Category: Races

Taking place at Ascot racecourse in July of each year, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, sometimes referred to as the King George, is a group one event open to horses aged three years old and more and is run over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards . The race first took place in 1951.

The name of the event comes from the fact that is was conceived via the coming together of two separate races in the 1940s (the King George VI and the Queen Elizabeth). The intention was to create a race that would have massive national and international appeal; it’s certainly succeeded in that aim.

The event is a flat race of quite some acclaim and has hosted some of the most memorable match ups in our time. Many an article has been written for instance about the rivalry between Grundy and Bustino, in the 1975 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Bustino and Joe Mercer had been four lengths clear on the final straight, but Grundy grinding out and edging the win after the two gave everything they had was a sight to behold. Although the race isn’t part of Royal Ascot it is viewed by many to be the courses most prestigious race.

As part of the Breeder’s Cup Challenge, the winner of the The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes gains automatic entry into the 1 1/2 miles Breeder’s Cup Turf race held in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeder’s Cup World Championships.

Sponsored in recent years by Betfair, the betting exchange company topped up an already impressive purse to the £1,250,000 mark, with over £700,000 going to the winner. It’s second only to the Epsom Derby which has a £1.5m prize pot.

As you’d imagine, a race this desirable attracts the very best, and that is certainly the story told by those achieving success here over the years. The leading jockey in the King George is Lester Piggott with seven wins, one of which was the famous Nijinsky. Leading trainer is Michael Stoute with six wins, the first of which was Shergar in 1981, and leading owner is Michael Tabor with six wins also. It’s a who’s who of racing’s high achievers.

Run at Doncaster racecourse over a distance of 1m 6f 115y, the St Leger Stakes has a reputation that precedes it. The race is open to three year old fillies and colts and takes place in September of each year. To say that the St Leger is steeped in tradition is something of an understatement, the inaugural run took place in 1776. The race is the oldest of the five ‘British Classics’.

The British Classics are a group of five flat races that date back to the aforementioned period and it consists of the 1,000 Guineas, 2,000 Guineas,  Epsom Derby, The Oaks and the St Leger . These races represent the height of achievement in racing and attract the very best three year old horses year on year. Winning one Classic highlights a horse’s superior ability and two marks it out as something special. The last horses to win two Classics in recent years are Camelot and Minding. Nijinksy won three in the 1970s – the 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger – also known as the Triple Crown, and the record is four by Formosa (1868) and Sceptre (1902).

The St Leger event itself is the brainchild of Anthony St Leger, an army officer who lived near the Doncaster area.  The race began to draw more attention as early as 1800 when talented thoroughbred Champion became the first horse to win both the Derby and St Leger. Since that time the race has gone from strength to strength. In war time periods the race has been held in various locations such as Newmarket, Thirsk, Manchester and York.

Partly due to the history of this event, most of the records go back  a century or more  and so it’ll take a really special individual to make an impact now. Leading jockey is Bill Scott who rode 9 winners between 1821 and 1846, leading trainer John Scott, the brother of Bill, with 16 wins between 1827 and 1862. Some big names have won the St Leger over the years including Nijinsky and Oh So Sharp. The 2018 winner was Kew Gardens ridden by Ryan Moore.

Known to many as the World Hurdle, the Stayers’ Hurdle, which has been sponsored by all and sundry in recent years (Ladbrokes, Ryan Air, and the now defunct SunBets) is a National Hunt race for four year olds and up. It’s held over a distance of three miles at the Cheltenham racecourse in Cheltenham , England. There are a total of twelve hurdles to jump during the race.

The Stayer’s Hurdle takes place during the Cheltenham Festival in March of each year and has a serious reputation for attracting racing talent, and an equally serious prize to match: £150,000+ for the winner and a total prize pot of over a quarter of a million pounds. It’s seen by many to be one of the season’s leading long distance hurdle events.

First taking place in 1912 with humble beginnings and a £100 prize to the winner, the race has come and gone over the years. Even in recent times day wise the race, sponsored at one point by Lloyds Bank, has chopped and changed from Tuesday, to Wednesday, then Thursday.

Jockey Ruby Walsh has impressed in the Stayer’s Hurdle over the years amassing five wins including a very impressive four wins on Big Buck’s from 2009 to 2012 and on Nichols Canyon in 2017. Paul Nicholls is leading trainer, also on account of his association with Big Buck’s.

Last year’s winner was Penhill at 12-1. Historically short prices horses do well in the race and we have to go all the way back to 1999 with Anzum at 40-1 to find an outsider taking the crown.

Also known as The Oaks Stakes, or Investec Oaks, the Epsom Oaks is a group one flat race that is held in very high regard in the racing world. The race is for three year old fillies and takes place at Epsom Downs racecourse in early June of each year over the distance of 1m 4 furlongs 6 yards.

It’s inaugural run was held way back in 1779 which makes it one of the oldest horse races in the World. For perspective the Grand National was first held in 1839. The Oaks is one of the five British Classics (1,000 Guineas, 2,000 Guineas, The Oaks, The Derby and the St. Leger), all events founded around the same period of time and that came to represent the best of flat racing. The Oaks is the second oldest of the classics after the St Leger, which was founded the year previous.

The Oaks also forms part of the Fillies Triple Crown which consist of 1,000 Guineas Stakes, Epsom Oaks and St. Leger Stake . The last winner if the Triple Crown was Oh So Sharp in 1985, and prior to that Meld 30 years previous.

With such tradition embedded into the Epsom Oaks, it’s no wonder that there’s a healthy prize pot to accompany it. The purse for the race is £500,000, with over half of that going to the winner of the race. Such is the influence of the Oaks that there are regional variations all over Europe.

With such an illustrious history going back literally hundreds of years, it’s hard to highlight moments or achievements that stand out. An early high achiever in the race was jockey Frank Buckle, who won on Nike in 1797 and went on to win a further 8 times, makes him the leading jockey to this day.

For more recent records we look to owner Susan Magnier , who is joint leading owner (alongside the 4th Duke of Grafton!) with six wins including wins as recent as Minding in 2016 and in 2018 7-1 winner Forever Together – who beat 5/2 favourite Wild Illusion. Sandwiched between those races we see the fastest ever Oaks time of 2m 34. 13s by Enable ridden by none other than Frankie Dettori and trained by John Gosden.