Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips: Bring it on says Kevin Blake as he backs Night and Buckaroo

• Last year's Ascots Stake runner-up can go one better

• Buckaroo should enjoy course and distance

• Kevin Blake has two tips for Day 1 at Royal Ascot

Royal Ascot is finally here. Opinions will differ of course, but I'm not sure there is a better Flat meeting anywhere in the world than this. Tip-top racing for five days, hardly an odds-on favourite in sight, and it delivers one of the most unique attendee experiences in the world of sport. Magic!

Royal Ascot - 17:00: Back Bring On The Night

The meeting starts with the most almighty of bangs courtesy of three of the first four races being Group 1s, but I'm going to stay out of the heat of that particular fire and wait until the Ascot Stakes (17:00) before getting involved.

Willie Mullins has a formidable record in this race having won it three times and had three runners-up in it in the last decade. One of those seconds came in last year's renewal when Bring On The Night had the misfortune to bump into this year's Gold Cup favourite Coltrane off a mark of 98.

Despite facing such a well-handicapped rival, Bring On The Night made a very good go of it and only gave best close home to finish a ¾-length second.

It isn't unusual for Willie Mullins to have the patience to target a suitable race a long way out and not have a run before it. This is what looks to have happened here with Bring On The Night coming here off the back of a year off the track, but with Mullins, such an absence is not a concern.

In a race where quite a few can be ruled out and others aren't certain to relish the extreme test that this presents, Bring On The Night may well be a better value proposition at his relatively short price than many are likely to appreciate.

He looks to have an excellent chance and might well prove to be very difficult to beat.

Royal Ascot - 17:35: Back Buckaroo

The other race of interest is the Wolferton Stakes (17:35). This is one of the deepest Listed races one will ever see and it will probably take a performance of Group 2 class to win it. One horse that is capable of such a level and makes plenty of appeal is the Joseph O'Brien-trained Buckaroo.

The four-year-old has shown serious promise from early in his career, finishing a never-nearer fourth in Group 1 company at Saint-Cloud as a juvenile and going off 3/14.00 for the Irish 2,000 Guineas the following year. He disappointed in that latter contest and was struck down by an illness soon after that threatened his life at one point.

Having been off the track for almost a year, he made a winning return when outbattling Homeless Songs in the Heritage Stakes at Leopardstown. That set him up for the Prix d'Ispahan at Longchamp and he ran a big race in defeat, being beaten just a neck in fourth.

This represents a drop in grade and this course and distance should suit him well. He is a straightforward ride and he looks set to run a big race.

Click here to read Tony Calvin's six Day 1 Royal Ascot Tips!

Bet £10 get £10 Free Bet offer

Finally, the headline offer from Betfair every day of Royal Ascot is if you bet £10 on a horse racing multiple, you get a free £10 bet on a horse racing multiple, so I'll be looking to steer you in the direction of a payout if you wish to avail of that offer.

Doubling up my two selections for the day might well be a good way to go to try and get the week off to the perfect start.

Watch Racing... Only Bettor Royal Ascot Day 1 Preview here: