Royal Ascot's final day — Saturday June 21 — is the most heavily bet day of the entire meeting. The Diamond Jubilee Stakes, the Wokingham Handicap, and the Commonwealth Cup finale create a programme that draws the biggest betting turnover of the week. Here is how to approach Saturday properly.
The Diamond Jubilee Stakes — The Sprint Championship
The Diamond Jubilee Stakes closes Royal Ascot week with a Group 1 sprint over six furlongs for horses aged three and above. It is the sprint championship of the summer — the race where the best six-furlong horses in Europe settle their rankings before the autumn programme.
The Diamond Jubilee market tends to be more efficient than most Ascot races because the sprint division's form is well-defined by this point in the season. The King's Stand winner from Tuesday, the Commonwealth Cup winner from Friday, and horses who have been building through the summer sprint programme all converge. The favourite is usually well-priced.
The consistent value in the Diamond Jubilee tends to come from horses at 8/1 or bigger — specifically, those who have been campaigned steadily through the season without landing a major prize but whose form figures are close to the leaders. French sprint form translates well to Ascot's straight six furlongs, and a French raider at 10/1 or 12/1 with a strong recent Group 2 win at Longchamp is one of the Diamond Jubilee's most recurring value profiles.
The Wokingham Handicap — The Big Sprint Handicap
The Wokingham is a five-furlong sprint handicap for three-year-olds and above — a large-field competitive race with enormous public betting interest. It is one of the most difficult races of the week to pick and one of the most rewarding when you get it right.
The horses to focus on in the Wokingham are those with a specific preparation for the race — trainers who have won the Wokingham before with similar types, horses who have been campaigned conservatively through May and early June to arrive at Ascot fresh. The Wokingham is not a race horses stumble into. The ones who win it have usually been targeted at it for months.
Draw is a meaningful factor in the Wokingham over five furlongs. Historically, horses drawn towards the far side of the track have performed better than those drawn low in large fields. Checking the draw statistics for the declared field before placing is worth the additional step. For more on how draw affects race outcomes, see our draw bias in horse racing guide.
The Commonwealth Cup — Three-Year-Old Sprinters
Friday's Commonwealth Cup over six furlongs for three-year-olds produces the best form of the week for the Classic generation's sprinters. Horses who ran well in the Commonwealth Cup and then appear in the Diamond Jubilee on Saturday are worth tracking — the form is live and the class is proven at Ascot specifically.
Getting Free Saturday Tips
Horse Racing Oracle AI will publish its free Saturday NAP at 11am on June 21 — before the Diamond Jubilee market and the Wokingham market open for the morning. Sign up free at horseracingoracleai.com to get all five days of Ascot selections in your inbox.
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