong, but it's clear he was primed to the absolute millisecond.

That's unlikely to have been true of Gstaad, who seemed to lack an extra gear in the final furlong or so.

He didn't need to improve much to land a poor renewal of the Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh exactly three weeks later, and now he heads to Royal Ascot in superb shape according to his trainer. O'Brien told AtTheRaces: "We're delighted with him and everything has gone smoothly since the Curragh. We feel has has improved again."

With just six runners in this year's renewal of the mile-long Group 1 for the Classic generation, it could turn into a bit of a speed test, which ought to suit the selection who bolted up in the Coventry over six furlongs at this meeting 12 months ago.

17:00 - Tim Toe each way @ 22/1

The Ascot Stakes - a 0-100 handicap over 2m4f  - has gone to National Hunt trainers in each of the last three years.

Henry de Bromhead won it 12 months ago and he's got an interesting runner on Tuesday in the form of TIM TOE.

A five-year-old son of Joshua Tree, he made quite the impression on racecourse debut in a Thurles bumper last March while under the care of Pat Doyle, soon snapped up by Robcour and sent into training with De Bromhead.

He didn't look a natural jumper, it's fair to say, so was soon reverted to the flat, winning a 15-runner maiden at Bellewstown this April before a staying-on third over 1m6f at Killarney on 12 May. A few weeks later, he was back in the winners' enclosure at Listowel, over a mile. Clearly, he's got a bit of class on top of stamina.

If he stays the trip, which is as extreme as it gets on the level, he's got to have every chance off a mark of 91 under Betfred Derby-winning jockey Ronan Whelan.

Betfred are paying 5 places instead of 4 on this one, so it's another each-way shout.

17:35 - Enfjaar each way @ 12/1

Fourth in the race last year after a bit of a troubled passage, I'm giving ENFJAAR another chance in the Wolferton Stakes.

Roger Varian's six-year-old son of Lope De Vega was squeezed out approaching the two-furlong pole, forced to wait until just a furlong left to race before seeing daylight. By that point, the reopposing Haatem was hitting the front and on his way to victory.

I'm not necessarily saying the selection would've beat him, but I'm confident he'd have at least posed a question or two, so I'm a bit confused at the price difference between the two. It's surely far too big.

Enfjaar showed the ability remains by finishing a close third to the 113-rated Boiling Point at Goodwood last time out after over 300 days on the sidelines, and that ought to have put him spot on for Tuesday's test. The Varian yard is in rude health, too. Lots to like, especially the price and also the each-way terms (4 places instead of 3).

18:10 - Gamrai @ 11/2

The finale can go to the Gosdens, as it did 12 months ago, courtesy of GAMRAI.

The four-year-old Lope De Vega gelding was a modest two-year-old who improved a bit at three - and he looks even better at four.

He returned from 164 days off the track, during which he was gelded, with a comfortable triumph in a Kempton handicap off a mark of 88 and was just touched off at handicap last time out off nine pounds higher.

He's up another two pounds, but such is the rate of improvement that mightn't stop him. He's got a big chance under the champion jockey Oisin Murphy.