Royal Ascot 2025 was a meeting to remember for trainers Aidan O’Brien and John & Thady Gosden, writes Peter Moore.

They saddled five winners each on what can only be described as five days of top class racing in front of an overall attendance of 286,541, a 4.8 per cent increase on the 2024 total of 273,528.

In baking hot conditions which didn’t deter a wonderful selection of people, the real winners in the searing heat were the horses.

The opening day on Tuesday saw a thrilling finish to the G1 Queen Anne Stakes with Docklands edging out the 5-2 favourite Rosallion in the opener on the card.

The winner gave trainer Harry Eustace his first ever Group 1 success. Ascot specialist Docklands, who finished second in the meeting’s curtain raiser 12 months ago, found plenty to deny Rosallion by a nose.

Gstaad emulated his sire Starspangledbanner by winning at Royal Ascot after comfortably accounting for 19 rivals in the G2 Coventry Stakes.

The unbeaten colt, who is a half brother to dual G1 winner Vandeek, powered to a three length victory under Ryan Moore, despite racing alone down the centre through the final two furlongs.

Gstaad was providing winning trainer O’Brien his 11th success in the six furlong contest.

Trainer Jim Goldie celebrated a first Royal Ascot success after his sprinter American Affair landed the G1 King Charles III Stakes under Paul Mulrennan.

The five-year-old quickly moved into contention before digging deep to fend off the challenge of Frost At Dawn by a neck.

Field Of Gold confirmed his position as the champion miler of his generation with a stunning three and a half length success in the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes.

Always travelling smoothly, John & Thady Gosden’s star performer cruised into contention and put the race to bed under Juddmonte’s new retainer Colin Keane.

Leading Irish jump trainer Henry de Bromhead secured a first Royal Ascot success after Ascending denied fellow Irish challengers Nurburgring and Comfort Zone in the Ascot Stakes.

Ascending hit the front approaching the final furlong and had enough in hand to get the better of the Joseph O’Brien trained Nurburgring, Comfort Zone and Leinster.

Elsewhere in the Royal Meeting, True Love franked the form of Tuesday’s winner Gstaad after providing Aidan O’Brien with a first success in the G2 Queen Mary Stakes.

Despite coming off the bridle just after halfway, the twice raced horse responded to Ryan Moore’s urgings to win by a length and a quarter.

Promising stayer Carmers showed a fine attitude by lowering the course record to land the G2 Queens Vase and in so doing provided Irish trainer Paddy Twomey his first Royal Ascot winner.

Crimson Advocate produced a devastating turn of pace to pass all of her rivals to win by a length and three quarters in the G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes.

This was a second Royal Ascot success for the four-year-old, who won the Queen Mary back in 2023.

Trainer Ed Walker was also celebrating during the week after landing two big races at the meeting.

Never Let Go kept on plugging away to take the Sandringham Stakes under Kieran Shoemark at odds of 22-1.

Twenty-four hours later the same partnership was successful in the Jersey Stakes after Noble Champion got the better of Soy Chief to win by three and a quarter lengths.

One of the big success stories of the week has to go to Get It and the My Racehorse syndicate.

Last year the gelding won the Stewards Cup at Glorious Goodwood. Back in May the seven-year-old broke the course record by winning a Class 3 handicap after making all for Pat Cosgrave.

On Saturday, with Cosgrave suspended, Seamie Heffernan took the ride and, employing the same tactics, his blistering pace soon had the field lagging behind before facing the challenge late on of More Thunder.

Get It, like he always does, seemed to find a little bit extra and held on to take the Wokingham Stakes by a head for trainer George Baker.