Royal Ascot 2026: Irish horses favourites to lift Gold Cup
The centrepiece of the flat racing season is here, with Royal Ascot ready to welcome some of the world’s premier horses to Berkshire.
Starting on 16th June and offering five days of early summer racing, the meeting is one of the major landmarks of the British social calendar.
For the trainers, owners and jockeys, however, Royal Ascot offers the chance to collect some of the most prestigious trophies in British racing.
This includes the Gold Cup, one of the oldest races in existence. First held in 1807, and contested this year on Thursday 18th June, it’s undeniably Royal Ascot’s centrepiece.
This year’s favourite, along with some of the top outsiders, all come from Irish yards.
This is what makes this year’s crop from across the Irish Sea stand out, and, once the race is underway, you can follow the fast results live.
Scandinavia leads the pack
Trainer Aidan O’Brien is taking his classic Gold Cup victory route with favourite Scandinavia.
Starting at the Vintage Crop Stakes before progressing to the Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes and Gold Cup is O’Brien’s established path for his best horses.
It led Kyprios to glory in 2022 and 2024, Order Of St George in 2016, Fame And Glory in 2011, and Yeats in 2007.
As soon as Scandinavia was listed in the Vintage Crop field, it was assumed he’d be leading the contender in this year’s Gold Cup.
His preparation races have gone well, with Scandinavia winning both races on O’Brien’s path to Royal Ascot.
The only slight doubt is that he’s never raced a distance more than two miles before.
With the Gold Cup being over an extra four furlongs further than Scandinavia’s previous longest race distance, there are still a few unknowns about how he’ll react.
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Le Destrier and Al Riffa top outsiders
One of the top Irish outsiders in the Gold Cup is Al Riffa. Trained by Joseph O’Brien, son of Scandinavia’s trainer Aidan, the horse has taken a very different path to the race than the one entered by his father.
After winning the Irish St Leger last September, Al Riffa was taken globe-trotting.
Since then, he has contested the Melbourne Cup, Hong Kong Vase, Dubai Gold Cup and Prix Vicomtesse Vigier, all with mixed results.
His best finish came last time out at Longchamp, where Al Riffa was the favourite but beaten into third after a bunched finish.
It’s hard to get a read on Al Riffa’s form after such a busy schedule. What his excursion has proven, however, is that he’s a solid all round horse who can adapt on the fly if Ascot throws up any challenging conditions.
Another Irish outsider worth keeping an eye on is Le Destrier. He’s a part of Willie Mullins’ growing flat racing operation, and caught the attention of race fans when he finished third in the Saval Beg.
This was Le Destrier’s first race in almost two years, and the combination of a strong performance in a proven Gold Cup preparation race, plus Mullins as trainer, has put the horse on many punters’ radars.
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