Royal Ascot is the place to be in June each year and this year is no different. Horse racing fans come from everywhere to see some of the best flat racing horses in the land – and a few jumpers as well, just to keep the balance. Today is day one of the five day carnival of horse flesh and finding winners may be difficult if the conditions are trying.

The first event to kick off Royal Ascot is the Queen Anne Stakes. Canford Cliffs has been the popular pick, but late betting is seeing this horse drift marginally to 6/4. Goldikova has been pressing for favouritism and while currently 13/8, don’t be surprised to see them start as joint favourites. There has been a smattering of money for Cityscape, in from 20/1 to 18/1. Goldikova already has 13 group one wins to its name and we’re tipping it to add number 14 slightly ahead of Canford Cliffs.

The best betting race appears to be the Ascot Stakes, the fifth event on the card. There are three horses within point in betting with Junior the early favourite at 4/1. Zigato looks to be well suited to this event and could be good value at 9/2. We’re tipping Veiled at 5/1 and while not a standout horse, he is still good value.

Royal Ascot continues for the remainder of the week and there are some big races to look forward to. But then, that’s what Royal Ascot is all about – the horses, the riders, the bookmakers, and the great atmosphere of horse racing. Online bookmakers generally offer better odds than those found at the track – check them out for yourself and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.