Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips: 7/1 NAP tops Tuesday’s selections

Royal Ascot 2024 is here. The five-day meeting, which runs from Tuesday to Saturday, is a major highlight on the sporting calendar and as Official Bookmaker everyone here at Betfred can't wait for the action to start.

So, without further ado, here's some Royal Ascot Day 1 tips for you to consider.

14:30 - Audience @ 7/1

The Royal Meeting gets underway in style with the Queen Anne - a Group 1 over the straight mile - and my overwhelming thought is that John & Thady Gosden's AUDIENCE is overpriced.

It seems the general consensus is that the five-year-old stole the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last month from the front, but I'm not so sure. The sectional times hold up fairly well and I'm more inclined to think that Audience just posted a huge performance on his first try at the trip.

For me, 7/1 about him backing that up is extremely fair when you consider Charyn, who was just under two lengths behind the selection at Newbury, is currently vying for favouritism at about half the price.

15:05 - Catalyse e/w @ 11/1

Next up is the Coventry Stakes, which looks typically tricky.

Cowardofthecounty has the shortest horse racing odds of the 23 juveniles set to go to post for the Group 2 contest over six furlongs. He has obvious claims, but so do many of these - including Richard Fahey's CATALYSE.

The Starspangledbanner colt has just one run under his belt, landing a six-runner contest over Tuesday's trip at Hamilton earlier this month in good style.

While that form is yet to be tested, it's worth noting that the runner-up cost 285,000gns and is entered in the G1 Phoenix Stakes at The Curragh in August, while the third-placed horse was an eye-catcher behind Andesite (17/2 for the Coventry) on his debut prior to being put in his place by the selection.

Further confidence is taken from Wathnan Racing jockey James Doyle choosing him over both Electrolyte and Columnist, who are also 1-1 and full of promise.

This is an Extra Place Race, so Betfred are paying 4 places instead of 3 at 1/5 the odds for all each-way bets - and we're offering your stake back (up to £10) as a free bet if your selection finishes 2nd or 3rd.

15:45 - Believing @ 7/1

I've already suggested George Boughey's BELIEVING for the King Charles III Stakes in an antepost piece last week and I've only grown in confidence since.

The four-year-old filly marked herself as a potential top-class sprinter when finishing third, by just under a length, in the Sprint Cup at Haydock last September - and after two subsequent disappointments, she returned to impressive ways when making easy work of a competitive Listed field back on Merseyside exactly 10 days ago.

That was only her second run over the minimum trip and she looked at home. She broke smartly, travelled strongly and was well on top at the line.

I don't think the current crop of sprinters is very strong, so if she can back up that performance, let alone improve for it, I think she has an excellent chance at what I believe to be a very attractive price.

Her trainer, who is operating at a superb strike rate (40%) having saddled 14 winners from 35 runners in the last two weeks, has been discussing the possibility of running the filly in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes on Saturday too, which can be interpreted as a big positive. Working the house down, perhaps?

She's my NAP for Day 1.

16:25 - Rosallion @ 7/2

The St James's Palace Stakes sees three Guineas winners - namely Notable Speech (2000 Guineas), Rosallion (Irish 2000 Guineas) and Metropolitan (French 2000 Guineas) - bid for further Group 1 glory. The other five runners add plenty to the mix too.

A tentative vote goes to ROSALLION, who looks slightly overpriced against the favourite.

Notable Speech finished a length-and-a-half ahead of the selection in the British Classic, but Richard Hannon's son of Blue Point was closing the gap again at the line and he of course went on to win the Irish edition a few weeks later.

He was mightily-impressive at Ascot as a juvenile and I think the greater test the Berkshire track provides can see him reverse that 2000 Guineas form.

Henry Longfellow is a horse I loved last season and he's a big danger if putting his last run behind him - while I couldn't put anyone off an each-way play on Metropolitan at a generous price.

17:05 - Tritonic e/w @ 14/1

Now for perhaps the most muddling race of the day - the Ascot Stakes.

I like the look of Alan King's TRITONIC for the 0-100 handicap over 2m4f.

The seven-year-old Sea The Moon gelding was third in this last year and he looks to have been campaigned for it once again.

Two adequate runs in all-weather handicaps has seen his mark drop a couple of pounds to 95 (five pounds lower than last season) and ought to have put him spot on for the big day.

You need your share of luck in a race like this, but he appears to have a nice chance under the brilliant Rossa Ryan.

This is an Extra Place Race, so Betfred are paying 5 places instead of 4 at 1/5 the odds for all each-way bets - and we're offering your stake back (up to £10) as a free bet if your selection finishes 2nd.

17:40 - Botanical @ 4/1

My penultimate interest of the day is BOTANICAL in the Wolferton Stakes - a Listed affair over 1m2f for horses aged four and above.

John & Thady Gosden have a strong hand with Israr and Torito, with the former setting the standard in this field of 16, but I was so impressed by Roger Varian's gelding when he bolted up in a competitive handicap off a mark of 97 at York's Dante Festival last month.

The son of Lope De Vega was a classy three-year-old too, but if that effort on the Knavesmire is anything to go by I believe he can establish himself as a proper Group performer at four.

Track, trip and ground all suit and the booking of William Buick is advantageous, so it's fair to say this is one of my stronger fancies of the afternoon.

18:15 - Gentleman Joe e/w @ 20/1

Finally, we've got the Copper Horse Handicap over 1m6f. Sixteen runners, featuring trainers from both codes. Easy stuff, then...

The great Willie Mullins saddled the 1-2 in this race last year and he has an excellent chance of doing the double courtesy of Belloccio, but 7/2 in a race like this isn't for me.

Instead, I've gone for one at a bit of a price - and that's GENTLEMAN JOE for Henry de Bromhead.

The six-year-old was progressive on the flat when under the care of Joseph Tuite in 2021, reaching a mark of 92 after four runs, but he was transferred to De Bromhead's Knockeen yard and since then has almost exclusively raced over jumps.

However, he was given a spin round Dundalk back in April and finished runner-up to Aidan O'Brien's Hans Andersen. Admittedly, he's done the form few favours in the meantime, but the selection was over six lengths clear of the 99-rated Shamwari in third so I fancy it's strong enough.

With that run under his belt and Billy Lee in the plate, he can be competitive.

This is an Extra Place Race, so Betfred are paying 5 places instead of 4 at 1/5 the odds for all each-way bets.

Find more Horse Racing Tips here at Betfred Insights