Royal Ascot 2027: betting, odds, tips and free bets

Royal Ascot odds: Group 1s and big-field handicaps

Royal Ascot gives you two very different markets. The Group 1s are often small fields with strong favourites, while handicaps such as the Royal Hunt Cup and the Wokingham draw huge fields and prices to match.

Bookmakers fight hard for Royal Ascot business, with price boosts and extra places every day. Compare the price on each bet, because the best bookmaker changes from race to race.

Royal Ascot 2027 favourites: who heads the betting?

The Gold Cup has been a race for the market lately. Kyprios won at 11/10 in 2024, Trawlerman at 85/40 in 2025 and Scandinavia as the 11/8 favourite in 2026.

Final declarations for the Gold Cup are made shortly before the race. From then, this section shows every runner with the best price, bookmaker and market-implied chance.

Royal Ascot free bets and betting offers

Royal Ascot brings out some of the best racing offers of the year. Each of these lets a new customer place the qualifying bet on horse racing, and every one is for new UK customers aged 18 and over, with the significant terms in full.

Compare every welcome offer on our horse racing free bets page.

Best betting sites for Royal Ascot

At a meeting as big as Royal Ascot, the bookmaker matters as much as the horse. These are the sites we would use, and why each one earns its place at Ascot.

1. bet365: the best all-round Royal Ascot betting site. It paid extra places in more races than any other bookmaker in our data, and streams UK racing to funded accounts so you can watch every race of Royal Ascot live on your phone. Best Odds Guaranteed covers UK and Irish racing.
2. SBK: the best Royal Ascot odds. SBK had the top price on more UK runners than any other bookmaker in our daily comparison, because its prices come from the Smarkets exchange. At a meeting as competitive as Royal Ascot, a few points more on your selection add up.
3. Betfred: the best for racing bonuses at Ascot. Best Odds Guaranteed from 8am, earlier than most, plus Lucky 15, 31 and 63 bonuses for a Royal Ascot multiple and Super Extra Place terms on selected big races. Its £50 welcome offer is the most racing-friendly on our list.
4. William Hill: the best high-street name for Royal Ascot. Best Odds Guaranteed on UK and Irish racing, extra places on high-profile races and WHTV streams of UK and Irish racing after a £1 bet. Promo Code S30 gets new customers £30 in free bets, all usable on Royal Ascot.
5. Grosvenor Sport: the best for boosting your Royal Ascot pick. The welcome offer includes a 100% odds boost token, so a 10/1 selection at Royal Ascot would be paid at 20/1. Best Odds Guaranteed starts at 9am and UK racing streams free to funded accounts.
6. Ladbrokes: the best for extra places and the Tote. Daily Extra Place Races and the Tote Guarantee on selected races, plus Best Odds Guaranteed from 8am once you opt in. A £5 qualifying bet gets new customers £30 in free bets.
7. Virgin Bet: the best for choosing your own places. Each Way Your Way lets you pick how many places you are paid on, trading price for cover. Streams are free with any funded account.
8. Coral: the best for big-race promotions. Pipped at the Post pays out on close finishes, Best Odds Guaranteed starts at 8am with an opt-in, and its £5 qualifying bet is the joint-lowest stake on this list, with Ladbrokes.
9. SpreadEx: the best for Royal Ascot spread betting. Race Index, Favourites and Jockey Index spreads let you bet on how the whole meeting unfolds, and First Past the Post payouts settle on the horse first past the line. Spread betting losses can exceed your deposit.

Our full ranking of the best horse racing betting sites scores each one on price, Best Odds Guaranteed, each-way terms and streaming.

Royal Ascot live odds and racecards

Racecards for Royal Ascot appear here, and on our racecards page, from the day before each race day. Every race gets runners, form, jockeys, trainers and the best odds from our UK bookmakers, with a link to each horse’s profile.

Today’s racecards · Today’s best odds · Ascot racecourse guide

Royal Ascot tips: trends from recent winners

The Gold Cup is the week’s stamina test, and its trends are clear.

The Aidan O'Brien factor

Aidan O'Brien trained two of the last three Gold Cup winners (2026, 2024). Any runner from the yard deserves a close look in the betting.

Ryan Moore in the saddle

Ryan Moore rode two of the last three winners of the Gold Cup.

What the market tells you

One of the last three winners started favourite, and the biggest-priced winner in that time was Trawlerman at 85/40 in 2025. Don’t be afraid to look beyond the head of the market.

Stick near the top of the market

19 of the 20 Gold Cup winners from 2006 to 2025 started at 15/2 or shorter; the exception was Trip To Paris at 12/1 in 2015 )

Ballydoyle’s big week

Scandinavia beat 2025 winner Trawlerman by a head in 2026, giving Aidan O'Brien his 100th Royal Ascot winner and 10th Gold Cup

Proven stayers return

Yeats is the only four-time winner (2006–2009) and Lester Piggott the leading jockey with 11 wins

Read the ground at Ascot

Ascot in June is often good to firm, and in the big straight-course handicaps the draw can decide the race. Watch which side is favoured in the early races each day. Our Ascot racecourse guide shows how the course rides.

How to bet on Royal Ascot

1. Choose a bookmaker. Pick one licensed by the UK Gambling Commission with Best Odds Guaranteed on UK racing; our best horse racing betting sites list ranks the leading ones.
2. Claim a welcome offer. Most sign up offers let you place the qualifying bet on Royal Ascot. Compare them on our horse racing free bets page.
3. Pick your horse and bet type. A win single is the simplest bet; an each-way bet also pays if your horse is placed, which suits the bigger fields of Royal Ascot.
4. Take a price, or the SP. With Best Odds Guaranteed you can take an early price and still be paid the starting price if it is bigger. See our BOG sites guide.
5. Check the result and any Rule 4. Late withdrawals can reduce winnings; our Rule 4 guide explains how.

Royal Ascot each-way betting and extra places

The big Royal Ascot handicaps pay four places as standard, and bookmakers often go to six or seven on the Royal Hunt Cup and the Wokingham. In the Group 1s with smaller fields, each-way rarely offers value.

Our each-way betting guide shows how the place part of a bet is settled.

Royal Ascot 2027: the five days

Every day has its own Group 1 headliner, from the Queen Anne on Tuesday to the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes on Saturday, with the Gold Cup on Thursday.

1. Tuesday 15 June · Day One – TuesdayQueen Anne Stakes
2. Wednesday 16 June · Day Two – WednesdayPrince of Wales's Stakes
3. Thursday 17 June · Day Three – Thursday (Gold Cup Day)Gold Cup
4. Friday 18 June · Day Four – FridayCommonwealth Cup
5. Saturday 19 June · Day Five – SaturdayQueen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes

Other big races at the meeting include the Queen Anne Stakes, the King Charles III Stakes, the St James's Palace Stakes, the Prince of Wales's Stakes, the Royal Hunt Cup, the Commonwealth Cup, the Coronation Stakes, the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and the Wokingham Stakes.

Recent Gold Cup winners

Yeats is the only four-time Gold Cup winner, and Lester Piggott the most successful jockey with 11 wins.

Royal Ascot FAQs