How did you get on at Royal Ascot?

Well, how was it for you?

Did you get hammered like the bookies, or did you come away from Royal Ascot with a King’s ransom in your back pocket? Or did you muddle through, happy to get some first class betting action at minimal cost, on top of a first class spectacle of flat racing?

Let me give you a glimpse of my Ascot Betting Diary….

On the first day we were treated to no less than three Group 1 contests, and as per tradition the Festival got under way with the Queen Anne Stakes. With my typical belligerence I walked straight past the neon ‘for sale’ signs over both Goldikova and Paco Boy, and instead went rumaging around in the bargain bucket and picked out Ouqba and Zacinto at big odds. I had a tenner each-way on both, and my wager on Zacinto almost paid off as he came in fourth less than a length down on Dream Eater in third. Close but no cigar. And forty quid down after race one.

Then came the Kings Stand dash, and my £40 was split between Kingsgate Native and Total Gallery. Kingsgate Native was never in a position to put in a challenge, and Total Gallery started in rear, was soon pushed along, and then eased off. So my money was done again. Eighty pounds down after round two.

One of my most confident bets came next in the St James Palace Stakes. Canford Cliffs ticked all the boxes for me before the race, and he carried my £20 stake comfortably to the line. 11/4 was better than I expected earlier in the day, and so I got back just under sixty quid on Betfair. Still twenty down on the day.

My last bet on Day One was with Samuel Morse in the Coventry Stakes. He gave chase to the leaders but could manage only fourth, but a creditable performance nonetheless. So at the end of Tuesday my Ascot account was down to the tune of forty pounds. A little annoying as the newsreels trumpeted how well the punters had done!

Day Two, and the first dish to be served up was the Jersey Stakes. My £20 was looking good on board Red Jazz and indeed he kept the whole field at bay, save the one runner that took my money, Rainfall. Beaten a head, and nearly four lengths clear of third. But no pay day.

I went £100 into the red in much the same fashion in the Windsor Forest Stakes. Shamwari Lodge was well beaten, but my second runner Spacious went down this time by only a short head at 13/2

Shalanayar did nothing to bring me closer to parity in the Prince Of Wales Stakes and so now I was one hundred a twenty pounds in the hole. Respite was to come in the Royal Hunt Cup, as I had twenty quid on each of Tiger Reigns, Dandy Boy, and Invisible Man. I was keen on Tiger Reigns, but it was Invisible Man who provided the big winner of the week at 28/1 I was paid out at 57/1 on Betfair. Happy days, and now I was £980 to the good.

Ladies Day started with the Norfolk Stakes and I fancied the chances of Bryan Smart’s 2yo colt Excel Bolt at 7/1 He managed third place so I was happy I had made a good value bet, even if it didn’t pay out this time. £960 ahead. I backed Acquainted and Fatanah in the Ribblesdale Stakes, with no return. Still playing with £920 of someone else’s money.

Last year’s St Leger runner up Kite Wood carried my hopes in the feature race of the day, the Gold Cup. He never progressed out of mid-field. And so at the end of day three I was £900 ahead.

On to Friday, and the day started well with Memory winning the Albany Stakes at 15/2 In the King Edward VII Stakes my choice Green Moon got upsides to challenge over 2f out, but was outpaced in the final furlong to finish fifth. Anna Salai was my selection in the Group 1 race of the day the Coronation Stakes. A winning day overall though, and another £120 to add to my £900 and I had cracked the grand barrier!

The fifth and final day, and I just wanted to walk away from the week with a four figure profit. The Hardwicke Stakes was looking like a penalty kick for Harbinger and he did indeed oblige fairly comfortably. Odds on though.

I backed three horses in the Golden Jubilee Stakes Group 1 sprint, namely Sayif, Prime Defender, and the eventual winner Starspangledbanner at 13/2 Betfair paid me at 7/1 so Iwas now £1,140 in profit.

The last race in which I took a financial interest wass the Wokingham Heritage Handicap. Sadly, this cavalry charge was not to be as rewarding as the Royal Hunt Cup earlier in the week, and my three selections, Rileyskeepingfaith (11th), Edge Closer (8th), and Noverre To Go (7th), finished down the field. My ending balance ended up a couple of tenners short of £1,100 in my favour, and more than makes up for a frustrating Cheltenham back in March.

I have Invisible Man to thank for coming out ahead overall, but it is a well documented fact that many pro-punters will owe their profits to a number of big priced value winners throughout a season (I hasten to add I do not class myself as a pro-punter!).

My selections were all made based upon my trends analysis, as opposed to pure form reading. But form came up trumps as well this year, with the bookies taking a pounding from the punters, and giving back a lot of what they made at Cheltenham. Good ol’ swings and roundabouts.

Let me know how you got on this year at Royal Ascot. Share your triumphs and disappointments by leaving comments below.

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Further reading: The Best of SkyBlueKangaroo