Richard Fahey Royal Ascot reflections

Horse Racing

Mon June 22, 2026 · 3h ago

I thought the racing at Royal Ascot last week was superb but my main takeaway was just how good Ryan Moore was.

He was unbelievable, the best rider in the world underlining why he deserves that billing. From Mission Central on day one to Illinois in the Queen Alexandra, he was sensational. I lost count of how many tight finishes he was involved in and he didn't come out of the wrong side of any of them.

I thought the ride on the sprinter was out of this world, as was getting Scandinavia past Trawlerman in the dying strides of the Gold Cup.

But for me his finest hour was getting first run on the Coronation Stakes field aboard Precise. I watched it live on the track and thought 'this isn't like Ryan' when he committed so early but he knew exactly what he was doing.

Precise and Ryan Moore win the Coronation Stakes

From a personal point of view I enjoyed my week but as a trainer it's always better when you have a winner.

But here are my reflections on our team down there.

Crystal Queen (13th Queen Mary)

She was drawn on the wrong side and ran better than her finishing position suggests. She was picking off rivals late on and ran to me as if she wants to go back up to six furlongs.

Mr Colonel (9th Queen’s Vase)

He just didn't fire, I don't know why, and he seems fine afterwards. We'll let him get over the run and make plans from there but I'm happy to draw a line through this performance and he was our only real disappointment down there.

Charted Course (10th Windsor Castle)

He was just off the bridle a long way out as we thought might happen but he ran on well to finish fourth in his group and he's a horse with a bright future. He wants seven furlongs or even a mile but I was happy to give this a shot and he ran OK.

Whispering Moon (8th Chesham)

He ran a lovely race and would have finished closer but for meeting with trouble in running at a crucial stage. He came home really nicely but is a long-term prospect, more of a three-year-old in the making.

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Golden Mind (23rd Buckingham Palace)

He never got into it and was disappointing. I think he needs a bit of help from the handicapper but he'll bounce back.

Hidden Gift (5th Albany)

She ran very well. She hit the gates and got to the front and showed loads of speed to lead them to the furlong pole. She just got tired in the closing stages and I might drop her back to five next time. She'll improve again.

Mussab (3rd Norfolk)

He just got messed around at the start and got shuffled further back than we intended. I really liked how he came home in third and it was a big step up on debut. I was delighted with him.