Willie Mullins set for Royal Ascot assault with star jumps names and could team up with Frankie Dettori
WILLIE MULLINS is best known as the king of jumps racing, farming races at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown.
He’s no stranger to Flat success, however, and has won with eight of his 56 runners at Ascot down the years.
His most recent Group winner on the Flat was the Group 2 Doncaster Cup in 2018, but there is one race in particular that he excels in.
That’s the Ascot Stakes, which he’s won four times since Simenon gave him his first in 2012. Clondaw Warrior, Thomas Hobson and Lagostovegas have also provided him wins.
Mullins has also won the Queen Alexandra Stakes four times and looks to have a banker horse lurking in it.
His team in 2023 looks formidable once more and he has runners targeted at some of the feature races, including the Ascot Gold Cup.
Willie Mullins 2023 Royal Ascot squad
All eyes will be on his entries in the Ascot Stakes and he’s got two chances, with the biggest being Bring On The Night.
He faced Coltrane off level weights in last year’s running and was beaten less than a length.
That form hasn’t worked out bad, with Coltrane the general favourite for the Gold Cup, and a repeat of last year could make him tough to beat off 3lb higher.
Mullins also runs Scaramanga, who may fail to get into the field given his rating of 89.
He won a Grade 1 Hurdle in the US when last seen but is just 1-14 on the level, which doesn’t bode particularly well in such a competitive race.
The feature race of the meeting is the Gold Cup and Mullins will be hoping Echoes In Rain can do the business.
She landed a Grade 1 over hurdles at Punchestown when last seen and is rated 153 in that sphere.
Burning Victory was just over a length behind last year’s winner and given that Echoes In Rain is rated 10lb higher, she could easily play a hand in a race lacking Kyprios.
The talking horse of the Mullins’ raiding party is Triumph Hurdle winner Vauban, who goes in the Copper Horse Stakes.
He’s extremely well treated based on his hurdling rating and he should arrive fresh enough to run to his very best.
If the full force of his 160 rating rocks up on the Flat, a mark of 101 on the level won’t be enough to stop him.
Not even his also entered stablemate Absurde, who was a smart Flat horse in France for previous connections, should be able to lay a glove on him.
Finally, he also runs Stratum, who bids for a hat-trick of wins in the Queen Alexandra Stakes.
Frankie Dettori was on board when he returned with a fair run at Leopardstown in May and the legendary Italian will be desperate to get the leg up again to try and secure another Ascot success.
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