Ascot Antepost Group 1 Favourites

With the Ascot being less than a week away, time is quickly running out to get your early bets in for the favourites and take the more favourable odds that are currently on offer – if it’s your first time, ante-post betting is also known as futures betting, where bookies put up enhanced odds for the favourite runners, whilst there’s more risk as you’re betting so far in the future and changes in things like line-up can impact your bet, you’re also offered the odds that were available at the time which are often much better than those on offer closer to the race. But which are the best bets going into the weekend, especially now the line-ups are all but confirmed?

Palace Pier, Queens Anne Stake’s – Opening things up in the early afternoon of the Tuesday, the one-mile flat race kicks things off with Palace Pier being the favourite runner – having an unbeaten start for two seasons and winning the St James’s Palace Stakes at last years Ascot, Palace Pier sits at around 8/15 to take the race home.

Battaash, The King’s Stand Stakes – A shorter flat race quickly follows in the mid-afternoon, with Battaash considered to be the favourite. He’s often labelled as the fastest horse in the world over the shorter distances, and with 9/4 odds is the clear favourite going into the weekend, although a winter injury could cast some doubts for some.

Lord North, Prince of Wales’s Stakes – Wednesday has a slightly longer flat race coming in at just over one mile, and the only group 1 race of the second day too,  and Lord North being the defending champion is the favourite going into the race. At 9/4 odds, he’s closely followed by the dual classic-winning racer Love, who’s just short at 9/4.

Stradivarius, The Gold Cup – Another group 1 race on the Thursday late afternoon, with the over two-mile race and one of the favourites for the whole week. Aiming to make history at the race, three-time winner Stradivarius will aim to join Yeats as only the second horse to win four Gold Cups consecutively, and when it was announced that Ocean Wind would be skipping the race has only bolstered the odds too. There is competition with Subjectivist, sitting at 13/2 as the second favourite and looking on strong form too, there’s certainly the chance for an upset.

The odds could look to change in the coming days so if they are attractive for you now then it’s certainly a great time to get involved, it’s going to be a great week of racing and with temperatures looking good throughout it’s going to be a week of sunshine too – with no general admittance, it’ll be another event watching online or the TV, however.