Royal Ascot betting tips: Selections for Thursday 18 June at Ascot 

It’s Day 3 of Royal Ascot on Thursday and we have another exciting seven-race card to take in, headlined by the Gold Cup.

The 2m4f event requires a special kind of horse to win and this year’s renewal will see a proven champion come up against a young pretender.

Our expert has picked out three selections for day three of the prestigious Royal meeting.

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Royal Ascot betting tips – Thursday

14:30 Ascot – Aix La Chapelle @ 13/8
16:15 Ascot – Trawlerman @ 7/2
17:35 Ascot – Endorsement @ 2/1 

14:30 Ascot – Aix La Chapelle @ 13/8

No trainer is better at preparing two-year-olds for Royal Ascot than Aidan O’Brien and he landed the Coventry Stakes for the third time in four years on Tuesday.

O’Brien has also landed this race – the Queen Mary Stakes – five times in the last decade and AIX LA CHAPELLE can add to his tally.

This son of Justify is out of the Group 1-winning mare Immortal Verse and three of his siblings have won at group level. Half-brother Henri Matisse won the French Guineas and his full-sister Statuette was unbeaten in two starts during her racing career.

There was plenty to like about his victory at the Curragh on debut and he was very strong at the finish on that occasion. The yard’s juveniles tend to improve plenty for their debuts and if that’s the case, O’Brien’s colt may well prove very hard to beat.

16:15 Ascot – Trawlerman @ 7/2

It takes a particular type of horse with very specific qualities to win the Ascot Gold Cup and with that in mind, it’s often wise to go with the proven performer. John & Thady Gosden’s TRAWLERMAN came out on top last year and should go close once again.

He found only the great Kyprios too good in the 2024 renewal and took full advantage of that rival’s retirement to go one better last year. The strong-staying gelding powered clear in the closing stages and the seven-length margin underestimated his dominance.

It’s a slight concern that we haven’t seen him since he landed the Long Distance Cup at Ascot in October, but provided connections have delivered him in perfect condition, he’s all but guaranteed to be in the mix and a second Gold Cup success is potentially on the cards.

17:35 Ascot – Endorsement @ 2/1

Aidan O’Brien is obviously going to be a major danger in every race in which he’s represented and both of his runners in the Hampton Court Stakes are popular in the market. Ryan Moore doesn’t always pick the right one but ENDORSEMENT is the one he has plumped for.

The son of Wootton Bassett got off the mark in a 1m1f maiden at Tipperary last year and was a fair second behind Pierre Bonnard in the Zetland Stakes last term. He also finished second behind the Derby winner in the Ballysax Stakes on seasonal debut.

Connections ran him over 1m4f in a Leopardstown Listed race earlier this month and he was much too good for his rivals on that occasion, scoring by seven lengths.

The drop back in trip shouldn’t be a problem and it’s easy to make the argument that he brings the best form to the table.

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