HANDICAPPING THE ROYAL ASCOT MEET:

Even though the races held during the week have different prerequisites and distances there are some general concepts to keep in mind when placing Royal Ascot bets. In the higher profile Group 1 and Group 2 races along with the 'listed' races favorites have done very well in the past decade. In the last ten years the first and second favorites in the group and listed races have won 31% of the time. That form doesn't hold in the handicap races, however, and in these events it is wise to look beyond the top two favorites for better value horses. The Royal Hunt Cup and Diamond Jubilee Stakes, in particular, have gained a reputation for longshot winners.

TRAINERS AND HORSES

American horse racing fans know that trainers like Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher are among the best in the sport and that their horses are frequently good investments in stakes races. That concept holds up in Royal Ascot betting as well. Following the untimely death of Sir Henry Cecil—the winningest trainer in Royal Ascot history—in 2013 the mantle of top trainer at the Ascot track has gone to James Fanshawe. Fanshawe trained horses have won right around 25% of their races at Royal Ascot over the past 10 years. Other top trainers are Hughie Morrison, Michael Bell and Mark Johnston.

It's hard to make any sort of categorical statement about what to look for in the horses themselves due to the wide variety of race formats at the meet. One general note does apply—European horse racing in general and the Royal Ascot races in particular aren't quite as regimented as their US counterparts when it comes to age of entries. Most races are open to horses of a certain age minimum with no upper limit as opposed to US races which are often limited to 2 year olds or 3 year olds. Typically, older horses don't fare well in the Royal Ascot events and most horses over the age of 5 should be avoided. The exception is some of the longer distance races (2 miles or more) where older horses remain competitive longer.