See the Andy Newton Royal Ascot tips on Thursday 18th June – as the big five-day meeting continues into day three – Ladies Day.
Andy has already fired in top Royal Ascot winners – Mission Central (14/1), Great Barrier Reef (6/1), Ombudsman (11/10) and Bow Echo (5/6).
Royal Ascot Tips On Thursday with Andy Newton
Andy Newton’s quickfire Royal Ascot tips on day three (Thursday 18th June), including big fancies in the King George V Stakes and Ascot Gold Cup.
See the full ITV Racing schedule for Royal Ascot day three, plus also catch Andy Newton on the FINAL FURLONG PODCAST over Royal Ascot week, with host Emmet Kennedy.
- 2:30pm Chesham Stakes – AIX LA CHAPELLE
- 3:05pm King George V Stakes – JOULANY / TIERRA DEL TORO
- 3:40pm Ribblesdale Stakes – EARTH SHOT / COMPOSING
- 4:20pm Gold Cup Group – SCANDINAVIA (NAP)
- 5:00pm Britannia Stakes – LAUREATE CROWN / WE’RE GOOSERS
- 5:35pm Hampton Court Stakes – ENDORSMENT / MOUNTAIN KING
- 6:10pm Buckingham Palace Stakes – COSI BELLO / BLUE BROTHER
Whittle down the fields with our key Royal Ascot trends and stats for ALL day three races.
Andy Newton’s Royal Ascot Tips on Day Three 2026: Thursday Best Bets Including 14/1 NAP
Andy Newton Royal Ascot Tips 2026
2:30pm Chesham Stakes Listed 7f ITV / Sky
Trainer Aidan O’Brien loves this race – winning 50% of the last 10 and seven in today – with Ryan Moore riding six of those.
They pair go again here with AIX LA CHAPELLE, who won on debut at the Curragh despite looking green.
That win was only 15 days ago, but this well-bred Justify colt is sure to have learned bundles that day and with 17 of the last 18 winners drawn 1-8, then gate 7 looks ideal.
O’Brien also runs South Dakota (gate 5), who was 4th on debut at The Curragh and that form looks solid, with the 2nd and 3rd winning since.
Aperoll, for the Hannon yard, Time For Moon and Sea Venture are others to note.
🥇 AIX LA CHAPELLE
🥈 South Dakota
🥉Aperoll
3:05pm King George V Stakes Handicap 1m4f ITV / Sky
Charlie Appleby and William Buick have teamed up to win 2 of the last 12 – they try again with Into The Light, who was a good second at Sandown last time.
But the form of the yard and their recent Royal Ascot record has to be a small worry.
13 of the last 20 winners came from gates 10-20, while we’ve seen 5 of the last 23 favourites go in.
However, it’s also been a good race for the Ralph Beckett team – with two wins in the last six – so their JOULANY and TIERRA DEL TORO are shortlisted.
The former is into a handicap for the first time on a mark of 91 and despite not winning has run four solid races in defeat and heads here having been gelded – he could be interesting with the lighter undercarriage.
While his third to Maltesse Cross at Newbury in April has been boosted since with that horse running 2nd in the Epsom Derby.
Tierra Del Torro was third at Newbury last time out on his return run and even though he’s up 2lbs is sure to come on for that first run back. James Doyle rides.
🥇 TIERRA DEL TORO
🥈 JOULANY
🥉 Into The Light
3:40pm Ribblesdale Stakes Group 2 1m4f ITV / Sky
Epsom Oaks runner-up Legacy Link will be popular here – having run well to be 3 3/4 lengths second in that English Classic last time and had some good horses behind.
But the race was only 13 days ago and you just wonder how much it took out of her. She’s the one to beat, but certainly little value in my eyes.
French raider Gilded Prize will be a good alternative for some with Oisin Murphy booked and is sure to be better back on quicker ground.
But this is her first run outside France and is also up in trip for the first time.
So, the two against the field here are EARTH SHOT and COMPOSING.
I though the first-named ran a blinder last time when a close second to Inis Mor at Goodwood and that horse has since boosted the form to run third in the G1 Prix de Diane Longines At Chantilly.
With only three career runs and the keeping on well over 1m2f, then the step up in trip is also expected to help.
Composing is chanced too, despite being poor in recent runs. She promised to be a top-class 3yold after some big wins last season but hasn’t returned in the same form.
But connections are putting the first-time blinkers on today and trying her up in trip – and there is hope with her dam’s sire former Derby winner Australia.
Ryan Moore rides and this is another Ascot race O’Brien loves – winning 50% of the last 12.
🥇 EARTH SHOT
🥈 COMPOSING
🥉Legacy Link
4:20pm Gold Cup Group 1 2m4f ITV / Sky
Onto the ‘big one’ on Thursday and for many the showcase race of the meeting.
Aidan O’Brien has won the Gold Cup nine times , while John Gosden has mopped-up four wins since 2018, including 12 months ago with Trawlerman.
He’s back for more and will be looking to join recent double winners of the Gold Cup like Kyprios, Stradivarius and Yeats, but is now aged 8.
And we’ve only seen one winning 8+ year-old since 1901, which was Yeats in 2009.
So, for me, this is best left to the O’Brien-trained SCANDINAVIA, who looks the new kid on the block in these cup races and could easily be another to rack-up a sequence of Gold Cup wins.
He heads here having won six of his 10 career starts – including his last five – and has returned this season better than ever to win twice at Navan and Leopardstown.
Those against him might look to his 5th in the Queen’s Vase here last season and the step up in trip – but did win the Goodwood Cup over 2m to suggest he’ll be fine over 2m4f.
Rahiebb was a top winner of the Yorkshire Cup and a big improver in this sphere too.
While Oisin Murphy, who has never won the Gold Cup, feels his ride Caballo De Mar is one of his best chances of the whole meeting.
He heads here off a cracking G1 win in France and having won over 2m4f in very soft ground we know he’s got stamina to burn.
But, Scandinavia is still the call to ‘freeze’ out his rivals and give O’Brien a record extending tenth success in the race.
🥇 SCANDINAVIA
🥈 Rahiebb
🥉Caballo De Mar
5:00pm Britannia Stakes Handicap 1m (straight) ITV / Sky
You might need your trusted ‘Ascot pin’ here with 20 runners heading to post and cases to most.
What we do know though is the Gosden team have four wins and high number stalls have tended to dominate.
Backed up with winners in the last 10 years coming from 12-3-15-29-19-19-10-18-15-29.
In contrast, gate 1 has only seen one top three finish in the last 20 runners – which is not great news for my old pal Blue Courvoisier (Clive Cox), who won for me last time out.
Cox also runs Langstone, who was second to Blue Courvoisier and he’s drawn better in 20.
73% Of Recent Winners Hailed From Gates 10-19
With 8 of the last 11 winners came from stalls 10-19, so I’m happy to focus my main search here.
Of those Wise Prince could be interesting from stall 15 on his handicap debut for a yard we know likes this race (Gosden). Young Toby Moore rides too and takes off a handy 7lbs.
Maybe he can battle it out with his dad Ryan Moore, who is on Aidan’s Flushing Meadows, as the yard look for only their second Britannia win (War Envoy 2015).
Gosden also has the better fancied Organise and Runman.
LAUREATE CROWN is noted too with Jamie Spencer riding (4 wins). This Hugo Palmer runner is a course winner that has returned this season 2-2 and beaten Organise last time at Sandown by 1/2 a length and is only a pound worse off with that horse.
Another I like is another Hugo Palmer runner WE’RE GOOSERS as I was really impressed with his Newmarket win last time and has form linked on with Blue Courvoisier from two runs ago – Oisin Murphy rides.
Finally, one horse that might be seriously over-priced at 100/1+ is HILITANY for St James’s Palace heroes Billy Loughnane and George Boughey.
Yes, he was poor the last day at Goodwood, but the track might not have suited and it was his first run back this season too.
He was a Listed winner at Lingfield in February and was 7th in the G1 Middle Park to Wise Approach (beaten 4 1/22 lengths) last season.
🥇 LAUREATE CROWN
🥈 WE’RE GOOSERS
🥉Wise Prince
4th – Hilitany
5:35pm Hampton Court Stakes Group 3 1m2f ITV / Sky
We’ve not had a winner from stall 1 in the last 20 runnings, to that might be against Godolphin’s Maho Bay.
But 12 of the last 19 came from gates 5-9 and 16 of the last 20 from 5+.
It’s another race Aidan O’Brien loves – with five wins in the last 23 – and so it’s not real shock he’s got two big fancies in Italy and ENDORSMENT.
The first-named was 4th to now Derby winner Christmas Day in the Ballysax at Leopardstown last time and has only had six career runs – but won just one of those.
Ryan Moore has also picked Endorsement and even though he’s got his picks wrong in a few high profiles races this season – I think he’s got it right here.
This Wootton Bassett colt impressed me with a 7-length win at Leopardstown last time and before that was a close third to James J Braddock in the Derby Trial.
That form has been franked with the winner running an excellent third in the Epsom Derby – giving this O’Brien runner a glowing ‘Endorsement’!
Oh, and draw 7 looks perfect.
Of the rest, the Saeed Bin Suroor runner MOUNTAIN KING is noted too after two nice wins and the veteran Godolphin eyes his 41st Royal Ascot winner.
Yes, this is a step up in class, but he won well at Windsor the last day and the second has won since.
🥇 ENDORSMENT
🥈 MOUNTAIN KING
🥉Italy
6:10pm Buckingham Palace Stakes Handicap 7f ITV4 / Sky
The final of the Ladies’ Day Royal Ascot tips come in a super-tricky contest to unravel.
But with 7 of the last 8 winners from gate 24+ this might help, while the last four winners were also aged 4.
Armed with these two big stats, then the Charlie Fellowes-trained COSI BELLO is shortlisted.
He was a head winner at Haydock the last day and is only up 2lbs for that. While has tasted the Ascot track before too – when 4th (of 17) in a decent C2 Handicap last July.
Of those others drawn high, Blue Brother with James Doyle riding is interesting for Wathnan from gate 28.
As are CD winner Wizard Of Eye (29) and Royal Velvet (24).
In short, if you’re looking for the ‘lucky last’ to get you out of trouble – it might be a tall order.
🥇 COSI BELLO
🥈 BLUE BROTHER
🥉Wizard Of Eye
GOOD LUCK!
