Hunting Horn makes it a royal half-century for Ryan Moore

Ryan Moore partnered a landmark 50th winner at Royal Ascot when Prix du Jockey Club sixth Hunting Horn took the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes in terrific style from Crossed Baton.

It was just ten years ago that Moore enjoyed his first Royal Ascot success on Colony for Sir Michael Stoute in the King George V Handicap, but the winners have come thick and fast ever since.

He has never had a blank year since that first win and he has been top jockey at the meeting for seven of the last eight years. He might find Frankie Dettori standing in the way of an eighth Qipco top jockey trophy, but he wasted no time in moving straight on to 51 with an equally stylish success in the Ribblesdale on Magic Wand.

It is always the next winner that matters to Moore, not the last one, and he invariably deflects the credit when his achievements are highlighted.

Hunting Horn: running away from his rivals in the Hampton CourtCredit: Mark Cranham

Having been presented with a Royal Ascot saddlecloth emblazoned in gold with the numerals '50' by the Countess of Wessex, he said: "These totals don't mean a lot to me – I just want to ride more winners. That's how I feel. I'm just being honest.

"I've been very lucky to have ridden a lot of good horses for great trainers like Aidan O'Brien and Sir Michael Stoute."

The 50 might not mean a lot to Moore himself, but O'Brien and Stoute both took the time to sing his praises.

O'Brien, for whom Moore has won a Gold Cup on Order Of St George, a St James's Palace Stakes on Gleneagles, a Prince of Wales's on Highland Reel, a Coronation Stakes on Winter and a Commonwealth Cup on Caravaggio among others, summed up his key attributes when he said: "He's a great fellow, a great rider and we're delighted to have him. It's a privilege really."

He added: "He's very professional and a great fellow to work with. He's dedicated, he's professional, he does his homework, he's got good hands, he's a good judge of pace, and he's strong.

"He can ride from the front and he can ride from the back. He's a great team player, too. It's always about the team, never about himself."

Stoute, for whom the 2013 Gold Cup win on the Queen's Estimate is an obvious highlight, said: "It's a great achievement to do it so quickly. Frankie will be getting nervous!"

Future targets

Hunting Horn is due a short break and could next be targeted at Longchamp's Grand Prix de Paris on July 14.

O'Brien said: "We were delighted with Hunting Horn's last run in the Prix du Jockey Club, and he also had a lovely run at Sandown when third in the Classic Trial.

"He relaxes, travels well and quickens well. His dad [Camelot] was the same when there was pace on, and it was a nice, evenly run race today. We thought a mile and a quarter would suit him well, and Ryan gave him a lovely ride.

"He has a lot of options, as he can step up to a mile and a half as well. He'll probably have a little rest and then we could look at the Grand Prix de Paris."

Moore added: "The race went nice and smooth for him and when he got there he had a bit of a look around. He's an impressive horse and that's a big jump up on what he's done before."

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