Royal Ascot is a huge horse racing festival in the UK, with it an event many circle in the calendar for betting value.

This year’s festival will take place between Tuesday, June 16 and Saturday, June 20, with the racing scheduled to go into the night for Aussies.

In this preview, we’re looking at the Royal Ascot Gold Cup specifically, as this is the premier event of the festival. It takes place on Friday, June 19, with the start time at 01:15 AEST.

Quick Picks

Our pick: Scandinavia to win

Value bet: Each-way on Trawlerman

Long shot: Each-way on Illinois

Betting Preview

Held on Ladies’ Day, the Royal Ascot Gold Cup is run over 2m4f (two and a half miles) and is a brutal stamina test that regularly exposes non‑stayers and over‑hyped improvers.

This can mean bettors should be considering the following factors when picking a horse:

• Pace and position (speed maps explained): Front‑runners/handy types tend to get first run and can lock mid‑division horses in a pocket for a long way.
• Proven stamina vs hype : Very few horses genuinely thrive over a stiff 2m4f at this level.
• Repeat performers : The race historically lends itself to repeat contenders; once a horse has proven it stays and handles Ascot, it often runs well again.

The ground can also have a big impact on how well/poorly a horse runs.

Taking this into account on the week/day of the race can potentially help to maximise the chances of identifying a winner.

Betting Markets to Watch

The current horse racing predictions have Scandinavia as the early favourite heading into the Royal Ascot Gold Cup. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Scandinavia is the favourite because he has already shown top‑class staying form at Group 1 level and has been trained with this race in mind.

Having won major staying Group 1s last season, notably the Goodwood Cup and St Leger, Scandinavia has shown all the ability required to be a Gold Cup winner and has prepared exactly as expected in the lead-up to this race.

The Grade 1 wins showed he can settle, travel, and then find under pressure, highlighting his power and efficiency.

In the each-way (three places), Trawlerman has value.

He won the 2025 Gold Cup after being the runner‑up the year before, underlining that he is a proper course‑and‑distance operator.

He tries to race handily and grind, which is tactically ideal for this race, and he has already shown he handles the unique rhythm of a long‑distance Ascot Group 1.

Our Prediction

Check the latest Royal Ascot Gold Cup betting odds at Sportsbet.

Our pick is for Scandinavia to be the likely winner , as he has been prepped for this race.

Our long shot is for Illinois to have a big race. The each-way market offers better value than an outright winner, as he still needs to prove he can stay the distance. However, he has been impressive, showing great improvement, and this could be a race in which he finds another gear.