A COUPLE of things to keep in mind for Royal Ascot this week. Firstly, it is a long week. It is five days, Tuesday to Saturday (inclusive) these days, since the royal meeting expanded to envelop ‘Ascot Heath’. Think less Queen Mary, more Queen Alexandra.

Pace yourself. Similar to Cheltenham for National Hunt racing, you will see lots of familiar names, lots of them available at prices that will tempt. Be tempted for sure, but dig deeply before you commit.

And it’s a long way home, physically as well as metaphorically.

Even in the sprints, it’s a long way home. Ascot is a stiff track and they usually go hard at the royal meeting. Adrenaline and field sizes are high. So you need a horse who will fully stay the trip over which he or she is competing.

And horses who come from at least a little way off the pace are often favoured. You can make all in the big-field handicaps (ref. Zhui Feng, 2017 Royal Hunt Cup), but it is not easily done.

Royal Ascot experience

You generally want a jockey who understands all of that and who has the nous and the confidence and the Royal Ascot experience to ride accordingly. Look twice at horses who will be ridden by Ryan Moore or Frankie Dettori or Jamie Spencer or James Doyle or Olivier Peslier, all of whom have all ridden 10 Royal Ascot winners or more.

Course form

Look twice at horses too who have demonstrated an ability to act on the track. Course form is an asset at any track, but course form at Ascot, especially on Ascot’s straight track, is more important than it is at most tracks. And all-weather form is a factor. It is not a myth that Polytrack form translates well to Ascot’s straight track.

Most importantly, try to take the time to enjoy it. Immerse yourself in the week if you can.

It’s a special week.