itv 7 turned Royal Ascot Day Three into a straight betting card on Thursday 18th June 2026, with seven live televised races on the afternoon schedule. The focus was on race-by-race tips rather than results, giving viewers a guide through a packed ITV Racing broadcast.
Aix La Chapelle, who had won on debut at the Curragh, was put forward as a smart prospect, while Aidan O'Brien was described as knowing exactly what is required to win the race. That set the tone for a card built around form, potential and the kind of details punters need before the first race goes off.
Aix La Chapelle at the Curragh
That Curragh win mattered because it was the strongest recent marker in the tips. Aix La Chapelle had already shown enough to be described as a smart prospect, and the selection leaned on the view that he had handled his debut well enough to step into this kind of race with intent.
O'Brien's involvement added another layer. The tip sheet pointed to his know-how as a factor, and that is where the card began to separate the obvious from the useful: one horse came in with winning experience, while the rest of the field still had to prove they were ready for the demands of Royal Ascot.
Scandinavia and Earth Shot
The Gold Cup angle brought a different kind of evidence into view. Scandinavia had been crying out for a test like that race and was described as one of the most progressive stayers in the field, which made stamina the key feature rather than raw speed.
Earth Shot sat in the same part of the card with strong form already in the book. The selection did not need a leap of faith so much as a read of the profile: recent form was the hook, and that gave punters a clearer line on how the race might unfold once the pace lifted.
Britannia and Royal Velvet
Outback Heat had been progressing nicely this season and looked to have been aimed at a race like the Britannia, another sign that the afternoon was being shaped by precise placement rather than broad guesses. In a card with seven live televised races, that kind of targeting is what separates a live tip from a loose opinion.
Royal Velvet completed the set from a different angle. He came into the race in good heart and was tipped as one who could be ready to produce a career-best effort, while Al Azd remained relatively unexposed and had already shown plenty of ability this season. The clearest takeaway for readers was simple: the ITV Racing coverage on Day Three offered seven chances to track form, and the tips were built around horses with either winning proof, upward momentum or both.
