Coronation Stakes Tips, Betting Offers and Odds

One of the highlights of the fourth day of Ascot’s Royal Meeting is the Coronation Stakes. Here we take a look at the best odds and offers available for one of the season’s top fillies contests and provide our betting tips for the race.

This one mile, Group 1 contest has been run at Ascot since 1840. One of the premier events of the season for three year old fillies, it now offers £400,000 in total prize money and is always a classy affair.

Coronation Stakes Tips and Betting Offers, 4:20 at Royal Ascot, 21 June 2019

There is no bigger stage for fillies from the Classic generation at Royal Ascot than the Coronation Stakes. This 1 mile, Group 1 race always attracts entries from of the best performers in the English and Irish 1000 Guineas. Indeed, last year’s winner Alpha Centauri headed to Ascot on the back of success in the Irish 1000 Guineas whilst Winter won both Guineas ar Newmarket and the Curragh before winning in 2017.

Huge Race for Ten Sovereigns

Hermosa is the undisputed favourite for the Coronation Stakes. She is bidding to become the third winning favourite in as many years and there is no real prospect of the market moving against her in the lead up to the off.

Hermosa’s form is formidable. After winning the English 1000 Guineas, Aidan O’Brien suggested that the Oaks could be next on her hit list as he believes she will be able to handle the step up in trip no problem. However, she was kept over a mile for the Irish 1000 Guineas which proved to be a wise decision as she won by four lengths.

The long term plan may well be to try Hermosa out over 10 furlongs and maybe even a mile and a half but for now, O’Brien is happy for her to compete over a stiffly run mile in the Coronation Stakes where Hermosa can be backed at a best price of 11/10 with RaceBets.

Can Pretty Pollyanna Finally Kick On?

Pretty Pollyanna is one of the most interesting entries for this year’s Coronation Stakes. She made a real impression with her early form as a juvenile which led some to hope that we were witnessing the start of a truly special career.

Things didn’t go entirely to plan in the latter part of last season and she has thus far made just one appearance as a three-year-old. That came in the Irish 1000 Guineas where Pretty Pollyanna finished second. The dominant performance of Hermosa that day may have taken away from how well Michael Bell’s filly ran after such a long absence and hopes are high that the run will bring about further improvement at Royal Ascot.

Betting Predictions

Pretty Pollyanna hasn’t wowed in quite the style that some hoped she would have by now but it is far too early to be writing her chances off at the top level. Younger fillies can be tough to predict with even slight issues having significant impacts on their performance levels. The fact that she finished second to Hermosa at the Curragh should be seen as nothing but a positive and whilst the chances of her reversing the form are vanishingly small, she has every chance of finishing the best of the rest and returning nicely for those who back her each way at 10/1 with bet365.

Whilst an each way bet is the best way to support Pretty Pollyanna there is no other option but to back Hermosa on the nose given her price. Still, the 11/10 that RaceBets are quoting about her chances is well worth taking while it lasts as there’s every chance she’ll be odds on across the board come the off.

Previous Race Winners

  • 2018 – Alpha Centauri – jockey Colm O’Donoghue, trainer Jessica Harrington
  • 2017 – Winter – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Aidan O’Brien
  • 2016 – Qemah – jockey Gregory Benoistn, trainer Jean-Claude Rouget
  • 2015 – Ervedya – jockey Christophe Soumillon, trainer Jean-Claude Rouget
  • 2014 – Rizeena – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Clive Brittain
  • 2013 – Sky Lantern – jockey Richard Hughes, trainer Richard Hannon, Sr.
  • 2012 – Fallen For You – jockey William Buick, trainer John Gosdden
  • 2011 – Immortal Verse – jockey Gérald Mossé, trainer Robert Collet
  • 2010 – Lillie Langtry – jockey Johnny Murtagh, trainer Aidan O’Brien
  • 2009 – Ghanaati – jockey Richard Hills, trainer Barry Hills
  • 2008 – Lush Lashes – jockey Kevin Manning, trainer Jim Bolger
  • 2007 – Indian Ink – jockey Richard Hughes, trainer Richard Hannon, Sr.
  • 2006 – Nannina – jockey Jimmy Fortune, trainer John Gosden

Coronation Stakes History

One of Britain’s finest monarchs, Queen Victoria took her seat on the throne in 1838. Two years later, in 1840, this race was first run to honour her coronation. The contest has always been a high class affair and having initially been granted Group 2 status when races first began to be classified in the modern way in 1971, the race was then raised to Group 1 level in 1988 where it has remained ever since.

Being a valuable one mile contest restricted to three year old fillies, it should come as no surprise that this race is a regular port of call for those runners to have fared well in the English, Irish and French 1000 Guineas.

It was the English 1000 Guineas winner of 1867 who provided one of the most notable winners in the early years. Following a spectacular 11 win juvenile campaign, Achievement followed up her Guineas success by taking both this race and the St.Leger.

1874 heroine Apology is also worth a mention. We don’t get many racehorses owned by a Reverend these days but we did back then, and this one, owned by the Reverend John William King, won not just this race, but also the fillies’ triple crown of that year.

One of the race’s truly brilliant winners came soon after the turn of the century. Pretty Polly won 22 of her 24 career starts and finished second on the two occasions she was beaten. Her catalogue of wins included the triple-crown, two Coronation Cups, a Champion Stakes and this race.

The elevation of the race to Group 1 status in 1988 was soon followed by a string of top class winners, including Champion Three Year Old Filly award winners Kooyonga and Ridgewood Pearl.

The 21st century has seen no let-up in the quality of performer to prove successful her. Russian Rhythm, Attraction, Ghanaati and Sky Lantern all rubber stamped their 1000 Guineas triumphs by following up in this race.

23 time Classic winning trainer John Porter is the man who leads the way amongst the trainers here with six wins between 1883 and 1898.

Nat Flatman set an early benchmark amongst the jockeys with five wins between the years of 1844 and 1851. Morny Cannon had a good go at topping that mark in landing five victories of his own between 1892 and 1898 but couldn’t manage a sixth. Over a century later it is still Flatman and Cannon who sit atop the all-time jockeys table.

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