| What | Royal Ascot 2023 – Day 1 |
| Where | Ascot Racecourse – High St, Ascot SL5 7JX, United Kingdom |
| When | Tuesday, June 20, 2023 |
| First Race | 2:30pm BST (11:30pm AEST) |
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Visit Ladbrokes |
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The Royal Ascot Day 1 schedule has seven races set for decision, including three Group 1 contests – the Queen Anne Stakes (1600m) on the straight course, the St James’s Palace Stakes (1600m) for the three-year-old colts, and the highly anticipated King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) with Coolangatta and Cannonball waving the Australian flag. The weather looks rather favourable heading into Tuesday, so we’re expecting to be racing on a genuine Good surface. The first event on Day 1 of the 2023 Royal Ascot races is set to get underway at 2:30pm BST (11:30pm AEST).
King’s Stand Stakes: Coolangatta
Of the Australians arriving in the UK, Coolangatta must be considered our best chance to find victory. She’s already found Group 1 success twice over the 1000m trip at home – winning the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley on September 23, before scoring in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes against some of our elite sprinters at Flemington on February 18. She beat the eventual TJ Smith Stakes winner I Wish I Win and took out the champion Nature Strip (who won this race last year) in the process. Ever since then, Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have had this race picked out, and they’ve sent over this daughter of Written Tycoon in supreme order. Her trackwork has looked outstanding, and if Coolangatta is at her best, she will be the one to beat in the King’s Stand Stakes.
King’s Stand Stakes
Race 3 – 
#10 Coolangatta (2)
3yo Filly | T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | J: James McDonald (59kg)
$4.20 with Bet365
Best Bet: Modern Games
In the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes over the straight mile, Modern Games gets the nod after returning in dominant fashion to win the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on May 20 following a trip to America. Rounding up his rivals from back in the field, that win gave a terrific guide to how he’ll cope with the 1600m without a turn. He’s beaten most of his rivals before – including the main danger, Inspiral, in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on October 15, where Modern Games finished second behind Bayside Boy in unsuitable conditions. He’s a dry-track horse, so we are confident we’ll be seeing the best of this Charlie Appleby-trained colt on Tuesday. Godolphin will be hopeful for a big Ascot carnival, and it all starts in the first race of the week.
Best Bet
Race 1 – 
#8 Modern Games (8)
4yo Colt | T: Charlie Appleby | J: William Buick (58kg)
$2.50 with Betfair
Next Best: Chaldean
Most have the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes as a two-horse affair between Chaldean and Paddington, and we’re happy to side with the former. After throwing the jockey off his back in the Group 3 Greenham Stakes at Newbury on April 22, Chaldean repaid the faith to followers by taking control of the Group 1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 6. World-renowned jockey Frankie Dettori allowed the colt to stride freely throughout the 1600m, and when asked he produced an electrifying turn-of-foot to clear out by the better part of 1.75 lengths. Paddington is clearly the main danger after winning similarly in the Irish 2000 Guineas, but he’ll be giving our galloper a significant head start, and with a nasty habit of missing the start, it leaves us confident Chaldean can prove best.
Next Best
Race 4 – 
#1 Chaldean (1)
3yo Colt | T: Andrew Balding | J: Frankie Dettori (58kg)
$3.20 with Ladbrokes
Best Value: Fandom
In the Group 2 Coventry Stakes for the two-year-olds, the American challenger Fandom could be a major factor on his first trip to the UK. He was an impressive winner at Keeneland on April 27 over the 1110m, albeit against a small field of eight unexposed gallopers. He pinged the lids to lead them up and proceeded to win by seven lengths, despite racing very greenly. Drawn in barrier 15 here, we’ll be looking for Irad Ortiz Jr to make all along the outside running rail. With trainer Wesley Ward always bringing some quality types to the UK, we think he can find his 13th Royal Ascot winner as a trainer.
Best Value
Race 2 – 
#10 Fandom (15)
2yo Colt | T: Wesley Ward | J: Irad Ortiz Jr (58.5kg)
$12 with Unibet
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