2020 Royal Ascot Results & Review

The 2020 Royal Ascot Meeting will always be remembered as the one that was played out behind closed doors with no crowds.

However, despite the track not being awash with a sea of fashion, horse racing fans still had plenty to be thankful for ahead of the Royal Ascot 2020 fixture.

After months of no UK horse racing the return of the action in early June meant trainers, bookmakers and punters could get going again in the sport they loved and with the five-day Royal Ascot Meeting being in doubt for much of the spring – it was great news it got the green light to race.

This year at the 2020 Royal Ascot Meeting the fashion and hospitality got a backseat and the focus was 100% now on the horse racing – and with eight Group One races over the five days there was a lot of top class action for horse racing fans to get stuck into. Plus, with several new races added to the fixture we now had four days of 7-race cards (Tues-Fri), plus a monster 8-race card on the final day – Saturday.

What a performance from Stradivarius to win his third consecutive Ascot Gold Cup under Frankie Dettori ⭐️ #Stradivarius #RoyalAscot #CotswoldForage pic.twitter.com/ivRUfqtMqT

— Cotswold Forage (@CotswoldForage) June 18, 2020

2020 Royal Ascot – Day One

We got going on Tuesday 16th June with an top-class 7-race card that was spearheaded by two Group Ones – the Queen Anne Stakes and the King’s Stand Stakes. All the big yards from the UK and Ireland were in attendance and even though this year’s Royal Ascot Meeting lacked a bit of International spice, we still saw the odd entry from France and America.

If there was a headline after day one it had to be about jockey – Jim Crowley. The former champion jockey got off to a flying start at the 2020 Royal Ascot meeting by firing in winners in the Buckingham Palace Stakes, King’s Stand Stakes and the Duke OF Cambridge Stakes – a treble that paid out 118/1!

All three of Jim Crowley’s Royal Ascot day one winners were also for his retainer – Hamdan Al Maktoum, who’s horses run in the famous blue and white silks.

In terms of trainers, it was John Gosden who sent out two Royal Ascot winners on the first day as – one being Nazeef and the other being the hugely exciting Frankly Darling, who was super-impressive in landing the Ribblesdale Stakes by 1 ¾ lengths and is now at the head of the market for the Epsom Oaks in early July.

The day’s Group One races – the King’s Stand Stakes, went to the speedy Battaash, who made it third time lucky in this race after finishing runner-up for the last two seasons. While the powerful Irish yard of Aidan O’Brien got on the scoresheet in the other Group One on the day as their tough mare – Circus Maximus – added the Queen Anne Stakes to last year’s St James’s Palace Stakes, with Ryan Moore in the saddle.

2020 Royal Ascot – Day Two

Just the one Group One race on the second day of the 2020 Royal Ascot Meeting – the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, but there were some top supporting contests that included the Royal Hunt Cup, Hampton Court Stakes and Windsor Castle Stakes.

The meetings leading jockey after day one – Jim Crowley – also added to his tally on the second day when he steered home the Owen Burrows-trained Hukum to win the King George V Stakes Handicap and looks sure to be pitched at a higher level after that easy success.

The day’s feature – the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes went to leading trainer John Gosden, who landed the spoils with his rapidly improving Lord North. This 4 year-old has now won 5 of his 8 starts and finished first of second in seven of those. Races like the Coral Eclipse at Sandown and the King George at Ascot could be next on the agenda for this exciting middle-distance performer.

We also saw a royal winner on the second day as the Queen’s Tactical, under jockey James Doyle, came with a great late run to land the Windsor Castle Stakes for trainer Andrew Balding, while the final race of the 2020 Royal Ascot day two card went to trainer Roger Varian’s Fujiaira Prince.

2020 Royal Ascot – Day Three

Into the halfway point of the 2020 Royal Ascot Meeting and as we all know the Thursday at Royal Ascot is all about one race – the Ascot Gold Cup. This Group One, run over a trip of 2m4f was all about the winner for the past two years – Stradivarius – who was looking to further cement his name in the Royal Ascot history books.

Trained by John Gosden, who was already having a fantastic meeting and ridden by Frankie Dettori then this 6 year-old was sure to attract plenty of interest. He didn’t let his supporters down either after travelling so well during the race and then when Dettori pressed the button eventually came clear to win by 10 lengths – yes, 10 lengths!

This Stradivarius Ascot Gold Cup performance was surely going to be one of the highlights of the meeting and at the age of only six there is every chance he’ll be back for more in 2021 as he looks to equal the Ascot Gold Cup haul of Yeats (4 wins).

As well as this top Gold Cup performance, the third day at Royal Ascot also belonged to trainer Roger Varian, who managed to fire in three winners. His Molatham landed the Jersey Stakes – another for jockey Jim Crowley too, while Mountain Angel took the Wolferton Stakes and Khaloosy wont he ultra-competitive Britannia Stakes Handicap – again for Crowley.

These wins saw jockey Jim Crowley further extend his lead at the top of the 2020 Royal Ascot jockey’s race with 5 winners, and there was still two days left.

Finally, the last race of the day three Royal Ascot card went to trainer Charlie Fellowes, who managed to win the Sandringham Stakes for a second year in a row – this time with a different horse, Onassis. This 3 year-old was also ridden by Hayley Turner, who rode the Fellowes winner of this race 12 months ago too – it will be interesting to see what the pair team-up with in 2021 in this race!

2020 Royal Ascot – Day Four

The Friday at Royal Ascot was headlined by the Group One Commonwealth Cup – a race that always sees some top-class sprinters lock horns. This year’s race was another competitive affair, but eventually went to the Clive Cox runner – Golden Horde – who beat the US raider Kimari. It gave the yard their first winner in this Group One and another top winner for jockey Adam Kirby.

The supporting races saw more wins for trainer John Gosden as he sent out Fanny Logan to win the Hardwicke Stakes and this was also another win for jockey Frankie Dettori and the Italian’s third Royal Ascot winner of the 2020 meeting.

While the powerful Aidan O’Brien yard were also amongst the winners as they won the Queen’s Vase with promising stayer – Santiago. Ryan Moore rode.

The opening race also saw a very promising sort in the making as the Tim Easterby runner – Art Power – took one of the newly-added races – the Palace Of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the Queen when staying in Scotland.

Finally, the day four headlines were also taken up with female jockey – Hollie Doyle – winning the final race – the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes with Scarlet Dragon. She joined only Gay Kelleway and Hayley Turner as the third lady rider to win a race at Royal Ascot, but you suspect the way shes riding at the moment this won’t be her last success at this fixture.

2020 Royal Ascot – Day Five

The final day of the 2020 Royal Ascot Meeting saw a bumper 8-race card with the newly-added Silver Wokingham Handicapped a welcome addition for horses that failed to get into the main Wokingham Handicap – run later on the card.

That consultation race went to the Charlie Fellowes-trained Chiefofchiefs, and gave the yard their second Royal Ascot winner at the 2020 Meeting and their third in total.

The day was headlined by three Group One races – Coronation Stakes, St James’s Palace Stakes and the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, while horse racing fans also had the chance to see some of the stars of the future with top 2 year-old races like the Coventry and Queen Mary Stakes.

With jockey Jim Crowley leading the 2020 top Royal Ascot jockeys’ race with six wins then it would have to take something special on the final day to not see him crown the leading jockey.

So, who better than Mr Ascot himself – Frankie Dettori – to step up to the plate. The pint-sized Italian fired in three winners that started with Campanelle in the Queen Mary Stakes for his old US trainer pal – Wesley Ward.

We then saw a shock 150/1 winner of the Coventry Stakes in Nando Parrado – trained by Clive Cox and ridden by Adam Kirby, this horse also became the biggest-priced winner in Royal Ascot history after this.

Frankie Dettori was back in the winners’ enclosure next to grab his second success on the day when the Jessica Harrington runner Alpine Star showed a good turn-of-foot to win the Coronation Stakes – a Group One win that meant Frankie Dettori had won all the Group One races at Royal Ascot during his career.

The unbeaten Palace Pier won the St James’s Palace Stakes for trainer John Gosden and was yet another winner on the day for Frankie Dettori – this was his third on the final day and now his six overall at the 2020 Royal Ascot Meeting. This 3 year-old looks a very exciting prospect for the yard and looks set to run in more of the top mile races this season.

Trainer Kevin Ryan was the next trainer to step into he limelight as his Hello Youmzain won the Group One Diamond Jubilee Stakes and then he followed that up in the next race (Wokingham Handicap) with Hey Jonesy – both winners were ridden by up-and-coming jockey Kevin Stott.

The afternoon and the 2020 Royal Ascot Meeting ended with the longest race on the flat turf calendar – The Queen Alexandra Stakes, run over 2m 5 1/2f. It was left for the Alan King runner – Who Dares Wins to send favourite backers home happy as he got the better of the battle with The Grand Visir – a win that saw trainer Alan King end the meeting with three winners.

Roll on Royal Ascot 2021!

2020 Royal Ascot Top Jockey

After a final day Royal Ascot treble, it was Frankie Dettori that stole the ‘TOP JOCKEY’ title from Jim Crowley. Both jockeys fired in six winners, but it was Dettori that had the more place finishes to win the crown. Next best was Ryan Moore, with 4 winners and James Doyle with three.

2020 Royal Ascot Top Trainers

Trainer John Gosden was crowned the 2020 Royal Ascot ‘TOP TRAINER’ with six winners, with leading Irish handler Aidan O’Brien and Roger Varian in joint-second with 4 winners each.The surprising trainer stat was that Sir Michael Stoute, didn’t get a single winner, while Mark Johnston only managed the one success.