The Best Betting Tips and Odds for Royal Ascot 2021

Gavin Beech

June 14th, 2021

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Quick Tips:

• Back Diligent Harry to win the Commonwealth Cup at 11/1 with Bet365
• Back Chindit to win the St James’s Palace Stakes at 10/1 with 888Sport

The famed Royal Ascot meeting is always one of the most show-stopping weeks on the racing calendar and this year should be no different! Gavin Beech wades through this season's ultra-competitive fields to find you plenty of value-packed picks ahead of next week's showpiece.

Gisburn (13/2) - Coventry Stakes - Tuesday

With 17 taking their chance, the draw could play a part but from stall 7 there shouldn’t be too many excuses for Gisburn, who looks a potentially red-hot juvenile for the Hannon team.

Gisburn posted one of the juvenile performances of the horse racing season when spread-eagling what looked a decent field at Newbury in May and connections have surely had their sights set on this horse racing prize ever since.

Gisburn moved effortlessly through that contest on the front end before scampering clear without his rider having to ask for anything like maximum effort. It’s unlikely that there were any stars in behind but the runner-up posted an improved effort in defeat next time while sixth-placed Sanitiser has come out and won. More importantly though, the time was strong and the number Gisburn posted that day puts him right up there among the leading lights for this contest.

He’ll stay further in time but he’s clearly not short on speed and this stiff track ought to really suit the son of Ribchester.

Chindit (10/1) - St James’s Palace Stakes - Tuesday

The undulations of Newmarket have arguably been the undoing of Chindit on his two biggest career assignments so far but I’m expecting a bigger performance back on a more conventional track.

Chindit looked like he might be out with the washing in the 2,000 Guineas but he actually finished his race off in really taking style up the hill, suggesting that he would might have been able to play a part in the finish had he been able to hold a closer position at halfway.

The switch to Ascot and to quick ground will really suit Chindit who should benefit from that stalking ride that works so well on the round course. Chindit proved that he had trained on this year by winning a Group 3 at Newbury April, form which was boosted when runner-up Mehmento scooted in at Epsom last weekend.

I have long felt that this race was Chindit’s best chance of Group 1 glory and there are no excuses this time.

Lady Bowthorpe (2/1) - Duke Of Cambridge Stakes - Wednesday

There are some decent fillies in here but Lady Bowthorpe has so much going for her that she rates the best bet of the meeting.

Lady Bowthorpe heads to Ascot on the back of a career-best effort in chasing home Palace Pier in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, where she drew five lengths clear of the runner-up.

That is top-class form that stands out like a beacon back in Group 2 company and back against her own sex, while it also suggests this mare is still improving.

And there is the suitability of Ascot. The one occasion that Lady Bowthorpe tackled the round course at Ascot she absolutely hosed up in a Group 3 contest, which was her best performance on the numbers in 2020.

She ought to get a good gallop to settle off in what looks likely to be a double-figure field and that should enable Kieran Shoemark to creep into contention before unleashing her in the home straight. Lady Bowthorpe should be too strong for these rivals and it’s easy to argue that she would be a shorter price if she were trained by one of the bigger names.

Diligent Harry (11/1) - Commonwealth Cup - Friday

Fast ground could be an issue for French raider Suesa, while Wesley Ward’s Campanelle looks quite tricky to assess, so I’m going to side with a home challenger and the one that makes most appeal is Diligent Harry, who represents last year’s winning connections.

Diligent Harry has only raced on the all-weather so far in his career but horses with form on artificial surfaces often do well at Ascot and a stiff six furlongs looks right up his street.

This progressive colt has posted improved numbers on each of his four career starts and he was far too strong for Mighty Ghurka on All-Weather Finals Day at Lingfield in April.

As it stands, that level of form wouldn’t be good enough to win a race like this so he needs to take another step forward but this is a colt that connections think could be something special and I would be surprised if he’s reached the ceiling of his ability.

Clive Cox’s charge should get the perfect set-up here and he’s a horse that is strong in the closing stages of his races so the uphill climb to the line will really play to his strengths. At a double-figure price with the best horse racing betting sites he looks a fair each-way play.

Point Lonsdale (5/4) - Chesham Stakes – Saturday

The Chesham Stakes is gathering a bit of a reputation as a race that throws up at least one extremely smart horse and this year will be no exception if, as expected, Point Lonsdale takes his chance.

The son of Australia was a hugely impressive winner at the Curragh on debut where he found stacks for pressure under Ryan Moore to stretch right away in the closing stages, clocking a smart time figure in the process.

Clearly, Point Lonsdale will want further in time but Ascot’s stiff 7f ought to suit him well for now and it’s interesting that connections apparently had the Chesham Stakes in mind for this horse before he even saw the racecourse. That suggests they rate him particularly highly because the Coolmore team have a particularly strong recent record in the Ascot race, winning it three times since 2016, including with subsequent dual-Guineas winner Churchill. Point Lonsdale won’t be a fancy price but he’ll take some stopping.