Royal Ascot never fails to deliver a summer racing spectacular, but even by its lofty standards, the 2025 edition was a meeting to remember. From Field Of Gold sizzling in the St James’s Palace Stakes to Trawlerman’s course-record-breaking effort in the Gold Cup, brilliant performances peppered the Berkshire turf.
While the horses are the true stars of the unparalleled Royal Ascot spectacle, every winner has a human team behind them, led by the trainers, jockeys, and owners, who keep the whole racing machine running.
In keeping with tradition, Day 5 saw Ascot honour the leading trainers, jockeys, and owners at this fabulous fixture. So, who came out on top in 2025?
Top Trainer: Gosdens Edge Out O’Brien on Countback
Heading into the meeting, most expected Aidan O’Brien to take the top trainer honour once again. And he very nearly did. Whilst the Group 1 prizes surprisingly eluded the Ballydoyle maestro, he still registered an impressive five wins over the five days. With wins in the Coventry Stakes, the Queen Mary Stakes, and the Norfolk Stakes, O’Brien fared particularly well in the juvenile division, with his other successes arriving in the Ribblesdale Stakes and the Hampton Court Stakes.
However, that five-winner total fell just short of the top spot. Invariably amongst the winners at the Royal Meeting, the John & Thady Gosden operation also picked up five winners. In the case of a tie, second-place finishes are taken into consideration. With four runners-up finishes to three for O’Brien, the Gosdens pipped the Irish juggernaut to the title.
John & Thady Gosden’s Royal Ascot 2025 Winners
| Race | Grade | Horse | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St James’s Palace Stakes | Group 1 | Field Of Gold | Colin Keane | 8/11 |
| Copper Horse Stakes | Class 2 Handicap | French Master | James Doyle | 5/2 |
| Duke Of Cambridge Stakes | Group 2 | Crimson Advocate | James McDonald | 13/2 |
| Prince Of Wales’s Stakes | Group 1 | Ombudsman | William Buick | 7/1 |
| Gold Cup | Group 1 | Trawlerman | William Buick | 85/40 |
Despite the wafer-thin winning margin, it felt fitting to see the prize go to the longstanding Newmarket yard. While O’Brien failed to hit the Group 1 target, team Gosden grabbed a trio of top-tier events in the St James’s Palace Stakes, the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, and the Gold Cup, with further victories in the Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes and Copper Horse Stakes. Three of the most impressive performers – Field Of Gold, Ombudsman, and Trawlerman – all hail from the Gosden yard.
Top Jockey: Moore Masterful Once Again
No need for countback in the top jockey standings. Oisin Murphy, James Doyle, and William Buick all enjoyed excellent weeks but couldn’t keep pace with the best in the business, Ryan Moore. A total of seven wins – two clear of his nearest pursuer, Murphy – saw Moore move on to 92 career Royal Ascot winners. The most talented horseman of his generation will surely become a Royal Ascot centurion in the coming years.
Ryan Moore’s Royal Ascot 2025 Winners
| Race | Grade | Horse | Trainer | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry Stakes | Group 2 | Gstaad | Aidan O’Brien | 7/2 |
| Queen Mary Stakes | Group 2 | True Love | Aidan O’Brien | 9/4 |
| Norfolk Stakes | Group 2 | Charles Darwin | Aidan O’Brien | 8/13 |
| Ribblesdale Stakes | Group 2 | Garden Of Eden | Aidan O’Brien | 7/1 |
| Hampton Court Stakes | Group 3 | Trinity College | Aidan O’Brien | 5/2 |
| Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes | Class 2 Handicap | Ethical Diamond | Willie Mullins | 3/1 |
| Queen Alexandra Stakes | Class 2 | Sober | Willie Mullins | 4/5 |
The man up top for all five of Aidan O’Brien’s wins, Moore’s other two victories came courtesy of fellow Irish powerhouse Willie Mullins. Brilliant from the front aboard Charles Darwin and True Love, and timing his challenge to perfection with Ethical Diamond and Sober, Moore remains ice-cool under the white-hot lights of racing’s biggest stages.
Coolmore Top Owners Pile
As with the race for the trainer’s title, the battle for the leading owner award was a closely fought affair. Godolphin enjoyed a solid week with four winners and six further top-three finishers, but the boys in blue were edged out by a long-time rival and one of the emerging forces on the ownership scene.
Considering they only sent out their first Royal Ascot runner in 2023, Wathnan Racing has made rapid strides in a short space of time. Hitting the target with two of three runners in their debut campaign, they doubled that tally to four at Royal Ascot 2024. This year, the Wathnan battalion had grown to 38. Five of those runners came home in front, with Lazzat providing the big Group 1 highlight in a thrilling edition of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. However, that best-ever total fell just short, as the prize fell to the perennial leading owners at this fixture.
Grabbing gold with Gstaad (Coventry Stakes), True Love (Queen Mary Stakes), Charles Darwin (Norfolk Stakes), Garden Of Eden (Ribblesdale Stakes), and Trinity College (Hampton Court Stakes), Coolmore matched Wathnan’s five wins. As such, countback was again required, with Coolmore winning the second-place finishers fight 3-0.
