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Royal Ascot 2025 Tips - Race-By-Race guide to Day 3

Jon Vine

Editor

Last updated: Thu 19 Jun 2025 02:47

Jon Vine 19 Jun 2025

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Day 3 of Royal Ascot 2025 features the prominent Ascot Gold Cup
Contenders to watch include Afjan, Catalina Delcarpio, and Illinois
Key races offer betting opportunities for strategic wins

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Ascot Racecourse. (Getty)

The middle day of Royal Ascot is headlined by the Ascot Gold Cup, the longest Group 1 run on British soil.

Royal Ascot 2025 - Day 3 Preview
Race 1 - Norfolk Stakes Tips
Race 2 - King George V Stakes Tips
Race 3 - Ribblesdale Stakes Tips
Race 4 - Ascot Gold Cup Tips
Race 5 - Britannia Stakes Tips
Race 6 - Hampton Court Stakes Tips
Race 7 - Buckingham Palace Stakes Handicap Tips

Day three attendees will also enjoy three further pattern races, as well as three ultra-competitive handicaps.

Our race-by-race preview for day three of Royal Ascot 2025 is detailed below.

Royal Ascot 2025 - Day 3 Preview

Race 1 - Norfolk Stakes Tips

Charles Darwin dominates this betting heat, following his victory as the 1/14 favourite at Naas last month. but we haven't seen a winning favourite in the Norfolk Stakes since 2008, so I'm more inclined to take the market leader than take an odds-on quote.

1. AFJAN made an excellent first impression when scoring at Chantilly.

Henri-Francois Devin's youngster broke well, but was held up out the back and when Alexis Pouchin asked Afjan to quicken, Devin's youngster went from last to second in the blink of an eye before powering past favourite Vardif to win by almost two lengths.

Afjan's dam finished second behind the outstanding Lady Aurelia in the 2016 Queen Mary Stakes and his sire, Mehmas boasts an excellent record with juvenile sprinters.

Hopefully there's some pace on the inside of the track, as Afjan is drawn down in stall five.

9. Hey Tru Blue and 2. Ameeq appeal at even bigger prices, but I'm really keen on the French raider's chances.

Race 2 - King George V Stakes Tips

There will be no places to hide in this mile-and-a-half handicap.

Aidan O'Brien will want an honest pace for the strong-staying Serious Contender, with Sing Us A Song and Masai Moon likely to go forward early, while Lightening Mann, The Cursor and Ammes adding to the list of potential front-runners.

One of the many handicap debutants in the field is 9. OMNI MAN, who relished the step up in trip when scoring in a recent maiden.

Joseph O'Brien's youngster was found wanting for pace over seven furlongs and a mile, but ran out an emphatic winner on his first start over a mile-and-a-quarter, thrashing odds-on favourite Mocking by seven lengths.

Mocking didn't get a rapid gallop in the early stages, but Omni Man still showed a nice turn-of-foot to put the market leader in his place and the overall time was quicker than the handicap run on the same card.

There's stacks of stamina in the dam's side of Omni Man's breeding and Dylan Browne McMonagle won't be disappointed with a wide draw.

Race 3 - Ribblesdale Stakes Tips

Aidan O'Brien and John Gosden dominate the roll of honour for the Ribblesdale Stakes, and both are well represented here.

I managed to back 2. CATALINA DELCARPIO at 14/1 ante-post and see no reason to desert Paddy Twomey's filly.

Catalina Delcarpio made a lasting impression when scoring on debut at Leopardstown in April, thrashing some decent rivals by five lengths.

Twomey's filly got caught in a pocket and showed her inexperience when beaten in the Salsabil Stakes, but still ran on well to finish second to Wemighttakedlongway - who has since finished fourth in the Oaks.

Billy Lee's mount is bred to be at her best over this 12 furlong trip and remains open to any amount of improvement.

She looks to have been laid out for this assignment.

Race 4 - Ascot Gold Cup Tips

With Kyprios enjoying his retirement at Ballydoyle, the staying division looks decidedly weak.

Trawlerman finished second in this race 12 months ago and won well last time out, but he's still only rated 118.

Sweet William is rated two pound inferior to his stablemate, while French raider Candelari has never raced on ground this quick before.

8. ILLINOIS has been subbed into the Gold Cup picture to replace Kyprios.

Aidan O'Brien's star has never raced over this sort of trip before, but I don't see why Ryan Moore's mount won't see out the distance and he's the classiest horse in this contest.

O'Brien's colt won the Queen's Vase here at Royal Ascot 12 months ago and Illinois then suffered narrow defeats in the Grand Prix de Paris, the Great Voltigeur Stakes and the St Leger - losing out on all three occasions to horses who've won Group Ones during the first half of this season.

The son of Galileo saw out 17 furlongs well on soft ground to score in the Prix Chaudenay on his final three-year-old start and O'Brien's colt then returned to action with an easy victory in the Ormonde Stakes at Chester, beating last Saturday's Grand Cup Stakes first and second, Al Qareem and Absurde, without truly extending himself.

Ryan Moore's mount is the only horse in this field capable of running up to a mark in the 120's, while stall one shouldn't be a problem in such a small field.

Illinois should get a lovely toe into the race from Trawlerman, drawn in stall two.

Race 5 - Britannia Stakes Tips

I've found two contenders to back in this wide-open handicap, starting with 25. RAAFEDD.

William Haggas' youngster ran green when sixth on his only two-year-old outing at Chelmsford, and couldn't recover after a shocking start on his reappearance at Newmarket.

Raafedd was well-backed ahead of his third maiden outing at Newbury and ran out an emphatic winner, easing down to secure a two-length victory over two subsequent winners.

There's plenty of speed in Raafedd's pedigree, but I loved the way he travelled and quickened at Newbury and Tom Marquand's mount could be extremely well-handicapped.

16. GOD OF WAR was only upped a pound following an excellent reappearance effort at Chester.

Tom Clover's mount won well at Doncaster as a juvenile, but failed to make the grade in pattern races during the autumn, finishing fifth in the Flying Scotsman and seventh on unsuitably heavy ground in the Horris Hill.

Neil Callan's mount didn't get the easiest trip from a wide draw at Chester, but came home strongly to finish a neck behind winning favourite El Burham.

The form of that handicap has been franked since and returning to a straight mile should suit.

Race 6 - Hampton Court Stakes Tips

Detain and Trinity College will bid to advertise the form of the Prix du Jockey Club, having finished third and fourth respectively behind Camille Pissarro.

I'm going to take the market leaders on with 8. JACKKNIFE following an excellent effort in the Heron Stakes at Sandown.

Oisin Murphy's mount was thrown into that Listed contest on the back of a narrow maiden success at Epsom and Jackknife was held up early on, up as he took on more experienced rivals.

Roger Varian's contender got a little outpaced when Opera Ballo set off for home, but found his feet late in the contest, running on strongly for third.

Considering his lack of experience, I thought that was an excellent effort, while Jackkife is a half-brother to former Hardwicke Stakes winner Defoe and this son of Kameko shaped at Sandown like he was ready for a step up in distance.

Race 7 - Buckingham Palace Stakes Handicap Tips

I'm rounding my day three tips off with two selections in this seven-furlong sprint.

14. OLIVER SHOW was one of my two against the field in the Lincoln on the opening day of the flat season and ran a storming race, flying home from off the pace to get within a nose of Godwinson.

George Boughey's five-year-old ran well over longer trips in Bahrain over the winter, but seemed to relish the drop back to a mile at Doncaster.

Oliver Show has won three times over this shorter trip on the all-weather and the handicapper only upped his mark by four pounds following that tremendous effort at Doncaster.

Another I like on the favourably high side of the track is 9. NORTHERN EXPRESS.

Michael Dods' seven-year-old finished a good fifth in this race 12 months ago, and went on to land the International Handicap over this course-and-distance off a mark of 102 a month later.

Northern Express ran like he needed the outing on his reappearance at Thirsk and hasn't appeared to see out a mile on his two starts in high profile handicaps since.

Paul Mulrennan's mount is much more effective over seven furlongs, his record at Ascot is solid and Northern Express is now rated a pound lower than his last winning mark.

Verdict

Royal Ascot 2025 - Day 3 Preview

Our best bets for Royal Ascot day three are:

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