Royal Ascot 2018: our day three top tips

There’s no such thing as a certainty in racing and Frankie Dettori – the toast of day one of the meeting – found that out the hard way as he crashed back down to earth on the second day of Royal Ascot, suffering a shock defeat on the week’s "good thing" Cracksman at odds of 2/5. That was the lowlight of a dismal day for punters, which saw every Frankie runner and favourite draw a blank, much to the chagrin of the high rollers in the Royal Enclosure, who were said to have reported several wads of fifties to lost property during the course of the day.

Still, if you think it’s all bad then don’t forget we snuck the winner of the lucky last at 10/1 and more importantly, there’s a sellout crowd for Ladies’ Day today and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. If you’re fortunate enough to attend don’t forget hats must have a base of 10cm or more, gents need to wear their lucky socks and you’ll be breathalysed on entry.

The meeting’s most famous race, the Gold Cup, takes centre stage today and the long distance contest throws up a fascinating clash between staying legend and previous winner Order Of St George and new kid on the block Stradivarius. Two years ago, Order Of St George did the honours on a day when England beat Wales at the Euros and similar levels of patriotic fever should see him go off as a hot favourite for a repeat victory.

Read on to find out who our man on the ground is tipping in the big one, then stay for his race-by-race guide featuring all of the necessary stats and need to know info. And remember, better to be a prince than a pauper so keep the stakes sensible at all times.

Royal Ascot punting pointers: Thursday.

• Aiden O’Brien has an exceptional record in the Hampton Court stakes, winning 57 per cent of races run since 2010.