Willie Mullins has made the Queen Alexandra Stakes feel like his kind of Royal Ascot finale again, with Le Destrier heading a three-strong Closutton hand in the last race of the meeting.
The 18:10 at Ascot is the longest race of the Flat season, a 2m5f143y test that tends to reward patient preparation, deep stamina and a trainer comfortable thinking across both codes.
That is precisely why Mullins has become such a powerful figure in the race, and why Saturday’s field has a familiar Irish staying flavour.
Le Destrier Heads Mullins Challenge
Le Destrier is the most intriguing of the Mullins trio. The seven-year-old arrives with William Buick booked and a recent Leopardstown run behind Gold Cup winner Scandinavia that reads well in the context of this assignment.
According to the Racing Post racecard, Le Destrier was third to Scandinavia in the Saval Beg on his stable debut after a long absence, having previously shown useful international Flat form in Poland, France and Germany.
That is the profile of a horse who could relish a properly-run extreme-distance contest rather than be inconvenienced by it.
The Royal Ascot link is obvious too. Scandinavia’s Gold Cup success was one of the defining performances of the week, and readers who followed Scandinavia’s Royal Ascot Gold Cup victory will have noted how strong that staying form has quickly become.
Mullins Has More Than One Route
Mullins is not relying on Le Destrier alone. Columbus, ridden by Colin Keane, and Mr Hollywood, partnered by Billy Loughnane, give him further angles into a race he has repeatedly treated as a serious Royal Ascot target rather than a novelty marathon.
Sporting Life’s card has Le Destrier prominent in the market and notes that the Mullins yard has won the race three times in the last five years. Racing Post also points out that Mullins is chasing a sixth win in the race overall, underlining just how often he has found the right type for this unusual Ascot examination.
Columbus adds depth to the Mullins team after joining from France, while Mr Hollywood brings his own continental Flat background into a race that often suits horses with broader staying experience.
It is a reminder of how effectively Mullins can switch recruits between hurdles and Flat staying tests without losing sight of the specific demands of the target.
While Mullins loves this Royal Ascot race – winning 5 of the last 14 renewals.
Illinois And French Master Add Class
The opposition is not thin. Illinois brings Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien into the picture, with last year’s Gold Cup runner-up carrying obvious back-class if he can return to his better Ascot form.
Moore has won the Queen Alexandra Stakes six times in the last 16 years.
French Master, last year’s Copper Horse winner for John and Thady Gosden, is another who gives the race a proper Royal meeting thread.
There is also A Piece Of Heaven for Joseph O’Brien, the Chester Cup winner whose stamina looks tailor-made for this kind of examination (watch below).
That gives the Queen Alexandra more than just a closing-race feel; it has become a meeting-end test of whether proven staying form or Mullins’ specialist approach carries the final word.
The wider Royal Ascot context matters as well. After a week shaped by elite performances, from Kalpana’s Hardwicke Stakes assignment to the build-up around the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, the Queen Alexandra offers a different kind of final act: less speed and spectacle, more attrition and craft.
For Mullins, that is familiar territory. If Le Destrier turns Leopardstown promise into Ascot staying power, the last word of the week could again belong to Closutton.
Having also won the race 12 months ago, when Sober landed the drinks money under Ryan Moore.
