When Is The 2025 Royal Hunt Cup? History, Trends & Prize Money

The Royal Hunt Cup is due to take place on Wednesday 18th June 2025, which is the second day of this year’s Royal Ascot meeting.

What Time Is The 2025 Royal Hunt Cup?

The Royal Hunt Cup will get underway at 5.00pm on Wednesday 18th June 2025.

• Group/Class: Heritage Handicap
• Distance: One mile
• Age: Three year old & upwards

Race History

The Royal Hunt Cup always provides one of the greatest spectacles of the Royal Meeting as a maximum field thunders up Ascot’s Straight Mile course for one of the biggest Royal Ascot betting races of the season.

First run in 1843, it was originally staged over seven furlongs and 155 yards. The current distance of a mile was established in 1955 when the straight course was re-aligned as part of the previous redevelopment.

Royal Hunt Cup Prize Money

There is a total prize fund of £175,000 for the Royal Hunt Cup, with winning connections claiming £90,195 of the pot – and readers can find prize money for every Royal Ascot race here.

• Winner: £90,195
• Runner Up: £42,297
• Third: £21,157
• Fourth: £10,570
• Fifth: £5,285
• Sixth: £2,642

Royal Hunt Cup Trends  & Statistics

• Group Wins: 1/12 winners had at least one win in a Group 1-3 race.
• Age: 8/12 winners were aged four.
• Starting Price: 1/12 winners were favourites/joint-favourites, 5/12 winners came from the top three in the horse racing odds.
• Weight: 9/12 winners carried between 8st 11lbs and 9st 3lbs.
• Stall Number: 8/12 winners came from stall 11 or higher.
• Last Run: 3/12 winners won on their last run before the Royal Hunt Cup, 3/12 placed on their last run, 9/12 winners had their last run within the last 60 days.
• Previous Course Form: 8/12 winners had at least one previous run at Ascot, 3/12 winners had at least one previous win at Ascot.
• Previous Distance Form: 9/12 winners had at least three previous runs over 8 furlongs, 7/12 winners had at least one previous win over 8 furlongs.
• Rating: 11/12 winners had a rating of 96 or higher.
• Season Form: 10/12 winners had at least 1 run that season, 5/12 winners had at least 1 win that season.

Fate Of The Favourites

Since the turn of the millennium just one favourite has filled the winner’s circle. Eight of the 24 winners returned a single-figure starting price; eight were between 10/1 and 18/1, with the remainder 20/1 or bigger. In 2013, Belgian Bill sprang a 33/1 shock.

The 30-runner Royal Hunt Cup is one of the biggest betting heats of the meeting, and is also one of the trickiest contests of the season for punters to solve.