While the headline act at Royal Ascot is likely to be the rubber match between Kingman and Night Of Thunder in the St James’s Palace Stakes, one story that has the potential to become one of the best tales of the week centres around the Irish raider Missunited.

The seven-year-old has grown into the most popular dual-purpose racemare in the country, winning the Galway Hurdle last year before returning to the level to win two listed races and finish third in Group 1 company at Longchamp. She is now being aimed at the Ascot Gold Cup at Royal Ascot but, truth be told, the story isn’t so much about her as it is about her one-of-a-kind trainer Mick Winters.

One of the great characters of Irish racing, Mick is an excellent trainer but he is not a dedicated follower of fashion. The purple trousers he wore at Galway when Rebel Fitz won the Hurdle in 2012 will never be forgotten. When Missunited won the same race last year, Mick went for low-key orange trousers and a snazzy lilac shirt with white spots. It will be worth tuning in next week just to see him in top hat and tails.

An unashamedly rustic individual, Mick delivers his post-race debriefings in rapid-fire fashion and to say his strong Cork accent can be difficult to decipher is putting it mildly. Missunited is a 33/1 chance to win the Gold Cup, but if by some gift from above she were to win, wouldn’t it be marvellous to see him chatting to Queen Elizabeth?!

Hopefully the British media will become aware of the story and send a camera crew or two down to Kanturk to meet Mick. The piece that RTE Racing did with him a couple of years ago remains one of the most entertaining yard visits I’ve even seen!

Type Michael Winters & Rebel Fitz into YouTube.