Ireland’s Royal Ascot Contingent

Ireland has a long history with the horse racing scene in the UK, and Irish horses and trainers have consistently excelled at major British racing festivals. Now, with the countdown to Royal Ascot in full swing, we’ll see homegrown talent shine again.

Royal Ascot is a showstopping five-day racing festival held at Ascot Racecourse. With a reputation for being “the jewel in the crown” of British Flat Racing, the meet features 35 races, with eight Group 1 challenges, including the blue-riband Gold Cup. With a number of Irish horses lined up for the festival, 2023 is the perfect year to show some national pride by backing your picks using free bets for Ascot.

The Irish at Ascot

Over the past two decades alone, Irish-born and Irish-trained horses have showcased their formidable rowers at this flat racing meet, leaving an indelible mark on the turf. Among the standout horses over the years, Aidan O’Brien’s Yeats has gone down in hoster for clinching an unprecedented four consecutive victories in the prestigious Gold Cup from 2006 to 2009. In fact, O’Brien has become synonymous with Ascot, having trained no less than 77 winners at the prestigious festival.

O’Brien isn’t the only trainer to have played a pivotal role in making Royal Ascot the spectacle that it is today. County Carlow maestro Willie Mullins has orchestrated Stradivarius’ dazzling Gold Cup victories, with the formidable stayer romping home first past the post in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

More recently, Aidan O’Brien has struck gold once again, with Kyprios taking the blue-riband prize in 2022, as well as the Goodwood Cup, Irish St Leger and the Prix du Cadran (in which he stormed home with a massive 20-length lead).

The 2023 Irish Contingent

Speaking of Kyprios, despite his stellar form last year, 2023 is proving to be a different story. The redoubtable stayer suffered a setback a few months ago that may well have taken him out of the running for the Gold Cup this year.

In a March interview with Racing TV, O’Brien explained Kyprios needed time for his joint issue “to settle down” and that they’re “looking at the autumn with him”. With no updates on the 5-year-olds condition since, it’s looking increasingly likely that he won’t be returning to Berkshire to defend his title this June.

So, with the reigning Gold Cup champion out of the running, who else is there for Ireland to get behind in Ascot this year? Kyprios stablemate Broome has recently emerged as a Gold Cup favourite. The seven-year-old made a return to winning form in March, winning the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan by a neck — which also marked his first victory since the Hardwicke Stakes in 2022. He’s shown the best form over middle distances in recent seasons, and O’Brien is keen to let him shine at Ascot.

O’Brien’s next big Gold Cup potential is Emily Dickinson, who’s already gone into Leopardstown as the 3/1 favourite. Although her performance in the Group 3 Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes was a disappointment, seeing her odds drop down to 7/1, she’s proving to be a popular pick.

Known for her stamina, the filly simply didn’t perform her best at Leopardstown, and O’Brien has taken the loss in his stride. Speaking at Naas, he confirmed that “the Gold Cup is where she’s going”, with the 2 miles, 3 furlongs and 210 yards length being more suited to her pace.

While the Gold Cup may well turn out to be the Aidan O’Brien show again in 2023, there are also a number of Irish-born horses scheduled to appear throughout the festival. The Andrew Baldwin-trained Coltrane finishes the trip of hot favourites for the flagship race in ante-post betting markets. Meanwhile, Charlie Appleby’s Modern Games is showing excellent form for the Queen Anne Stakes, with bookies having just shortened her price to 2/1.