Sensational summer in prospect as flat season contains Classics, Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood

Four Classics coming your way

Newmarket hosts the Guineas Festival on Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st, on which days the 2000 and 1000 Guineas are run respectively.

American colt Air Force Blue is a current hot odds-on 4/5 ante post favourite with Coral for the 2000 Guineas, while there’s the mouthwatering prospect of Irish filly Minding (9/4) taking on Lumiere (5/1) in the 1000 Guineas.

The prestigious Lockinge Stakes at Newbury follows in mid-May, with Limato an early 5/1 joint-favourite alongside Time Test.

More Classics action follows at Epsom Downs in early June, with the Oaks and Derby. US Army Ranger’s recent win at The Curragh has seen him go favourite at 4/1 for the latter race, which is considered to be the most prestigious of all the Classics.

Ascot a Royal occasion

Perhaps the centrepiece of the flat season, though, is the five-day Royal Ascot meeting from Tuesday, June 14th to Saturday 18th.

Coral already have ante post markets open on the Queen Anne Stakes, Ascot Gold Cup, Diamond Jubilee Stakes and Commonwealth Cup.

Grey gelding Solow is made a strong 11/10 favourite for the Queen Anne, while Order of St George heads the Ascot Gold Cup betting.

The Diamond Jubilee Stakes could throw up an interesting clash between Chautauqua (4/1) and Twilight Son (6/1), with Shalaa firmly fancied at 3/1 for the Commonwealth Cup.

Coral at The Curragh, then Glorious Goodwood

Hot off the back of Royal Ascot is the Irish Derby Summer Festival at The Curragh from Friday, June 24th to Sunday 26th, and Coral are commercial partners of the racecourse, so you can expect to see full coverage across our mobile and digital platforms of that event.

Be sure to have a bet on the Group 2 Coral.ie Curragh Cup that takes place on the Sunday, while the Irish Derby is run the day before.

Five days of terrific action from Glorious Goodwood take place from Tuesday, July 26th until Saturday 30th. The Sussex Stakes on the Wednesday and Nassau Stakes on the final day of this meeting are the Group 1 contests.

Ebor, St Leger and Arch De Triomphe

York’s Ebor Festival is scheduled for Wednesday, August 17th until Saturday 20th, with the big race on the last day of this prestigious meeting up north.

September sees Doncaster’s St Leger Festival take place from Wednesday 7th to Saturday 10th. The St Leger itself is the oldest Classic in horse racing before the flat season is rounded off nicely with British Champions Day from Ascot on Saturday, October 15th.

But wait, there’s more! Don’t forget The Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe on Sunday, October 2nd, which is French horse racing’s richest prize. New Bay is a very early favourite for that Longchamp showdown.

Related

We’ll be providing full coverage of all these horse racing meetings here, so stay tuned to our dedicated section.