Five trainers to follow at Royal Ascot - including one who has saddled seven winners at 14-1 or bigger at the meeting

Royal Ascot is fast approaching and we have picked out five trainers to follow at the big meeting and outlined some of their leading hopes . . .

Archie Watson

Archie Watson saddled three winners at Royal Ascot last year, including Bradsell in the King’s Stand (now the King Charles III Stakes).

That took his tally at the meeting to five since 2018, having first struck with Soldier’s Call in the Windsor Castle that year.

Saint Lawrence: won the Wokingham last year and could bid for a repeatCredit: Alex Pantling

Watson’s leading players appear to be for Wathnan Racing, with the operation's recent recruit Shartash a chief hope in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, while two-year-old debut winners Aesterius (Norfolk/Windsor Castle) and Electrolyte (Coventry) are others to note.

Two of Watson’s three winners last year came in handicaps and Saint Lawrence could bid for a repeat success in the Wokingham, a race in which Watson has another interesting candidate in Albasheer.

Roger Varian

The Newmarket trainer enjoyed four winners at the royal meeting in 2020 and has saddled seven winners in the past three years.

He has saddled six winning favourites at Royal Ascot since 2019, including King Of Steel in the King Edward VII Stakes last year.

Elmalka (right): 1,000 Guineas winner is being aimed at the Coronation StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

While the Amo Racing star has left the stable, Varian has some interesting contenders and his team is led by 1,000 Guineas winner Elmalka, who is pencilled in for the Coronation Stakes.

Lockinge runner-up Charyn is right in the mix in the Queen Anne and Shadow Dance (Duke of Edinburgh) and Fantastic Fox (Royal Hunt Cup) are among a number of handicappers to note.

Kevin Ryan

Has saddled nine winners across Group 1s, two-year-old races and handicaps at the meeting, including four in the last four years.

Interestingly seven of his nine winners have been priced at 14-1 or bigger, including last year’s 33-1 Queen Anne ace Triple Time.

Inisherin: market principal for the Commonwealth CupCredit: John Grossick

Ryan’s main hope is another Sheikh Mohammed Obaid-owned horse in Sandy Lane scorer Inisherin, who has been supplemented for the Commonwealth Cup on the back of his impressive Haydock success.

Given Ryan’s record with double-figure-priced runners, End Of Story (Windsor Castle), Volterra (Britannia/Jersey) and Washington Heights (Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee) are worth a second look.

Harry Charlton

A new name in the training ranks, Harry Charlton has started his first season as an outright licence holder in tremendous form, operating at a 38 per cent (6-16) strike-rate in April.

Charlton enjoyed a Royal Ascot winner with his father Roger when Thesis landed the Britannia in 2022 and he has two noteworthy candidates for this meeting.

King's Gambit (right): a highly promising three-year-old being aimed at the Hampton CourtCredit: Edward Whitaker

King’s Gambit won the London Gold Cup at Newbury in the style of a very smart prospect and will be a big player in the Hampton Court, while Hand Of God, a similarly progressive three-year-old, is open to plenty more improvement and will go for the Golden Gates Handicap.

Aidan O’Brien

We couldn’t fail to mention Aidan O’Brien, who has been the leading trainer at the meeting in seven of the last nine years and again has enviable ammunition for the five-day festival.

O’Brien tops the list for current trainers at Royal Ascot with 85 winners at the meeting and shares the post-war record for seven winners at the meeting in one year with the late Sir Henry Cecil.

He was leading trainer at Royal Ascot last year, saddling four winners, six seconds and two thirds.

Kyprios: bids for a second Gold CupCredit: Ryan Pierse (Getty Images)

His leading Group 1 contenders this year include Auguste Rodin (Prince of Wales’s), star stayer Kyprios (Gold Cup) and Opera Singer (Coronation).

O’Brien is also well stocked in the juvenile division, with Camille Pissarro (Coventry), Whistlejacket (Norfolk) and Fairy Godmother (Queen Mary) among his team.

Read more . . .

'We've assembled a team who can go there and be competitive' - Wathnan set to launch 20-strong assault on Royal Ascot 

The lowdown on the favourites for the main two-year-old races at Royal Ascot 

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