Three Aidan O’Brien horses to watch at Royal Ascot 2023
With Royal Ascot just around the corner, flat racing fans from all over the world will have already started to add horses bound for Berkshire to their respective trackers. Those from the top yards, like John and Thady Gosdens’ Clarehaven and Charlie Appleby’s Moulton Paddocks, will undoubtedly be the pick of the bunch.
But one man whose wealth of runners simply cannot be overlooked is Aidan O’Brien. The ‘master of Ballydoyle’ has been crowned the Top Trainer at the meeting 11 times in the last 21 years and has an impressive tally of 81 Royal Ascot winners — just one shy of Sir Michael Stoute’s all-time record.
The Irishman is almost certain to overtake veteran trainer Stoute at this year’s renewal of the flat season showpiece, with several big chances across the meeting’s 36 thrilling races in the Royal Ascot betting. That said, let’s take a look at some of the standout runners set to make the trip across the Irish Sea from Ballydoyle to Berkshire.
Little Big Bear
O’Brien’s shortest-priced horse from his extensive list of entries is Little Big Bear, who is the heavy favourite to win the Group 1 Coronation Cup on the penultimate day of Royal Ascot. The three-year-old had a fantastic campaign last year, winning four races in succession — including the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes — after finishing second on debut.
However, he was extremely disappointing in the 2000 Guineas on reappearance in May — finishing last in the 14-runner field despite going off as the 5/1 third favourite. Little Big Bear bounced back last time out though, winning the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes under Frankie Dettori back down to six furlongs, and is expected to come on from that at Ascot.
Paddington
Backtracking to the opening day of Royal Ascot, Paddington is a 3/1 chance to win the St James’s Palace Stakes — a Group 1 race O’Brien has won eight times in his glittering career, including three times in a row with as many different runners between 2007 and 2009.
The Ballydoyle horse was lightly raced as a two-year-old, finishing eighth in a maiden at Ascot in September before romping home by five lengths for his first win at the Curragh the following month. Paddington is yet to put a foot wrong this year, winning a Premier Handicap on reappearance at Naas in March before a Listed success set him up for a crack at the Irish 2,000 Guineas — which he won by two lengths under Ryan Moore.
He will go up against 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean in this one-mile contest, which is sure to make for a cracking race on the opening day of Royal Ascot.
Luxembourg
Moving on to day two, the 2023 renewal of the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes might just be one of the best races of this year’s Royal Ascot — with two Derby winners and several other horses who have won high-profile races over one mile and two furlongs set to enter the stalls.
Wedged in between 2023 Derby winner Desert Crown and the 2021 victor of the Epsom showpiece Adayar as the second favourite in the betting is Luxembourg. The four-year-old was the ante-post favourite for last year’s Derby but missed out due to a muscular issue after finishing third in the 2,000 Guineas.
He returned to the track in August and won a Group 3 and Group 1 at the Curragh and Leopardstown before coming seventh in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Luxembourg reappeared with a disappointing fifth at the Curragh in May but went on to win the Tattersalls Gold Cup back at the track at the end of last month.