Saturn's Big Test: Harrington Targets Royal Ascot Glory

Royal Ascot gets underway this afternoon and Moone-based trainer Jessica Harrington will be hoping the stars align for her runner Saturn in the Ascot Stakes.

Harrington has won many major races over jumps, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and bagged her first Royal Ascot winner in 2018 when Alpha Centauri lived up to the favourites' tag in breaking the track record in the Coronation Stakes.

The popular trainer now has her sights trained on a race that has been a rich source of success for trainers with a National Hunt background.

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Saturn sparkles in familiar silks

Saturn is a colt by the late, great Galileo and races in the familiar silks of the Niarchos Family.

His connection to the Harrington team is strong, with his dam being Alpha Centauri, the mare that gave Harrington that breakthrough win at Royal Ascot in her career.

His first season ended with a maiden win at Dundalk over 1m4f in November 2023 but it would be in 2024 that he really started to show his potential.

He defied a 165-day absence to win at Leopardstown (1m2f, good) last May and after going close over the same trip at the Curragh from a 7lb higher mark, it was time for a step up in trip.

In June of last year, he won an Ebor qualifier at the Curragh over 1m6f in gutsy fashion when getting up in the final strides to deliver a knockout to runner-up Tyson Fury.

Just one more run followed, at the Curragh over 1m4f on Irish Derby weekend and after a below-par effort that was the end of his season.

Winning Navan return in 2025

Once more, he was ready to roll first time out this season, scoring at Navan after 282 days on the easy list.

That early April win came over the 1m6f trip once more, coming from last to first to get the better of Ger Lyons' Poetic Sound by a neck and creating the impression that staying would be his calling.

The runner-up ran an excellent race next time in the Vintage Crop Stakes behind dual Ascot Gold Cup winner Kyprios giving the form a solid appearance.

Dropped back to 1m4f last month for the Cork Derby, Saturn disappointed a touch as favourite but he may well have been inconvenienced by the sharper test.

He's rated 1lb lower now and could be a very interesting outsider on what will be the longest trip he has tackled in his career when he goes in the Ascot Stakes at the Royal meeting.

Jumps trainers targeting Ascot

With the Ascot Stakes being run over a two-and-a-half-mile trip, it isn't a major shock to find it is a race the National Hunt fraternity are keen to muscle in on.

Between them, Willie Mullins, David Pipe, Nicky Henderson, Jonjo O'Neill and Alan King account for nine winners since 2010 including the likes of Simenon, Clondaw Warrior, Coeur De Lion and Ahorsewithnoname.

This year's contest meanwhile features a Cheltenham Festival winner amongst two from the Mullins team as Poniros locks horns once more with East India Dock — the pair having finished first and third in the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle over timber in the Cotswolds in March.

Harrington will be hoping that Saturn can eclipse that pair as he has his stamina thoroughly examined for the first time.