Tag Archives: royal ascot

The History of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes

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Good Evening!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Ahead of tomorrow’s renewal, let’s take a look back at the history of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

The Diamond Jubilee Stakes is a Group 1 flat race which was first ran in 1868 and is open to horses four years or older – three year olds foaled in the Southern Hemisphere are also eligible. The race is run over 6 furlongs at Ascot Racecourse in June each year. In 2020 the race was worth £250,000 with the winner receiving £148,000.

The race was established in 1868 and was originally called the All-Aged Stakes. It was renamed the Cork and Orrery Stakes in 1926 to honour the 9th Earl of Cork.

In 1971, the race was classed as a Group 3 race, before being promoted to Group 2 status in 1998. In 2002, the race was renamed to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and was promoted to Group 1 status. In 2012 the race was given it’s current name to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2015 the race changed from being open to three year olds to only being open to four year olds and older after a new six furlong Group One Race (the Commonwealth Cup) was created for three year olds only.

Now onto some previous winners. The first winner in 1868 was a horse called Laneret. In 1872. 1973 and 1874 a horse called Prince Charlie won the race followed by Lowlander in 1875 and 1876. Whitefriar won the race in 1886 and 1887 with Hornet’s Beauty winning in 1913 and 1914 followed by Hamlet in 1923 and 1924.

Now some winners when it changed names to the Cork and Orrery Stakes. The first being Diomedes in 1926, with Right Boy winning in 1958 and 1959. Committed won in 1984, with Danehill winning in 1989, So Factual in 1995 and the final winner before the next name change was Harmonic Way in 2001.

The first winner of the Golden Jubilee Stakes was Malhub for Kevin Darley, John Gosden and Hamdan Al Maktoum. Seven year old Cape of Good Hope won in 2005 for Michael Kinane, David Oughton and Exors of Ron Carstairs. Black Caviar won in 2012 for Luke Nolen, Peter Moody and G. J. Wilkie and K. J. Wilkie. With Slade Power winning the final running in 2014 for Wayne Lordan, Edward Lynam and Sabena Power.

The first winner of the current named race the Diamond Jubilee Stakes was Undrafted in 2015 for Frankie Dettori, Wesley Ward and Wes Welker and Sol Kumin. In 2017 The Tin Man won for Tom Queally, James Fanshawe and Fred Archer Racing – Ormonde. In 2018 Merchant Navy at three years old won for Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and the Merchant Navy Syndicate / Tabor / Smith / Magnier. In 2019 Blue Point won for James Doyle, Charlie Appleby and Godolphin and in 2020 Hello Youmzain won for Kevin Stott, Kevin Ryan and Haraas d’Etreham and Cambridge Stud.

Now onto some records. The most successful horse is Prince Charlie who won in 1872, 1873 and 1874.

The leading jockey with 10 victories is Lester Piggott who won with: Right Boy (1958, 1959), Tin Whistle (1960), El Gallo (1963), Mountain Call (1968), Welsh Saint (1970), Saritamer (1974), Swingtime (1975), Thatching (1979) and College Chapel (1993).

The leading trainer with 5 victories is Vincent O’Brien who won with: Welsh Saint (1970), Saritamer (1974), Swingtime (1975), Thatching (1979) and College Chapel (1993).

The leading owners both with 3 victories each are:

Joseph Dawson: Prince Charlie (1872, 1873, 1874)

Jack Joel: Sunflower II (1912) and Hamlet (1923, 1924)

At the time of writing this 11:15pm on June 13th 2021, the official declarations have not been named, however with the list of horses currently still in the race it looks to be a wide open renewal this year so hopefully it’ll be a pretty exciting one to watch. Who do you fancy?

Thank you so much for reading today’s post and I will see you tomorrow at 11am for a brand new post, a very interesting one about a current record within racing that quite possibly will never be broken. You do not want to miss it!

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The History of the Coronation Stakes

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Good Evening!

Welcome to another post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Ahead of tomorrow’s renewal of the Coronation Stakes, let’s take a look back at the history of the race!

The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat race which was first ran in 1840. It is open to three year old fillies and is ran at Ascot Racecourse in June each year over 7 furlongs and 213 yards. In 2020 the race was worth £250,000 with the winner receiving £148,000.

The race was established in 1840 and is named after the coronation of a new British monarch, Queen Victoria just two years earlier. In 1971, the race held Group 2 status before being promoted to Group 1 level in 1988.

Now onto some previous winners. The first winner in 1840 as a horse called Spangle. In 1867 a very well known horse called Achievement won the race after winning the 1,000 Guineas a few weeks earlier and then went on to win the St Leger and Doncaster Cup in the same year. In 1874, a horse called Apology won the race, she was the third horse to win the Fillies’ Triple Crown when winning the 1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks and St Leger all in the same year as her Coronation Stakes win before going on to win the Ascot Gold Cup two years later in 1876.

In 1894 a miracle horse won the race when Throstle won. As a foal she was considered a likely candidate for euthanasia when she was born partially bling, however she went on to be one of the best fillies of her generation in Britain.

In 1900 there was a dead heat called when Sainte Nitouche and Winifreda crossed the line at the same time in an impossible finish to call. In 1904 Pretty Polly won the race, she was the 15th horse to win the Fillies’ Triple Crown when winning the 1,000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks before her Coronation Stakes victory then winning the St Leger a few months later all in 1904.

Skipping forward a little while now and into 1961 when Aiming High won for jockey Lester Piggott, trainer Noel Murless and owner Queen Elizabeth II. Skipping forward a little more to 1998, Exclusive won the race for Walter Swinburn, Sir Michael Stoute and Cheveley Park Stud. In 2013 Sky Lantern won for Richard Highes, Richard Hannon Sr and B Keswick. In 2017 Winter won for Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and Tabor / Smith / Magnier. In 2020 Alpine Star won for Frankie Dettori, Jessica Harrington and Niarchos Family.

On to some records in the race! Firstly the leading jockey, here we have two who both have 5 wins each:

Nat Flatman: The Princess (1844), Stitch (1845), Distaffina (1848), Lady Evelyn (1849) and Barcelona (1851)

Morny Cannon: Lady Hermit (1892), Silene (1893), Throstle (1894), Helm (1896) and Lowood (1898)

Now the leading trainer who has 6 victories in the race John Porter who won with: Lovely (1883), Sandiway (1884), Cereza (1891), Throstle (1894), Helm (1896) and Lowood (1898).

With the leading owner with 7 victories being Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor who won with: Winkipop (1910), Pogrom (1922), Saucy Sue (1925), Book Law (1927), Sunny Devon (1931), Betty (1933) and Traffic Light (1936).

At the time of writing this post (11pm on June 13th 2021) the final declarations have not been made for the race, however the horses still in the current line-up look to make a very interesting renewal this year. Who do you like the look of?

I hope you enjoyed this post and I will see you tomorrow evening at 6pm for ‘The History of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes’.

The History of the Ascot Gold Cup

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Good Evening!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Ahead of tomorrow’s renewal of the Ascot Gold Cup let’s take a look at the history of the race.

The Ascot Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat race which was first ran in 1807 and is open to horses aged four or older. It is ran at Ascot Racecourse over 2 miles, 3 furlongs and 210 yards and is ran in June of each year. The race was worth £250,000 in 2020 with the winner receiving £148,000.

When the race was established in 1807 it was originally open to horses aged three or older and the first race was ran in front of King George III and Queen Charlotte. In 1844 the running was attended by Nicholas I of Russia who was making a state visit to England. At the time of his victory the winning horse was unnamed so was given the name ‘The Emperor’ in honour of the visiting monarch and in return Nicholas offered a new trophy for the race – the ‘Emperor’s Plate’ and this became the title of the race for a while however it’s original name was restored after 9 years.

On June 18th 1907, the Ascot Gold Cup was actually stolen by thieves, the theft was never solved. In August a replacement was finished.

The Ascot Gold Cup is the first leg of Britain’s Stayers’ Triple Crown, followed by the Goodwood Cup and the Doncaster Cup. Stradivarius was the last horse to win the Stayers’ Triple Crown in 2019.

Now onto previous winners of the race, the first winner in 1807 was three year old Master Jackey. The first multiple winner was Anticipation who won it in 1816 at four years old and winning again in 1819 at seven years old. The first horse to win two consecutive races was Bizarre who won it in 1824 at four years old and 1825 at five years old, both times for jockey Bill Arnull, trainer R D Boyce and owner Lord G H Cavendish. In 1836 (at five years old) and in 1837 (at six years old) Touchstone won for trainer John Scott and owner the 1st Marquess of Westminster. In 1836 with jockey John Barham Day and in 1837 with jockey William Scott.

In 1844 The Emperor won at three years old followed up by another win in 1845 at four years both times for jockey G Whitehouse, trainer W Edwards and owner the 4th Earl of Albemarle. Before The Hero followed up with two wins in 1847 (at four years old) and in 1848 (at five years old) for jockey Alfred Day and trainer and owner John Barham Day.

In 1854, the first ever Triple Crown Champion from the previous year 1853, West Australian at four years old won the Ascot Gold Cup for Alfred Day, John Scott and the 1st Baron Londesborough.

Let’s now skip forward to the 1900’s. In 1931 (at five years old) and 1932 (at six years old) Trimdon won the race for Joe Childs, Joseph Lawson and Charles Lambton. We then move forward to 1942, 1943 and 1944 which were all ran at Newmarket during the World War and were all won by jockey Gordon Richards. In 1942 he won on four year old Owen Tudor for trainer Fred Darling and owner Catherine Macdonald-Buchanan. In 1943 he won on four year old Ujiji for trainer Joseph Lawson and owner Alfred Allnatt. In 1944 he won on four year old Umiddad for trainer Frank Butters and owner Aga Khan III.

In 1957 the leading jockey Lester Piggott won for the first time on board six year old Zarathustra for trainter Cecil Boyd-Rochfort and owner Terence Gray. In 1888 five year old Sadeem won the race for Greville Starkey, Guy Harwood and Sheikh Mohammed, however first past the post was actually Royal Gait who got demoted to last place after a stewards’ enquiry. Sadeem then won again in 1989 at six years old, this time partnering up with Willie Carson.

In 1992 (at six years old) and 1993 (at seven years old) Drum Taps won the race under Frankie Dettori for trainer Lord Huntingdon and owner Yoshio Asakawa. In 1998 Kayf Tara won the race at four years old for Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor and Godolphin before winning it again two years later at six years old this time partnering up with Michael Kinane for the same owner and trainer. In 2001 (at five years old) and 2002 (at six years old), Royal Rebel won for Johnny Murtagh, Mark Johnston and Peter Savill.

Let’s now skip forward to 2006 which was the start of a streak for Yeats. At five years old in 2006 all the way through to 2009 at eight years old he won the race for trainer Aidan O’Brien and owners Magnier / Nagle. In 2006 partnered with Kieren Fallon, in 2007 partnered with Michael Kinane and in 2008 and 2009 partnered with Johnny Murtagh.

Skipping forward to 2016, Order of St George won at four years old for Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and Smith / Magnier / Tabor. Followed by fix year old Big Orange in 2017 for James Doyle, Michael Bell and Bill Gredley.

We then see a triple winner start his streak in 2018 at four years old Stradivarius won, followed in 2019 (at five years old) and 2020 (at six years old) for Frankie Dettori, John Gosden and Bjorn Nelsen.

Now onto some records. The most successful horse is Yeats who won in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

The leading jockey with 11 victories is Lester Piggott who won on: Zarathustra (1957), Gladness (1958), Pandofell (1961), Twilight Alley (1963), Fighting Charlie (1965), Sagaro (1975, 1976, 1977), Le Moss (1979) and Andross (1981, 1982).

The leading trainer with 7 victories is Aidan O’Brien who has won with: Yeats (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), Fame and Glory (2011), Leading Light (2014) and Order of St George (2016).

The leading owner with 7 victories – including part ownership – is Sue Magnier who won with: Yeats (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), Fame and Glory (2011), Leading Light (2014) and Order of St George (2016).

It is important to note that Stradivarius is currently the 4/5 favourite (odds via Ladbrokes are accurate at the time of writing this post 12:45pm on June 15th 2021) and if he wins he will join Yeats as the joint most successful horse in the race.

Personally, I am going for the now seven year old Stradivarius to win. For me it’s down to the fact that he’s been an absolute fan favourite over the years and I would love to see him win it again. I am going with my heart above all else but I have to stick with him to have his 4th victory in the race. Who do you think will win? Let me know over on Twitter!

I hope you enjoyed this post and I will see you tomorrow evening at 6pm for ‘The History of the Coronation Stakes’.

The History of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes

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Good Evening!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! This evening’s post is all about the Prince of Wales’s Stakes ahead of tomorrow’s renewal. So let’s just get right into it!

The Prince of Wales’s Stakes is a Group 1 flat race which started in 1862 and is ran at Ascot Racecourse over 1 mile, 1 furlong and 212 yards. It takes place in June of each year and is open to horses who are four years and older. In 2020 the race was worth £250,000 with the winner receiving £148,000.

When the race was established in 1862, it was named after the Prince of Wales at the time, who was the future King Edward VII. The original version of this race was actually restricted to only three year olds and it was originally over 1 mile and 5 furlongs.

After World War II the race was discontinued as there was no Prince of Wales, it only returned in 1968, a year before the investiture of Prince Charles. The new version of the race was 1 mile and 2 furlongs and was opened up to horses aged three or older.

In 1971 the race was classed as a Group 2 race and it was only in 2000 when the race was promoted to Group 1 status with the minimum age of participating horses being raised to four years old.

Now let’s have a look at some previous winners. (This section will be focused on winners before the new version of this race began in 1968 – There is not much information readily available on these winners).

The first winner of this race in 1862 was Carisbrook. In 1888, Ossory gave leading trainer John Porter his first victory before Matchmaker in 1895 giving leading jockey Morny Cannon his first victory and they were followed up by Stedfast in 1911 who gave one of the leading owners, the 17th Earl of Derby, his first victory in the race.

(The following section will be focused on winners since the new version of this race began in 1968).

The first winner of the new version of this race in 1968 was four year old Royal Palace who was rode by Sandy Barclay, trained by Noel Murless and owned by Jim Joel. This trio then went on to win the race the following two years also, both years with Connaught who was four years old in 1969 and five years old in 1970.

In 1973 Lester Piggott won on board four year old Gift Card for trainer Angel Penna Sr and owner Margit Batthyány. In 1976 four year old Annes Pretender won the race for Lester Piggott, Ryan Price and Charles Clore, however it was actually Trepan who was first past the post but was later disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance.

In 1977 and 1978 jockey Joe Mercer won for Henry Cecil. In 1977 with four year old Lucky Wednesday for owner Charles St George and in 1978 on five year old Gunner B for owner Pauline Barratt.

In 1987 (four years old) and 1988 (five years old) Mtoto won the race for trainer Alec Stewart and owner Ahmed Al Maktoum. In 1987 for jockey Richard Hills and in 1988 for jockey Michael Roberts. In 1992 four year old Perpendicular won the race for Willie Ryan, Henry Cecil and Lord Howard de Walden, however it was actually Kooyonga who was first past the post, but following a stewards’ inquiry she was relegated to third place.

A horse winning twice was next achieved in 1994 (five years old) and 1996 (six years old) by Muhtarram, both times for jockey Willie Carson, trainer John Gosden and owner Hamdan Al Maktoum.

Into the late 1990’s and into the early 2000’s, trainer Saeed bin Suroor dominated the race for the joint leading owners Godolphin. He first won in 1998 with four year old Faithful Son with jockey John Reid riding, again in 2000 with four year old Dubai Millennium with jockey Jerry Bailey riding, followed by five year old Fantastic Light in 2001 partnered with Frankie Dettori and finally in 2002 with four year old Grandera again partnered with Frankie Dettori.

Jumping forward a few years we see Aidan O’Brien have his first winner in the race in 2008 with four year old Duke of Marmalade who was partnered up with Johnny Murtagh for owners Magnier / Tabor. In 2012 six year old So You Think won for Joseph and Aidan O’Brien for owner Derrick Smith. In 2014 William Buick won on board five year old The Fugue for John Gosden and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

In 2015, we seen the late Pat Smullen win on board four year old Free Eagle for trainer Dermot Weld and owners the Moyglare Stud. Followed by the 2021 Derby winning jockey Adam Kirby winning in 2016 on board four year old My Dream Boat for Clive Cox and Paul and Clare Rooney. In 2017 it was the Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien partnership that proved too strong for the rest of the field when five year old Highland Reel won for owners Magnier / Tabor / Smith.

The following two years were won by trainer Sir Michael Stoute. In 2018 with five year old Poet’s Word rode by James Doyle for owner Saeed Suhail followed by Frankie Dettori riding five year old Crystal Ocean in 2019 for owner Evelyn de Rothschild. The most recent winner was four year old Lord North in 2020 for James Doyle, John Gosden and Zayed bin Mohammed.

Onto some records currently held in this race, starting with the most successful horses, all with 2 wins. Connaught who won in 1969 and 1970, Mtoto in 1987 and 1988 and Muhtarram in 1994 and 1995.

The leading jockey with 6 victories in the race is Morny Cannon who won with the following horses: Matchmaker (1895), Shaddock (1896), Manners (1899), Simon Dale (1900), Rydal Head (1904) and Plum Centre (1905).

The leading trainer with 8 victories in the race is John Porter who won with the following horses: Ossory (1888), Watercress (1892), Matchmaker (1895), Shaddock (1896), Manners (1899), Simon Dale (1900), Rydal Head (1904) and Plum Centre (1905).

Now onto the leading owners, both with 5 wins.

17th Earl of Derby: Stedfast (1911), Sansovino (1924), Caissot (1926), Hyperion (1933) and Heliopolis (1939)

Godolphin: Faithful Son (1998), Dubai Millennium (2000), Fantastic Light (2001), Grandera (2002) and Rewilding (2011).

Something to note in this renewal is that 2020’s winner Lord North is the current (at the time of writing this – 11am on June 14th 2021 on Ladbrokes) 6/4 favourite, if Lord North wins this race he will join the list of most successful horses in this race.

Personally I am siding with Love for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore, purely because I love her and after her winning the 1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks last year I don’t see a reason as to why she can’t win this. She has never ran this distance, her wins have came over 7 furlongs, 1 mile and 1 mile 4 furlongs, but I don’t see that being an issue. She’s had a little bit of time off the track but again, I don’t see this being an issue as she had a 240 day break before winning the 1,000 Guineas last year. Currently (at the time of writing this – 11am on June 14th 2021 on Ladbrokes) she is 2/1 via Ladbrokes, 6/4 in some places. However you can’t rule out last years winner Lord North, but for me I am going with Love.

Who do you like the look of? Let me know over on Twitter. As always the odds may change, the lineup for the race may change, jockey’s may change etc due to the official declarations not yet being made however all information I have included was correct at the time of writing (11am on June 14th 2021).

I hope you enjoyed this one and I will see you tomorrow at 6pm for the ‘The History of the Ascot Gold Cup’.

The History of the Queen Anne Stakes

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Good Evening!

Welcome to a Monday evening blog post here at zoelouisesmithx.com. With Royal Ascot starting tomorrow I have a week of posts coming up. Each day of this week I will be posting a history post for a randomly picked Group 1 race the following day, ending the week on Saturday morning with a very interesting post about a record breaking jockey! So without further ado, let’s get into today’s post.

The Queen Anne Stakes is a Group 1 flat race which started in 1840 and is ran at Ascot Racecourse over 1 mile, it takes place in June of each year and is open to horses who are aged four or older. In 2020 the race was worth £245,925 with the winner receiving £148,000.

When the race was established in 1840, it was called the Trial Stakes and was originally open to horses aged three or older. It was in 1930 that this changed, when it was renamed in honour of Queen Anne who was the founder of Ascot Racecourse. In 1971 it was classed as a Group 3 race and in 1984 it was promoted to a Group 2 race. It was only in 2003 that it was given Group 1 status and the minimum age was raised to four years old or older.

So let’s take a look at some early winners in the race, starting with the first ever winner, Flambeau, who won in 1840 and again the following year in 1841. Toastmaster was the next horse to win the race multiple times when winning in 1885 and 1886, with Worcester following in his footsteps when winning in 1895 and 1896 and Dean Swift winning the race in 1906 and 1907.

Moving into more recent times, you have Lester Piggott winning the race in 1972 on board four year old Sparkler for trainer Robert Armstrong and owner Maria Mehl-Mulhens. In 1974 the first 3 past the post, Confusion, Gloss and Royal Prerogative were all disqualified meaning the fourth past the post four year old Brook won the race for jockey Brian Taylor, trainer Mario Benetti and owner Carlo Vittadini. In 1975 three year old Imperial March won the race under Gianfranco Dettori for Vincent O’Brien and Walter Mullady. However jockey Brian Taylor would return to the winners enclosure in 1976 and 1977. In 1996 he won on board six year old Ardoon for trainer Gavin Pritchard-Gordon and owner Frank Feeney and in 1977 he won on board four year old Jellaby for trainer Ryan Price and owner Esa Alkhalifa.

Lester Piggott then dominated the race over the next few years. In 1979 he won on board three year old Baptism for Jeremy Tree and Jock Whitney. In 1981 he won on board four year old Belmont Bay for Henry Cecil and Daniel Wildenstein. In 1982 he won on three year old Mr Fluorocarbon for Henry Cecil and James McAllister. And in 1984 he won on board three year old Trojan Fen for Henry Cecil and Stavros Niarchos.

Moving forward a few years there is then Frankie Dettori winning the race for the first time in 1990 on board four year old Markofdistinction for Luca Cumani and Gerald Leigh. In 1992 Willie Carson won on board four year old Lahib for John Dunlop and Hamdan Al Maktoum before Michael Kinane went on t win multiple times. Firstly in 1993 on board four year old Alflora for Clive Brittain and Circlechart Ltd, again in 1994 on board four year old Barathea for Luca Cumani and Sheikh Mohammed and again in 1996 on board four year old Charnwood Forest for Saeed bin Suroor and Godolphin.

Starting with the 1996 race, Saeed bin Suroor and Godolphin dominated the race for many years. In 1997 they won with four year old Allied Forces with Frankie Dettori riding, again in 1998 with four year old Intikhab with Frankie Dettori riding again and winning again in 1999 with five year old Cape Cross rode by Gary Stevens.

The next three years would be won by trainer Sir Michael Stoute, firstly in 2000 with four year old Klanisi who was rode by Kieren Fallon for HH Aga Khan IV, in 2001 with four year old Medicean who was also rode by Kieren Fallon, this time for Cheveley Park Stud and again in 2002 with four year old No Excuse Needed who was rode by Johnny Murtagh for Maktoum Al Maktoum.

Jumping forward a few years, in 2006 Aidan O’Brien won the race for the first time with four year old Ad Valorem who was rode by Kieren Fallon for Magnier / Ingham.

In 2012 we seen the brilliant Frankel go on to win the race at four years old for Tom Queally, Sir Henry Cecil and Khalid Abdullah. Followed by four year old Declaration of War in 2013 for Joseph and Aidan O’Brien and owners Magnier / Tabor.

The most recent winners include four year old Accidental Agent in 2018 for Charlie Bishop, Eve Johnson Houghton and Gaie Johnson Houghton, six year old Lord Glitters in 2019 for Daniel Tudhope, David O’Meara and Geoff and Sandra Turnbull. With the most recent winner being four year old Circus Maximus in 2020 for Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and Flaxman / Magnier / Tabor / Smith.

Now onto some records. Starting with the most successful horses, all of whom have won the race twice. We have Flambeau who won in 1840 and 1841, Toastmaster who won in 1885 and 1886, Worcester who won in 1895 and 1896 and finally Dean Swift who won in 1906 and 1907.

Onto the leading jockey and we actually see two jockeys with six victories each.

Sir Gordon Richards: Sunderland (1925), Sundry (1927), Coldstream (1931), Fair Trial (1935), Pambidian (1949) and Southborne (1952).

Frankie Dettori: Markofdistinction (1990), Allied Forces (1997), Intikhab (1998), Dubai Destination (2003), Refuse to Bend (2004) and Ramonti (2007)

Next up is the leading trainer in this race and with 7 victories this goes to Saeed bin Suroor who has won with Charnwood Forest (1996), Allied Forces (1997), Intikhab (1998), Cape Cross (1999), Dubai Destination (2003), Refuse to Bend (2004) and Ramonti (2007).

The final record is the leading owner in this race and with 8 wins, this is Godolphin who has won with Charnwood Forest (1996), Allied Forces (1997), Intikhab (1998), Cape Cross (1999), Dubai Destination (2003), Refuse to Bend (2004), Ramonti (2007) and Ribchester (2017).

So, some things to note for this years renewal… (Please note all odds are correct via Ladbrokes at the time of writing this post 7pm on June 13th 2021).

Frankie Dettori is on the current favourite Palace Pier for trainers John and Thady Gosden and owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum who is currently 4/11 – Meaning if he wins this years renewal he will become the clear leading jockey of this race with 7 wins.

Two previous winners are entered into this race. 2018 winner Accidental Agent for jockey Charles Bishop, trainer Eve Johnson Houghton and owner Mrs R F Johnson Houghton who is now 7 years old and currently 66/1. And the second being Lord Glitters for jockey Daniel Tudhope, trainer David O’Meara and owners Geoff and Sandra Turnbull who is now 8 years old and is currently 22/1. If either of these horses win, they will join the list of the most successful horses with 2 wins each.

So with all of that being said… Who do you like the look of in this years Royal Ascot opener, the renewal of the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes? Let me know over on Twitter! I hope you all enjoyed this one and I will see you tomorrow evening at 6pm for ‘The History of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes’.

Hugh Rowan – The Final Gamble

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Good Morning!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com. Today’s post is another piece in my Horse Racing History series. I feel like this may be a shorter one again, but I find these stories so interesting so I have to share!

Hugh Rowan was an Australian born massive gambler in the 1930’s and 1940’s who would bet up to £100,000 very single day, regardless if he won or lost. Norman Pegg, a racing journalist at the time described him as ‘an eccentric who lived by his wits’ as well as suggesting that he ‘must have made lots out of confidence tricks on rich and gullible people’.

Hugh Rowan was a strange character who would pay his West End hotel bill two years ahead and was such a believer in absolute cleanliness that he would have three baths a day, as well as washing himself another four or five times. He often annoyed hotel staff by throwing any soiled clothing like socks and shirts out of his room and into the corridor. He packed his belongings in a clean white pillowcase because he said dirt could not collect in the corners.

Hugh Rowan had no knowledge of racing form, in fact, in his own words he ‘did not know how to read form’. Those who knew him said he rarely watched racing at all, even when he had £50,000 on a horse.

In 1947, things went from bad to worse for Hugh Rowan. The Royal Ascot meeting left him in over £90,000 worth of debt. Within a few days he had settled £60,000 of the debt with various bookmakers, however he had no way of raising the additional £30,000+ so he opted for drastic action instead.

A few years earlier, something similar had happened, where he lost a large amount of money and this resulted in him threatening suicide. He disappeared from the betting and racing scene for a while, with many believing he had in fact, killed himself. However, he burst back on to the scene, as if he had never left and nothing was ever spoke of this incident or what had happened or where he had disappeared to.

This time, he retired to his hotel room where he decided to end it all. Racing journalist Norman Pegg writing ‘he was around 80 years of age, his powers had declined and his money and credit were gone. He sent a note to a friend saying he was going to commit suicide’. Hugh Rowan also spoke to a porter and told him he would be called in five minutes time and to bring something with him to untie knots.

Hugh Rowan’s hotel room door was forced open and he was discovered dead. However, not due to suicide, there was a rope nearby, but not touching him. A later post-mortem examination showed that he had in fact died of heart failure, probably due to the stress of the situation he had landed himself in.

A short one and a little bit of a darker one today, but when I read it, I wanted to share it. The lesson to learn here is that you should never gamble beyond your means. If you are to gamble then keep it sensible and make sure you know when to stop. As cliché as it sounds ‘when the fun stops, stop’. Do not allow money and gambling to push you as far as it did Hugh Rowen.

Thank you for reading and I will see you all on Wednesday evening (07/04/2021) for a brand new post!

Is Hollie Doyle the Greatest Female Jockey of our Time? #VoteHollie

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Hi Guys!

Today’s post is one I am very excited for. As, I think everyone knows by now, tonight is the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year Awards and we have one of our very own, Hollie Doyle, up for the big award, so it is only right we all come together to support her and push for her to win. It would be incredible to see Hollie win as well as being able to boost our sport and the females within a male dominated sport. So of course, today’s post is all about Hollie Doyle and what she has managed to achieve in her short career so far.

Disclaimer: The facts, figures and stats are all from different sources online and I have simply compiled them altogether into one post, I have tried to use multiple sources to ensure all facts are as accurate as possible. I apologise if anything is incorrect. Please feel free to tweet me anything that may be incorrect so I can change it. At the time of writing this post 20/12/2020 all of the figures are accurate according to my online sources used. So with that being said… Let’s jump right into it.

Hollie Doyle was born on October 11th 1996 to parents Mark and Caroline, who both played a part in horse racing, so it was always meant to be. Mark being a former jockey and Caroline who rode in Arab horse races. From a very young age, Hollie became a part of the Herefordshire Pony Club and rode her first pony race at the age of nine.

At the age of just 16 on May 5th 2013, Hollie had her first ride under rules in a lady amateurs race, winning on The Mongoose at Salisbury in the 5:20pm for David Evans. And it seems that from that day on, there was no looking back for Hollie. That same summer, she went on to sit her GCSE’s’ before joining David Evans’ yard in Wales. She also spent six weeks in California that winter.

In 2014, Hollie moved on as an apprentice jockey to Richard Hannon’s yard in Wiltshire. In August 2017 Hollie won her first listed race on Billesdon Bess in the Upavon Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury, whilst still being an apprentice, before riding out her claim in November of that same year.

In 2019, Hollie set a new record for winners ridden in a British season by a female jockey, with an incredible 116 victories, passing the record of 106 which was set by Josephine Gordon in 2017.

On June 19th 2020 Hollie had her first ever win at Royal Ascot when she won on the 33/1 shot Scarlet Dragon in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes for trainer Alan King. Shortly after, on July 9th 2020, Hollie rode her first Group race winner on Dame Malliot in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket for trainer Ed Vaughan. That same month, Hollie was named as a retained jockey for owner Imad Al Sagar, who she went on to win the Rose of Lancaster Stakes on Extra Elusive for only a month later, becoming Hollie’s second Group race win.

The season didn’t stop there, Hollie continued to break records and become a public figure very very quickly. On August 29th 2020 Hollie rode five winners in one day at Windsor, making her the first female jockey to ever win five races on the same card in Britain, another incredible achievement which threw Hollie into the spotlight once again. Not long after this, on October 14th 2020, Hollie rode her 117th winner of the season, breaking her own record from 2019. Only a few days later on October 17th Hollie became the first female jockey to ride a winner of Champions Day at Ascot winning on Trueshan at 11/1 in the Long Distance Cup for trainer Alan King, this was very shortly followed by Hollie’s first ever Group 1 when she won on the 16/1 shot Glen Shiel in the Champions Sprint for trainer Archie Watson.

In November 2020 Hollie was named The Sunday Times Sportwoman of the Year as well as finishing fourth in the Flat Jockey’s Championship which is the highest ever ranking for a woman.

Overall, a pretty incredible season for Hollie Doyle, who on December 1st 2020 was announced to be one of the nominees for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award – Which goes ahead TONIGHT starting at 8pm on BBC 1, all votes will be cast once the show starts so make sure you watch the show to find out how you can make your vote count!

Now we’ve summarised how incredible Hollie Doyle is, I feel like we should back it up with some facts and figures, so lets jump into those! Again, I do want to emphasise that these facts and figures are from a range of sources and I have tried my best to ensure they are all accurate and correct, if there are slight differences, please do message me privately so I can correct those!

Hollie Doyle has had 3302 starts in her career, winning 422 of those and placing in 745. So if we break it down, that means Hollie has won 12.78% of her races and placed in 22.56%. Meaning she has won or placed in 35.34% of her career rides.

I don’t think this will come as a surprise to many, but the majority of Hollie’s wins in her career have came for Archie Watson. She has had 550 rides for Archie Watson, winning 112 and placing in 140. Followed by Richard Hannon, who she has rode for 332 times, winning 37 times and placing 79 times.

Following on from that, Hollie’s best strike rate is actually best for John Gosden, who Hollie has rode for 8 times, winning 5 times and placing twice. Therefore her win strike rate working out to 62.5%, her placed strike rate to 25% meaning her over all win/place strike rate is 87.5% when riding for John Gosden, quite extraordinary figures.

In terms of prize money, Hollie has won the most prize money when riding for Archie Watson, (using Google’s current exchange rate so this may vary). She has won 2,623,776 AUD which is around £1,478,580.42. Swiftly followed by Richard Hannon, who she has won 804,783 AUD which is around £453,520.57. And thirdly, Alan King, who Hollie has won 712,445 AUD which is around £401,485.20. Overall, under rules, since 2013 Hollie has won 8,937,837 AUD which is around £5,036,752.69.

Onto Hollie’s favourite UK racecourse – statistic wise, she has had the most wins at Wolverhampton, riding 472 rimes with 66 wins and 105 places. Meaning Hollie has won 13.98% of her rides at this venue and placed 22.25% times meaning overall she has won/placed in 36.23% of the rides she has had at Wolverhampton. In second place is Lingfield AW where she has had 367 rides, winning 59 times and placing 91 times, meaning she has won 16.07% of her rides, placed 24.80% times with an overall win/place percentage of 40.87%. And finally in third place, Kempton Park AW, where Hollie has rode 414 times, winning 45 times and placing 77 times, meaning she has won 10.87% of her rides here, placed 18.60% times with an overall win/place percentage of 29.47%.

Something I found interesting and wanted to just add in was the horses Hollie has had the most wins on. In first place is Tigerfish who Hollie has rode 18 times, winning 6 of those times. Secondly is Maystar who Hollie rode 12 times, winning 5 of those times and placing 4 times. And thirdly is Harrison Point who Hollie rode 9 times, winning 4 times and placing twice.

I have tried to keep this post as neutral as I possibly can using statistics alone to show who Hollie Doyle is and how her facts and figures line up. However now I will give a little bit of my opinion and I would love to hear yours over on social media!

I think Hollie is a credit to our sport, this year especially she has brought a new audience to our sport, she has been the face of British racing as a female in a male dominated sport and she is living proof that if you want to do something, male or female, you can do it if you put in the hard work and dedication. As a female myself, I find it inspiring to see Hollie doing so well in a sport that for many many years has been dominated by men, she is showing young girls that it is still possible to succeed in a sport like horse racing and I think that is so important. I have met Hollie a few times, cold nights at one of my local tracks Wolverhampton and she has always got a smile on her face, always willing to stop and talk to anyone, sign things, take photos, nothing is ever too much trouble for her and I love that about her. I am the same age has Hollie, literally born 3 weeks after her, and I could never imagine riding horses to the level she does, I have nothing but admiration for her and I feel truly inspired by her in terms of following my dream and doing what I love. I think we have a future Champion Jockey on our hands and personally I cannot wait for the day that she is given that crown.

I would love nothing more than to see Hollie Doyle win the Sports Personality of the Year Award 2020 and I think she truly deserves it. I will be voting and getting behind her and I hope everyone else can too. As soon as a live link is available via BBC to vote online I will share this on my social media as well as adding it to this blog post so we can all get behind her and vote for her to win.

Again, I love these sort of posts where I can dig into someone’s story and facts and figures and I will be doing many many more in 2021. If I don’t post before, I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year, as much as possible in the current circumstances and I will see you all very very soon in my next post!

An Interview with Amy Murphy

Posted in Horse Racing, Interviews by

Amy Murphy

Hiya guys!

Today I am bringing to you an interview with the brilliant, quickly up and coming trainer Amy Murphy. I hope you enjoy!

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Me: What’s your favourite day of the racing calendar?

Amy: On the flat, my favourite day would be the Tuesday of Royal Ascot and National Hunt, it would be the Tuesday of the Cheltenham Festival.

Me: What’s the goal for you and the team? Grand National, Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, what’s the dream?

Amy: My goal as a trainer would be to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. For the team, more realistically, my goal would be to constantly hit and better the targets we set at the beginning of each season. In doing so, I would hope that we can then improve the quality of horses in training.

Me: If you could train one horse that is currently in training elsewhere, what horse would you choose and why?

Amy: Enable, for obvious reasons. She is everything that you would look for in a racehorse.

Me: Do you ever get any down time? What’s your favourite thing to do when you do get some spare time?

Amy: The best down time for me is having a relaxing day with my family and friends with a glass or two of champagne. 

Me: What would you say to anyone who thinks racing is animal cruelty?

Amy: I would ask them to take the time to visit my yard and see first hand the five star care and attention the horses get and then tell me whether they still think the horses are suffering from cruelty.

Me: Kalashnikov is one of the most loved horses over the past few years, how is he? Where do you hope he goes next season?

Amy: This National Hunt season did not go to plan for Kalashnikov. However, he has had a period of rehab and will now have a long summer break out in the field with the other National Hunt horses. I would expect him to be back in the early part of the Autumn 2020/2021 season.

Me: What’s your favourite race course to visit?

Amy: My favourite flat track would be Chester and my favourite National Hunt track would be Fakenham for the friendly country feel you get.

Me: What is your ‘horse to watch’ that you train?

Amy: A horse to watch for the future would be Rudaina over middle distances on a flat galloping track.

Me: What’s your favourite race to look back on as an owner, rider or trainer?

Amy: My favourite race to look back on would be the Betfair Hurdle, again for obvious reasons.

Me: What are your opinions surrounding discussions of banning the whip?

Amy: With regards to the whip debate, I can see both sides of the argument. Personally, I feel the whip should not disappear as, if nothing else, it is an aid for correct measures in a race.

Me: What is your best piece of advice for a young person following their passion, whether that be in racing or something else?

Amy: My advice would be to follow your dreams and make sure you get plenty of hands on experience in order to make sure your dreams become a reality. Also, never be afraid to ask for other people’s opinions and advice.

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Firstly, as always, I want to say a massive thank you to Amy for taking the time out to speak to me. Personally I think Amy is a trainer to watch, she is a brilliant trainer, a lovely person and overall just a great female ambassador for our sport.

I really hope you all enjoyed this interview and I shall see you all next Saturday at 11am for An Interview with Danny Mcmenamin.

An Interview with Georgia Cox

Posted in Horse Racing, Interviews by

Georgia Cox

Hiya guys!

Today’s post is with the lovely Georgia Cox who is currently an apprentice jockey for William Haggas, she has gave a cracking interview with some brilliant, detailed answers and I thoroughly hope you enjoy!

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Me: What is your favourite race of your career, win or lose?

Georgia: Theydon Grey’s hat trick on the Knavesmire definitely stands out in my mind. looking back now wish I had of enjoyed those days more, as I know now more often that not things don’t always go to plan or as perfectly as we did. Sheikh Ahmed’s yellow and black silks have always been my favourite, having been able to ride a lot of nice horses for him and his team. So, bringing any of their horses  back to the winner’s enclosure means a lot to me. I have always loved watching Mtoto’s replays who of course is also the sire of the great Shaamit and a huge part of Somerville Lodge history!

Me: If you could ride any horse, that you never had, past or present, which horse would you choose?

Georgia: This is probably a biased answer but for me it would be Sea of Class. If anyone had read the newsletter I wrote, they would know my thoughts about her greatness. She had a breathtaking presence, an extraordinary aura and gumption beyond belief. She was just completely unique.

Me: What are you opinions surrounding the discussion of banning the whip?

Georgia: This topic has been done to a death. For me it’s about as boring as Brexit and the question “what’s it like being a girl race riding” Nothing annoys me more than our sport getting a slating. I have felt a smack by other riders during a tight finish so I know that it does not hurt. Unfortunately, horses can’t speak English so you use actions to explain the game, it’s used to keep them going, to cajole them into line. It’s similar to a boxer getting a slap/receipt from their coach. It’s a means to get them to concentrate. These horses weight 500kgs, the stick is air cushioned and it lands on the thickest bit of flesh when their adrenaline is at a high. They are naturally flight animals, but often when I’m waiting to get the leg up in the mornings, my horse will play with my stick, I could rub it all over their face without them flinching. If they associated it with pain, there is no way I would be able to do that, ill-formed and uneducated perception of the stick is ancient.

Me: You ride for William Haggas, as an apprentice jockey, What is it like working for him?

Georgia: I walked in to Somerville Lodge fresh faced at 16 and very shy. Once I started to find my feet, my passion grew stronger and talking about the horses is how I found my voice. 98% of my vocabulary might be horses but that’s when I’m most confident doing what I love. Our horses have everything they could possibly need from: treadmills; salt boxes; vibe plates; 5 horse walkers; spa’s; physio’s; top class farriers and vets and heat lamps fitted everywhere that is possible. So much thought goes into these animals everyday rituals. Having been nearly 7 years now I know a lot of their pedigrees first hand which I find particularly interesting finding the traits they pass down their family. I know our yard like the back of my hand and everything gets done to the highest standard. Somerville Lodge is where the attention to detail and organisation gets taken to another level our horses certainly live the riches life.

Me: What is your favourite race course and why?

Georgia: I have had some great days at York in the past. The facilities there are top class, it’s a very fair track and the best horse always wins. It’s topped off by always having a good atmosphere too. You can’t ask for much more than that.

Me: What is one race that you’d love to win?

Georgia: The Derby is the race that every jockey dreams about winning. Even people who are not into racing know about how prestigious the Derby is.

Me: What would be your horse to watch for the next season or two?

Georgia: It’s hard to pick just one right now, so many unexposed raw types with so much potential especially at this time of year when they are all coming back in from their winter holidays. Strengthened up, fresh and raring to go. The dream is very much intact for all. They are getting back into their individual routines suited best for them so we are all hoping that ducklings have turned into swans and their top class pedigrees shine through.

Me: What would you say to anyone who thinks racing is animal cruelty?

Georgia: As mentioned above, I’ve been at Somerville Lodge since I was 16 so I can only say based on our yard and if every yard is like ours, no one would dare question the welfare of our horses. We look after our horses better than we do ourselves,  the minute details never go amiss for each individual horse. I know every single one of our horses from sight, pedigree, conformation, character and racing form. These horses are the best looked after animals in the country. If you ever look through the photos in our phones you’ll be swamped with so many photos of horses. They truly are the apple of our eyes.

The racing photographers and twitter pages (like Racing tales/Micheal Harris) should also be commended as pictures can say a thousand words, the moments captured between grooms and horse you can see the love in there eyes. Good twitter pages should be shown support by the likes of itv racing to get more people hooked deeper into the history of the sport.  I think all the yards should be more transparent and you will find more video gems like the Harry Bentley in the stalls to go viral, as things like that happen constantly everyday.

There are so many stories in racing that should get made into movies like Frankel is great but I’d love to see one on the great Sir Henry Cecil himself and how inspiring his journey was. To hit the heights that he did, to then go between 2000 – 2006 not having a single group 1 winner in 2005 only trained a dozen winners to go from 200 horses shrank to 50 how he came back from that is an inspirational story that everyone could do with!

Racing tickets should be cheaper and there should be more competitions for people to win tickets/ merchandise. We are always happy to see more young people to cherish the roots of racing instead of just going for the music concert after. All the good that our sport does could do with being exposed more. There are so many issues with social media and young people these days. Horses are an escape from that. They don’t judge you, they don’t care what you look like or how many followers you have. You see when you have such a strong passion about something, it gives you something to focus on, when other in life is going wrong it’s something to turn too, perhaps even a sense of purpose and direction in life, these days so much of our lives are consumed into staring endlessly at our phones that seem to takes over so much of our lives. when social media gets to much you can always count on the horses to be there waiting for you, they are always happy to see you and can only be good for mental health.

These equine athletes earn us a living and none of them owe us anything. Every horse that comes through our yard, I follow their journey after they leave wherever that might be that they go to. I have many pictures of them in retirement. They give us a reason to get up in the morning. I, like so many others would be lost without these animals. It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle. A contagious, infectious, addictive lifestyle. It’s a passion like no other. It’s a game like no other where adrenaline is on tap. It’s living in the fast lane. We are the sport of kings and we shall drown out the nonsense.

Me: What is your favourite day of the racing calendar?

Georgia: Royal Ascot has to be the pinnacle of the sport. Five days packed full of top class racing. So much history and so many superstars, human and equine, have passed under that tunnel. It is where dreams are either made or shattered. It is something that every jockey owner, breeder and trainer want on their CV, a Royal Ascot winner.

Me: What is your best advice for young people who have a passion they want to follow, whether that be racing or otherwise?

Georgia: If you have a passion for something, follow it. Mine has taken me all over the world and led me to a pretty exciting life. I believe having a good work ethic can get you anywhere. Life is a marathon not a sprint but have your blinkers on to remain focused and un-distracted from your goals. The quickest way to get somewhere is a straight line after all. Having good people around you is important, as a support system but also to inspire you and help you achieve your best. It’s not what happens in life, it’s about how you deal with it all. Be humble and laugh it off!

Me: You have previously ridden in the Queen’s colours, how special was that for you?

Georgia: It’s something I’ve always dreamed of and hugely proud of, to be able to put her majesty famous silks on, has been an absolute honour and I wish there to be many more times ahead yet!

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Interviewing Georgia was fantastic, she is so open and passionate about the sport it is incredible to see. So firstly, as always, I want to say a massive thank you to Georgia for taking the time out to have a chat with me and answer some questions.

I really hope you have enjoyed this post as much as I did writing it.