Royal Ascot: Big Evs to return

Big Evs enjoyed success at last year’s event, and this year sights are set on the King Charles III Stakes.

We are only a matter of weeks away from the most prestigious horse racing event of them all – Royal Ascot. The 2024 edition of this iconic festival of enthralling racing is set to take place over five days once more, with the action taking place from Tuesday 18th to Saturday 22nd June 2024 at the historic Ascot Racecourse.

Following the founding of the Ascot Racecourse itself 313 years ago in 1711. The Ascot Summer Race Meeting then took place for many years until this event became a Royal event 200 years later in 1911, which was the first ever Royal Ascot.

This festival of racing is famous and iconic for a variety of reasons. Not only is there a royal procession (something unique to this race meeting compared to other UK race events), many famous jockeys and trainers have taken part in Royal Ascot over the years.

Starting with jockeys, it is the legendary jockey Lester Piggott who currently holds the record for the most wins at Royal Ascot with no less than 116. Piggott also won 11 Gold Cups – the most of any other jockey.

These wins came with: Zarathustra (1957), Gladness (1958), Pandofell (1961), Twilight Alley (1963), Fighting Charlie (1965), Sagaro (1975, 1976 & 1977), Le Moss (1979) and Ardross (1981 & 1982).

When it comes to trainers, Aidan O’Brien is the most successful in the history of Royal Ascot to date with 85 wins in all. He also leads the way of any other trainer in the Ascot Gold Cup with no less than 8 times, with these victories coming with Yeats (2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009), Fame and Glory (2011), Leading Light (2014), Order of St George (2016) and most recently Kyprios (2022).

Let’s now fast forward to June 2024, when the latest Royal Ascot will be taking place. There will be several famous horses racing across those five days, and there is one in particular that makes a return following a particularly good run of form – Big Evs.

Big Evs has won his last three races in a row, from Friday 25th August 2023 to Thursday 16th May 2024. This horse also has a track record of wins at Royal Ascot, having won the 2023 Windsor Castle Stakes ahead of Ryan Moore’s Johannes Brahms and Jamie Spencer’s Inquisitively in second and third.

This tremendous run of form began at Doncaster Racecourse, where Big Evs took part in the Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers Stakes. Jockey Tom Marquand was riding the pre-race favourite, and it was Big Evs who emerged victorious ahead of competition from the likes of Oisin Murphy’s Flora Of Bermuda and George Rooke’s Rosario, who came in second and third place respectively in the end.

Up next was the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita in the United States on Friday 3rd November 2023. It was Marquand on board Big Evs once again here, producing a fantastic performance that saw them come out on top, with William Buick’s Valiant Force and Frankie Dettori’s Starlust having to settle for a second and third place finish in the end.

Finally, following a 195 day break, Big Evs took part in his most recent race. It was the British Stallion Studs EBF Westow Stakes at York Racecourse on Thursday 16th May 2024. Tom Marquand and Big Evs put in a great performance, beating runner-up Sommelier (Oisin Murphy) by a margin of one and a half lengths.

Eyes are now firmly set on the upcoming 2024 Royal Ascot, where Trainer Mick Appleby has his sights set on the King Charles III Stakes that take place on the opening day (Tuesday 18th June 2024).

This is what Appleby had to say (via the Racing Post): “He’s not grown much but he’s filled out a lot. He’s like a bull now and Tom said he’s as good as he was in California, if not better. He just missed the break a bit and fell out of the stalls, but Tom took his time on him.

“From two to three you just never know, but he was showing the signs at home that he’s still got it and he showed us that on the track too.

“I think he’ll go for the King Charles III Stakes. He’s in at Haydock (Temple Stakes) but I think that comes too quick and we don’t need to run him again. It’s more than likely he’ll go straight to Ascot.”

Big Evs does look to be amongst the contenders to come away with a race win at this year’s Royal Ascot, and preparation looks to have been ideal to give the horse the best chance of success at Ascot Racecourse in June.

With the 2024 renewal of the iconic and illustrious Royal Ascot underway in a matter of weeks at Ascot Racecourse, excitement, and anticipation are certainly on the rise amongst horse racing fans.

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