Bjorn Nielsen is a US and UK-based thoroughbred owner and breeder who has a huge passion for the game. He is a hedge fund trader and investor and the South African native pumps a lot of money into horse racing.
Nielsen began purchasing thoroughbreds in the early 1990s. Assessor is one of his earliest buys, a horse that went on to land two Group 1s and also won the Yorkshire Cup, Doncaster Cup and a Derby Trial.
The famous owner has won the Group 1 Sprint Cup with Tante Rose and the St Leger with Masked Marvel. However, his most successful horse has to be Stradivarius.
Ascot is a happy hunting ground for Nielsen, who has 10 winners from his last 21 runners at the track. He has two entries for the royal meeting this week.
A seven-time Group 1 winner, he is sure to gain his legend status if he equals Yeats’s record of four Ascot Gold Cup’s on Thursday.
Trainer John Gosden said that he is delighted with him at the moment. The superstar is bidding for a fifth successive win at Royal Ascot which is incredible. He won the Queen’s Vase in 2017 before landing three consecutive Ascot Gold Cups.
Frankie Dettori, who also has an incredible record at the venue, is a man for the big occasion. They make a great partnership and Nielsen’s horse has already earned just shy of £3 million.
Going under the radar, Nielsen’s other runner this week will run in the Ribblesdale Stakes. Gloria Mundi looks a decent price at the moment and she could go off much shorter on the day.
Extremely well bred by Galileo, she won her maiden on debut at Newbury before being beaten a neck in Listed company at Newbury in April.
The step up to 1m4f will bring out more improvement given her pedigree and with low mileage on the clock, she is one that has to be respected for a top handler.