Royal Ascot 2020: Top Trainer

Aidan O’Brien was crowned leading trainer at Royal Ascot for the tenth time 12 months ago, and he is favourite to retain his crown at around 5/4. O’Brien has been in flying form since the return of racing, winning both the 1000 Guineas with Love and the Irish equivalent with Peaceful, and will be well represented in the Group races at this year’s meeting.

Mogul, who runs in the King Edward VII Stakes on Tuesday, looks to be one of O’Brien’s better chances of the week. A brother to Japan – who won the race 12 months ago – Mogul showed smart form last season and finished fourth to Kameko in the Futurity Trophy on his final start of the campaign. Tat form was boosted when Kameko made a winning return in the 2000 Guineas and Mogul, who will be well suited by this significant step up in trip, remains an exciting prospect.

Japan is also a short-priced favourite for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on Wednesday. Japan was an impressive winner at the meeting last year, and went on to win the Grand Prix de Paris and Juddmonte International at Group 1 level. He was last seen finishing fourth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, shaping better than the bare result, and could have more to offer as a four-year-old.

John Gosden is another trainer who will be well represented and isn’t far behind O’Brien in the betting, available at a top price of 7/4. He has plenty of chances on day one, with Daarik heading the betting for the Buckingham Palace Handicap, while Terebellum and Miss Yoda both hold sound claims in the Queen Anne Stakes and Ribblesdale Stakes, respectively.

One of Gosden’s leading hopes for the week is Stradivarius, who is odds-on to land a third successive Gold Cup. This year’s Gold Cup doesn’t look as deep as previous editions, so he is strongly fancied to become just the third horse to complete a hat-trick in the race.

The unbeaten King Leonidas is another interesting runner for Gosden in the Jersey Stakes on Thursday. He was well backed to make a winning debut at Newmarket last season, and found a chunk of improvement to follow up at the same course earlier this month, looking potentially smart. The drop back to seven furlongs shouldn’t pose a problem and he looks one to keep on the right side.

Other previous winners of the title who will be hoping to have a good week include Sir Michael Stoute, Mark Johnston and Saeed bin Suroor, but it is Charlie Appleby who looks the main danger to Gosden and O’Brien. One of Appleby's better chances could be Modern News, who made a winning debut at Newmarket earlier this month and is entitled to come on plenty for that, so looks a key player in the Chesham Stakes, which the yard won last year with Pinatubo. Pinatubo suffered a first defeat in the 2000 Guineas, finishing only third, but he could bid to bounce back in the St James's Palace Stakes.

However, as the betting suggests, it looks a match between Gosden and O’Brien, and, at the prices, Gosden edges the vote. Both men are expected to have good weeks, but Gosden is likely to have the shortest-price favourite of the week in Stradivarius, while the handicaps are all-British affairs this year which tilts the scale in his favour.

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