Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips: Kevin Blake has three selections from 8/1 to 16/1

• Kevin Blake is looking to build on his Derby 1-2-3 winning tip

• Three selections at 8/19.00, 12/113.00 and 16/117.00 for day 1

• Gamble responsibly with Betfair during Royal Ascot 2025

Timeform Superboost

Last year's St James' Palace Stakes winner Rosallion made a more than satisfactory reappearance in the a high class Lockinge Stakes last month, and he's odds on at 2/51.40 to finish in the top three in the Queen Anne Stakes on Tuesday, a position he's finished in all eight of his career starts.

The good news is that Betfair have super-boosted his price to finish in the top three for a ninth consecutive time to 1/12.00. Just click on the odds in the below bet banner to go directly to the pre-loaded betslip.

Please Note. This superboost is promoted by the Betfair Sportsbook and not by and of our writers or tipsters.

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Kevin Blake's Royal Ascot betting plan

Royal Ascot is here! Without a hint of doubt, this is my favourite week of the racing year. In my mind, nothing compares to it. I have always loved it, but ever since I started working with Joseph O'Brien in 2018 the meeting has taken on a whole new level of significance. For a trainer with a highly international outlook and client base, Royal Ascot is the centrepiece. It is the biggest stage, the biggest shop window and the most competitive week of racing anywhere on the planet. If you want to make an impression as a trainer on the international stage, this is where your horses need to turn up and win. Being competitive is only worth so much. Winning is everything.

With that in mind, a huge amount of planning and thought goes into building as strong a team as possible for Royal Ascot. The standard in all the races is so high that there really isn't any room for social runners or afterthoughts. In particular, the handicaps are brutally tough. A horse doesn't just need to be well handicapped, everything needs to be right for them if it is going to have a chance of happening. It can be an incredibly humbling place, but nowhere deliver more satisfaction to those that prevail.

Much of the above applies to betting at the meeting too. Royal Ascot has always been a very attractive betting medium for those that are comfortable taking bigger prices. The same brutal realities that can humble a trainer are just as applicable for a bettor. I have personally had more than one Royal Ascot during which I've gone the full five days without a winner. On the other side of the coin, I've had some of the very best results of my betting life at the meeting too. Unlike the Cheltenham Festival, these races and the betting markets haven't been analysed to death for months and serious value can be found in them. My inclination will always be to shoot for the stars at bigger prices and hope that one or two land. Hopefully this week will be lucky on that front.

Queen Anne Stakes, 14:30, Royal Ascot - Back Diego Velazquez @ 12/113.00

Where better to start than with the first race, the Queen Anne Stakes (14:30), and what a belter of a contest it is. The market is dominated by the form of the Lockinge Stakes, with the first four home reopposing. My preference amongst them is the Richard Hannon-trained Rosallion who I expect to improve notably from that run, but he is priced accordingly and I've decided to venture outside the Lockinge form in pursuit of bigger-priced alternatives.

The one I've landed on is the Aidan O'Brien-trained Diego Velazquez. The four-year-old tried a variety of trips last season, but it became clear as the campaign progressed that a mile was his best distance. He impressed in the Meld Stakes and the Solonaway at Leopardstown, faring so well that he was fancied for the Breeders' Cup Mile only to be ruled out by a slight setback before the race.

Set to be trained and campaigned as a miler this year, he had a false start to his season when being withdrawn from his intended return at Leopardstown in May and being unruly in the gates. While it isn't ideal that he comes here without a run, his trainer has had over a month to tighten the screws on him. He is a straightforward ride that enjoys sitting handy in his races and that might well be a big help in a race that could get messy for those that are held up.

King Charles III Stakes, 15:40, Royal Ascot - Back Mgheera @ 8/19.00

One of the other Group 1 races on what is a fabulous card is the King Charles III Stakes (15:40). This really is brutally competitive with 23 runners set to sprint down the straight at Ascot. With there being plenty of pace on show, my inclination is to side with one that will be ridden with patience and look to strike late.

The Ed Walker-trained Mgheera has that profile and has been booming forward in terms of improvement this year. She needs to improve again to get seriously involved at this level, but this setup will maximise her prospects of doing so. She is drawn close to some of the best pace, so it all looks lined up for her to have every opportunity to run a big race.

Copper Horse Handicap, 18:10, Royal Ascot - Back Aeronautic @ 16/117.00

Joseph O'Brien has a bunch of solid chances throughout the first day, but the marginal pick of them might well be Aeronautic in the Copper Horse Stakes (18:10). Given that this is run over a staying trip for four years olds and older, it is unusual to have one with as unexposed as profile as Aeronautic has with him having had just five runs in his life.

The son of Gleneagles progressed nicely last season despite showing plenty of inexperience along the way, finishing his campaign with a solid fourth in a Listed race at Leopardstown. His comeback run over an inadequate mile-and-a-quarter at the Curragh will have blown away any cobwebs and this course and distance promises to suit him well. While a wider draw would be preferred, he is set to be ridden with patience and covered up, so it shouldn't be too much of an inconvenience. He looks a big price.

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