HOW do you gauge success at Royal Ascot?

Wathnan Racing are generally held to have had a good week, with four winners (three at Group 2 level) and total prize money of over £500,000. But even allowing for the increased breeding value of those winners, the returns are surely pitiful compared to the outlay.

However, this is Royal Ascot, this is horseracing. Winners are invaluable. Just shut up. It’s not supposed to make sense. So, with that financial yardstick in mind, what other owners, trainers and indeed jockeys had a good or bad week in Berkshire?

For the second year in a row Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby drew a blank. To be fair some of their best older horses are currently based at Saratoga (Master Of The Seas, Rebel’s Romance and Measured Time) and he only had six runners at Ascot. However, all six appeared in advance to hold decent chances – led by Guineas winner Notable Speech – but none of his runners finished in the first three.

It has to be mentioned that Saeed bin Suroor did give Godolphin a winner when landing the Hunt Cup (again) with Wild Tiger, one of just two runners he had at the meeting.

Spare a thought for Andrew Balding, who had five placed horses but no winner. It was much the same for him last year. Most of his runners went off at huge prices and the three that started favourite were either placed or unlucky. It was a good week for the north of England with Kevin Ryan and Karl Burke having two winners each, along with one apiece for Ed Bethell and David and Nicola Barron.

Aidan O’Brien’s six winners was no more than you might have expected – he had four and five winners respectively for the past two years. This year he had 39 runners including 10 favourites.

His sons Joseph and Donnacha also both got on the scoresheet and the hat-tip must go to Donnacha for his handling of Porta Fortuna. She ran seven times last year – from April to November and that included winning the Albany Stakes. Now she has won a Coronation Stakes and was beaten by a head in the 1000 Guineas on her only two starts at three – that’s impressive.

Willie Mullins got his annual winner and a free lunch with the King and Queen thrown in. You suspect he secretly prefers Ascot to you-know-where.

We must also mention Gavin Cromwell. As has been well documented, Cromwell’s two previous runners at the meeting – Quick Suzy and Snellen – both won. This year he sent two runners and both were placed – Mighty Eriu in the Queen Mary at 50/1 and My Mate Mozzie in the Copper Horse Handicap (12/1). Unbelievable.

On the jockey front, Ryan Moore may have topped the charts but, to me, the real winner was Oisin Murphy who rode four winners for four different yards, two of them apparent second strings.

Honourable mentions for Sean Levey who is now a big name jockey himself, and who can forget Callum Shepherd’s redemptive strike on Saturday.

It was also a breakthrough week for 18-year-old Billy Loughnane who rode two winners from 12 rides for eight different trainers. Hopefully George Boughey can hold on to him as Boughey was the first big name to show faith in the teenager when his claim was gone.