We could get a royal winner on the opening day of the 2025 Royal Ascot meeting as top rider Ryan Moore has been booked to ride the Willie Mullins-trained Reaching High for King Charles III in the Ascot Stakes on Tuesday.
Willie Mullins and Ryan Moore Hoping To ‘Reach High’ With Royal Winner On Day One
When Willie Mullins and Ryan Moore team up in the Ascot Stakes at Royal Ascot we should take notice.
Why? Well, the pair have combined to win the race THREE times since 2012.
Simenon (2012), Clondaw Warrior (2015) and Thomas Hobson (2017) are the three Moore/Mullins Ascot Stakes winners over the years.
While Mullins also added a fourth in 2018 with the Andrea Atzeni-ridden Lagostovegas.
The pair will look to improve on that top record when the go again in Tuesday’s race – this time with a regal feel.
Mullins is often refered to as the ‘King of Cheltenham’ but will be looking to reward King Charles III with a Royal winner with Reaching High.
This 4 year-old son of former Derby winner Sea The Stars could be described by many as a Royal Ascot banker with the Moore/Mullins record in the Ascot Stakes.
He’s also the son of the Queen’s former Gold Cup winner Estimate.
Reaching High Was Formerly With Top Royal Ascot Trainer Sir Michael Stoute
The horse was last seen running a close second at Leopardstown on debut for Willie Mullins, having previously been trained by the now retired Sir Michael Stoute.
Stoute trained 82 winners at the meeting in his career, with only the 91 Aidan O’Brien Royal Ascot winners trumping him.
That first run for Mullins came over 1m4f and is stepping up significantly in trip here to 2m4f.
But has won before over 1m6f so it’s easy to see why connections are giving the extra yardage a go.
Moore will head into the 2025 Royal Ascot date on the 85 winners mark – with only Lester Piggott (116) ahead of him.
While Willie Mullins will be looking to add to his ten Royal Ascot winners over the years.
However, with 40% of those coming in the Ascot Stakes then the King’s horse has this decent strike-rate on his side.
When Is The Ascot Stakes 2025?
📅Date: Tuesday 17th June 2025
⌚Time: 5:00pm
🏇Racecourse: Ascot
💷Winner: £56,964
📺 TV: ITV/Sky
How Many Royal Ascot Winners Has King Charles III Had?
Since being handed the Royal runners from Queen Elizabeth II when she died in 2022, King Charles III has had ONE Royal Ascot winner.
This came in 2023 with a horse called DESERT HERO, who was trained by William Haggas and ridden that year by Tom Marquand.
Desert Hero won the King George V Stakes in 2023 by a head (watch below).
However, King Charles III still has plenty of ground to make up on his mum in terms of Royal Ascot winner.
The former Queen fired in 24 winners over the years – one of which was Estimate winning the 2013 Gold Cup under a certain Ryan Moore (watch below).
So, can Moore repeat the feat and fire in another Royal winner – this time for the King?
If he can Moore would become the first jockey to ride a winner for them both at Royal Ascot.
While, if Reaching High does get his head in front – later in the week we could see more King Charles Royal Ascot horses.
He’s got Rainbows Edge in the Kensington Palace Stakes on Wednesday and Purple Rainbow entered in the Sandringham Stakes on Friday.
The Queen’s last Royal Ascot winner was Tactical in 2020, who won the Windsor Castle Stakes.
That win has also since been commemorated with a new painting being unveiled on Monday – with the artist Nichola Eddery, the daughter of former champion jockey Pat Eddery.
Nichola Eddery added “James Doyle kindly came and posed for me on the equicizer at the National Horse Racing Museum wearing the royal colours. I was able to loan a number cloth from Ascot Racecourse and the number 14 was carried by Tactical when winning the Windsor Castle Stakes. It also symbolises the current King’s birthday, the 14th November.
