Royal Ascot day three features plenty of handicap action to go alongside the feature Gold Cup. Two of the seven races have attracted maximum fields of 29 and more.
Andrew Mount focuses on those contests, the Britannia Stakes and the Buckingham Palace Stakes. He has two tips in each race.
Royal Ascot Racing Tips (Thursday 18 June 2026)
The big-field handicaps are the focus of Andrew on Thursday. He has four selections across two separate race on the card.
4.50 Ascot – St Anton (1pt e/w – 28/1 bet365, William Hill, 25/1 generally) & Tales Of Wisdom (0.5pt e/w – 20-1 Paddy Power, 18/1 generally)
In the past ten years, runners who prepped in Class 1, 2, or 3 company are just two from 207 in the Britannia Stakes for a loss of £162.00 to a £1 level stake at SP (expected winners = 6.39, A/E = 0.31). Last year all 22 qualifiers were beaten, and it was a similar story in 2024 (0-22), 2023 (0-19) and in 2022 (0-23). There are 20 qualifiers this year which suggests there’s value among those who prepped at a lower level. Seven of the last eight winners ran in Class 4 company last time and this year’s qualifiers are Wild Thoughts, Exclusive Code, St Anton, Runman, We’re Goosers, Tales Of Wisdom, Noelan Star, Outback Heat, Victory Tip and Jamestown. Those Class 4 runners, drawn in stall 8 or higher, who ran first or second last time out are seven from 44 in the past eight years for a profit of £40.50. Those extra criteria reduce the shortlist to Wild Thoughts, St Anton, Tales Of Wisdom, Outback Heat, Victory Tip and Jamestown. I’ve come down in favour of Richard Hannon’s Sir Anton, who did well to win from off the pace when denying Wild Thoughts by a head at Carlisle last time (pair clear). That win took his career score to 322311 (2-6) and he also did well to score against the pace bias at Newmarket on his penultimate start. Stall 21 looks fine and he makes each-way appeal.
I also want an interest on Charlie Appleby’s Tales Of Wisdom (stall 8), who ran green when beaten at Kempton on his reappearance (second career start). He took a big step forward when beating Bayaann (winner since, pair miles clear) at Newmarket last time and William Buick is on board for the first time.
6.10 Ascot – Defence Minister (0.5pt e/w – 15/1 generally) & Elarak (0.5pt e/w – 16/1 Sky Bet, Paddy Power, 14/1 generally)
I liked Defence Minister (stall 8) when I put up my ten best Royal Ascot bets for GG’s preview but he could be poorly drawn and I’ll just be having a small interest on Hamad Al Jehani’s four-year-old, who ran well against the draw bias in the Victoria Cup over course and distance last month. It was a huge advantage to be drawn high that day and his stall 1 draw made life impossible. He fared third best of the seven runners to race on the far side and the two that beat him on his flank – 14th-placed Nostrum and 15th-placed Popmaster – both ran well in defeat next time, the last-named placing at Epsom when advised each-way at 50-1 in this column.
Since this race returned to Royal Ascot in 2020, five of the six winners were drawn 20 or higher, prepped in a handicap and were ridden by a jockey not claiming an allowance. Backing all 39 qualifiers returned a profit of £55.33 to a £1 level stake at SP (+£113.28 at Betfair SP after 2% commission). Elarak, the pace angle on the near side from stall 31, is one of the qualifiers and he might get an easy led against the rail under Billy Loughnane.
Andrew Mount’s Best Bets Today
4.50 Ascot – St Anton (1pt e/w – 28/1 bet365, William Hill, 25/1 generally) & Tales Of Wisdom (0.5pt e/w – 20-1 Paddy Power, 18/1 generally)
6.10 Ascot – Defence Minister (0.5pt e/w – 15/1 generally) & Elarak (0.5pt e/w – 16/1 Sky Bet, Paddy Power, 14/1 generally)
Andrew Mount’s Horse Racing Tips – Thursday 18 June
Today’s Meetings & Start Times
- Royal Ascot – first race 14:30
FAQs: Today’s Racing Tips
What are today’s racing tips?
Andrew Mount provides his best bets at Royal Ascot.
Which racecourses run on Thursday 18 June 2026?
Royal Ascot, Leopardstown, Lingfield, Ripon, Southwell & Yarmouth.
Who is Andrew Mount?
Andrew Mount is a leading horse racing adviser, expert pundit and journalist, contributing regularly to the Racing Post, Racing & Football Outlook, Racing Post Weekender and William Hill radio as well as providing a daily tipping column for the GG.co.uk website for more than 20 years. Follow him on X: @TrendHorses
When were today’s Royal Ascot tips published?
Today’s tips were published at 4.07pm on Wednesday 17 June 2026.
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