The 2026 Season so Far
It's been a fantastic season so far here at West Ilsley. From a landmark double on Lincoln Day in March right through to a first Royal Ascot winner, the yard has barely drawn breath and the horses have been doing all the talking.
March - Return of the Turf
The 2026 Flat season got underway at Doncaster's Lincoln Meeting, and West Ilsley made its presence felt straight away. Mezcala set the ball rolling with a comfortable two-and-a-half-length victory in the Spring Mile, before Urban Lion followed up to win the Lincoln itself, holding off Rogue Diplomat to complete a brilliant double for the yard.
"It was certainly a day to remember. We've got lots of good horses to go to war with, so let's hope we can have lots of fun throughout the season." - Jack Channon
April - Sukanya Steals the Show
The highlight of the month came at Newbury's Classic Trials Day where Sukanya came from last to first under David Probert to win the Group 3 Fred Darling for owners, Opulence Thoroughbreds & Partner.
"She's a very good filly. I've told anyone who would listen she wouldn't finish outside the first three and she's high class." - Jack Channon
On the same card, Rathgar completed a Newbury double for the team under Tom Marquand before going on to win again at Epsom, making it two in a row for owners Crest Racing.
Silver State was equally impressive, winning twice during the month to make it four wins for the year, including an impressive performance at Bath under George Bass where he won by four lengths, before following up at Doncaster under Rose Dawes.
The two-year-olds also got off the mark, with Seed Ya Later and Innichen both winning to give the yard an exciting juvenile crop to look forward to.
May - Keeping the Momentum Going
May got off to a great start with Decade Of Time breaking his maiden at Windsor under Finley Marsh, before Sargent Dennis followed up at the same track under Tom Marquand to also get off the mark.
The month also brought another exciting moment when two-year-old filly Topaz made her debut on Newmarket's Rowley Mile, finishing an excellent second for Highclere Racing. The daughter of Persian Force looks to have an exciting future and would go on to head to Royal Ascot.
June - A Royal Ascot to Remember
Mezcala gave us our first winner at the Royal Meeting, producing a storming late effort under Tom Marquand to land the Buckingham Palace Stakes on Thursday. Bursting through late, he showed an electric turn of foot to get home in front close to the line.
After winning the Spring Mile at Doncaster on his seasonal debut and following up with another good performance at Newbury, Mezcala saved his very best for the biggest stage of all.
"He's a very good horse. He's got a great turn of foot and the whole team at home does an amazing job with these horses. It's a fantastic day." - Jack Channon
We are incredibly proud to celebrate our first Royal Ascot winner. Congratulations to owners Jon and Julia Aisbitt, and a heartfelt thank you to our fantastic team at home, whose hard work and dedication made this memorable milestone possible.