Good to firm could enter official going for day one as warm weather prevails

Good to firm could appear in the going description for day one of Royal Ascot, with the Berkshire track enjoying warm weather on the eve of its five-day extravaganza.

Clerk of the course Chris Stickels changed the going to good on the round course on Monday morning (from good, good to soft in places), with the straight course already described as good.

Speaking late on Monday afternoon, Stickels said: "There are some thundery showers about and the occasional one is forecast for Tuesday.

"If it stayed dry between now and racing, I'd imagine we'd have good to firm in the description on the straight course. It has been drying nicely since Friday."

The new-look meeting kicks off with a seven-race card, starting with the restored Buckingham Palace Handicap at 1.15.

Ascot Tuesday card

The 36 scheduled contests over the five days offer a wealth of punting opportunities and those using the Tote will be betting into newly launched Superpools.

Superpools have been created to reflect the super-sized pools generated from international co-mingling between pool betting operators around major race meetings.

This will ensure there is far greater liquidity as racing fans from around the world, including places such as Hong Kong, bet into one giant pool.

The World Pool was introduced at Royal Ascot last year with great success, as total pool turnover enjoyed a 415 per cent year-on-year increase, while the win pool for the 2019 Diamond Jubilee Stakes exceeded £1 million.

One important rule change to note for the duration of Royal Ascot for those betting into the pools is that the Tote will be paying on three places only for races with seven or more runners regardless of whether it is a handicap or not.

This change impacts all bets, whether a World Pool or not, and includes place, Quadpot, Placepot and Scoop 6 bets.

This rule change is not permanent and will not be a standard Tote or World Pool rule for future events.

Read more:

One trainer, one jockey, one horse and one race to watch on Royal Ascot Tuesday

Royal Ascot 2020: the must-have guide to a five-day horseracing extravaganza

'He has a great chance' – top jockeys and trainers name best Royal Ascot hopes

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