Royal Ascot Wrap: 8 of 11 Selections Won or Placed — Plus Where We Stand at the US Open

Date Posted: Saturday, 20 June 2026

Royal Ascot is done for another year, and it’s been one of the strongest weeks our model has produced. Across five days and eleven selections, eight came home with a win or a place — a 73% strike rate across the board.

It started fast on Tuesday with Bow Echo winning the St James’s Palace Stakes at 4/5, backed up by a place for More Thunder in the Queen Anne at 4/1. Wednesday brought another winner in Ombudsman, who bolted up in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at 11/8, though Radiant Beauty couldn’t fire in the Kensington Palace Stakes. Thursday was a big day — Nola Soul justified a step up in class to win the Chesham Stakes at 5/1, and Jamestown ran on for third in the Britannia at 10/1. Friday kept the momentum going with Venetian Sun winning the Commonwealth Cup at 13/8 and Emit picking up a place in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at 13/2.

Saturday’s final day selections didn’t go our way as cleanly — Ethical Diamond never landed a blow in the Hardwicke, and Satono Reve was run out of it on the line in the QEII Jubilee Stakes. Completely Random salvaged something from the day with a place in the Wokingham, getting up right on the line.

Across the whole meeting: four winners, four places, three that didn’t make the frame, and a week’s running total of +11.71pts. Full breakdown and the running P&L, as always, are on the site.

US OPEN — WHERE WE STAND

Of our three each-way plays at Shinnecock Hills, Russell Henley has struggled to +13 and is out of it. Robert MacIntyre is also well out of it on +7. Wyndham Clark is out in front at -7 (not one of our selections). Matt Fitzpatrick is the one keeping us interested, still in the mix at -3 as the tournament heads into the final rounds.

We’ll have the final golf result once the tournament wraps up on Sunday.

SUMMARY

A strong week at Royal Ascot — 8 of 11 selections landed, for a running total of +11.71pts. At the US Open, Fitzpatrick is the live hope as we head into the final stretch…

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Matt Fitzpatrick

Royal Ascot Day 3 Picks, Two More US Open Selections — Plus How the Meeting Is Going So Far

Date Posted: Wednesday June 17, 2026

Two days into Royal Ascot and the model has already landed its standout selection. Ombudsman bolted up in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at 11/8, following Bow Echo‘s win in the St James’s Palace Stakes at 4/5 on the opening day. More Thunder picked up a place at 4/1 each-way, and Radiant Beauty was the one selection that didn’t fire in the Kensington Palace Stakes. Two winners from four selections so far…

PICK 1: Nola Soul — Chesham Stakes (2:30) — 5/1 — 1.5pts Each-Way
Strong each-way play for a yard with serious form in this exact race — they trained last year’s runner-up, Thesecretadversary. This son of Justify won his Leopardstown debut with plenty in hand, beating subsequent Royal Ascot winner King Of Cloughan by three-quarters of a length. Half-brother to 1m winner Equal Force. 1.5pts each-way, 3 total.

PICK 2: Jamestown — Britannia Stakes (4:50) — 10/1 — 1pt Each-Way (6 places)
Plenty of untapped potential — been behind Bobby McGee twice this season but showed enough to suggest more is coming, then improved again at Dundalk last time. Today’s setup should suit, and six places each-way gives good cover in a typically huge field. 1pt each-way.

US Open reminder + two new picks: Russell Henley remains our pick from earlier in the week at 33/1 EW (8 places) for his course-fit profile.

New in!

Matt Fitzpatrick at 22/1 EW (6 places) — proven Shinnecock form and red-hot current form off a runner-up finish at the Canadian Open. 1pt each way

Robert MacIntyre at 50/1 EW (8 places) — last year’s US Open runner-up, built for the wind. 1pt each way

18+, be responsible…

Matt Fitzpatrick

Royal Ascot Day 1 Selections + A US Open Bonus Pick

Date Posted: 15 June, 2026

The Royal Meeting gets underway on Tuesday at Ascot and we have two selections for the opening day of the world’s most prestigious flat racing festival. We are also going early on the US Open with a bonus pick ahead of Thursday’s first round at Shinnecock Hills.

Royal Ascot Day 1 — Tuesday 16 June

The going at Ascot is forecast to be good to firm, which suits the type of flat, consistent performances our model looks for. Royal Ascot is the defining week of the British flat racing calendar and Day One features three Group One contests. The quality is exceptional and the fields are competitive — exactly where our AI model excels.

PICK 1: More Thunder — Queen Anne Stakes — 4/1 — 1pt Each-Way

The Queen Anne Stakes is the traditional opener to the Royal Meeting, run over a straight mile. It is a race that rewards horses who travel comfortably through their race and finish strongly on quick ground.

More Thunder is trained by William Haggas, whose yard has been in brilliant form. The trainer stats back this selection strongly. More Thunder has shown consistent ability over a mile on good to firm ground and the straight mile at Ascot fits his running style well. At four to one this is strong each-way value in an open but high-quality field.

PICK 2: Bow Echo — St James’s Palace Stakes — 4/5 — 2pts Win

The St James’s Palace Stakes is the premier milers’ contest for three year olds at the Royal Meeting and one of the most prestigious races of the week. This is our strongest selection of the day.

Bow Echo is our highest-confidence play at the Royal Meeting and we are going two points win. His recent form is excellent and everything about his profile suits this race. Our analysis was very clear on this one — the form, the going preference, the profile all align. At four to five he is the deserving market leader and we are happy to take the short price given the strength of the case.

Bonus Pick — US Open Golf — Shinnecock Hills

The 2026 US Open begins on Thursday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York. This is one of the most demanding tests in major championship golf. Links-style, exposed to Atlantic winds, firm and fast fairways, and rough that is absolutely unforgiving for anyone who strays off the fairway.

At Shinnecock, the stats that matter most are driving accuracy and precision iron play. Power without accuracy is a liability here. The players who tend to win US Opens at this venue are the disciplined, controlled ball-strikers rather than the bombers.

BONUS PICK: Russell Henley — US Open — 33/1 — 1pt Each-Way (8 places)

When our analysis went through the full US Open field, Henley’s course fit at Shinnecock stood out immediately. He has the best driving accuracy of any player in the field — a stat that is arguably the single most important metric for this specific venue. His iron play is elite and crucially, his game profile is built around hitting fairways, hitting greens, and grinding out consistent rounds rather than going for broke.

The 2018 US Open at Shinnecock was won by a player with exactly this kind of profile. Controlled, accurate, disciplined. Henley fits that template better than almost anyone in the field.

At 33/1 with eight places, the each-way return potential is exceptional. This is outstanding value for a player who fits this course better than his price suggests.

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US Open Golf 2026 — Shinnecock Hills

Posted: Sunday June 14, 2026

The biggest major of the summer is nearly here. The US Open tees off on Thursday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York — and our selections will be up on Wednesday evening before a shot is hit.

Why Shinnecock Hills is Different

Shinnecock Hills is one of the most demanding venues in world golf. Links-style in feel, exposed to the coastal winds off Long Island, with firm and fast conditions that punish anything less than precise ball-striking and smart course management.

This is not a course where you bomb and gouge your way around. Shinnecock rewards players who shape the ball, manage their game, and stay patient when the conditions turn against them. The last time the US Open was held here, the winning score was under par — but only just. Historically, this course has handed out some of the toughest winning scores in major championship history. Over par is always in play.

Wind is the defining factor. Tee time in the morning or the afternoon can be the difference between a benign scoring round and a war. Our analysis factors in the forecast, the draw, and how each contender performs when conditions are at their most demanding.

What We’re Looking At

When our model runs the field for a US Open at Shinnecock, it’s weighing up:

Course fit — ball-strikers who work the ball and hit fairways. Big hitters who can’t control their driver will struggle on these exposed fairways with heavy rough.

Links and firm-ground form — players who have performed on similar surfaces (fast, firm, windy) tend to transfer that form. This is not a week for players who only shine on soft, receptive tour setups.

Weather and tee times — the draw matters enormously at Shinnecock. We’ll be tracking the forecast and factoring in which sessions are likely to play easier or harder.

Major championship record — Shinnecock finds you out mentally as much as it does technically. Players with a track record of competing in majors under pressure are given extra weight.

Current form — hot form coming in matters, but course fit overrides it here more than at almost any other event.

Selections on Wednesday

We’ll have our US Open selections live on Wednesday evening — giving you time to get on at a competitive price before round one begins Thursday morning.

This is one of the best events of the year for value-hunting. 156-player field, a course that levels the playing field, and genuine uncertainty about who thrives in the conditions. Our analysis thrives in exactly this kind of setup.

Blog post with full analysis drops Wednesday. Everything goes on here and Substack at the same time.

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18+ | Please engage responsibly | Past results do not guarantee future returns | twistertipster.com

Last year’s US Open winner JJ Spaun

Canadian Open 2026 — Two Golf Selections from the AI Model (June 10, 2026)

The RBC Canadian Open tees up this week at TPC Toronto, a tree-lined parkland course in Ontario. Two players have come out clearly from this week’s analysis. Here’s the reasoning…

AARON RAI — 1pt each way @ 33/1 6 places, 1/4 odds Aaron Rai is built for this kind of course. TPC Toronto’s North Course rewards precise iron play — it’s a tree-lined parkland where wayward driving gets punished and approach play separates the contenders from the also-rans. Rai’s approach game is among the elite in this field, and June conditions in Ontario — potentially soft ground, some wind, cool temperatures — only sharpen that edge further. The AI model places him firmly inside the top 10 in projected contention, yet the market has left him at 33/1. That gap is the value. Six places at 1/4 odds means the place return alone (just over 8/1) is worth having. This is a confident each-way play.

NICOLAI HOJGAARD — 1pt each way @ 30/1 6 places, 1/5 odds Hojgaard brings a balanced game to a course that demands exactly that — length off the tee, quality iron play, and enough control to navigate the trees. Our analysis rates him among the genuine top-10 contenders in this field. 30/1 is a proper each-way price for a player at his level, and six places gives excellent coverage.

Summary: Aaron Rai — 1pt each way @ 33/1 (6 places, 1/4 odds) Nicolai Hojgaard — 1pt each way @ 30/1 (6 places, 1/5 odds) Total staked: 4pts twistertipster.com | 18+ · Be Responsible · Past results do not guarantee future returns

Aaron Rai

Memorial Tournament Picks 2026 | AI Analysis — Muirfield Village (Wednesday June 3, 2026)

The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village is one of the most demanding tests on the PGA Tour — and one that rewards the right kind of player. Jack Nicklaus’s design punishes wayward shots and demands precise iron play into small, firm greens. This week, the AI model has identified two standout selections that fit the course profile perfectly.

⭐ Pick of the Week: Ludvig Åberg — 14/1 each way (5 places, 1/4 odds)

Åberg is the model’s purest fit for Muirfield Village this week. His approach play ranks among the very best in the field — and at a course where iron play is the defining skill, that matters more than anywhere. He combines elite ball-striking from the tee with the precision approach game that Nicklaus’s design rewards. At 14/1 with 5 places available, the AI model rates this as the standout each-way value of the week.

1pt each way

🎯 Rory McIlroy — 12/1 each way (5 places, 1/4 odds)

The AI model identifies McIlroy as carrying the clearest positive edge in the field this week. Our analysis rates him at a significantly higher win probability than the market implies — and at 12/1, that gap represents genuine value. He’s the best driver of the ball in the field and combines that with elite approach play, exactly the two-dimensional game Muirfield Village demands. The Memorial is a course that suits his powerful, controlled ball-striking.

1pt each way

🔍 First Round Leader: Rory McIlroy — 18/1 each way (5 places, 1/4 odds)

McIlroy’s elite ball-striking also makes him our First Round Leader selection. Players who can drive the ball long and straight at Muirfield tend to generate early momentum, and McIlroy’s power off the tee is unmatched in this field. 18/1 in the FRL market with 5 places is strong each-way coverage.

1pt each way

⚡ Bonus Play: McIlroy to Lead After Round 1 AND Win — 45/1

Available at selected bookmakers including Bet365. A combined market backing McIlroy to dominate from the front — lead after Thursday and see it through to Sunday. At 45/1 this is a small-stake, high-reward play on McIlroy’s best-case scenario.

0.5pt win

📊 Summary

Selection	Odds	Stake	Type
Ludvig Åberg	14/1	1pt EW	Outright
Rory McIlroy	12/1	1pt EW	Outright
Rory McIlroy	18/1	1pt EW	FRL
McIlroy lead R1 + win	45/1	0.5pt win	Combined
Total staked		6.5pts

5 places, 1/4 odds on all each-way selections unless stated. Analysis produced by the Twister Tipster AI model. Not financial advice. Please be responsible.