Category: Races

The Champion Stakes is a group 1 event first taking place in 1877. It’s well up there as a flat race that draws immense excitement and competition each and every year. At a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs at Ascot racecourse, the Champion Stakes  takes place in October,  on British Champion’s Day. This fact alone informs you on the quality of the event.

In fact, so respected is the race that for a period of time the Champion Stakes was part of the Breeder’s Cup Challenge series which encompasses races held around the world (the US, Canada, South America, South Africa, Europe, Japan and Australia) with the prize of automatic entry into a Breeder’s Cup race.

The Champion Stakes was originally held at Newmarket, and moved to Ascot in 2011 to become part of the aforementioned Champion’s Day at Ascot. Understandably with such a stellar reputation, the race comes with a healthy prize pot. In fact the £1.3m purse for the race is said to be ‘the most valuable mile and a quarter race in Europe’. It’s the final race of the British Champion’s Series Middle Distance category and attracts the best of the best of middle distance runner.

The reputation of the race is second to none and that shows in the trainers that have this on their target list. No better illustration can be given than highlighting the fact that Frankel, ridden by Tom Queally, won the race for Sir Henry Cecil in 2012. It was the 14th straight win of Frankel’s career and in fact his final race.

This isn’t Tom Queally’s sole success at the event either, with wins on Twice Over (aptly twice!) in 2009 and 2010. The 2018 winner of the Champion Stakes was Cracksman, ridden by Frankie Dettori and trained by John Gosden. Prize money for first place is currently £737,230 .

Taking place at Sandown this Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase is held in late April each year. The distance of the Bet365 Gold Cup is 3 miles 5 furlongs and there are twenty four fences to be cleared. The meeting in which this race occurs features both flat and national hunt racing action.

This handicap race was first held in 1959 and so relatively speaking it’s one of the more recent ‘ones to watch’ in comparsion to races steeped in centuries rather than decades of history like the Aintree Grand National. The race was originally called the Whitbread Cup and has had other sponsors over the years such as ‘At The Races’ and Betfred. It has the distinction of being the last big race of the National Hunt season, and the seeing the horses jump the  famous Railway Fences is a real ‘you’ve got to be there’ moment.

Suited to horses aged five and above, the race was clearly a favourite of trainer Fulke Walwyn, winning 7 times between 1958 and 1984 with horses such as Mill House, Diamond Edge (twice) and Special Cargo. Diamond Edge shares the joint record of most successful horse with two wins, an honour shared with Larbawn, Topsham Bay and Ad Hoc.

Prize money for the race was £150,000 in 2018 with almost £85,000 going to the winner (£31,800 for second, and £15,915 for third). The winner in that year was the 8 year old horse Step Back ridden by Jamie Moore and trained by Mark Bradstock. It was a 7-1 shot. The 2017 winner was outsider Henllan Harri, at much more generous odds of 40-1!

The Irish Derby is an Group 1 race held over a 1 mile 4 furling course. It’s a flat race open to both three year old colts and fillies. While there have been prior versions of the Derby going back to 1817, the modern day event has been declared to have first taken place in 1866 in Curragh, Co Kindare, Ireland.

Taking place in Late June or early July of each year the Irish Derby is a flat race that attracts top class horses, jockeys and trainers from Ireland and further afield. It takes place just weeks after the Epsom Derby and as such, much like with the Grand National doubles that we see, it’s a not uncommon aim for trainers to attempt to win both the Epsom and Irish Derby with a horse. This has happened a grand total of 18 times so far, with Harzand being the last to achieve this feat back in 2016.

Prize money for the Irish Derby has risen over the years and this understandably took the race to the next level, and drew in a higher calibre of participants.

A couple of individuals have excelled in the Irish Derby and deserve to be recognised for it. Aidan O’Brien is leading trainer at the event with an unrivalled 12 wins between 1997 and 2017, and leading owner Michael Tabor has 13 wins over the same period. As you may have already deduced the two have paired up on several occasions, last in 2017 with winner Capri ridden by Seamie Heffernan.

The event has a huge purse of ‎€1,500,000 with €855,000 going to the winner, €285,000 for second place and €135,000 third. The 2018 Irish Derby winner was Latrobe, who won at an SP of 14-1. Even money favourite Saxon Warrior disappointed, coming third.

No matter the Grand National in question (English, Welsh, Scottish or Irish), the occasion always brings out the very best in racing talent. The Irish Grand National certainly adheres to that criteria and is steeped in history, first taking place way back in 1870 where the race was won by a horse named Sir Robert Peel. Interestingly, and unlike the Welsh and Scottish Grand Nationals, the location of the 1870 race is the same as its location today, Fairyhouse, Co’ Meath, Ireland.

The distance of the Grade A  Irish Grand National handicap race is 3 miles 5 furlongs (upped from 3 miles 4 furlongs in 1990) and there are 24 fences to clear. The race, which is for 5 year old horses and older, takes place on Easter Sunday each year and is part of the Fairyhouse’s Easter Festival. It’s a popular event with racegoers, including those from Dublin who attend as part of the ‘Dub’s Day Out’ tradition.

As is the case with the Welsh and Scottish Grand National races, success in the Irish event can often mean good things for a horses prospects elsewhere. While none taking part have ‘done the double’ by winning the Irish Grand National and the Aintree Grand National in the same year, a few have still won both events. Ascetic’s Silver was the first in 1906, and Rhyme ‘n’ Reason, Bobbyjo and Numbersixvalverde in more recent times.

Leading jockey over the years in the Irish National is Pat Taafe with 6 wins between 1954 and 1966, leading horse Brown Lad with 3 wins in the 70s, and leading trainer Tom Dreaper with a staggering 10 wins from 1942 to 1966.

2018’s winner was General Principle with jockey James Slevin on board, and trained by George Elliot. It was George Elliot’s first Irish Grand National Victory, narrowly beating out rival Willie Mullin’s Bellshill by a head. Prize money for the event was a very healthy €500,000 , with €270,000 of that going to the winner, so not a bad day’s work.