Royal Ascot Day 3: Betting Tips & Guide
Although Royal Ascot is a five-day celebration of some of the finest Flat horses, trainers and owners in the sport, business really begins to pick up ahead of the long weekend of action. The Day 4 Royal Ascot itinerary is headlined by the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup and Coronation Stakes, although there are seven races in all for punters to sink their teeth into.
Here’s LeoVegas’ look at what you can expect from the Royal Ascot Day 4, one of the most eagerly anticipated days on the racing event’s calendar:
Royal Ascot Day 4: feature races
The day four card gets underway with the Group 3 Albany Stakes, a renewal exclusively for two-year-old fillies. The other notable races programmed for Royal Ascot Day 4 include the following:
- Albany Stakes
- King Edward VII Stakes
- Duke of Edinburgh Stakes
- Commonwealth Cup
- Coronation Stakes
- Sandringham Stakes
- Palace of Holyrood House Stakes
Betting odds for Royal Ascot Day 4
As you may know, there are two general types of betting odds when it comes to having a flutter on the horses. Ante-post betting odds are available weeks and months ahead of the race — you will find all the Royal Ascot ante-post odds published here in our online sportsbook when available.
Then, after the 48-hour declaration stage, you’ll be able to access our ‘live’ betting odds for Royal Ascot Day 4 — you can place single bets, doubles, accumulators, or complex multiples like Lucky 15, Yankee and Patent.
Royal Ascot Day 4: Albany Stakes
Contested over just six furlongs, the Albany Stakes is a blink-and-you’ve-missed-them renewal. This race is open to two-year-old fillies.
The race takes little over a minute to complete, with former winners including Samitar — a Group 1 winner in Ireland and the United States as well, Cursory Glance (2014 Moyglare Stud Stakes champion) and Brave Anna, a subsequent winner of the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes.
Royal Ascot Day 4: King Edward VII Stakes
The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 renewal held over twelve furlongs – named after the monarch of the same name. It’s a classy race that typically features those that have contested The Derby a matter of weeks prior. It was once known as the ‘Ascot Derby’, which gives a sense of its significance on the racing calendar.
Some outstanding horses have prevailed in the race, including Japan — a three-time Group 1 champion, Pyledriver (who would go on to win the Coronation Cup as well) and Nathaniel, who seemed to love regal races — he also triumphed in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, as well as the Eclipse Stakes. Is open to three-year-old colts and geldings.
Royal Ascot Day 4: Duke of Edinburgh Stakes
The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, renamed in 1999 to honour Prince Philip, has been an outstanding ‘proving’ race over the years. Is 12 furlongs and is open to horses three-year-old and up. Many former champions have subsequently stepped up in class and won at Group level, although it’s a renewal ripe for an upset victory — winners have been backed in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes since 2017 alone at odds of 9/1, 20/1 and 33/1.
Royal Ascot Day 4: Commonwealth Cup
The Commonwealth Cup is one of the premier sprints in British Flat racing, crowning the fastest three-year-olds over 6 furlongs. It’s one of Royal Ascot’s newest races, founded in 2015, but boasts a handsome £600,000 prize pool.
Ever since Muharaar, who would go on to win the British Champions Sprint Stakes, won the inaugural Commonwealth Cup in 2015, the race has seen a rollcall of high-class sprinters take the spoils — including Caravaggio, a horse described by Aidan O’Brien as the ‘fastest I’ve ever trained’.
Royal Ascot Day 4: Coronation Stakes
The Coronation Stakes was first contested in 1840 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Victoria. With a distance of 8 furlongs, it is only open to 3-year-old fillies. Keep an eye on the 1,000 Guineas in May — it might just help to identify the main contenders for the Coronation Stakes a few weeks later.
Tahiyra, the 2023 champion, would also win the Irish 1,000 Guineas, while the likes of Winter, Sky Lantern and Ghanaati have all won the 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes in the same season in recent memory.
Royal Ascot Day 4: Sandringham Stakes
The Sandringham Stakes is a handicap race, which means that each of the horses is assigned a weight, which is added to their saddle, based upon their official rating. But this is a wide-open race in which many of the participants have a chance — since 2019, the Sandringham Stakes has seen a winner handicapped at just 8st (Thanks Be) all the way up to 9st 8lb (Heredia). Is 8 furlongs and only open to 3-year-old fillies.
Royal Ascot Day 4: Palace of Holyrood House Stakes
The Day 4 Royal Ascot events culminate in the Palace of Holyrood House Stakes. With a large field competing over just five furlongs, and open to three or older horses, this handicap renewal can be unpredictable to say the least — although in just four editions, the favourite won in 2020 and the second favourite in 2022, so the insinuation is that the cream rises to the top in the Holyrood.
Royal Ascot Day 4 betting tips
Any racing enthusiasts have an interest for historical patterns and trends, so it’s good news that the tips for Royal Ascot Day 4 are packed with them. Starting with the Albany Stakes, it is noticeable that five of the last seven editions have been won by either the favourite, the second favourite, or third favourite, suggesting that odds-makers should keep an eye for this for this particular race. As a Group 1 renewal, it takes a classy sort to win the Commonwealth Cup — you can look for those that have performed well in high-grade renewals before. The same is true for the Coronation Stakes, in which only two of the last ten winners were priced at 6/1 or longer.
Another feature of the Royal Ascot Day 4 tips is the potential for a draw bias in the longer races — those in the higher-numbered stalls. That’s worth looking out for in the 1m 4f renewals: the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes and the King Edward VII Stakes. The latter race has also been won by the betting favourite in each of the last three years.
As for the Palace of Holyrood House Stakes, three of the four editions have been won by horses starting in stall 19 or higher, while three out of four champions had won at least once already that season.
Royal Ascot FAQs
What are the feature races of Royal Ascot Day 4?
The feature races of Royal Ascot Day 4 are the pair of Group 1 renewals, the Coronation Stakes, and the Commonwealth Cup. There’s plenty of interest in the Group 2 races as well — namely the King Edward VII Stakes and the Albany Stakes.
Where can I watch Royal Ascot Day 4?
Punters in the UK can watch all of the action on day four of Royal Ascot unfold by tuning into ITV Racing, or by live streaming the meeting via our website or app.