Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips 2023: Check out all the best bets for Tuesday’s action

We have all our Royal Ascot Day 1 Tips in one place, as our in-house tipster Steve Chambers tackles Tuesday’s action at the Royal meeting and has a selection for each of the seven races taking place throughout a sparkling day’s action that will see the Queen Anne Stakes, King’s Stand Stakes and St James’s Palace Stakes take centre stage. Check out our Day 1 Royal Ascot Tips here…

There’s no doubting that Inspiral on her day is one of the best horses in training and she showed that when bounding to victory in the Coronation Stakes 12 months ago, but the John & Thady Gosden-trained raider can throw in the odd shocker – as shown when she was down the field when hot favourite for the QEII Stakes at Ascot on British Champions Day.

So, with that in mind it’s worth sticking with the hugely consistent MODERN GAMES, who was a stunning winner of the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last month and has blossomed into a world class miler. The Charlie Appleby-trained Dubawi colt serenely pulled one-and-a-half lengths clear of the rest of the field in the Lockinge and he was an excellent runner-up in the aforementioned QEII Stakes at Ascot at the end of last season. Both Inspiral and Modern Games look to be a cut above the rest, but it’s the latter that makes most appeal and kick off the Royal meeting on a winning note.

One of the most eagerly-anticipated clashes of the entire five days will take place in the Coventry Stakes as the Aidan O’Brien-trained River Tiber will do battle with George Boughey’s mighty-impressive once-raced Asadna. The former has impressed with two wins at Naas and Navan and will look to hand his trainer a staggering tenth win the race, while Asadna recorded a stunning debut at Ripon winning in a fabulous time and has been rated highly by some notable judges. Well, the pair will lock horns in the Group 2 6f event, but both are relatively short in the betting and with some firms offering five places in the each-way betting then it could be worth looking for some value elsewhere.

Adrian Murray’s BUCANERO FUERTE catches the eye at double-figured odds as the son of Wootton Bassett was an impressive winner at the Curragh on soft ground in late March, and while he will need to show he can act on much quicker ground on Tuesday he’s bred to be very smart. A brother to a former Prix de l’Abbaye winner, Bucanero Fuerte was impressive on his sole start and while this is a whole lot tougher he could be one that can sneak in the frame at big prices.

John Quinn’s imperious Nunthorpe Stakes winner Highfield Princess will attempt to claim more Group 1 success when she lines up in the King’s Stand Stakes and having warmed up for this with a fine run in the Duke Of York Stakes she should be cherry ripe to go closer in this 5f event. Karl Burke’s 2022 Queen Mary Stakes winner Dramatised won the Temple Stakes impressively and has to be respected, while Australian raider Coolangatta adds huge intrigue to a fascinatingly, wide open contest.

However, one at a price that could ruffle some of the feathers of the favourites is Henry Candy’s TWILIGHT CALLS, who has struggled to land any sort of blow this season, but he was a superb runner-up to Nature Strip in this race 12 months ago and a repeat of that should see him place. He’s only got his head in front three times throughout his career, so it’s hard to catch him right, but with Ryan Moore in the saddle he could be a possible shock challenger for this event and has to be the respected from an each-way perspective.

We are set for another epic duel at 16:20 in the St James’s Palace Stakes as Newmarket 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean will do battle with Irish 2000 Guineas hero Paddington and the pair are unsurprisingly the dominant duo at the head of the Group 1 contest. A peerless display at Flat HQ saw Andrew Balding’s Chaldean rocket to a fine victory and it would be no surprise to see him follow up here and hand Frankie Dettori a farewell Royal Ascot win.

But, the manner in which PADDINGTON sprinted clear of his rivals to win the Irish Guineas by two lengths suggested that the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt could be the potential next superstar off the production line and he bids for a fifth win in a row when he lines up here. Well supported in the aftermath of that Curragh win, Paddington will also have to get the better of the likes of Cicero’s Gift and Mostabshir here, who both look very smart, but the Ballydoyle team have won this race eight times before, so have a fine record in the event.

Willie Mullins will attempt to win a fifth Ascot Stakes on Tuesday afternoon and he will saddle the hot favourite Bring On The Night, who was a gallant runner-up in this event 12 months ago, but the Closutton inmate not only has to contend with a 4lbs higher mark here, but this is his seasonal reappearance so he has it all to do and he’s dreadfully short in the betting.

One that catches the eyes is the Richard Hughes-trained CALLING THE WIND, who was heavily backed in last month’s Chester Cup and barring traffic problems he’d have finished a lot closer than his finishing position of sixth. Off a 1lb lower mark looks a cracking bet for punters looking for a bet in this marathon event. Third in the Queen Alexandra Stakes last year at Royal Ascot, the seven-year-old has tasted victory at the Berkshire track back in 2021 so has shown he can deliver the goods and he looks the standout selection to take on the jolly.

Joseph O’Brien’s BUCKAROO is a multiple Listed winner and the Fastnet Rock colt will look to land another Listed event at Royal Ascot on Tuesday and looks the best bet in the penultimate race on the card, the Wolferton Stakes at 17:35. A narrow winner over the top-class Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Homeless Songs at Leopardstown in April, he then went close when fourth in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan in France last time out. This is a significant drop in grade here and while he will have to give weight to several of his rivals here he could be the class act. 

The John & Thady Gosden-trained duo of Saga and Francesco Clemente are the two most likely rivals and of that pairing it’s the former that makes most appeal, while Bolshoi Ballet is a fascinating contender for Aidan O’Brien as that five-year-old was once lauded as the next star from the yard, so has to be respected in a cracking renewal.

Mostly seen chasing home Constitution Hill and State Man over hurdles all season, Vauban will relish not taking on either of that pair in the Copper Horse Handicap, which concludes day one of the Royal meeting, and the Willie Mullins-trained star is a red-hot favourite to claim this staying finale. Running off 101 here, he could be chucked in at the weights and has to be given the utmost respect, but he did have a tough season and this could be another race where you look to opt for an each-way alternative.

Seventh in the 2021 Ascot Stakes off 94, Roger Varian’s POSTILEO then had a very lengthy absence off the track, but the six-year-old showed the fire still burns bright when he stormed to victory at Hamilton last month off 95 and he’s only 3lbs higher here, so has to be a leading each-way play. He will relish the slight extra trip in the Copper Horse and while he will need to build on that Hamilton effort, the lightly-raced performer could kick on again and he’s an eye-catching runner in a trappy finale.