Another brilliant Royal Ascot has come and gone and following on from another brilliant week of racing there were plenty of talking points.
In this article let’s look back at some of the highlights from one of the best racing weeks of the year.
Ryan Moore
It could be argued that no jockey in the paddock gets as tough a time as Ryan Moore. Having raced for some of the best trainers in the business for years, Moore’s quiet and unassuming nature can often make him an easy target.
Heading into Royal Ascot no jockey is expected to win races like Moore. The stable jockey for the all-conquering Coolmore operation, winning races at Ascot isn’t easy but this year Moore has certainly made it look it that way.
Often criticised for being weak in the finish, Moore was as strong as a bull in several races – most notably when guiding Kyprios to a second Ascot Gold Cup victory.
With Frankie Dettori staying away from Ascot this year, Moore moved into second place on the all-time Royal Ascot winner list. Moore simply knows how to win the biggest races and with yet another Royal Ascot jockey’s title in the bag, few would bet against him closing the gap to Lester Piggott at the top even further.
Aiden O’Brien
Similarly to Ryan Moore, Aiden O’Brien experiences a different kind of pressure when it comes to Royal Ascot.
After a slow start to the week where he didn’t train any winners of the first seven races, O’Brien bounced back with a vengeance on Wednesday and Thursday with Illinois, Auguste Rodin, Port Fairy and Kyprios all finding themselves in the winner’s circle.
A quiet Friday would follow, but on the final day of racing, Bedtime Story would go onto produce one of the best performances we have ever seen at the Royal Meeting to ensure that O’Brien would leave Royal Ascot with yet another trainer’s title.
With a win in the Derby and five winners across Royal Ascot, O’Brien has enjoyed a wonderful start to the 2024 flat season. America will be next his target and you can be assured that he will have his eyes on further glory at the 2024 Breeders’ Cup.
Willie Mullins
After conquering all before him in the jumping sphere, Willie Mullins once again proved that he is one of the best trainers in the sport as he notched yet another Royal winner. Mullins has forged a fearsome reputation at this meeting, and he almost landed the biggest race of his flat career when Vauban produced a fine run to finish third in the Gold Cup.
Arguably the greatest trainer we have ever seen, Mullins’s name will long remain associated with the sport, and we should cherish these years where we get to witness his greatness.
Charlie Appleby
Across the many Royal Ascot previews, the one trainer who many believed had the force to serve it up to Aiden O’Brien and his stable was Charlie Appleby.
Appleby, who represents Godolphin has trained winners all over the world, but for some reason at Royal Ascot his star-studded string failed to fire.
With many favourites including the 2000 Guineas winner Notable Speech running poorly, it’s a case of back to the drawing board for Appleby, who for the first time in his career with Godolphin went without training a winner at the Royal meeting. He will want to bounce back later in the year at the Breeders Cup. A meeting where he has enjoyed fantastic success in the past, look for Appleby to bounce back from this poor week and end the year in strong fashion.
Billy Loughnane
For years, the odds across numerous horse racing betting sites for all the big races have been dominated by old hands such as Ryan Moore, Frankie Dettori, Tom Marquand, Hollie Doyle and Jim Crowley. With these stars dominating the top end of the sport, many have been wondering who from the next generation could come in and muscle their way in on the action.
That question went a long way towards being answered with the form of Billy Loughnane. At just 18, Loughnane showed why he is so highly regarded and why many are tipping him to one day become one of the most sought-after jockeys in the paddock.
After producing a superb ride to guide home 80-1 shot Rashabar in the Coventry Stakes, Loughnane would then go onto land a second winner of the week when narrowly edging out the rest of the field in the Sandringham Stakes with Soprano.
Due to his stylish performances at this year’s Royal meeting, the excitement surrounding Loughnane will continue to grow, and you can be assured that his will be a name that we will become accustomed to seeing on the Ascot stage for many years to come.
