See the Andy Newton Royal Ascot tips on Tuesday 16th June – as day one of the big five-day meeting gets underway.
Royal Ascot Quickfire Tuesday Tips with Andy Newton
Andy Newton’s quickfire Royal Ascot tips on day one (Tuesday 16th June), including big fancies in the Queen Anne Stakes and St James’s Palace Stakes.
Plus a 7/1 Royal Ascot NAP in the Wolferton Stakes and get all the day one Royal Ascot trends here.
See the full ITV Racing schedule for Royal Ascot day one, plus also catch Andy Newton on the FINAL FURLONG PODCAST over Royal Ascot week, with host Emmet Kennedy.
- 2:30pm Queen Anne Stakes – DOCKLANDS (e/w)
- 3:05pm Coventry Stakes – GREAT BARRIER REEF
- 3:40pm King Charles III Stakes – AMERICAN AFFAIR / MISSION CENTRAL
- 4:20pm St James’s Palace Stakes – BOW ECHO (NB)
- 5:00pm Ascot Stakes Handicap – REACHING HIGH / BUNTING (e/w)
- 5:35pm Wolferton Stakes Listed – NAHRAAN (NAP) / ENFIJAAR
- 6:10pm Copper Horse Stakes Handicap – VALIANCY
Andy Newton’s Royal Ascot Tips on Day One 2026: Tuesday Best Bets Including 7/1 NAP
Andy Newton Royal Ascot Tips 2026
2:30pm Queen Anne Stakes Group 1 1m (straight) ITV / Sky
A cracking opener and a race Godolphin have won 8 times, but their main yard Charlie Appleby is yet to score for the ‘boys in blue’.
He’ll be trying to put that right with Lockinge winner Notable Speech and Opera Ballo – two big players here.
But Notable Speech is 0-2 at the Royal Meeting and we’ve only seen two winners from stall 1 in the last 18.
Opera Ballo is, therefore, preferred of their runners after impressing in beating last season’s St James’s Palace Stakes winner Field Of Gold at Sandown last time.
More Thunder should have the race to suit and is a player too – and he should have won the Wokingham last season.
But we’ve also got last year’s winner DOCKLANDS back for more.
Yes, we’ve only had one winning 6yold since 1977, but what we do know is this Harry Eustace yard love Ascot.
His form here reads 1-1-3-2-2-2-1-4.
I’ll take the Docklands ‘express’ to charge home again.
🥇DOCKLANDS (e/w)
🥈Opera Ballo
🥉More Thunder
3:05pm Coventry Stakes Group 2 6f ITV / Sky
Top trainer Aidan O’Brien loves this race – he’s won the prize a record 11 times and this is his best Royal Ascot contest.
He’s got a big hand again this year with Confucius and GREAT BARRIER REEF, with Ryan Moore picking the former which has seen his price go into favourite.
However, that just means there is better value on the other main O’Brien runner Great Barrier Reef, who heads here 2-2 and I thought was impressive in winning a G3 at the Curragh the last day.
He’s also 3 months older than Confucius, which in 2yold terms is a lot.
While the form of his recent Naas win can be picked at, with the 2nd and 3rd losing since.
Of the rest, the Wathnan boys also have some promising juveniles in the race with Ruler’s Pride and Royal Heritage, who is the pick of their main rider James Doyle.
Cut A Dash, for the Hannon team, also caught the eye when winning last time at York and has been supported in recent days.
🥇GREAT BARRIER REEF
🥈Confucius
🥉Cut A Dash
3:40pm King Charles III Stakes Group 1 5f ITV / Sky
The Aussies have won this race five times in the last 24 and many feel their speedster Overpass will be the next.
But he’s short in the betting for a horse that is yet to run outside of Australia – yes, he’s run at Ascot in the past, but the one in his homeland.
He’s also coming here 0-7 in recent runs – he’s just no value for me, despite clearly being a top sprinter.
Rayevka will probably want it softer with all three wins coming with some degree of soft underfoot.
Night Raider is a player after looking a different horse now he’s been gelded – but was 12th in 2025 and still might have a bit to prove here.
So last year’s winner AMERICAN AFFAIR is chanced, after looking like he’ll be spot on for his title defence with an excellent second last time to Night Raider.
This race has not been bad for past winners too, with Blue Point and Sole Power both winning the prize twice.
While I think MISSION CENTRAL is worth an interest too.
O’Brien is yet to win this G1 – one of only four British Group One races he’s not go his hands on.
3yolds have a fair record in the race too, with Bradsell and Lady Aurelia winning since 2017 and he’s returned this season with two top wins at Naas, albeit at a slightly lower level.
🥇AMERICAN AFFAIR
🥈MISSION CENTRAL
🥉Night Raider
4:20pm St James’s Palace Stakes Group 1 1m (round) ITV / Sky
BOW ECHO will be one of the Royal Ascot bankers of the meeting – having impressed with his recent 2000 Guineas success at Newmarket.
He clammed last year’s Coventry Stakes winner Gstaad by 2 3/4 lengths and more of the same looks on the cards on what will be his first run at Ascot.
That form has been franked since with Gstaad winning the Irish Guineas, but Bow Echo can ‘repeat’ his winning run and make it 5-5 here.
Of the rest, Talk Of New York has impressed with his wins at Newmarket and Sandown this season, but this is another step up.
🥇BOW ECHO (NB)
🥈Gstaad
🥉Talk Of New York
5:00pm Ascot Stakes Handicap 2m 4f ITV / Sky
The King has only had one Royal Ascot winner – as he chases the 24 his mum got over the years – but he can grab another here with REACHING HIGH.
This horse was a beaten favourite in this race last season – however, Ryan Moore go into all sort of trouble up the rail and with time running out had nowhere to go.
He eventually came 9th, but it’s interesting he’s not been seen since with Willie Mullins, who has won this race four times, likely protecting his handicap mark.
You feel Ryan wont make the same mistakes as last year and can make amends this time for his high profile owner.
Of the rest, Kizlyar could be interesting for the Joseph O’Brien yard but I also think BUNTING might run well.
Yes, he’s been a frustrating horse – with his last win coming in 2023.
But ran well to be third in the Cesarewitch last season and is 6lbs better off with the winner Beylerbeyi, plus has Harry Vigors on to claim 7lbs.
🥇REACHING HIGH
🥈BUNTING
🥉Kizlyar
5:35pm Wolferton Stakes Listed 1m2f
Haatem won this last year and loves Ascot too, where he’s 5-1-1-3, plus also landed the Jersey Stakes in 2024 – so there’s a lot to like.
We’ve also got last year’s 2nd Galen, 3rd Kings Gambit and 4th ENFIJAR, who I think can go well.
The Varian yard have a good record in this race – winning the pot twice since 2023 – and a recent 3rd at Goodwood was a nice comeback run.
But the main play is going to be the Gosden runner NAHRAAN, who impressed me last season with three opening wins, that climaxed with success in a Listed race at Hamilton.
He then ran 3rd over in France, but would have found the ground way too soft that day.
He’s been put away since, with – you feel – this would have been the big target and Oisin Murphy is an obvious big plus in the plate.
🥇NAHRAAN (NAP)
🥈ENFIJAR
🥉Haatem
6:10pm Copper Horse Stakes Handicap 1m6f ITV4 / Sky
The final of the day one Royal Ascot tips come in this 1m6f handicap that we’ve only seen six renewals.
All six winners though have carried between 9-1 and 9-8, while it’s not been a bad race for the favourites – with 50% of the last six winning.
Gamrai was second to Daiquiri Bay last time at Newmarket and is 2lbs better off, so there won’t be a lot between them.
However, it’s hard to look beyond the expected favourite in the ‘lucky last’.
With the William Haggas-trained VALIANCY ticking a lot of boxes.
This Wathnan Racing 4yold was a nice winner last time at Hamilton and despite being up 8lbs here I think that there’s a lot more to come.
He’ll be having his first run at Ascot here, but there is no reason why it won’t suit and also looks the sort that will improve for the longer trip.
Of the rest, the jockey booking of US veteran John R Velazquez is also interesting for the Joseph O’Brien-trained Aeronautic.
🥇VALIANCY
🥈Gamrai
🥉Aeronautic
