Tips with fizz for an unforgettable first day at Royal Ascot

Fetch your fascinators and dust down your topper! Royal Ascot takes centre-stage this week for the world's best festival of flat racing.

Call me a libellous old heretic but, for my money, the (Glorious) Goodwood Festival is actually British summertime's classiest turf affair.

But if pomp, pageantry, and being packed into a train with hundreds of morning-suited drunks is your thing, then you simply cannot beat Royal Ascot for the sheer spectacle of it all. And, believe me, there will be some spectacles.

My first experience of the meeting came when I was living in the town as a second-year university undergraduate (long story). The year Longboat won the Ascot Gold Cup, as if anyone's the faintest bit interested.

As my studies discovered to their cost, that normally sleepy quarter of Berkshire hits the overdrive button for five solid days (for the pedants among you, four 'Royal' days back then and one 'Ascot Heath').

Of course, getting a glimpse of the Queen and having a post-racing sing-song around the racecourse's famous bandstand are all well and good.

But it's the racing that ought to be the star of the show. The contests are top-class all week and range from superb Group 1 contests (this year featuring runners from nine different countries) to those famously tricky and competitive handicaps like the Royal Hunt Cup and the Wokingham.

If you're looking to trade up from prosecco to Pol Roger, here are some Day 1 thoughts on how you might achieve just that.

Be lucky!

PHILIPPOS

Royal Ascot 

(Stalls centre first three races, stalls inside last three races)

NAP: FORT MYERS
NB: SHAMAN

2:30 Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1) One mile (straight course)
An open-looking contest to begin the 2019 Royal meeting. Mustashry (9/2) has a great chance of landing the spoils after his recent win in the Group 1 Lockinge at Newbury which is also run over a straight mile. But the ground will be ideal for HAZAPOUR (9/1) and the booking of jockey Frankie Dettori for connections catches the eye. There was a shock result in this race last year. At juicy odds, an-each-way tickle on Dream Castle (33/1) wouldn't be the week's daftest idea in case the Godolphin-representative returns to form.

3:05 Coventry Stakes (Group 2) Six furlongs
A race open to both colts and fillies. But as with the Conservative Party leadership contest, this year's affair has turned into an all-male line-up. Whoever wins will see his price tumble for next year's Two Thousand Guineas. Maestro trainer Aiden O'Brien comes into the race quadruple-handed and Arizona appears to be the pick. At 3/1 or thereabouts his odds are fairly cramped, though, so it may pay to side each-way with his stable-mate FORT MYERS (18/1). At even bigger odds, Light Angel (20/1) is also of considerable interest and represents last year's victorious John Gosden stable.

3:40 King's Stand Stakes (Group 1) Five furlongs
A half-million pound race whose result will be determined in less than a minute! If he's allowed to dominate up front, it might be very difficult to peg back the impressive speedball that is BATTAASH (2/1). Last year he was beaten in this race by Blue Point (3/1). The latter is the likeliest challenger once again even though his odds are a tad longer than Battaash's. Equilateral (22/1) is a frustrating sort, but at eye-popping odds he may be worth an each-way chance to peak at the right time.

4:20 St James's Palace Stakes (Group 1) One mile (round course)
Of the English, French and Irish 2,000 Guineas winners, only the latter is taking part and here's a race which may witness a shock. Royal Marine's (40/1) form has fallen off a cliff since last season, but that's reflected in his price and is worth an each-way interest. All eyes will be on Too Darn Hot, who promised much last season but hasn't reached the great heights that were anticipated. So the horse to steal the headlines could be the French raider, SHAMAN (11/1) who wasn't beaten far by the impressive Persian King in the Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas) at ParisLongchamp.

4:50 Ascot Stakes Handicap Two miles, three furlongs 210 yards
A long-distance race with some runners who'd be more at home at the Cheltenham Festival in March. After half-a-mile they'll be wondering where the fences have all gone. I once spent a night in the Ascot open ditch heading towards Winkfield, but that's a story for another day. Supreme Irish trainer Willie Mullins is presumably not bringing over Buildmeupbuttercup (4/1) for a look at the Berkshire countryside. However, Ian Williams is one of the best dual-purpose handlers in the UK and Time To Study (18/1) is a worthy each-way play. The other contender to consider at similarly juicy odds is Hughie Morrison's FUN MAC (14/1).

5:35 Wolferton Stakes (Listed race) One mile, two furlongs
Not the easiest getting out stakes to round off day one of the Royal meeting. MAGIC WAND (5/1) has perhaps not quite lived up to expectations and could easily bounce back to her best here. Two other runners to consider at far heftier odds are Oasis Charm (33/1) and Zihba (40/1).