O’Brien on top again at Royal Ascot
Trainer Aidan O'Brien (left) with Jockey Ryan Moore after Illinois won the Queen Alexandra Stakes on day five of Royal Ascot. Picture: John Walton/PA
Royal Ascot centurion Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore capped a typically stellar week in Berkshire by waltzing away with the leading trainer and leading jockey prizes respectively.
The duo enjoyed many high-profile victories together throughout the week, including the Coronation Stakes with Precise on Friday, but the highlight was most surely Scandinavia downing Trawlerman in a vintage Gold Cup on Thursday.
It was a triumph that gave O’Brien a record-extending 10th success in the staying feature but also meant he became the first trainer to reach 100 wins at the meeting.
He then edged out son Joseph, who enjoyed a fine week of his own with five winners, in a thrilling family battle on the final day to take top spot in the trainer’s standings for the 14th time.
O’Brien, who ended the Royal meeting on seven winners and two clear of his son, said: “It’s been a brilliant week. A lot of people have put in a lot of hard work, and I’m so grateful to them.
“I’m always mentioning everybody but some people I don’t mention, I’m sorry to anyone I haven’t mentioned, but I’m so grateful to the whole team for a lot of hard work.”
Asked for his moment of the week, there was an obvious answer.
O’Brien added: “I suppose it’s hard to get away from Scandinavia. He was incredible. Everyone knows the Gold Cup is the longest race, it’s the race everyone wants to see and captures everyone’s imagination, and when the two horses lined up in the straight, it was incredible.
“Obviously we hoped Scandinavia would step up and obviously he was taking on the champion and the winner for the past couple of years, double his age, and he’s only a baby stayer, so I think everyone got a great thrill.”
Moore started the week on 92 winners and two days after describing O’Brien as “probably the greatest trainer anyone is ever going to see” ended the week on the cusp of his own 100, stranded on 99 after winning the final race of day five.
However, the Coolmore number one had already racked up enough of an advantage to top the top jockey list, ending the week on seven winners, winning the prize for a 13th time and for the fifth successive year.
It should come as no surprise given the dominance of O’Brien and Moore that it was the Coolmore partners who landed the leading owner prize with eight winners as well, taking home first place in the standings for the seventh time in he last 10 years.
