Every year, one of the most prestigious racecourses in the UK, that being Ascot, holds a special horse racing festival in June. This sees a week filled with races of all calibres with some of the finest jockeys and thoroughbreds taking to the track for a racing spectacle like no other. As the Royal Ascot is arguably the pinnacle of British horse racing, with members of the royal family attending every year, the popularity of this esteemed event only grows with every annual edition.
Mirroring the event’s rising popularity is the increase in popularity of Royal Ascot betting that has been seen over the years. Sports racing as a whole is one of the most common markets that bettors use; however, with there being a couple more intricacies to Ascot, we here at OddsMonkey have devised a full Royal Ascot betting guide. Not only does this delve into the specific betting options and strategies for the races, but it also explores the overall essence of this illustrious festival, which has made it into the horse racing calendar staple it is today!
Royal Ascot Betting Explained
Before exploring the myriad of Royal Ascot betting options that are out there, it is first essential to fully understand the format of the event. The Royal Ascot festival spans a period of 5 days, with each day featuring a unique lineup of horse races, all of which showcase the best horses out there across a variety of different categories. From quick sprint races all the way to the more strategic endurance tests that go over a long distance, the diverse range of challenges that Royal Ascot offers is what has made it such a popular event
All of the races within the Royal Ascot are classified based on several factors: surface type and distance, and some with restricted eligibility criteria that relate to a horse’s experience and age. Some of the most prestigious races within the festival include the Ascot Gold Cup, St James’ Palace Stakes and the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, all of which bring their own collection of Royal Ascot betting markets, all whilst captivating audiences at the same time due to their competitiveness.
Understanding how the race schedule works across the 5 days, the different categories of races and the sets of conditions that may apply to certain groups are all key components to Royal Ascot betting, with the diverse race dynamics and horse capabilities being a defining aspect of this horse racing festival.
Royal Ascot Betting Markets
As is the standard for most other horse racing betting events, there is an abundance of betting markets available for the Royal Ascot. Every race across the 5-day event could be chosen to place wagers on, with the betting markets correlating to many differing aspects of the races in question.
The race-winner market is one of the Royal Ascot betting markets that is likely to be the most popular amongst bettors. As their name implies, these types of bets relate to people selecting a horse that they believe will be first past the racing post in a specific race. Unlike things such as football betting, draws are not a possibility whatsoever; however, in rare instances, a dead heat could occur, although these cannot be wagered alone. If one of these happens and you wish to understand how potential returns are affected, a dead heat calculator could help with this.
Markets are not only limited to race winners when it comes to Royal Ascot betting either, with the places market being another huge sector for bettors. These types of bets allow you to predict if you think a horse will finish within a specified number of places, with the top 3 often being the most common example of this. With some races within the festival having larger competitor fields, however, certain bookmakers may also increase the number of places on offer for this bet type.
Should you wish to combine the aforementioned 2 markets, Royal Ascot betting also makes each way bets possible. Each way betting essentially sees the bettor double their stake; however, these cover both a win outright as well as a number of other places, with this depending on both the bookmaker and the race. Should you wish to figure out any potential returns an each-way bet could yield, there is a specified each-way bet calculator that can automatically determine these results, as the odds of a horse could be adjusted should they finish within the outlined places instead of winning outright.
Another Royal Ascot betting market related to places and winners is the forecast and tricast options; however, these are typically much harder to predict. This is because bettors must accurately select horses and the positions they finish, all in the correct order. Due to this complexity, the Royal Ascot betting odds for these markets are typically higher than those that we have already mentioned.
As well as all of these horse-specific markets, there are a number of other Royal Ascot betting options related to individual accolades and achievements over the 5 day festival. For example, the top jockey and top trainer markets are two that are available, with these allowing bettors to predict which jockeys and trainers will have the most wins at the festival, respectively.
Things To Consider With Royal Ascot Betting
There are a variety of things to consider if choosing to place wagers on this esteemed horse racing event, with a number of these aspects actually determining the Royal Ascot betting odds of the selections involved.
One of the main things which could be analysed before potentially making any Royal Ascot betting selections is a horses’ form. Paying close attention to a competitor’s previous performance leading into the festival could give some insight into how it may perform, especially when stacking this up against the other competing horses’ form.
Jockey performances and the trainer behind a horse are other things that could significantly affect Royal Ascot betting odds. Noting how a jockey has been performing on that specific horse, or any others for that matter, is key, as is the trainer behind them, who might have their own effective strategies.
Staying updated with weather forecasts and track conditions is another thing that could be considered if Royal Ascot betting. If horses perform best on certain track conditions, this could allow you to identify which competitors are best suited to the track at hand. What’s more, if it rains, this can significantly impact certain horses’ performance, with this potentially allowing you to identify good value bets due to the Royal Ascot betting odds not accurately matching up with a horse’s preferable track conditions.
Assessing the competitive landscape within each race, though, is another key consideration if Royal Ascot betting, as this could help you identify horses with favourable odds, as well as singling out potentially underpriced horses. Of course, monitoring betting trends and the insight from experts can also help with this, with certain experts giving their own Royal Ascot betting tips, which could give some valuable knowledge.
Besides these statistical aspects, familiarising yourself with things such as what does SP mean as well as what does PU mean in horse racing betting is also key, as both starting prices and pull-ups are likely to be important factors when Royal Ascot betting.
Best Royal Ascot Betting Offers
As would come to be expected, various bookmakers and sportsbooks present their own unique set of Royal Ascot betting offers for this prestigious horse racing event, with each of these working in their own unique way and relating to different aspects of the races.
Should you be completely new to a site, many sportsbook sites will likely offer some sign-up promotions specifically for Royal Ascot. The sign-up offers in question can come in a variety of manners, however, some of the most common types include free bet credits and matched deposits. These Royal Ascot betting offers will likely come attached with some terms and conditions, such as wagering requirements, specified races and time limits; therefore, understanding these before claiming is paramount.
One type of promotion many bookmakers are likely to present in the lead-up to the Royal Ascot is extra place offers. These types of Royal Ascot betting offers essentially boost the number of places included in each way bets for specific races, with this being the case especially when it comes to the races with a large number of participating horses.
Another type of Royal Ascot betting offer that is likely to be accessible across many different sportsbooks is the best odds guaranteed promotions. These can either work for specific races or even horses, however, this could see the odds of these applicable selections have their odds increased to match the best price out there after a race has concluded.
Speaking of odds being increased, odds boosts are another common form of Royal Ascot betting offers. Certain horses or full fields could have their starting prices upgraded, with this all depending on the sportsbook and their specific criteria. One prime example of this is the Will Hill Epic Odds promotion, which could boost the odds of races within Ascot to higher than what they are widely valued at.
Some Royal Ascot betting offers work in different ways, with this being especially applicable to horse racing refunds. If a bookmaker offers this promotion, this could see a bettor’s initial stake be returned in either cash or in the form of a free bet should their selection lose within a predefined set of parameters. For example, if a horse falls, finishes second, or even pulls up, if the horse loses in the specified manner for this offer, the stake may be returned.
Despite all of these Royal Ascot betting offers working in their own unique way, one thing that is consistent for all of them is their utility when it comes to Royal Ascot matched betting. This is a more strategic way to go about betting on this horse racing event, something which we will highlight in the following section.
How To Start Royal Ascot Matched Betting
If you want to optimise how you use your bonuses and take a more strategic approach to this horse racing event, Royal Ascot matched betting is the ideal way to capitalise on the various promotions bookmakers give out for this festival.
Should you be unfamiliar with the strategy as a whole, this involves placing back and lay bets that counteract one another, with the former being placed on bookmakers using free bets and the latter being placed on a betting exchange. This approach covers all potential eventualities in a horse race, with this being a way you could take your Royal Ascot betting offers and use them to lock in certain profit margins.
In order to start Royal Ascot matched betting, however, you must first sign up with said bookmakers and betting exchanges, placing qualifying bets on the sportsbooks to claim the promotions they offer. Due to all of these free bets likely being spread across various sites following this step, it is essential that you learn how to manage your bankroll, as effectively doing this can help organise your matched betting resources as well as any potential profits you have locked in using the strategy.
If you have identified a horse within a race that offers odds that are matched on both a bookmaker and an exchange, using a matched betting calculator to determine the required stakes could be extremely useful due to this outlining any potential returns it may yield. On our site, this is just one of the betting calculators that offers extreme ease of use, with this only requiring the odds of your horse selection, the free bet value, and the commission of the exchange in order to calculate the returns accurately.
Royal Ascot Matched Betting At OddsMonkey
We here at OddsMonkey are specialists in this innovative strategy, with a whole range of resources on our site that can help you apply the Royal Ascot matched betting strategy as effectively as possible. From video tutorials all the way to some in-depth matched betting tips, all of these resources can be used in tandem to help you take advantage of one of the best side hustles in the UK.
Suppose you want to learn as much about Royal Ascot matched betting as possible in the lead-up to this renowned horse racing event; we also have many other resources on site. These include a collection of sports betting guides and our dedicated matched betting blog, all offering expert insight into this betting approach.
