Royal Ascot is one of the leading Flat meetings in the world of horse racing, and with lucrative prizes on offer across the week, it attracts the best thoroughbreds in the sport.
Here is a look at the leading horses competing at Royal Ascot this year.
Auguste Rodin
AUGUSTE RODIN WINS THE DERBY! pic.twitter.com/zoqZoH54tX
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 3, 2023
With victories in the Derby and Irish Derby, Auguste Rodin was one of last season’s most successful three-year-olds. The Irish horse is now back at the age of four, and he is set to feature in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes where he is 4/1 in the racing odds for the Group One contest.
As the race results show, the dual Classic winner has already featured twice this season. He finished down the field in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan back in March, while more recently, he was second in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.
Aidan O’Brien has made an excellent start to the 2024 Flat season, with the highlight being his Derby triumph. He will be hoping his five-time Group One winner can land one of the biggest races of the week at the royal meeting.
Kyprios
Irish stayer Kyprios won the Gold Cup at Ascot in 2022 and he will be bidding to become one of only a handful of horses to regain its crown in the feature race of the week this year. The talented stayer missed the majority of last season due to injury, including his chance to defend his crown in the day three contest.
The six-year-old, who was once rated as high as 123 in the official ratings, has been victorious on his two starts already this season. He made a winning return to action in a Listed race at Navan back in April. A month later, he landed the Group Three Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes at Leopardstown.
Kyprios is set for a strong test in the 2024 Ascot Gold Cup as the field includes last season’s Queen’s Vase winner, Gregory, and former Triumph Hurdle winner Vauban. This year’s renewal is arguably stronger than when he prevailed in 2022.
Big Evs
Michael Appleby’s sprinter, Big Evs, established himself as one of the best sprinters in Europe last season with four major victories. The first of those triumphs came at Royal Ascot in the Windsor Castle Stakes. He defeated 22 rivals in the 5f contest for two-year-olds.
GO ON, BIG EVS!!! ❤️💙❤️❤️
Big Evs holds them off in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint 🥇#ITVRacing | #BC23 | @TomMarquand | @MickApplebyUK pic.twitter.com/ESp1lrVgXG
The explosive sprinter travelled across to the United States later in the campaign for the Breeders’ Cup meeting at Santa Anita. He was victorious in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint to give his connections a memorial success in California.
Big Evs made his opening appearance as a three-year-old in the Westow Stakes at York back in May. He produced another impressive performance to show that he remains a big threat in the sprint division this season. His challenge at Royal Ascot will come in the King Charles III Stakes. He is set to take on Australia’s leading sprinter, Asfoora, while Crimson Advocate represents the United States for trainer George Weaver.
Tickets remain available for Royal Ascot 2024 through the racecourse’s official website, while every race will be shown live this year on ITV Racing.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
