Willie Mullins' €115,000 recruit from Andre Fabre the one to beat - but some familiar rivals could be dangerous

This is a unique test as the longest Flat race in the entire calendar and it won’t surprise anyone that the man who has cracked it is British and Irish champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins. Nobody has saddled more than his tally of four winners since the turn of the century.

What's more impressive about Mullins’ record is that those four wins have been achieved from a total of just 16 runners in that time, so 25 per cent of those he has saddled have won.

His four wins all came in years when he had just one sole runner and it’s evident that he picks out his Queen Alexandra horse from some way out. This year, Sober is the chosen one.

Mullins did have Sober entered in the Gold Cup on Thursday and other entries for this race, but Ryan Moore was alongside Sober’s name at the five-day stage. That's further evidence that this has always been the plan. So, could the €115,000 purchase from France carry it off?

He's unraced in Britain, but the BHA handicapper makes him the second-best horse behind Tashkhan and, not only is he one of the classiest, he's among the strongest of stayers, having scored over 2m4f in a Killarney hurdle last month on his debut for the Mullins yard.

Mullins’ main rival in Irish jumps racing has long been Gordon Elliott, who has a good Queen Alexandra record himself. He won it with Commissioned in 2016 and Pallasator two years later – that horse was also second in 2019. Samui is Elliott’s first runner since then.

He finished third behind French Master in the Copper Horse Stakes here on Tuesday, and horses who ran in one of the staying races on the opening day and came back just four days later to run in the Queen Alexandra are 3-14 (21 per cent), for a profit of £3.25 to £1 stakes. 

The fact that Samui is back so soon after a good run is therefore a positive and not a negative.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

What they say

Ryan Moore, jockey of Sober
He’s already a winner in Group company and was placed in the Prix Royal-Oak in 2022 before being gelded. He’s not been with Willie for long and has had one start over hurdles since moving over from Andre Fabre’s, so we’ve not got much to go on in that sense, but his form from France is good. I’d like to think he’s got a very good chance.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Samui
He ran really well on Tuesday when third in the Copper Horse Stakes and we've decided to roll the dice again with him. He should be there or thereabouts, and obviously likes the track. So, we're hopeful.

Ben Pauling, trainer of King Of The Road
He's a very good work horse and he's in good order. As most Royal Ascot horses do, he had a prep run over hurdles at Warwick and ran very well considering where he was, fitness-wise. It'll be an interesting fact-finding mission at quite a public place, but he goes there fresh and well, and can't have done any more at home. I'm delighted my first Royal Ascot runner is a horse as solid as he is.

Brian Ellison, trainer of Tashkhan
He'll need some rain as the ground is very firm for him.

Adrian Murray, trainer of Dallas Star
We've always thought he's a stayer, so we thought this race was worth a crack. He's never run beyond two miles but we think he should get the trip.

Dylan Cunha, trainer of Toby Tops
If it were a handicap, he'd be getting upwards of 20lb from most of them, so he's completely out of it on the weights. It's a tough ask.
Reporting by Conor Fennelly

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