ASCOT PREVIEW AND TIPS | EXPERT TIPS | SATURDAY APRIL 18TH 2026
RAIL: 5m TRACK: Good4
Tell you what, I’ve been looking forward to this day for some time. I’ve been getting my 5 and 2 in all week (5 hours of form, 2 hours of refreshing for prices) and I dare say I will be finding 30 (beverages) on Saturday. That is how healthy bodies and minds are sustained.
This year’s Karrakatta is one of the better betting mediums I’ve seen for this race, the Quokka is a proper headscratcher with the contrasting form lines (Eastern states form not my go, so there would be smarter people to listen to than me when assessing the raiders) but it’s proper competitive @ ~$5 the field. Then there is The Joey… it’s absolute dogshit.
The track was rock hard last week with some times suggesting it was nearer a Good3, making it very difficult from the rear. Very interestingly we have a little downpour forecast for Friday night/Saturday morning which has the potential to get the track to the Soft5 range. BUT, on the flipside if that rain doesn’t come and the track staff have allowed for it (and therefore not irrigated as heavily), we could get another dry deck. All in all, the 5m pad is brilliant and there shouldn’t be enough rain to need to look for swimmers. Fair deck, fair wind, let’s go.
Ascot Racecource WA Overview
SUMMARY
Ascot Racecourse is located on the banks of the Swan River on the outskirts of the city of Perth, and has been the home of the Western Australian Turf Club (now operating as Perth Racing) since it hosted its first race meeting back in 1852. Perth Racing is the only metropolitan race club in WA and also operates the city’s other racecourse at Belmont Park, with the two venues hosting a combined 90 meetings per season. A trio of Group 1 races in summer are the headline acts, culminating in the Kingston Town Classic named in honour of the champion racehorse who won 14 times at racing’s highest level, including three Cox Plates in a row from 1980-82. For Ascot race tips on the Kingston Town Classic and all meetings during Perth’s summer and winter carnivals, make sure you bookmark the Betfair Hub.
FAST FACTS
A notable feature of Ascot racecourse is its imposing statue of local hero Northerly, the two-time Cox Plate winner who became known as the ‘Fighting Tiger’ due to his tenacity in races.
KEY EVENTS
The Perth Summer Racing Carnival is the highlight of the year-round action at Ascot. Featuring a trio of Group 1 contests – the Winterbottom Stakes, Railway Stakes and Kingston Town Classic – the eight-week carnival opens with the Group 3 Northerly Stakes in mid-October, and closes with the Group 2 Perth Cup which is traditionally held on New Year’s Day. Ascot hosts every meeting during the summer carnival and also stages all eight fixtures which form the winter carnival, opening with the Group 3 WA Oaks for fillies. Whether it’s a Group race or a regular Saturday metro meeting, you can trust our team of tipsters to deliver their Ascot race tips on the Betfair Hub.
COURSE PROFILE
The circumference of Ascot racecourse is 2022m with a relatively short home straight measuring just 300m, but due to its steep incline it presents a true test of a horse’s stamina particularly in staying races. The triangular course has three distinct turns, including a sweeping curve from the 1600m to the 1000m mark. Depending on the strength and direction of the wind coming in off the river, leaders can be advantaged at Ascot. Betfair’s team of experts stay across the track conditions as they bring you their Ascot best bets throughout the year.
HISTORY
Regarded as the grand old lady of Australian racing, Ascot (originally called Perth Racecourse) has been hosting meetings since the formation of the West Australian Turf Club in 1852. The inaugural edition of the Perth Cup was run in 1887, when it was run over two miles (the race distance was changed to 2400m in 2009).
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