In The Money Telegraph
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 · Royal Ascot Day 1
By ITM Staff
It’s here. Royal Ascot opens today with a spectacular card — three Group 1s headlined by the Queen Anne, the King Charles III, and the St James’s Palace. PTF is on the ground all week for the World Feed, and US viewers can follow along on NBC/Peacock and FanDuel TV from the morning.
Watch: PTF & Callum Helliwell Preview Day 1
▶ Watch: PTF & Callum Helliwell preview Day 1 on the ITM YouTube channel →
From his self-styled “Berkshire bungalow” within walking distance of the course, PTF kicks off ITM’s Royal Ascot coverage with Sky Sports Racing’s Callum Helliwell, going through the entire Day 1 card — including the meeting’s first two Win-and-You’re-In races, the Queen Anne (a BC Mile berth) and the King Charles III (a BC Turf Sprint berth). Callum takes on Notable Speech, sides with Overpass in the sprint, and is all-in on Bow Echo, whom he calls “a freak.” Watch on the ITM YouTube channel.
Play Today · Registration Closes 11:15 AM ET
TwinSpires $100 Royal Ascot Challenge
Want skin in the game on Day 1? TwinSpires is running a live-bankroll cash tournament on today’s card. The $100 buy-in splits into a $60 playable bankroll and $40 to the prize pool, and you wager that bankroll across at least four of Races 1–7 at Ascot — Win, Place, Exacta, and Trifecta all count. The entire prize pool is paid out, and prizes scale with the field: in TwinSpires’ published example, a 50-entry pool pays $1,200 to the winner and cashes the top five. Two entries max per person, and registration closes at 11:15 AM ET today.
ITM at Royal Ascot
Andrew Harman’s Three to Follow — Day 1
Andrew Harman has three improvers he reckons are primed to fire career-bests on the biggest stage. The angles, in brief:
Queen Anne Stakes (G1) · 9:30 AM ET / 2:30 PM local
More Thunder (4/1) — beaten two lengths by Notable Speech in the Lockinge, but fitter for that run, and Ascot’s stiff straight mile should suit his grinding, closing style while blunting the favourite’s turn of foot.
King Charles III Stakes (G1) · 10:40 AM ET / 3:40 PM local
Rayevka (8/1) — a sprinter on the way up, now dropping to her best trip of five furlongs; the big-field Ascot dash and stiff finish set up perfectly for her late burst.
St James’s Palace Stakes (G1) · 11:20 AM ET / 4:20 PM local
Talk Of New York (11/2) — the value play against the Guineas one-two; settled by the hood last twice, he should get his pace to aim at, and the right-handed bend asks a fresh question of odds-on Bow Echo.
ITM at Royal Ascot
Alex Sausville Walks the Full Day 1 Card
Want a second opinion? Alex Sausville — an Irish National Stud and Godolphin Flying Start graduate with international industry experience — goes through all seven Tuesday races. He and Harman line up differently on the big ones: Sausville makes Aussie sprinter Overpass his Best Bet and stands tall with Bow Echo, where Harman went hunting for value. His top picks:
Queen Anne (G1): Opera Ballo (7) — another swing against Notable Speech, at a bigger price.
Coventry (G2): Ruler’s Pride (17) — fading favourite Confucius; a Wathnan colt with James McDonald up.
King Charles III (G1): Overpass (9) — Best Bet; the Aussie belongs in the world’s top-sprinter conversation.
St James’s Palace (G1): Bow Echo (1) — no need to reinvent the wheel with one of Europe’s best three-year-olds.
Ascot Stakes: Puturhandstogether (16) & Beylerbeyi (1) — opposing the short-priced royal runner Reaching High.
Wolferton: Haatem (9) — back at his happiest hunting ground.
Copper Horse: Valiancy (10) — the Wathnan favourite with James Doyle; plus U.S. riding star John Velazquez aboard Aeronautic (12).
ITM at Royal Ascot
Steven Bonnick’s Day 1 Closer Look
For the deep dive, Steven Bonnick goes race by race through the entire opening card. Rather than handing out picks, he sorts every Day 1 contest into Market Leaders, Key Contenders, and Interesting Outsiders — weighing the form lines, the headwind and draw angles that could shape the straight-course races, and the live outsiders worth a second look. It’s the form-guide companion to the day’s quick tips.
ITM Plus
Get Rob Dove’s Royal Ascot Picks
Want more than the free card? Rob Dove — one of the top ten pro punters in the UK today — is sharing daily Royal Ascot selections all week, exclusively on ITM Plus. His read on the meeting’s biggest races and best value is just a click away.
From At The Races
The latest from our partners at At The Races and Sky Sports Racing as the gates near:
The going is set. Ascot will open on good to firm, good in places — a sound, speed-friendly surface for Day 1. Going report →
St James’s Palace blow. Poulains winner Rayif is a notable absentee from Tuesday’s Group 1 after picking up a mild fever. Read →
Blinkers for Asfoora. First-time blinkers go on the Australian mare as connections chase a revival in the King Charles III sprint. Read →
Wathnan loaded for Day 1. The Wathnan Racing team is set for another stellar meeting, with live chances spread across the opening card. Read →
Also on Tap: Assiniboia Downs Late Pick 4
▶ Watch: Assiniboia Downs Late Pick 4 with Mikee P & Chris Cupples →
Not everything’s at Ascot today. Mikee P pulls in ITM stalwart Chris Cupples to go through the $50,000 guaranteed Late Pick 4 at Assiniboia Downs — a $1-minimum sequence with low takeout and pools that have been averaging north of $100,000. First post is 8:30 AM ET, with the Pick 4 starting in race four around 9:50 AM ET. Watch on the ITM YouTube channel.
