Royal Ascot 2026 Day 1

Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips

At myracing we will be covering every morsel of action throughout the entirety of Royal Ascot 2026, with expert analysis, tips and trends for each race of the five days. Royal Ascot day 1 tips, schedule and trends can be found below, and be sure to check out the rest of the week’s Royal Ascot Tips on each day’s designated page.

The opening race of Royal Ascot 2026 is the Queen Anne Stakes over the straight mile. Typically the Queen Anne Stakes is the second most valuable prize on offer at Royal Ascot and prize money of £400,000 is up for grabs this year. There is very little draw bias in races run on Ascot’s straight mile, but a horse needs to stay the trip well to be coming home fastest up Ascot’s stiff finish.

Sprinting next with the six-furlong Group 2 Coventry Stakes open to two-year-old horses. The Coventry Stakes is often a good indicator of the top juveniles and those destined to compete at the top level the following season.

Speed is the name of the game in The King Charles III Stakes over a rapid five furlongs. Out and out speedsters excel with the likes of Lady Aurelia and Sole Power showing blistering pace to win in recent years.

Next up is the Group 1 St James’ Palace Stakes. The Colts’ answer to the Coronation Stakes, open to three-year-old colts over a mile.

We then have the Ascot Handicap, which is run over two miles and four furlongs. A race that typically sees horses from both flat and jumps codes line up, and despite Willie Mullins’ recent success, it has been a race unkind to favourite backers.

Following the Ascot Handicap is the Wolferton Stakes. Once a Listed handicap, the Wolferton Stakes is now a conventional listed contest open to older horses, aged four and up. John Gosden has a particularly good record.

The Copper Horse Handicap is the finale of first day of Royal Ascot. For four-year-olds and up and run over 1m 6f, the contest has been named after the statue of King George III mounted on horseback marking the end of the Long Walk in Windsor Great Park.

When is Royal Ascot 2026?

Royal Ascot 2026 is scheduled to take place across 5 days from June 16-20.

Where can I watch Royal Ascot 2026?

All 35 races at Royal Ascot 2026 will be shown on either ITV or Sky Sports Racing.

Where can I stream Royal Ascot 2026?

The majority of leading online bookmakers will stream all Royal Ascot 2026 races, subject to meeting minimum bet requirements. If you do not already have an online bookmaker account, visit our free bets page here.

How many races are there at Royal Ascot 2026?

The meeting will play host to a whopping 35 race programme. Each day will feature 7-race cards.

Where can I find Royal Ascot 2026 Tips?

myracing will provide expert analysis, tips and trends for each day and all 35 races. With each day of the meeting having a designated page containing the latest Royal Ascot tips, trends and previews, be sure to check out all of the individual pages for tailored Royal Ascot Day 2 Tips, Royal Ascot Day 3 Tips, Royal Ascot Day 4 & Royal Ascot Day 5 Tips.