Top jockeys to watch at Royal Ascot 2025: Key riders analysed Royal Ascot will soon be upon us and it’s Flat racing’s equivalent to the Cheltenham Festival, although it takes place much earlier on in the season in comparison. There’s a plethora of excellent Group race action, including plenty of Group 1s, and they’re well supported by some extremely competitive handicaps, with loads of betting opportunities on offer. The best of the best will face off against each other and the finest jockeys in Europe will be seeking to claim the meeting’s top jockey crown. Here we take a look at five riders who could have the biggest say and are likely to be getting plenty of top rides throughout the Royal meeting. Novibet Betting Offer If you already have a Novibet account, check out more of the best betting sites and online casinos Ryan Moore Let’s get the most obvious one out of the way, as Moore is probably the finest jockey of his generation. Anyway a horse needs to be ridden, he can do it to perfection and has been imperious this season. He pulled off a Group 1 double last weekend and as ever, will be on the hunt for more big prizes. Getting the pick of Aidan O’Brien’s awesome string will give him plenty of opportunities to fire in more winners and he’s also top of everyone's list for spare rides to boot. Moore has 83 Royal Ascot winners and only the great Lester Piggott has more. The bookies aren’t going to give you massive odds for the top jockey crown but it’ll take an exceptional performance from one of his rivals to prevent him from claiming it. Colin Keane The recent news that Keane has been appointed as retained rider for Juddmonte means he’s going to have plenty of excellent rides at Royal Ascot. Chief among them is the John & Thady Gosden-trained Field Of Gold, who he rode to victory in the Irish 2000 Guineas last month. Keane has built up a very successful partnership with the shrewd Ger Lyons over the years but it was only a matter of time until he got picked up for one of the major jobs. He’s the reigning champion jockey on the Flat in Ireland and will certainly be one to keep an eye on here. William Buick There aren’t many better riders around than William Buick and he has the enviable position of being Charlie Appleby’s primary jockey. The Godolphin battalions are always a threat at Ascot and they have a strong team of juveniles to go to war with in 2025. Buick is another one who usually gets his pick of strong spare rides and it’ll be a surprise if he fails to come away with at least a winner or two. Oisin Murphy Irishman Murphy is one of the most talented jockeys to emerge in recent years and he already has a British Flat Jockeys’ Championship title to his name. Primarily riding for Andrew Balding, he’s always a trainer to watch in handicaps and Group races at the Royal meeting, which means Murphy will have plenty of opportunities. It’s also worth noting that he picks up plenty of spares for big trainers like John & Thady Gosden and rode several winners at Ascot in 2024. Bear him in mind when trying to pick out some winners next week. Billy Loughnane Loughnane is a very talented young rider, who already has a couple of Royal Ascot winners to his name. He was champion apprentice by some way a couple of seasons ago and continues to go from strength to strength. Riding regularly for George Boughey, that yard tends to do well in the handicaps and plenty of other trainers will trust his skills in the saddle. The fact that Charlie Appleby has started using him when Buick isn’t available says a lot about how highly regarded Loughnane is.
