Royal Ascot 2025 Tips: Back or lay? We rate the eight Group 1 favourites

• James Mackie goes through Royal Ascot's eight Group 1 races

• Back or lay the big names across the week

• Weather forceast showing dry week in Berkshire

• Read Royal Ascot 2025: Ultimate Guide

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Check out Racing... Only Bettor's 2025 Royal Ascot preview!

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The pinnacle of the flat racing season is almost upon us with five superb days of action in Berkshire for Royal Ascot 2025.

Below I go through the eight Group 1 races across the week and recommend whether you should back or lay the current favourites in the ante-post markets.

Read my previews of each race and see if you agree.

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14:30 Tuesday, Royal Ascot - Queen Anne Stakes: Back Rosallion @ 3/14.00

The first Group One of the 2025 festival is the Queen Anne Stakes over the straight mile and Rosallion tops the market on the Sportsbook at 3/14.00.

The apple of trainer Richard Hannon's eye, he was a Group 1 winner as a two-year-old at Longchamp and then last season put himself in the conversation as the top three-year-old miler in Europe when landing back-to-back Group 1 races.

Having finished second to Notable Speech in the 2000 Guineas, he reversed the form at Royal Ascot in the St James's Palace Stakes.

Before that he landed the first Group 1 of his career when taking the Irish 2000 Guineas, winning more easily than suggested by the margin to stablemate Haatem.

Starting this season in the Lockinge when running a nice race back in third behind Lead Artist and Dancing Gemini, Rosallion shaped as though he definitely needed the run.

He should be 100% for this contest and should improve a great deal to reverse the form with the two horses previously mentioned in the Lockinge.

At 3/14.00, we are getting a a good price about a horse who handles the Berkshire track well and now has race fitness on his side.

Based on his form last season, he can prove he is a class above this field.

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15:40 Tuesday, Royal Ascot - King Charles III Stakes: Back Believing @ 5/16.00

The King Charles III Stakes over 5f sees some very familiar faces potentially take up their entry, and although you can make cases against her, Believing looks the most solid option.

A frequent Bridesmaid in these top level Group 1 sprint contests, she has run credibilly on nearly every occasion without getting her just rewards.

Last season she ran nine times without finishing outside the first four, winning on two occasions at Haydock and the Curragh.

She was unlucky on both her runs at this meeting last year when flying home in this race from the wrong side of the track to go down narrowly in fourth. Five days later, she just ran out of gas in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, again from an unfavourable position.

Her seconds behind Bradsell in the Nunthorpe and Flying Five at Goodwood and the Curragh are the best pieces of form on offer to me and, without that sprinter to tackle this year, I think she can win this.

She has since been bought by Coolmore for breeding purposes but has been kept on the track although being in foal to Frankel.

The mare finally got her Group 1 win when last seen at Meydan in the Al Quoz Stakes over 6f and that sets her up perfectly for a redemption mission in this event.

The 5f to me is her optimal trip and, although the likes of Asfoora (last year's winner), Regional, Night Raider and Kind Of Blue are smart sprinters, I think she will prove too good for them.

At 5/16.00 she is a back.

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16:20 Tuesday, Royal Ascot - St James's Palace Stakes: Lay Field Of Gold @ 4/51.80

The final Group 1 event on the Tuesday looks an absolute cracker if all of the main protagonists head to post.

It has taken me a lot of time to make my decision with this favourite but, in the end, I came down on the side of trying to get the Irish 2000 Guineas winner beaten at 4/51.80.

There is no doubting his ability and he is the right current favourite but whether he should be as short as 4/51.80 is the sticking point and the reason to try to find value elsewhere.

The likeable grey was an unlucky loser of the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket but made up for that at the Curragh when powering clear to rout a decent field by almost four lengths under Colin Keane.

The St James's Palace Stakes presents a much different test and I fear that, around the bend in a tactical affair, he could suffer similar issues to the ones he encountered in the 2000 Guineas.

Ruling Court being a likely runner, having skipped the Derby, swayed my decision to take on the favourite, as Ruling Court is perfectly suited to this test on quick ground.

Henri Matisse has done very little wrong this season, although he is not the easiest horse in the world and with the likes of Cosmic Year improving, Opera Ballo back to form and potentially Jonquil coming here, there looks enough running in the field for me to take on Field Of Gold.

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16:20 Wednesday, Royal Ascot - Prince Of Wales's Stakes: Back Los Angeles @ 2/13.00

The only group 1 race on the Wednesday of Royal Ascot is the Prince Of Wales's Stakes over 1m2f and with Economics suffering a setback I think this becomes an easy back for the favourite Los Angeles.

He looks to have come into his own this season, being unbeaten on his two starts at the Curragh.

A winner of the Group 2 Moorebridge Stakes over this distance on seasonal debut when fending off White Birch, he only improved when last seen.

Taking on White Birch again in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, it was Anmaat who gave him the most trouble. However, in his typical gritty fashion he battled all the way to the line from the front to win by half-a-length, really pulling out more the further he went.

He is an Irish Derby and Great Voltigeur winner over 1m4f, so I have always thought his best trip was over further, but at 1m2f under Ryan Moore he sets the perfect fractions to give him the best possible opportunity to take up the race and stay on incredibly well to get the job done.

He looks to be the ace in the pack for Ballydoyle over this trip this season and has done nothing to suggest that either Anmaat or White Birch can reverse the form at Royal Ascot.

A strong back at 2/13.00, especially with the aforementioned Economics now skipping his engagement due to injury.

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16:20 Thursday, Royal Ascot - Gold Cup: Lay Illinois @ 11/82.38

The Gold Cup is the feature race of the meeting at Royal Ascot, but unfortunately with star stayer Kyprios now retired due to injury, it does not look to be the greatest renewal in the world.

Ballydoyle's second string for the race has now been promoted to favourite and at 11/82.38 I am happy to take on Illinois.

He is a very classy individual in his own right and looks as though the further he goes the more improvement will follow.

His form stacks up well after finishing a narrow second to Jan Breughel in the St Leger, to then winning the Group 2 Prix Chaudenay at Longchamp over 1m7f last season. On his comeback at Chester this season he put in a professional display to land the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes.

However, I have always seen him as a nearly horse and I do think in this field there is a proper stayer that might be better than him on the day.

Trawlerman has the experience and stamina to really make this a test and, adding the French raider Candelari into the mix, who could turn out to be very special, at 11/82.38 I am happy to let him win.

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15:05 Friday, Royal Ascot - Commonwealth Cup: Back Shadow Of Light @ 6/42.50

The Commonwealth Cup on the Friday of Royal Ascot is always a tricky betting heat for punters but this year it might be different.

For me it looks as though the only winner can come from the top two in the market and, although Babouche was exceptionally smart on debut this season, Shadow Of Light should prove a class above on the drop back down to this trip.

The colt was a smart sprinter last season, winning well on both of his first two starts at Yarmouth and on Newmarket's July course.

He then did a lot wrong at York in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes but still managed to finish second to Cool Hoof Luke. On another day he would have won that race and kept his unbeaten record.

Shadow Of Light finished the season by getting back to winning ways on soft ground in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, in highly impressive fashion, and then stepped up to 7f for the Group 1 Dewhurst and managed to get the job done once again.

He tagged himself as one of the most exciting three-year-olds to follow this season and, when stepped up to a mile in the 2000 Guineas, the question was always, would he stay?

Shadow Of Light looked the winner a furlong from home and set some superb sectionals throughout the race. However, the trip proved too far in the end. But he was not disgraced at all, finishing a length back in third.

Dropping to his preferred trip over the stiff 6f, he looks exceptionally tough to beat off the back of the 2000 Guineas form.

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16:20 Friday, Royal Ascot - Coronation Stakes: Back Zarigana @ 5/42.25

Another feature race that has fallen apart slightly, due to the favourite suffering an injury setback, is the Coronation Stakes.

Lake Victoria was the odds-on favourite before an announcement on Tuesday saw the Irish 1000 Guineas winner out of the race. That leaves the French raider Zarigana the short 5/42.25 fav.

It looks a case again that, with this non-runner, Zarigana might have very little to beat on what she has done to date.

A winner on her first two starts in France as a juvenile, she finished last year when a nose second in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac.

She has picked up from where she left off last season when landing her prep run for the French 1000 Guineas in easy style and then, in a dramatic edition of the race itself, managed to win it in the stewards' room.

Having no She's Perfect to challenge here and, having the beating of her nearest challenger Exactly for Aidan O'Brien, Zarigana looks to be one of the strongest favourites of the week.

She is versatile ground wise and at odds against looks a cracking bet.

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15:40 Saturday, Royal Ascot - Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes : Lay Lazzat @ 7/24.50

The final Group 1 of the 2025 Royal Ascot Festival is the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and we have another French raider at the top of the betting.

Lazzat was dropped to 6f for the first time in his career when last seen in the Listed Prix Servanne at Chantilly and could not have won more impressively.

Having run to a fair level before that over further, his form is nothing to really shout about, being well down the field on his globetrotting exploits.

At 7/24.50 he is one of the lays of the meeting from a favourites perspective in the Group 1s, with the likes of Inisherin back in second favourite a much more viable option.

Lay Lazzat is the call - he has too much to prove in this sphere.

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