Without a shadow of a doubt, Royal Ascot is the biggest Flat race meeting in the world.

Year upon year it attracts the best horses in training and it is a spectacle to behold. It comes second only to Grand National betting in terms of horse racing turnover.

Of course there is no Royal Ascot without the top trainers and top jockeys competing at the Berkshire track so it is well worth studying who does well on an annual basis at this globally recognised horse racing event.

Best Royal Ascot Trainers

Sir Michael Stoute

Sir Michael Stoute has trained more winners at the meeting than anyone else.

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When his Dream Of Dreams finally won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in 2021 after two previous near-misses, the veteran trainer gained his 82nd success at the fixture.

He has beaten and surpassed the previous record of 75 winners, set by the late Sir Henry Cecil.

Out of those 82 winners the most famous one was undoubtedly Estimate in the 2013 Gold Cup for the late Queen.

Her overwhelming excitement at winning the feature race was an enduring Royal Ascot moment that people will never forget.

Aidan O’Brien

When Broome won the Hardwicke Stakes on the Saturday of last year’s Royal Ascot fixture it gave Aidan O’Brien winner number 81, just one short of Sir Michael Stoute’s record 82.

That amazing tally has been clocked up in 25 years and at 26 Royal Ascots. That works out at an average of 3.11 winners per Royal Ascot for the Ballydoyle maestro.

One thing is certain; O’Brien will break Stoute’s record, if not in 2023, definitely in the following years.

He will probably set a total that will never be broken in our own lifetime. 

Best Royal Ascot Jockeys

Lester Piggott

In a long and illustrious career, Lester Piggott is by far and away the most successful jockey at Royal Ascot ever.

“The Long Fella“ racked up a total of 116 winners including a record-breaking 11 Ascot Gold Cup triumphs.

Piggott was a big admirer of Dettori and said of him a few weeks before his death: "There's a handful of really good jockeys, but Dettori is the one.

"Beautiful balance on a horse. Of course, Ryan Moore is good, but if you really come down to it, Frankie's still the best."

Frankie Dettori

Dettori’s career total of 76 Royal Ascot winners puts him second only to the late Lester Piggott on the all-time list, but 2023 will be the Italian's final Royal meeting.

76 may well be his final total should he have no successes. 

Royal Ascot Top Trainer Odds

Going into the 2022 Royal Ascot meeting we were offering the following horse racing online bets on these trainers having the most winners over the five days:

  • Aidan O’Brien (winner) - 11/8

  • Charlie Appleby - 7/4

  • John & Thady Gosden - 9/2

  • William Haggas - 7/1

  • Andrew Balding - 10/1

  • Charlie & Mark Johnston - 16/1

  • Sir Michael Stoute - 16/1

  • Roger Varian - 20/1

  • Karl Burke - 50/1

  • Willie Mullins - 50/1

  • Wesley Ward - 66/1

This market is highly likely to have similar prices in 2023.

Royal Ascot Top Jockey Odds

Going into the 2022 Royal Ascot meeting we were offering the following odds on these jockeys having the most winners over the five days:

  • Ryan Moore (winner) - 11/10

  • William Buick - 3/1

  • Frankie Dettori - 7/2

  • Jim Crowley - 10/1

  • Tom Marquand - 12/1

  • Hollie Doyle - 16/1

  • James Doyle - 16/1

  • Rossa Ryan - 16/1

  • Andrea Atzeni - 25/1

  • Adam Kirby - 33/1

  • Jamie Spencer - 33/1

  • Silvestre de Sousa - 50/1

  • Daniel Tudhope - 50/1


 

Steven is a sports and horse racing enthusiast and is a member of the Horseracing Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA) in the United Kingdom.

He is a regular visitor to Paris Longchamp for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and a lifelong fan of the Aintree Grand National, a subject he writes about 52 weeks of the year. Last year he reached the impressive milestone of attending the last 30 renewals of the Grand National.