Royal Ascot is the signature horse racing event of the summer and has witnessed truly great feats by competitors over its prestigious history.
Here is a list of the best horses to have competed at the week-long festival in the modern era, and a bet on Royal Ascot on one of these competitors would certainly have not let you down.
1. Frankel
Arguably the finest racehorse in history. He was two for two in his appearances at Royal Ascot as he won his debut outing in his three-year-old season in the St James’s Palace Stakes. Frankel returned in 2012 with a dominant performance in the Queen Anne Stakes, winning the race by an incredible 11 lengths.
2. Yeats
Aidan O’Brien’s charge was dominant over two miles. He made his mark in the Ascot Gold Cup in 2006, starting an unparalleled run of success in the event. Yeats won four cups in a row and was rarely troubled on his way to glory signing off with a fine run in 2009.
3. Blue Point
Godolphin’s Blue Point was nothing short of outstanding at Royal Ascot. He joined an elite company of horses to win successive races in the King Stand Stakes, and then made it three victories in a row at the festival with a triumph in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.
4. Stradivarius
Another Gold Cup horse that dominated the race. John Gosden’s charge was truly exceptional between 2018 and 2020, winning the race three times in a row with outstanding performances. He failed to join Yeats with four-straight wins but still belongs in the history of Royal Ascot.
5. Lady Aurelia
Wesley Ward’s charge proved that she was a special competitor, laying down an impressive run in her first race at Royal Ascot to win the Queen Anne Stakes by a comfortable margin. She returned in 2017 with another fine outing in the King Stand Stakes, etching her name in the history of the festival. It was not to be third time lucky in 2018, losing out to Blue Point.
6. Dubai Millennium
Dubai Millennium was one of the most formidable horses that graced the track. However, he only competed at Royal Ascot once in 2000 in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. He still left a lasting mark with a sensational performance to win the event by eight lengths.
7. Manduro
Manduro was widely regarded as one of the best flat horses of all time, but it took two appearances to register a win at Royal Ascot. He was beaten in 2006 in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, finishing in third, but returned a year later to win the race with a fine display.
8. Mill Reef
Mill Reef was an outstanding competitor throughout his career, and he made sure to make a decisive impact at Royal Ascot by winning the 1970 Coventry Stakes with a sensational outing.
9. Black Caviar
The Australian horse had huge expectations when he competed in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in 2012, but proved that his reputation was not all talk, delivering a brilliant performance as the odds-on favourite to beat out Moonlight Cloud by a head in his first overseas race.
10. Estimate
The Queen puts the Royal in Royal Ascot as even her majesty has a horse that competes in the festival. In 2013, Estimate delivered a rare victory for The Queen by winning the Ascot Gold Cup with a performance to delight his owner in the crowd.
