Willie Mullins has secured the services of top jockey Ryan Moore for a Royal Ascot runner owned by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The Irishman has been planning a route towards the Ascot Stakes for Reaching High, the first horse owned by a reigning monarch to be based in Ireland.
Mullins was keen to book a leading name for the bid and Moore has more than any winners at the meeting than any other current rider.
In 2013, he famously steered Queen Elizabeth II’s mare Estimate across the line in first place in the feature Ascot Gold Cup.
Confirmation of the jockey booking has seen Reaching High’s odds tumble to 6-1 with William Hill and Ladbrokes, ahead of the race at 5pm on Tuesday.
The latter firm’s spokesperson Cal Gildart said: “With Ryan Moore’s two Epsom Group 1 victories fresh in the mind, Reaching High’s Ascot Stakes odds almost halved after this news. Punters are clearly high on the King and Queen’s horse, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go off as favourite.”
Bred by the late Queen, Reaching High moved over to the Mullins yard at Closutton when previous handler Sir Michael Stoute retired at the end of the 2024 flat season.
From the location where greats like dual Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs are trained, the Royal Ascot hopeful was prepared for his stable debut on May 16.
And it was only a short-head away from being a perfect start, as Reaching High was just beaten over a distance of 1m 4f.
The son of 2009 Derby hero Sea The Stars will have a mile further to gallop at the royal meeting, but Mullins knows what type of horses are suited to the long distance race as he has won it with Simenon (2012), Clondaw Warrior (2015), Thomas Hobson (2017) and Lagostovegas (2018).
“His pedigree is all stamina, so those kind of races could suit him,” Mullins previously told The Irish Field about Reaching High.
“We were introduced to King Charles and Queen Camilla at Royal Ascot last year. The next thing, we got a phone call asking if we would take a horse for them.
“I said I would be delighted and Reaching High arrived here shortly afterwards. We have schooled him over hurdles and had hoped to get a run into him over jumps recently but it didn’t work out.”
The stayer will be aiming to match the performance of Desert Hero, who gave the King and Queen their first winner at the prestigious fixture in the King George V Stakes.
