{"id":9700,"date":"2026-06-04T09:49:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T08:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/?p=9700"},"modified":"2026-06-04T09:56:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T08:56:54","slug":"biggest-odds-winners-at-royal-ascot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/matched-betting\/biggest-odds-winners-at-royal-ascot\/","title":{"rendered":"Biggest Odds Winners at Royal Ascot"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every year, the Royal Ascot festival delivers world-class racing, unforgettable fashion and plenty of drama, but whilst most people look towards the favourites, there have been plenty of underdog winners throughout the years. Some of these unlikely winners have been the biggest betting shocks British Racing has ever seen, with some being recent and others being part of the excellent history of the festival.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here at OddsMonkey, we are going to look at what some of the biggest odds winners were, why Royal Ascot produces shocks, and what those who take part in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/matched-betting\/what-is-matched-betting\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">matched betting<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can learn.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nando Parrado &#8211; 2020<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The biggest price winner in Royal Ascot history was placed at a staggering 150\/1. In 2020, Royal Ascot was staged behind closed doors during the pandemic, creating an unusual atmosphere that many believe contributed to a week full of shocks. None was bigger than Nando Parrado in the Coventry Stakes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trained by Clive Cox and ridden by Adam Kirby, the two-year-old was sent off at the price of 150\/1 after only finishing fifth on its debut at Newcastle. Few gave him any sort of chance to win, as the field was packed with expensive and highly touted juveniles, but he travelled strongly throughout and made a surge at the end of the race. The result instantly entered Royal Ascot folklore and rewrote the books for the meeting\u2019s biggest upset.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flashman&#8217;s Papers &#8211; 2008<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another upset was caused by Flashman\u2019s Papers, which occurred in 2008 throughout the Windsor Castle Stakes, and the horse was placed at a huge 100\/1. Trained by Brian Meehan, the colt outran a field of far more favourable rivals to deliver one of the biggest surprises of the modern era.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two-year-old races at Royal Ascot are typically known as difficult to predict, with many runners being inexperienced, whilst others will only be making their second start of their career. Flashman\u2019s Paper is a clear case study for this point, as the outsider beat their competition to be one of the biggest underdogs in the history of the festival.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fox Chapel &#8211; 1990<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before Nando Parrado and Flashman\u2019s Papers, there was Fox Chapel in 1990, which managed to finish first with odds of 100\/1. Being victorious in the Britannia Stakes, this race is typically known as one of the trickiest handicaps of the week, often featuring huge fields and razor-thin margins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the time, it was virtually unthinkable for a horse at triple-figure odds to win at the Royal Ascot, with elite trainers, top jockeys and heavily backed horses featuring here. Major upsets were relatively rare compared to ordinary handicaps, but Fox Chapel changed this perception forever.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why does Royal Ascot produce so many Shock Results?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite featuring some of the best horses in the world, Royal Ascot is a festival that many people look towards when <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/matched-betting\/value-betting\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">value betting<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, as it can throw up some unlikely winners. Here are some of the reasons why the Royal Ascot festival produces so many shock results:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Huge Field Size &#8211; Many Royal Ascot handicaps feature 20 to 30 runners, dramatically increasing unpredictability. Traffic problems can be one of the main reasons why top performers do not excel in these races.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">International Competition &#8211; Royal Ascot is one of the biggest competitions worldwide, meaning it attracts talent from Europe, America, Australia and Asia. From lines often being difficult to compare, it can be hard to pick out how these horses will perform at Royal Ascot.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two-Year-Old Races &#8211; The juvenile contests are some of the hardest to analyse, as young horses can improve drastically compared to older horses. To learn more about horse racing analysis, check out our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/sports-betting-guides\/horse-racing-betting-guide\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">horse racing betting guide<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Market Overreaction &#8211; The Royal Ascot festival creates large betting turnover, and hype can influence prices. Horses from powerful yards or ridden by superstar jockeys are often overbet, whilst lesser-known runners drift to inflated odds.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What can Bettors Learn?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Royal Ascot is one of the toughest betting weeks of the year, but it also offers different opportunities for disciplined bettors. Rather than blindly backing the favourites, successful bettors can often focus on finding horses whose odds underestimate their chances.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bettors can look for:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Undiscovered two-year-olds<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Horses suited to big-field handicaps<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">International runners overlooked by the market<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strong draw or place angles<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trainers specifically targeting Ascot races<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For those who are looking to learn more about horse racing, our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">matched betting blog<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a great place to read up on horse racing and sports betting content.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Royal Ascot at OddsMonkey<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Royal Ascot festival is one of the biggest events in the horse racing calendar, and it requires plenty of preparation and research to make the most of it. At OddsMonkey, not only do we have blogs, but our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/matched-betting\/calculators\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">betting calculators<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are essential to preparing yourself for the festival.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more Royal Ascot content, users can check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/matched-betting\/best-royal-ascot-betting-offers-2026\/\">best Royal Ascot betting offers<\/a> and our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/matched-betting\/royal-ascot-matched-betting-guide\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Royal Ascot matched betting guide<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the site.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every year, the Royal Ascot festival delivers world-class racing, unforgettable fashion and plenty of drama, but whilst most people look towards the favourites, there have been plenty of underdog winners throughout the years. Some of these unlikely winners have been the biggest betting shocks British Racing has ever seen, with some being recent and others [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_breakdance_hide_in_design_set":false,"_breakdance_tags":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[515,113,172,109,4852,3610],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9700"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9700"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9710,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9700\/revisions\/9710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9700"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=9700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}