DONNACHA O’Brien has got off to his best ever start to a season in Ireland, mainly through the exploits of his exciting two-year-old team, and it is those youngsters who he will rely on when bidding to notch his first winner at Royal Ascot next week.

The 24-year-old excelled on many of the world’s biggest stages in his glittering riding career, but a winner at the Royal Meeting somehow managed to elude him despite some close calls.

From limited numbers at the meeting as a trainer so far, his runners have tended to show up well.

In 2021 alone, his 28/1 chance Nicest posted a big effort to finish third in the Ribblesdale Stakes, Masseto wasn’t beaten far when fourth in the Coventry and Emperor Of The Sun finished fifth in the Gold Cup at 16/1.

“It’s a very hard place to win and it’s great just to be taking part but anything we’ve run there over the last year or two has performed well,” O’Brien told The Irish Field.

“We’re looking forward to travelling over again next week. I had a heap of seconds and horses beaten small margins at the meeting when I was riding before but I’m sure I’ll get one there eventually.”

’Exciting’ Devious

The multiple Group 1-winning trainer must have a live chance of nabbing his breakthrough success with Devious, a talented Starspangledbanner colt who ran out a highly impressive maiden winner at Naas early last month.

O’Brien said in the aftermath of that debut victory that nothing was able to take the powerful juvenile off the bridle at home, and Devious is no bigger than 12/1 for Thursday’s Norfolk Stakes (also 20/1 for the Coventry Stakes on Tuesday).

“We think he’s an exciting horse,” said O’Brien.

“He’s a big beast of a horse, 16.2hh or more with plenty of substance to him. He won very impressively on his only start and everything has gone well with him since.

“He has entries for the Coventry and Norfolk, and a decision will be made over the weekend as to where he’ll go.”

O’Brien expects to be double-handed in Friday’s Albany Stakes, but Porta Fortuna is the shortest-priced of his representatives as the general 6/1 third favourite.

Fabulous Fortuna

Unbeaten in two starts, the Caravaggio filly stamped her ticket for the Royal Meeting when winning the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes at Naas last month.

O’Brien said: “She’ll be given an entry in the Queen Mary Stakes but will probably run in the Albany. If there were thundershowers around and the ground ended up turning heavy we could always think about the Queen Mary, but the Albany looks her target.

“She’s in good form and we’ve been happy with how she’s progressed since Naas. It was a very good performance and two smart fillies [her and Navassa Island] pulled clear of the field. We’ll learn more about her at Ascot but she is exciting.”

With Alder set to miss Royal Ascot while getting over a dirty scope that ruled him out of the Derby at Epsom, Do It With Style, who won her only start at the Curragh, completes O’Brien’s team for meeting. He said of the 16/1 shot: “She’ll run in the Albany Stakes and has been aimed straight at Ascot.

“There weren’t any hiccups or anything, this was the plan. She looks to be in good form. I think she’ll stay seven furlongs down the line but hopefully she’ll be fine here over six furlongs.”