Named after a town situated to the west of Ascot, this contest has been with us since back in 1813. Initially so popular that three separate divisions were required to accommodate the runners, it wasn’t until 1874 that the Wokingham was first run as a single race. Not long after, we had our first dual winner in 1881 and 1882. A horse by the name of …Wokingham.
Anyone seeking easy pickings on the final day at Royal Ascot is unlikely to have this fiendishly difficult 6f handicap at the top of their punting hit list. Predict the winner here though and you are likely to be richly rewarded, especially if you get the best odds with our live odds comparison. It’s just about 10/1 the field and it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise to see the favourite start at double figure odds on the day.
Outback Traveller bids to join the list of dual winners, having scored here in 2016. Robert Cowell’s runner has a 4lb higher handicap mark to contend with this time around, but the layers seem to still quite fancy his chances. Looking at our odds comparison below we can see that he is currently vying for favouritism at 10/1 odds with Coral and others. He is certainly one for the shortlist.
Providing early betting tips for this race can be fraught with danger, as clearly a large swathe of the current 101 entries for the contest won’t make it to post on the day. That said, when looking at the current odds, there are one or two who jump out at the prices.
The one we like best of all at this stage is the Nigel Tinkler-trained Normandy Barriere. This son of the mighty Rock Of Gibraltar seems to have a definite liking for Ascot, with two wins and two places from just five starts at the venue. A 4lb rise in the handicap for a cosy win over this course and distance in May doesn’t look excessive and does greatly enhance his chances of making the final cut. At betting odds of 22/1 with Betway, he is the each way bet of the race for us.
Others worth a second look are the talented Orion’s Bow, promising Projection, and the bang in form, Naggers, who could well be the one to be on should the rain arrive. Whoever it is to carry your cash though, be sure to consult our odds comparison before placing your bet, to ensure you obtain the very best odds available.
The Wokingham Stakes sees a large field in a six furlong sprint and whilst predicting the winner of this competitive Heritage Handicap is never easy that’s exactly what we aim to do. Read on as take a look at the key runners and offer up our Wokingham betting tips, as well as the best odds and race predictions.
The Wokingham Stakes was first run in 1813 and is open to all horses aged three years and over. Coming at 5pm on the final day of Royal Ascot, it helps bring the festival to a nice close and the mad six furlong dash is certainly one to enjoy, even if betting on it isn’t always straightforward.
At the time of writing there are a number of runners priced at odds of around 16/1 to 20/1, with the field yet to be narrowed from the 127 current entries. There are no major trends in terms of age, trainers or jockeys and so we are having to rely on a runner by runner analysis to provide our betting tips but that’s often the best way, so we’re happy with our predictions, assuming they actually run in the Wokingham of course.
Our first betting tip is an each way punt on the Irish four-year-old Kickboxer, who we’re confident should at the very least make it to the post here. This Godolphin grey hasn’t enjoyed a great start to the season, although showed marked improvement when finishing third at Newmarket last time out over six furlongs. We think he can build on that here and at odds of 20/1 with a range of online bookies looks very good value.
Our second Wokingham Stakes betting tip is another each way choice and we predict that both of these horses can place to end your Royal Ascot with a real bang. Zalty is also priced at 20/1 – with Bet365 and others – and this French five-year-old, trained by David Marnane, can upset the odds here to land a place. The gelding has won at six, seven and eight furlongs and whilst he is yet to race in 2023 we think encouraging form at the end of 2014 is worth taking a chance on.