Ryan Moore given added incentive to secure Royal Ascot success
Ryan Moore is hoping he can help boost the Retraining of Racehorses charity when taking a host of high-profile mounts at Royal Ascot.
Widely regarded as one of the best jockeys in the world, Moore has long been an ambassador for the Ascot Racecourse Supports community and charity programme, which will donate £5,000 for each winner he rides during the week to the ROR – Britain’s official charity for the welfare of retired racehorses.
Moore has been crowned champion rider at Royal Ascot on multiple occasions and is odds-on to be top jockey once more.
“I’m really pleased to be helping Ascot this year. Ascot Racecourse Supports are very kindly donating £5,000 for any winner I ride at Royal Ascot, and hopefully we can raise some money,” he said.
“I’m very much looking forward to riding Kyprios in the Gold Cup again. He’s had two runs this year, winning them both, and the Gold Cup is always a tough race and one of the biggest races of the week. We hope for a very big run from him.
“Opera Singer runs in the Coronation Stakes. She was the leading two-year-old filly last year. She was very impressive when she won the Boussac. She was slightly in need of her comeback race in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.
“We have a good team of two-year-olds going there this year. On the first day, we have a lovely Wootton Bassett horse, Camille Pissarro, he was beaten on his last start, but we expect him to come on.
“We also have Whistlejacket in the Norfolk, who is Little Big Bear’s brother, he’s an exciting colt. He won a Listed race at the Curragh the last time, and we expect him to be very competitive.
“I’m also looking forward to riding Fairy Godmother in the Albany. She won a trial at Naas a couple of weeks ago, and we expect the Albany to suit her.
“And we have a lovely Churchill filly, Heavens Gate, who won at the Curragh – and we are looking for a big run from her in the Queen Mary.”
Moore’s first of 79 career winners at the showpiece meeting so far came in 2008, aboard Colony for Sir Michael Stoute, with whom he also teamed up to win the Gold Cup for the late Queen with Estimate in 2013.
“Royal Ascot, for me it’s the highlight of the British racing season, and it’s probably the best race meeting in the world,” Moore said.
“Five days of very competitive races. It’s very hard to win there. I look forward to it every year. I would say it’s my favourite meeting and I’ve been very fortunate to have been a part of it for so long.”
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