Aidan O'Brien nominates Auguste Rodin as highlight after being crowned leading Royal Ascot trainer for 13th time

Aidan O'Brien had no hesitation in nominating Auguste Rodin's triumph in the Prince of Wales's Stakes as the highlight of his six-winner haul at Royal Ascot 2024, which was enough to see him crowned leading trainer for a 13th time. 

Ryan Moore was leading rider for an 11th time with six winners, which brought his overall total at the royal meeting to 85. 

He is now the second most successful jockey in the history of the meeting, after surpassing Frankie Dettori's tally of 81. Lester Piggott is out in front on 116.

Ascot pledged to donate £5,000 to Retraining of Racehorses for every winner Moore rode this week, so £30,000 will be going its way to the most worthwhile of causes. 

The Coolmore partners were leading owners again with six winners as well. 

There were some outstanding performances among that sextet, most notably Bedtime Story in the Chesham, the widest-margin winner of the week after scooting clear to win by nine and a half lengths. 

There was Fairy Godmother's astonishing late burst to rescue glory in the Albany, Port Fairy in the Ribblesdale, Illinois in the Queen's Vase and Kyprios in the Gold Cup, but it was Auguste Rodin who gave O'Brien most pleasure. 

When asked for his own personal highlight, O'Brien said: "I suppose Auguste Rodin. He's such a special horse and we're only starting to work him out properly now. He's an incredible horse and pure class in every way: in looks, in pedigree and in personality. 

"He wants to try and we just feel so lucky that he didn't go to stud last year. We were hoping he would stay in training, so I'm very grateful to the lads for keeping him in training. He's going to be a very special horse. 

"Ryan [Moore] said he'd love to ride him in a Japan Cup. I think my tactics were confusing everyone, and they might have been confusing the horse as well. 

"It's best to keep it simple and let him go forward, and to not be giving him tasks that were impossible to do. He's such a beautiful mover that fast ground is very important to him."

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