Watson’s career takes off
THE usual suspects finished top trainer and top jockey over the five days of Royal Ascot.
Aidan O’Brien topped the trainers’ table for the ninth time thanks to his four winners last week.
Newmarket trainer John Gosden also had four, but O’Brien had one more second than Gosden.
Ever humble, O’Brien said: “We had plenty of races that we didn’t win, but we were privileged and delighted to win a few.
“It’s competitive racing at Royal Ascot. No matter what race you run a horse in, it is always tough to win and very competitive, but that’s what makes it special.”
O’Brien now has 65 winners at the Royal Meeting in total.
Ryan Moore rode a double on Saturday to leapfrog Frankie Dettori and take the leading jockey award.
He averaged a winner a day, one more than Dettori who drew a blank on the fifth day.
Punters would do well to note one particular name among the winners – Archie Watson, whose Soldier’s Call won the 28-runner Windsor blessed. It means the world to and there is nice strength in Castle Stakes on Saturday. me and the whole team at depth to our two-year-olds.”
The 12-1 shot dug deep to home,” he said after the race. The key to Watson’s early
win by half a length and give “I was delighted with Nate success has been the shrewd
Watson recompense The Great, as he ran a placing of his horses.
for finishing second huge race. Seventy of his 104 winners with Nate The Great “But Soldier’s Call have been on the all-weather an hour earlier in has got so much natural with 21 at Lingfield Park, 16 the Chesham Stakes. speed. We were not at Wolverhampton and 15 at
The Lambourn sure whether to run Kempton. A tenner on his trainer has had a in the Norfolk or the runners at those tracks has licence for less Windsor Castle, so yielded a profit of over £500. than two years, so I’m glad it has worked He knows the limitations of was understandably out. his horses and wants to be chuffed. “I’m very “He and Nate The known for his winners – every
Great are two very one of them is out to win. He’s followGOING to .
natural horses very much a trainer