Willie Mullins is the dominant force in National Hunt racing but that’s not enough for him and he’s worth following on the Flat too. He has a good record at Royal Ascot in recent seasons and is likely to be popular again this year. Mullins will be attempting to train a Royal winner this year, as he has a runner for the King and Queen on Day 1.
There are two possible targets so we’re going to take a look at the horse in question’s chances in both. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Reaching High is the horse in question and the four-year-old is entered in the Ascot Stakes over 2m4f. His trainer has won the race three times in the last decade and unsurprisingly has several entries this time around. Obviously the son of Sea The Stars will need to prove his stamina over this marathon trip but Mullins wouldn’t run him if he wasn’t confident that he could stay. Mullins has been in excellent form recently, operating at a very healthy strike-rate, and that certainly bodes well for his chances.
This race has only existed for five years and Willie Mullins has won the last two. Reaching High is a confirmed stayer over this trip and bolted up in a Racing League handicap at Wolverhampton in August. He had so much in hand that day that he went on to score by seven-and-a-half lengths, despite being eased down by Luke Morris. A staying on second over 1m4f at Leopardstown on stable debut, he’s entitled to improve for that and this could be the perfect target with that in mind.
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