Everest Mission on agenda after O’Brien and Moore upset Aussies at Ascot

Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore completed the full set of Royal Ascot Group 1s, with Mission Central defying the Australian challenge in the King Charles III Stakes on the opening day at Royal Ascot.

Mission Central, who started at $14 in the 26-strong field, launched late to rush past French filly Rayevka and win by a head. Overpass, who briefly looked the winner inside the final 100 metres, was overrun late and beaten a length.

It was the 98th Royal Ascot winner for O’Brien and the 93rd for Moore. Significantly, it came in a Group 1 race the pair had not previously won.

Mission Central is a three-year-old gelded son of No Nay Never and has now won six of his eight starts for Coolmore and their partners. He was bred by Michael O’Leary, who is known for his dominance in National Hunt racing in Great Britain and Ireland.

Coolmore Australia’s Tom Magnier said after the race that the winner would make an ideal horse for The Everest, and he had already broached the subject with both O’Brien and Moore.

Bjorn Baker’s runner started favourite but did not get the comfortable on-pace run Josh Parr would have hoped for. He and fellow Aussie challenger Asfoora settled close to the speed and both moved to challenge at the same time.

While Parr was hard at work, Overpass responded best and looked set to defy the on-pace brigade, only for the first two across the line to storm home over the top.

“He showed a really good bit of spirit to look the winner at one point. He didn’t get the best break, and he was dictated to by the leader, but I was very happy with his performance,” the jockey said.

Asfoora, who won the same race two years ago, was gallant in seventh, just two lengths from the winner.

Mission Central flies home!

He is IN the @Prevagen #BreedersCup Turf Sprint! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Ipw8CuVB7U

— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) June 16, 2026

The feature race, the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes, lived up to its billing with a thrilling duel going the way of Bow Echo narrowly over Gstaad, in a repeat of the quinella from the 2000 Guineas.

Gstaad, a son of Staspangledbanner surged through along the rail to challenge Bow Echo late, but the unbeaten son of Night Of Thunder held on for jockey Billy Loughnane and trainer Gearge Boughey. Talk Of New York finished third.

The opening race of the week, the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, saw a massive upset when $51 shot Ten Bob Tony swept down the outside to become the longest-priced winner of the race since 1950.

Jockey Kieran Shoemark settled the son of Night Of Thunder last as Opera Bello set a slick pace up front, tracked by race favourite Notable Speech.

But it was clear when the favourite hit a flat spot that an upset was on the cards, with Ed Walker’s five-year-old — a winner at Epsom only 10 days ago — finishing powerfully to defeat More Thunder by half a length, with Opera Bello holding on for third.

It was Shoemark’s fourth victory at Ascot, but his first at the elite level, while Walker celebrated his sixth winner at the famous carnival.

Ten Bob Tony will now be set for the Prix de la Forêt at Longchamp in October.

O’Brien then claimed his 12th Group 2 Coventry Stakes and his 97th Royal Ascot victory when Great Barrier Reef prevailed in a tight finish under a strong ride from Wayne Lordan.

The No Nay Never colt overcame being caught on the inside, worked into the middle of the track, and proved too strong late for Adaay Of Scarlett and Royal Heritage.