Royal Ascot 2026: Everything you need to know in our Mega Guide

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What is Royal Ascot?

Royal Ascot is a five-day horse racing meeting, the highlight and most prestigious meeting in the Flat calendar for UK and Ireland horse racing.

It takes place annually in the middle of June at Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in Berkshire, with this year's meeting starting on Tuesday 16 June and lasting for five days up to Saturday 20 June.

There are 35 Royal Ascot races in total with each of the five days consisting of seven races, with the first race on each day starting at 14:30 and the final race due to commence at 18:10.

There are various types of races throughout the five days including 2yo only races, handicaps, listed and the most valuable of them all, Group races.

Racing over the five days is on two courses, the round course and the straight course. The straight course is used for all races at distances of 5f, 6f and 7f, while some of the 1m races are also contested on the straight course. The round course is used for some of the 1m races and all races beyond 1m.

In the below video you can see an aerial view of both the straight and round courses.

What is the Royal Procession?

The Royal Procession is a long-standing tradition at Royal Ascot where members of the British Royal Family and invited guests arrive at the racecourse, entering from the Golden Gates (at the start of the one mile straight course) in horse-drawn carriages.

The tradition started in 1825 under King George IV and has continued to this day. Starting at 2pm each afternoon, the procession travels down the straight course in open-top Ascot Landaus before arriving in the Parade Ring, marking the ceremonial opening of the day's races.

How can I watch Royal Ascot?

ITV Racing will broadcast all five days of Royal Ascot on ITV1 and ITVX, and it is anticipated that they will show all seven races on each day, though this is yet to be confirmed. This means that free-to-air viewers can watch all 35 races at no extra cost to their current TV package.

Sky Sports Racing - available as a free channel if you subscribe to a basic Sky TV package - will also show all 35 races live.

If you're on the go and have a funded Betfair account, then you can watch all 35 races free of charge using a smart device or laptop.

Royal Ascot Day-by-Day Schedule

• Day 1 - Opening Day: Tuesday 16 June
• Day 2 - Prince of Wales's Day: Wednesday 17 June
• Day 3 - Ladies' / Gold Cup Day: Thursday 18 June
• Day 4 - Coronation Stakes Day: Friday 19 June
• Day 5 - Royal Ascot Saturday: Saturday 20 June

Day 1 Races - Opening Day

Royal Ascot 2026 gets off to a brilliant start with four Group races on the opening day including the highlight of the afternoon, the Group 1 St James' Palace Stakes at 16:20, which will likely see the highly-anticipated clash between this year's 2000 Guineas first and second Bow Echo and Gstaad (who has since won the Irish 2000 Guineas).

The runners will be set on their way for the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at 14:30 before some of the best two-year-olds seen to date will fight out the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at 15:05. Some of the fastest sprinters in the world will contest the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes at 15:40.

Tuesday's race schedule:

Last 10 winners of Tuesday's feature races:

Real Time odds (Betfair Exchange) for Tuesday's feature races:

Royal Ascot 16th Jun (Queen Anne Stakes)

Tuesday 16 June, 2.24pm

Royal Ascot 16th Jun (King Charles III Stakes)

Tuesday 16 June, 3.36pm

Royal Ascot 16th Jun (St James's Palace Stakes)

Tuesday 16 June, 4.16pm

Day 2 Races - Prince of Wales's Day

The Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes at 16:20 is the feature race of day two, and it's also the joint-most valuable race of the week with £1m in prize money up for grabs.

Day two commences with the fastest two-year-old fillies seen to date clashing in the Group 2 Queen Mark Stakes at 14:30, before one of the many highlights of the week takes place at 17:30 when a likely full field of 30 runners will charge down the straight mile for the Royal Hunt Cup.

Wednesday's race schedule:

Last 10 winners of Wednesday's feature races:

Real Time odds (Betfair Exchange) for Wednesday's feature races:

Royal Ascot 17th Jun (Prince Of Wales Stakes)

Wednesday 17 June, 4.15pm

Royal Ascot 17th Jun (Royal Hunt Cup)

Wednesday 17 June, 4.56pm

Day 3 Races - Ladies' / Gold Cup Day

Day three of the Royal meeting is traditionally known as Ladies' Day, but because it features one of the highlights of the week, the Ascot Gold Cup at 16:20, it's also well known for being Gold Cup Day.

The Ascot Gold Cup is the only Group 1 race on the card but we do have some ultra-competitive handicaps as well as three other Group races, starting with the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at 14:30.

Thursday's race schedule:

Last 10 winners of Thursday's feature races:

Real Time odds (Betfair Exchange) for Thursday's feature races:

Royal Ascot 18th Jun (Royal Ascot Gold Cup)

Thursday 18 June, 4.12pm

Day 4 Races - Coronation Stakes Day

We have another two-year-old race commencing Friday's card in the shape of the Group 3 Albany Stakes at 14:30, before some of the fastest three-year-olds in the world battle it out for the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at 15:05.

The feature race of Day 4 at Royal Ascot is the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at 16:20 where we could see a rematch between English and Irish 1000 Guineas winners True Love and Precise. The former won the English version in May before Precise reversed the form in the Irish version a few weeks later.

Friday's race schedule:

Last 10 winners of Friday's feature races:

Real Time odds (Betfair Exchange) for Friday's feature 1 races:

Royal Ascot 19th Jun (Commonwealth Cup)

Friday 19 June, 3.36pm

Royal Ascot 19th Jun (Coronation Stakes)

Friday 19 June, 4.16pm

Day 5 Races - Royal Ascot Saturday

The fifth and final day of Royal Ascot 2026 tends to be about speed with the sprinters in action in the feature races on the card, though the meeting does conclude with one of the longest races in the Flat race calendar at 18:10, the 2m5f+ Queen Alexandra Stakes.

We could see some horses that ran in Tuesday's King Charles III Stakes reappear for the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at 16:20, which is the joint-most valuable race of the whole meeting, before one of the richest sprint handicaps in Europe takes place at 17:00 in the shape of the ultra-competitive Wokingham Stakes.

Saturday's race schedule:

Last 10 winners of Saturday's feature races:

Real Time odds (Betfair Exchange) for Saturday's feature 1 races:

Royal Ascot 20th Jun (Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes)

Saturday 20 June, 3.36pm

Royal Ascot 20th Jun (Wokingham Stakes)

Saturday 20 June, 4.56pm

Betting on Royal Ascot

There are many ways you can bet on Royal Ascot 2026, either on the Betfair Exchange or on the Betfair Sportsbook, with the most popular and traditional way being to back on individual races via either win or each-way bets.

There are a number of races priced up now for ante-post purposes on the Betfair Sportsbook and Betfair Exchange, while all markets will be priced up at the five-day entry stage.

The 'day of the race' markets typically appear around 48 hours before racing should you want to wait until the final declarations (runners and riders) are known.

Betfair Safer Gambling: A range of tools to help

Betfair is committed to safer gambling and here you can find out about the tools that help you set your budget, keep track of your spend, take a break when you need it, and more. Click here for full details.

And you don't just have to back singles. You can include more than one selection in a multiple.

A selection in two different races combined in a multiple is called a double, three races it's a treble, and four or more races is often referred to as an acca (accumulator).

Closer to the races Betfair will be boosting odds on certain horses, enhancing the place terms for each-way betting on some races (six places paid instead of four for example), and providing plenty of 'specials' which can include a boosted price for a jockey to ride 2+ winners, or a horse to win by over five lengths, among many other specials.

And keep an eye out for the daily Betfair Superboost, where the Betfair Sportsbook will select a strongly-fancied odds-on shot - whether it be a horse to win or a horse to finish in a certain number of places - and superboost the price to 1/12.00 or even bigger.

From the Horse Racing section on the Betfair Sportsbook, simply click on the Specials tab to see all the offers for that day. Betfair Exchange specials can be found here.

Royal Ascot Top Jockeys

For a lot of bettors, the jockey booking is essential. Having a top class or big-day experienced jockey - especially riding at Royal Ascot - on your side could be the difference between a winning bet and a losing bet.

Ryan Moore is by some distance the most successful Royal Ascot jockey still riding, with 92 wins, while the likes of William Buick, Oisin Murphy and James Doyle all have 30+ Royal Ascot wins to their name.

You can check out the current form of some selected jockeys by clicking on their name below (which will update in real time), while below that you can see the last eight winners of the Royal Ascot Top Jockey award.

- Ryan Moore
- William Buick
- Oisin Murphy
- James Doyle
- Colin Keane
- Tom Marquand
- Billy Loughnane

Royal Ascot leading jockey and no. of wins in last eight years:

2025 - Ryan Moore (7)
2024 - Ryan Moore (6)
2023 - Ryan Moore (6)
2022 - Ryan Moore (7)
2021 - Oisin Murphy (5)
2020 - Frankie Dettori (6)
2019 - Frankie Dettori (7)
2018 - Ryan Moore (5)

Royal Ascot Top Trainers

Similar to having a top class jockey riding your horse, it's also hugely beneficial to have a brilliant or in-form trainer handling your selection.

You can check out the current form of some selected trainers by clicking on their name below (which will update in real time), while below that are the last eight winners of the Royal Ascot Top Jockey award.

- Aidan O'Brien
- William Haggass
- Charlie Appleby
- John & Thady Gosden
- Andrew Balding
- Charlie Johnston

Royal Ascot leading trainer and no. of wins in last eight years:

2025 - John & Thady Gosden (5*)
2024 - Aidan O'Brien (6)
2023 - Aidan O'Brien (7)
2022 - Aidan O'Brien (5)
2021 - Charlie Appleby (4)
2020 - John Gosden (6)
2019 - Aidan O'Brien (6)
2018 - Sir Michael Stoute (5)

*won on countback (most placed horses)

Betfair Education - Betting Explained

We understand and appreciate that not everyone betting on this year's Royal Ascot will be familiar with how it all works, and that to some new customers it may appear a bit daunting at first.

With so much information already given in this guide you might just want to jump straight in and place some bets. If that's the case, then we have you covered.

Within our excellent Betting Explained section on Betting.Betfair.com you will find all the educational pieces that you will need to place a bet.

You might just want to know what the simplest types of bets are available to you, or how betting odds work, and even how to place a bet on either the Betfair Sportsbook or Betfair Exchange.

Click the links below for some popular Betting Explained articles for beginners.

- What are the simplest types of bet? Click here.

- How do odds work? Click here.

- How to place a bet on the Betfair Exchange. Click here.

- How to place a bet on the Betfair Sportsbook. Click here.

Make use of Betfair Beacons

Betfair have made it easier for horse racing customers to keep track of price moves on the Betfair Exchange, meaning you'll instantly be able to see which horses are shortening in price, and which are drifting, on all 35 Royal Ascot races.

The Betfair Beacons are here to light up a more efficient era where price movement is visible immediately.

A flames Beacon will show for horses that are popular in the market and are shortening. Horses that are not popular in the market, and are drifting in price, will be marked by a snowflake (see image below).

Betfair Beacons will not provide any information that isn't already available, but they mean you will no longer need to click into runners and check price graphs to see which horses are being backed and which ones are drifting as that information is shown automatically via the fire and ice.

They will indicate which horses are attracting money in the market and which ones aren't, allowing you to make quicker and better betting choices during Royal Ascot 2026.

For more on Betfair Beacons, click here.

Horse Racing Jargon Buster

When it comes to betting, no sport has more jargon than Horse Racing.

From an Acca to a Yankee (we can't think of a term that starts with Z), taking in a Jolly and a Steamer, racing is full of weird and wacky terminology that you'll hear and read on a daily basis.

But what does it all mean? Fear not, we have you covered with our in-depth jargon buster below.

Accumulator (Acca)

In simple terms an accumulator is a bet consisting of at least two selections (legs) where all parts of the bet must be successful to secure a payout, with the winnings from the first part of the acca rolling onto the next part and so on.

However, a bet containing just two selections is referred to as a double, while three selections is called a treble, so the term Accumulator or Acca usually refers to a bet that contains at least four selections.

Ante-post

A betting market that appears well in advance of a race's scheduled start time, often meaning you can get bigger odds about your selection.

Back

A 'back' bet on a horse means you're backing that horse to either win or place if it's an each-way bet.

Banker

A horse that is very likely to win, or a horse that is by far your strongest selection if backing more than one, is considered to be a banker.

Betting Exchange

A platform through which gamblers can bet directly against each other on a peer-to-peer betting network, rather than a bookmaker. Betting exchanges like the Betfair Exchange allow lay bets to be made, as well as win and place bets, meaning that gamblers can bet on hores to lose.

Bookmaker

A bookmaker is the organisation that provides odds on the outcome of horse races in order to accept bets based on predictions by customers.

Cash Out

The process of taking a payout offered by your bookmaker before the full completion of the bet.

Dead Heat

When two or more horses cross the winning line at exactly the same time a dead heat is declared the result, meaning both (or all) horses are deemed the winner.

Double

A bet that contains just two horses in two different races whereby both horses must win to guarantee a return.

Drifter

A horse that is regularly getting bigger in price (its odds are lengthening) is referred to as a drifter.

Each-Way

An each-way bet is available in horse races that feature a winner and a number of other horses finishing in a sequence of places.

The bet involves a single selection but is comprised of two bets: a 'win bet' and a 'place bet'. The same horse is thereby backed to win the event at set odds, and backed to finish within a range of places at different odds. The each-way bet will provide a payout if either part of the bet proves successful.

Favourite

The shortest priced horse in the race, the market leader.

Fell (F)

Signified by a letter F in a form line, fell means that a horse tripped up, or didn't clear an obstacle in jump racing.

Flip-flop

When a favourite in a race drifts in price and/or the second favourite shortens in price meaning they swap positions at the head of the market, the favourites are said to flip-flop.

Forecast

A bet consisting of two horses where both must finish first and second in the order that you predict to guarantee a return.

Gamble

A gamble is a term used for a horse that has been significantly backed, whether it be by just a small number of punters for large stakes, or by many punters for smaller stakes, resulting in the horse's odds shortening considerably.

Going

The term used to describe how soft or hard the ground is on turf racing. In the UK the going ranges from Heavy (very soft ground) to Firm (hard ground) though the latter is a going you will rarely get these days because of horse welfare and the ability for racecourses to add water to the ground to make it less firm.

In-Running (In-Play)

A form of betting that has become hugely popular through online betting sites, and involves placing a bet on a horse after the racet has started but before the race concludes, hence betting In-Running. It is also referred to as In-Play, especially in sporting events other than horse racing.

Jolly

Another term used for the favourite in a horse race.

Jumps

The code of racing whereby most races are contested on a racecourse that contains 'jumps' in the form of hurdles and fences. Officially it is called National Hunt racing, but jumps is a more commonly used term. The jumps season usually runs from mid autumn to late spring.

Lay

On a betting exchange a customer can play a lay bet, which effectively means that you're backing a horse NOT to win. Laying a horse to win a race for example means that you're betting that it doesn't win the race and therefore every other horse in the race is on your side.

Long-shot

A horse who appears to have a low chance of winning and therefore is priced at big odds, 33/134.00 for example.

Lucky 15

A popular form of bet consisting of four different horses in four different races, making up 15 bets (4 x singles, 6 x doubles, 4 x trebles and 1 x four-fold). Just one horse must win to guarantee a return.

Market Mover

A horse that significantly moves in price, either by shortening - 10/111.00 into 3/14.00 for example - or by lengthening in price - 2/13.00 out to 6/17.00. A horse that significantly shortens in price is called a postive market mover while a horse that significantly lengthens in price is classed a a negative market mover.

Nap

A 'Nap' is often used by tipsters and simply means what is, in their opinion, their strongest fancy if they have put up two or more selections.

Non-Runner

Non-Runner means that a horse that was originally due to take part in a race is no longer going to take part, hence being a non-runner.

Non-Runner Money-Back

Non-Runner Money-Back (NRMB), also known as Non-Runner No-Bet (NRNB), is a concession that bookmakers will offer on some ante-post markets and simply means that should you back a horse that doesn't take part in the race, then you will get your stake back.

Odds

Also referred to as the price. Odds are the returns a bookmaker offers for a horse to win.

Odds-against

A price where the odds are bigger than 1/12.00 (fractional) or 2.01/1 (decimal); 2/13.00 for example.

Odds-on

A price where the odds are less than 1/12.00 (fractional) or 2.01/1 (decimal); 1/21.50 for example.

On the nose

To back a horse to win only without any consideration to backing it each-way. The term is derived from the fact that to determine the winner of a horse race, the first body part of a horse used when crossing the winning line is the nose.

Outsider

A horse who is deemed to have the least chance of winning in a race and therefore has the biggest betting odds.

Photo Finish

When two or more horses cross the winning line in very close proximity and it's not obvious which one won, a photo finish is declared, meaning a photograph (or a digital image) is required to determine who crossed the line first.

Pillar to Post

A term used for a horse that leads all the way (from start to finish) and wins a race.

Place Bet

A place bet involves backing a selection to finish in a particular place, or within a range of places, in a horse race.

Price

Also referred to as the odds. Price is the returns a bookmaker offers for a horse to win.

Pulled-Up (P)

Signified by a letter P in a form line, pulled-up means a horse was prevented from finishing a race by its jockey. This usually occurs when a horses gets injured in a race or is so far behind in a race that for its welfare it is better to pull it up rather than continue to race.

Punter

The individual or customer who places a bet.

Return

The money to be returned to the customer if a bet is successful.

Rule 4

A rule that allows a bookmaker to deduct a percentage of a customer's winnings should a horse become a non-runner AFTER the customer has backed a horse at a certain price.

Single

The simplest of all bets and means to back just one selection, whether to win or each-way, in a particular horse race.

Starting Price or SP

The starting price is the odds for each hose at the time of a race commencing, and is used to determine the payout to a customer if they didn't take an earlier price.

Stake

The amount of money that you bet on a horse.

Steamer

Similar to a gamble, a steamer is a horse that is being backed regularly meaning a significant shortening in the price.

Tailed Off

The term used for a horse that is a huge distance behind the rest of the runners during a race, and therefore has very little or no chance of winning.

Tip

A selection that is put up or advertised by a respected tipster. A tip can also be valuable but not widely known information about a horse - an owner telling a friend that his horse has been training really well for example, and therefore has a good chance of winning a race.

Trainer

The official name given to a person who holds a license to train horses and is therefore responsible for planning and entering horses into races.

Treble

A bet that contains three horses in three different races whereby all horses must win to guarantee a return.

Tricast

A bet consisting of three horses where all must finish first, second and third in the order that you predict to guarantee a return.

Unseated Rider (UR)

Signified by a letter U in a form line, unseated rider means a jockey came out of the saddle and fell of the horses during a race. This usually happens when a horse makes a mistake at a hurdle or fence but doesn't actually fall itself, it just unbalances the jockey resulting in an un-seat.

Void bet

A bet which is declared invalid. The stake is returned to the customer without deduction.

Yankee

A popular form of bet consisting of four different horses in four different races, making up 11 bets (6 x doubles, 4 x trebles and 1 x four-fold). At least two horses must win to guarantee a return.

Now read more Horse Racing tips and previews here.