British_Champions_Fillies'_and_Mares'_Stakes

British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes

British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes

Flat horse race in Britain

"Pride Stakes" redirects here. For the current race of that title, see Pride Stakes (Newmarket).

The British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres) as part of British Champions Day at Ascot in October.

Quick Facts Location, Inaugurated ...
British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes
2023
Yellow, royal blue epaulets, royal blue and yellow chevrons on sleeves, red cap GREEN, PINK sash, WHITE sleeves Pink, royal blue cap, pink spots
Poptronic Bluestocking Jackie Oh
More information Previous years ...
More information 2020-2011 ...
More information 2010-2001 ...
More information 2000-1991 ...
More information 1990-1988 ...

History

The event was established in 1946 and was originally called the Princess Royal Stakes. It was named after the Princess Royal at that time, Princess Mary. For a period it took place in September,[1] and it later moved to October.

The current system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the Princess Royal Stakes subsequently held Group 3 status.

The race was run at Newmarket in 2000, after being called off at Ascot due to a security alert.[2] It was switched to Ascot's late September fixture in 2004. It took place at Newmarket again in 2005, as its usual home was closed for redevelopment. It reverted to October in 2007.

The event was promoted to Group 2 level, transferred to Newmarket and renamed the Pride Stakes in 2008.[3] It was named after Pride, a recent winner of the Champion Stakes. From this point it was staged during the venue's Champions' Meeting in mid-October. The title "Princess Royal Stakes" was assigned to a different race at Ascot, an event previously called the Harvest Stakes. The Pride Stakes had a purse of £100,000 in 2010.[4]

The race returned to Ascot and was given its present name in 2011. Its prize fund was now £250,000. Part of the newly created British Champions Day, it became the final race in the fillies & mares division of the British Champions Series.

The British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes was upgraded to Group 1 in 2013.[5] Its total prize money was doubled to £500,000. The title Pride Stakes was given to a Listed race at Newmarket formerly known as the Severals Stakes.

Records

Most successful horse (2 wins):

  • Shebeen – 1974, 1975
  • Crystal Capella – 2008, 2010

Leading jockey (8 wins):

  • Lester Piggott – Rose of Medina (1959), Green Opal (1960), Vhairi (1963), Bracey Bridge (1965), Bamboozle (1967), Mandera (1973), Karamita (1980), One Way Street (1984)

Leading trainer (9 wins):

  • John Dunlop – Predicament (1966), Trillionaire (1978), Flighting (1981), Believer (1982), Banket (1988), Labibeh (1995), Signorina Cattiva (1999), Head in the Clouds (2001), Acts of Grace (2006)

Leading owner (4 wins):

  • HH Aga Khan IV – Karamita (1980), Tashtiya (1986), Narwala (1990), Ashalanda (2009)

Winners since 1979

More information Year, Winner ...
  1. The 1987 and 1993 runnings were abandoned because of a waterlogged course
  2. The 2019 and 2023 editions were held on Ascot's inner course over 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 133 yards

Earlier winners

  • 1946: Mehmany
  • 1947: Mombasa
  • 1948: Angelola
  • 1949: Jet Plane
  • 1950: Divinalh
  • 1951: Verse
  • 1952: Nicky Nook
  • 1953: Skye
  • 1954: Dust Storm
  • 1955: Nemora
  • 1956: Carezza
  • 1957: Nagaika
  • 1958: Mother Goose
  • 1959: Rose of Medina
  • 1960: Green Opal[lower-alpha 1]
  • 1961: Tenacity
  • 1962: Romantica
  • 1963: Vhairi[lower-alpha 1]
  • 1964: French Possession
  • 1965: Bracey Bridge
  • 1966: Predicament
  • 1967: Bamboozle
  • 1968: no race
  • 1969: Seventh Bride
  • 1970: Heavenly Thought
  • 1971: Hill Circus
  • 1972: Attica Meli
  • 1973: Mandera
  • 1974: Shebeen
  • 1975: Shebeen
  • 1976: no race
  • 1977: Aloft
  • 1978: Trillionaire
  1. The 1960 and 1963 runnings took place at Newbury

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "First Day at Ascot". Glasgow Herald. 26 September 1947. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  2. [2]
    Armytage, Marcus (9 October 2000). "Lost Ascot races may be run elsewhere". Telegraph. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  3. [3]
    "Britain's flat Pattern boosted by upgrades". British Horseracing Authority. 14 January 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  4. [4]
    "2010 Pride Stakes". International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  5. [5]
    "Eight races upgraded by European Pattern Committee". the-racehorse.com. 5 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  • galopp-sieger.de – Pride Stakes (ex Princess Royal Stakes).
  • horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (2018).
  • pedigreequery.com – Princess Royal Stakes – Ascot.
  • Abelson, Edward; Tyrrel, John (1993). The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books. pp. 205–206. ISBN 1-873626-15-0.
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