IF you’re looking for proof that spending millions isn’t essential to getting into a top hat and tails at Royal Ascot, look no further than Mick Mulvany.

After matching his best ever tally of winners for a flat season last year, the Dublin native, based in Co Meath, has made a noticeably strong start to 2026 – and that progress has led to saddling his first runners at the Royal Meeting next week.

The Scallionator, who bumped into Gavin Cromwell’s talented Barrow Boy in a Navan maiden before winning in smart style at Listowel, will bring the experience of three runs to Tuesday’s Coventry Stakes. Stablemate Arizona Raider has the same number of runs to his name, having opened his account at Roscommon last month, and is on track for the six-furlong Group 2 also.

The pair aren’t Mulvany’s only juvenile winners of the year. Two-year-old Lars Soldier won a Curragh maiden on Good Friday at the expense of 1.7 million gns yearling and current Coventry Stakes favourite Confucius.

That trio of maiden winners were remarkably purchased for a combined total of €22,500 at public auction. Lars Solider was a snip at €3,500, Arizona Raider a €9,000 buy and The Scallionater only marginally more expensive at €10,000. His Royal Ascot attack only cost €19,000.

“I knew I had a nice bunch of two-year-olds this season,” Mulvany told The Irish Field.

“To tell you the truth, they were always showing us plenty and always very forward. We’re very lucky this year that we had bought some nice yearlings and took our time with them. We try to buy what we like and buy the horse, not the stallion they’re by. It’s about how they look, what catches your eye and how it adds up for your pocket.”

How does Mulvany assess his contenders for the opening juvenile contest of the week?

“This is our first time to have a runner at Ascot and the lads in the yard are looking forward to being represented over there,” he said.

Double target

“To say which is the best of them is very hard because they’re both good horses who go there with chances. They both have to go for the Coventry; I would have split them up if one was eligible for another race that suited but the rules didn’t suit us. The Scallionator is one who seems to be improving all the time. He had a nice couple of runs before winning at Listowel last time over six and a half furlongs.

“I think Arizona Raider is going to stay well and I think he’ll like better ground too. You must remember, it’s a good uphill finish at Ascot and you need to be able to stay. He’s won over just further than seven furlongs.

“It’ll be up to Wesley [Joyce] with whichever one he wants to ride; he’s kind of the stable jockey and does all the work with them.”

Another two winners at Limerick and Leopardstown this week brought Mulvany’s flat tally to eight winners already this season. Impressively, four of those have come at Irish flat racing headquarters.

“We’ve been lucky enough that the Curragh suits a lot of our horses,” he said.

“We have some good, galloping types. It’s obviously very competitive up there and we’ve had a couple of seconds at the track too this year. It’s great to be getting the horses there and showing up well.

“We have about 27 riding out and there are a lot of two-year-olds who haven’t run yet. We haven’t run any fillies but have plenty of them; they’re just a little slower to come to hand but hopefully there’ll be some of them who are good.”