Royal Ascot 2025 Day Two: Big Favourites & Gamble Horses

Royal Ascot 2025 Day Two: Big Favourites & Gamble Horses

Day Two of Royal Ascot 2025 is upon us. The hats are getting more extravagant, the shoes are starting to hurt, and the bookmakers are bracing themselves for another day of wild punts, near misses and a few lucky flutters that turn into fully-fledged roars from the grandstands. For those keeping an eye on the form—and perhaps just as importantly, the free bet offers—there’s plenty to chew on today.

While punters line up their bets, leading UK betting site Ladbrokes are giving new customers an extra excuse to get involved with their enticing Bet £5 Get £20 in free bets promotion. It’s the kind of offer that allows you to have a decent go across the card without risking the price of lunch, which is handy considering a single G&T in the Ascot hospitality tent will set you back roughly the same.

So, let’s dive into the standout rides, the big market movers, and where your free bets might just land you in profit rather than regret.

True Love Eyes Queen Mary Stakes Glory

Kicking off Ryan Moore’s book of rides for the day is True Love, lining up in the Queen Mary Stakes. As with most two-year-old contests at Royal Ascot, there’s a heady blend of promise, potential, and the occasional flyer that leaves form students scratching their heads.

True Love, a daughter of No Nay Never, comes into this race still chasing her first win, having finished runner-up on both starts to date. But here’s where things get interesting: her latest second was behind Gstaad, who duly went on to land the Coventry Stakes earlier this week. That piece of form has sent punters into a mild frenzy, with the filly being backed from double-figure odds into joint-favouritism at 11/4 alongside Karl Burke’s well-fancied Zelaina.

There’s every suggestion that the strong pace over five furlongs will suit this big, powerful filly. She travels well, and if Moore can keep her out of trouble, the straight five at Ascot could finally give her the breakthrough win her supporters have been itching for.

Of course, it’s not a one-horse race. Zelaina looked electric on her Nottingham debut, while Society Kiss and Spicy Marg have also attracted plenty of respectful nods from shrewd judges. But True Love carries the weight of market expectation—and plenty of those with Ladbrokes free bet bonuses have already piled in.

Shackleton Steps Up for the Queen’s Vase

The Queen’s Vase brings a very different test later in the afternoon—a gruelling mile-and-six-furlong contest where stamina, and a touch of tactical nous, often proves decisive. Here, Moore partners Shackleton, the current market favourite at 4/1.

Now, Shackleton’s recent form has been slightly underwhelming. He’s been sent off favourite twice, only to come up short on both occasions, leaving backers clutching their betting slips and muttering unprintable things. However, those runs came over ten furlongs—a distance that may not have suited him.

Trainer connections have always insisted that this son of Camelot was only just getting started fitness-wise when narrowly beaten at the Curragh. He also had the misfortune of getting squeezed for room in what was a fairly scrappy affair.

Today, with a significant step up in trip, we might finally see him flourish. The extended distance at Ascot has a habit of sorting the wheat from the chaff, and Shackleton’s breeding suggests he’ll relish the test. If that proves true, plenty of punters with Ladbrokes free bets will be eyeing this as a good spot to roll the dice.

Los Angeles Heads a Blockbuster Prince Of Wales’s Stakes

The Prince of Wales’s Stakes at 16:20 is one of the true jewels of the entire festival. This Group 1 mile-and-a-quarter contest has attracted some serious quality, none more so than Los Angeles, who goes off at 9/4 and sits at the head of the market.

The four-year-old has quietly built a very respectable CV: two runs this season, two wins, and a total of seven victories from eleven career starts. That includes three Group 1 triumphs, the most recent being the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh, where he fended off Anmaat by half a length in a driving finish.

There’s a certain smugness about the camp with Los Angeles, and rightly so. As some continue to doubt his credentials, trainer confidence remains sky-high. The prevailing thought is that Ascot’s stiff mile-and-a-quarter will play perfectly to his strengths. He travels smoothly, battles willingly, and rarely runs a bad race. For Moore, it’s yet another prime opportunity to add more Royal Ascot silverware to an already groaning cabinet.

Anmaat remains a genuine danger, and there are enough classy sorts lurking to make this no penalty kick. But if you’re pondering where to place that Ladbrokes Bet £5 Get £20 free bet, Los Angeles offers the kind of solid profile punters dream of.

The Liffey Sparks Royal Hunt Cup Gamble Frenzy

Finally, we land on what might well be the wildest betting heat of the week—the notorious Royal Hunt Cup. This mile-long handicap regularly delivers carnage, drama, and results that leave form experts questioning everything they’ve ever known.

In amongst this year’s sea of hopefuls, one name has set tongues wagging: The Liffey. Originally a 100/1 poke when markets opened, the Joseph O’Brien-trained four-year-old has been backed into 7/1, with his price shortening by the hour as punters latch on to the story.

Since being transferred to Joseph’s yard from his father Aidan, The Liffey has only seen the racecourse once—a fourth-place finish in a Listed event at Naas. That run followed a lengthy layoff of nearly a year, and there was a strong sense that he was still blowing away the cobwebs.

What’s really sparked the gamble is the strength of that form. The winner that day has franked the race by landing a decent prize back in Ireland, which has only added fuel to the punters’ fire.

Of course, this is the Hunt Cup. Fields the size of small towns pile into the straight, and it takes a heap of luck to find a clear run. But for those looking to turn their bookmaker free bets into something resembling a healthy return, The Liffey has become the most talked-about value play of the day.

Final Thoughts: Free Bets Ready for Action

Day Two at Royal Ascot never disappoints, and today’s mix of precocious juveniles, classy middle-distance stars, and handicap head-scratchers has something for every flavour of punter.

Whether you’re playing it safe with favourites like Los Angeles and True Love, or throwing caution (and your Ladbrokes free bets) into the Royal Hunt Cup hurricane, there’s every chance you’ll be shouting something unrepeatable at your telly before the afternoon’s out.

With many bookmaker free bet deals on offer, it’s the perfect opportunity to dip your toe into the Ascot mayhem without the usual financial heart palpitations. And who knows? By tea time, you might even be standing there smugly, pretending you always fancied that 25/1 outsider you accidentally backed.

Whatever happens, just remember—it’s Royal Ascot. Nobody looks cool cheering home a 33/1 shot in a morning suit. But it’s absolutely glorious when you do.