Horse owned by King Charles III finishes last at Royal Ascot despite being favourite

King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s horse Reaching High finished last at Royal Ascot on Tuesday, despite being 13-8 favourite to win the opening day’s showcase race.Trained by Willie Mullins, the dominant force in Irish racing, and ridden by Ryan Moore, a jockey with more than 200 Group and Grade 1 winners worldwide, Reaching High was beaten by more than 59 lengths in the 20-runner Ascot Stakes.In Britain’s most prestigious horse-racing event, the spotlight instead fell on winner Kizlyar, a 25/1 outsider trained by Joseph O’Brien, son of Aidan O’Brien, the most successful trainer in Royal Ascot history.For much of the two-and-a-half-mile contest, Reaching High raced close to the leaders before weakening rapidly more than two furlongs from the finish.Ryan Moore rode Reaching High (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)Mullins had spent the last year preparing the gelding for another attempt at the Ascot Stakes after an unlucky run in the race in 2025, when Reaching High finished ninth after repeatedly being denied a clear passage.

Royal Ascot, held in Berkshire, about 25 miles west of London and a short drive from Windsor Castle, was founded by Queen Anne in 1711 and remains one of Britain’s most iconic sporting events.Each of its five days begins with the Royal Procession, during which the King and Queen and other members of the royal party travel along the racecourse in horse-drawn landaus — open ceremonial carriages — before watching the racing from the Royal Enclosure.King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the opening day of Royal Ascot. (Kirstin Sinclair/Getty Images for Royal Ascot)The result denied Charles and Camilla what would have been their second Royal Ascot winner since taking over Queen Elizabeth II’s racing operation. Their first came in 2023, when Desert Hero won the King George V Stakes.During her 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II had 24 Royal Ascot winners and became one of Britain’s most respected owners and breeders.Reaching High is a five-year-old gelding bred from Estimate, whose 2013 Gold Cup victory made Elizabeth II the first reigning monarch to win Royal Ascot’s most prestigious race.Jun 17, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms