Tag Archives: sue magnier

The History of the Ascot Gold Cup

Posted in Horse Racing by

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’.

Advertisement

The History of the Epsom Derby

Posted in Horse Racing by

Good Morning!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Ahead of today’s renewal of the Cazoo Derby, let’s have a look into the history of the race!

The Epsom Derby Stakes is a Group 1 flat race which is ran at Epsom Downs racecourse and is open to three year old colts and fillies. It is ran over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards and it takes place in late May or early June each year and the first running of the race was in 1780. It is Britain’s richest flat horse race and the most prestigious of the 5 Classic races as well as the middle leg of the Triple Crown, with the 2,000 Guineas before and the St Leger following. In the previous running in 2020 the race was worth £491,850 with the winner getting £283,550.

The first winner of the race in 1780 was a horse called Diomed for jockey Sam Arnull, trainer R. Teasdale and owner Sir Charles Bunbury. Jumping into the 1800’s, Robert Robson who dominated the Epsom Oaks, started to dominate the Epsom Derby winning firstly in 1802 with Tyrant who partnered up with Frank Buckle and owner the 3rd Duke of Grafton, winning again in 1809 with Pope for jockey Tom Goodisson and owner the 3rd Duke of Grafton. In 1810 with Whalebone for Bill Clift and owner the 3rd Duke of Grafton with plenty more victories to follow up to 1823.

In 1828, interestingly there was a deadheat, however Cadland for Jem Robinson, Dixon Boyce and the 5th Duke of Rutland ended up winning in a ‘run off’ against The Colonel.

Skipping forward quite a few years, in 1896, Persimmon won the race for jockey John Watts, trainer Richard Marsh and the Prince of Wales, with another winner for the Prince of Wales in 1900 when Diamond Jubilee won for jockey Herbert Jones and trainer Richard Marsh.

In 1909, Minoru won for jockey Herbert Jones, trainer Richard Marsh and owner King Edward VII.

In 1930, Aga Khan III won with Blenheim with jockey Harry Wragg and trainer Dick Dawson, winning again in 1935 with Bahram for jockey Freddie Fox and trainer Frank Butters and again in 1936 with Mahmoud for jockey Charles Smirke and trainer Fred Butters again. As well as a victory in 1952 with Tulyar for jockey Charles Smirke and trainer Marcus Marsh.

In 1954, Lester Piggott won the race for the first time on Never Say Die for trainer Joseph Lawson and owner Robert Sterling Clark.

In 1970, the very famous Nijinsky won the race for Lester Piggott, Vincent O’Brien and Charles W. Engelhard Jr. Mill Reef in 1971 for Geoff Lewis, Ian Balding and Paul Mellon.

Another notable name is Shergar who won the race in 1981 for Walter Swinburn, (Sir) Michael Stoute and Aga Khan VI. (If you don’t know the story of Shergar you can read all about it right here: https://zoelouisesmithx.com/2020/07/25/what-happened-to-shergar/)

If we now skip forward to the 21st century, we see Galileo win the race in 2001 for Michael Kinane, Aidan O’Brien and Magnier / Tabor. (You can read all about him, his racing career and his career in stud right here: https://zoelouisesmithx.com/2021/03/12/galileo-what-makes-a-peoples-horse/)

Motivator won the race in 2005 for Johnny Murtagh, Michael Bell and the Royal Ascot Racing Club. Authorized in 2007 for Frankie Dettori, Peter Chapple-Hyam and Al Homaizi / Al Sagar. In 2009, Sea The Stars won the race for Michael Kinane, John Oxx and Christopher Tsui. With Camelot winning in 2012 for Joseph and Aidan O’Brien and owners Smith / Magnier / Tabor, followed by Ruler of the World for Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and Magnier / Tabor / Smith and in 2014, Australia for Joseph and Aidan O’Brien and Smith / Magnier / Tabor / Khing.

2015 we seen Golden Horn win the race for Frankie Dettori, John Gosden and Anthony Oppenheimer. And in 2016, the late, great, Pat Smullen won the race on Harzand for Dermot Weld and owner Aga Khan IV.

In 2019 the late Anthony Van Dyck won the race for Seamie Heffernan, Aidan O’Brien and Smith / Magnier / Tabor. And the most recent winner in 2020 which was ran in July due to the Covid 19 pandemic was Serpentine for Emmet McNamara, Aidan O’Brien and Tabor / Smith / Magnier.

Now onto some records within the race!

The fastest winning time was set in 2010 when Workforce won the race in 2 minutes 31.33 seconds.

The longest odds winners were Jeddah in 1898, Signorinetta in 1908 and Aboyeur in 1913 who all won at 100/1.

The shortest odds winner was in 1894 when Ladas won at 2/9.

The widest winning margin was in 1981 when Shergar won by 10 lengths.

The race with the most runners was in 1862 when 34 horses ran.

The race with the fewest runners was in 1794 when only 4 horses ran.

Now onto the leading jockey, trainer and owner!

Firstly the leading jockey who is Lester Piggott who won the race 9 times. Never Say Die in 1954, Crepello in 1957, St Paddy in 1960, Sir Ivor in 1968, Nijinsky in 1970, Roberto in 1972, Empery in 1976, The Minstrel in 1977 and Teenoso in 1983.

The leading trainer is Aidan O’Brien, who to date has won 8 times. Galileo in 2001, High Chaparral in 2002, Camelot in 2012, Ruler of the World in 2013, Australia in 2014, Wings of Eagles in 2017, Anthony Van Dyck in 2019 and Serpentine in 2020.

And the leading owner – including part ownership – like many of these posts I have done are Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor who have won it 9 times. Galileo in 2001, High Chaparral in 2002, Pour Moi in 2011, Camelot in 2012, Ruler of the World in 2013, Australia in 2014, Wings of Eagles in 2017, Anthony Van Dyck in 2019 and Serpentine in 2020.

So there we have it, a little look into the history of the Epsom Derby. Today’s renewal looks to be another brilliant race so I cannot wait to see how it goes! I hope you enjoyed this one and I will see you all on Wednesday evening for a new post and it is a very interesting post – Eight Interesting Horse Racing Facts You May Not Know!

The History of the Irish 1,000 Guineas

Posted in Horse Racing by

Good Morning!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com. A post on a Sunday morning must only mean one thing, something important is happening! Ahead of today’s renewal of the Irish 1,000 Guineas I thought we could have a look back at the history of the race including past winners and some record holders, so with that being said, let’s get right into it!

The Irish 1,000 Guineas is a Group One flat race which takes place at the Curragh in Ireland and is open to three year old fillies. It is ran over 1 mile and takes place in May each year. The first running of the race was 1 year after the Irish 2,000 Guineas and took place in 1922. In 2020, the race was worth €230,000 with the winner collecting €142,500.

Now let’s look into some previous winners o the race, starting with Valoris in 1966 for jockey J. Power, trainer Vincent O’Brien and owner Charles Clore. She went on to produce foals such as Valinsky by Nijinsky who won 3 races including the Geoffrey Freer Stakes as well as Savannah Dancer by Northern Dancer who won 6 races including the Del Mar Oaks.

Let’s then jump to 1986 when Sonic Lady won the race for jockey Walter Swinburn, trainer (Sir) Michael Stoute and owner Sheikh Mohammed who won the race again in 1989 with Ensconse with Ray Cochrane riding for trainer Luca Cumani.

In 1994 jockey Willie Carson won the race on board Mehthaaf for trainer John Dunlop and owner Hamdan Al Maktoum, he then won for the same owner again in 1996 on Matiya this time for trainer Ben Hanbury.

In 1997, the leading trainer in the race Aidan O’Brien had his first victory in the race with Classic Park with jockey Stephen Craine and owner Mrs Seamus Burns. Jamie Spencer then won the race in 1998 on Tarascon for trainer Tommy Stack and owner Jane Rowlinson. In 2001, Imagine won giving leading owner Sue Magnier a first victory in the race with jockey Seamie Heffernan and trainer Aidan O’Brien.

In 2002, Gossamer won the race for jockey Jamie Spencer, trainer Luca Cumani and owner Gerald Leigh. Yesterday won in 2003 for Michael Kinane, Aidan O’Brien and Sue Magnier. Attraction won in 2004 for Kevin Darley, Mark Johnston and the 10th Duke of Roxburghe.

In 2006, the late Pat Smullen won the race on board Nightime for trainer Dermot Weld and owner Marguerite Weld, also winning it in 2010 on Bethrah for Dermot Weld again and owner Hamdan Al Maktoum.

In 2014 we seen Marvellous win for Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and Smith / Tabor / Magnier. Pleascach won in 2016 for jockey Kevin Manning, trainer Jim Bolger and owner Jackie Bolger.

Since 2017, Aidan O’Brien along with owners Tabor / Magnier / Smith have won 3 times with only Jessica Harrington in the middle. In 2017, Ryan Moore won on board Winter, with Colm O’Donoghue winning for Jessica Harrington in 2018 on board Alpha Centauri for owners the Niarchos Family. In 2019, Ryan Moore won again on board Hermosa with Seamie Heffernan winning the June run race in 2020 (Delayed due to COVID 19 pandemic) on board Peaceful.

Now onto the records…

The leading jockey with 7 victories is Morny Wing who won on Lady Violette in 1922, Glenshesk in 1923, Spiral in 1931, Sol Speranza in 1937, Gainsworth in 1940, Panastrid in 1945 and Sea Symphony in 1947.

The leading trainer, which will come as no surprise to anyone at this point is of course Aidan O’Brien with 9 wins. These were Classic Park in 1997, Imagine in 2001, Yesterday in 2003, Halfway To Heaven in 2008, Misty For Me in 2011, Marvellous in 2014, Winter in 2017, Hermosa in 2019 and Peaceful in 2020.

The leading owner (since 1950 – including part ownership) may not surprise anyone again, being Sue Magnier. With 9 winners which are: Imagine in 2001, Yesterday in 2003, Halfway To Heaven in 2008, Again in 2009 Misty For Me in 2011, Marvellous in 2014, Winter in 2017, Hermosa in 2019 and Peaceful in 2020.

This means that Aidan O’Brien trained 8 out of Sue Magnier’s 9 winners and Sue Magnier owned 8 of Aidan O’Brien’s 9 winners. The only winner that Sue Magnier has had which was not trained by Aidan O’Brien was Again in 2009 who was trained by David Wachman. The only winner Aidan O’Brien has had that was not owned or part owned by Sue Magnier was Classic Park in 1997 who was owned by Mrs Seamus Burns.

The Irish 1,000 Guineas usually includes horses who have previously ran in the English version of the race, however only 4 horses have won the English and Irish 1,000 Guineas double. These were: Attraction in 2004, Finsceal Beo in 2007, Winter in 2017 and Hermosa in 2019.

So there we have it, a little look back at the history of the Irish 1,000 Guineas. Who do you like the look of for today’s renewal? Let me know over on Twitter!

I hope you all enjoyed this post and I will see you all on Wednesday evening at 6pm for a new post!

The History of the Irish 2,000 Guineas

Posted in Horse Racing by

Good Morning!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com. With the renewal of the Irish 2,000 Guineas taking place today I thought we could have a little look back at the history of the race including some records, so without further ado, let’s just get right into it!

The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group One flat race which takes place at the Curragh in Ireland and is open to three year old colts and fillies. It is ran over 1 mile and takes place in May each year. The first running of the race was in 1921, meaning this year will be the 100th year. In 2020 the race was worth €250,000 with the winner collecting €142,500 of that.

So let’s have a look at some of the winners of the race. Firstly let’s jump into the 1970 running of the race, here Decies won the race with Lester Piggott riding for trainer Bernard van Cutsem and owner Nelson Bunker Hunt. In 1972, Ballymore won the race for jockey Christy Roche, trainer Paddy Prendergast and owner Meg Mullion.

Skipping forward to 1984, Sadler’s Wells won the race for jockey George McGrath, trainer Vincent O’Brien and owner Robert Sangster. He then went on to produce horses for the flat and over obstacles, including 4 times Irish Champion Hurdle, 3 times Champion Hurdle and Punchestown Champion Hurdle winner Istabraq, 2 time Ascot Gold Cup and 2 time Irish St Leger winner Kayf Tara, one of the most famous racehorses in the world, Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Galileo who has went on to produce many of the horses we have all known and loved over the years. 4 times Ascot Gold Cup, Coronation Cup, Irish St Leger and Prix Royal Oak winner Yeats, Fillies’ Mile winner Playful Act who holds the world record price of $10.5 million (USD) when sold at the Keeneland Breeding Stock Sale in 2007 and Welsh Grand National, Lexus Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised plus many many more.

In 1986, Flash of Steel won the race for jockey Michael Kinane, trainer Dermot Weld and owner Bertram Firestone. In 1994 and 1995, jockey John Reid and trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam had the winners, Turtle Island in 1994 for owner Robert Sangster and Spectrum in 1995 for owner Lord Weinstock.

We then skip to 1997 and the first victory in the race for the leading trainer in the race Aidan O’Brien when he won with Desert King with Christy Roche on board for owner Michael Tabor. The following two year would be won by jockey Olivier Peslier, in 1998 on Desert Prince for trainer David Loder and owners Lucayan Stud and in 1999 on Saffron Walden for Aidan O’Brien and owner Sue Magnier, the leading owner in the race’s first victory.

We then enter the new millennium and in 2000 Frankie Dettori won the race on Bachir for trainer Saeed bin Suroor and owners Godolphin. The following two years were again won by Aidan O’Brien, in 2001 Johnny Murtagh rode Black Minnaloushe to victory for Sue Magnier and in 2002 Michael Kinane rode Rock of Gibraltar to win for Ferguson / Magnier.

In 2005, Dubawi won the race for jockey Frankie Dettori, trainer Saeed bin Suroor and owners Godolphin. He then went on to sire horses such as Dubai World Cup winner Monterosso, Tingle Creek, Clarence House and Queen Mother Chase winner Dodging Bullets, Hong Kong Cup winner Akeed Mofeed, 2,000 Guineas and Lockinge Stakes winner Night of Thunder, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Dubai Sheema Classic and International Stakes winner Postponed, Grand Prix de Paris winner Erupt, Grosser Preis von Baden, Coronation Cup, Eclipse Stakes and International Stakes winner Ghaiyyath, Dewhurst Stakes, Prix Jean Prat and Sussex Stakes winner Too Darn Hot and plenty of others.

If we then skip forward to 2011, for 3 years Joseph O’Brien won the race riding for his dad Aidan O’Brien for owners Magnier / Tabor. In 2011 Roderic O’Connor won the race, with Power winning in 2012 and Magician in 2013.

In 2014, Kingman won the race for jockey James Doyle, trainer John Gosden and owner Khalid Abdullah. Gleneagles in 2015 for jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Aidan O’Brien and owners Magnier / Tabor and the same trio winning again in 2017 with Churchill. The latest running of the race took place in June of 2020 dur to the COVID 19 pandemic, this was won by Siskin for jockey Colin Keane, trainer Ger Lyons and owner Khalid Abdullah.

So who holds the records?

The leading jockeys with 5 wins each are Tommy Burns who won with Soldennis (1921), Soldumeno (1923), Cornfield (1939), Grand Weather (1947) and Beau Sabreur (1948). And Martin Quirke with Salisbury (1929), Glannarg (1930), Museum (1935), Nearchus (1938) and Khosro (1941).

The leading trainer with 11 wins is Aidan O’Brien who has won the race with Desert King in 1997, Saffron Walden in 1999, Black Minnaloushe in 2001, Rock of Gibraltar in 2002, Henrythenavigator in 2008, Mastercraftsman in 2009, Roderic O’Connor in 2011, Power in 2012, Magician in 2013, Gleneagles in 2015 and Churchill in 2017.

The leading owner (since 1950 – Including part ownership) is Sue Magnier with 10 victories, all of which were trained by Aidan O’Brien, these are: Saffron Walden in 1999, Black Minnaloushe in 2001, Rock of Gibraltar in 2002, Henrythenavigator in 2008, Mastercraftsman in 2009, Roderic O’Connor in 2011, Power in 2012, Magician in 2013, Gleneagles in 2015 and Churchill in 2017.

This means, every victory in the race for trainer Aidan O’Brien apart from his first being Desert King in 1997, was for Sue Magnier.

Very few horses have completed the 2,000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas double, only 9 have ever been successful, the first being Right Tack in 1969 and the most recent horses being Rock of Gibraltar in 2002, Cockney Rebel in 2007, Henrythenavigator in 2008, Gleneagles in 2015 and Churchill in 2017.

So there we have it, a little look back at the history of the Irish 2,000 Guineas. Who do you like the look of for today’s renewal? Let me know over on Twitter!

I hope you enjoyed this post and I will see you all tomorrow at 11am where we look at the history of the Irish 1,000 Guineas ahead of the renewal tomorrow afternoon!

The History of the 2000 Guineas

Posted in Horse Racing by

Good Morning!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Ahead of today’s renewal of the 2000 Guineas I have decided to have a quick look at the history of the race including some past winners and some interesting records, facts and figures. So without further ado, lets just jump right in!

The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race which first took place in 1809. It is open to 3 year old thoroughbred colts and fillies, which is ran over 1 mile (1,609 metres) on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. It is one of the Britain’s five ‘Classic’ races and currently it is the first one of the year, being ran in late April/early May each year. It is also the first leg of the Triple Crown, you can read more about that right here: https://zoelouisesmithx.com/2021/04/28/the-history-of-the-english-triple-crown/.

The first running of the 2000 Guineas Stakes took place on April 18th 1809, established by the Jockey Club under the direction of Sir Charles Bunbury, who interestingly had previously co-founded the Espom Derby. The race was named after its original prize, a guinea amounted to roughly £1.05, so 2000 guineas roughly equalled £2,100.

Now, lets have a look at some previous winners, starting with the first winner back in 1809, Wizard who was rode by Bill Clift, trained by Tom Perren and owned by Christopher Wilson. I then want to skip forward a few years to 1814, this was the first of three wins in a row for jockey Bill Arnull and trainer Dixon Boyce when Olive won, in 1815 the pair won again with Tigris, then winning again for a thirs time in 1816 with Nectar.

This repeated itself a few years later, starting in 1820 when jockey Frank Buckle, trainer Robert Robson and owner 4th Duke of Grafton won with Pindarrie, the trio then won again in 1821 with Reginald and again in 1822 with Pastille – who interestingly was the first filly to win the race.

Let’s jump forward quite a few years now to 1900 where Diamond Jubilee won the race (who also went on to win the Triple Crown) who was trained by Richard Marsh, with Herbert Jones riding for the owner the Prince of Wales at the time Edward VII who went on to be the King the following year in 1901. He then won again when he was King in 1909 just a year before his death in 1910. This time he won the race with Minoru who was rode by Herbert Jones and trained by Richard Marsh again.

The next one I want to look at is in 1942 when Big Game won for jockey Gordon Richards and trainer Fred Darling and the King at the time King George VI who is Queen Elizabeth II (the current Queen)’s father.

In here I want to quickly mention the 1956 winner Gilles de Retz who won for jockey Frank Barlow and owner Anthony Samuel. This is very interesting as the trainer was a lady called Helen Johnson Houghton who was the first female trainer to train a Classic winner, however her name does not appear in the official records, instead it is replaced by the name Charles Jerdein because at the time the Jockey Club would not allow women to hold a trainers’ license.

We then jump forward to 1968 when Lester Piggott won on Sir Ivor for Vincent O’Brien and owner Raymond Guest, he then went on to win again in 1970, this time on Nijinsky, again for Vincent O’Brien and owner Charles Engelhard. Nijinsky went on to be the last ever Triple Crown winner to date. A few years later in 1976 Frankie Dettori’s father Gianfranco Dettori won on Bolkonski for Henry Cecil and owner Carlo d’Alessio, before winning again the next year in 1977 for the same trainer and owner, this time on Wollow. 20 years later in 1996 Frankie then won the race on Mark of Esteem for Saeed bin Suroor and Godolphin.

In 1997 Michael Kinane won the race on Entrepreneur for Michael Stoute and owners Tabor / Magnier then winning again in 1998 this time on board King of Kings for Aidan O’Brien and the same owners.

The following year in 1999, Frankie Dettori would win again this time on Island Sands for Saeed bin Suroor and owners Godolphin, however this renewal of the race took place on Newmarket’s July course.

Other notable winners we have is Rock of Gibraltar winning in 2002 for jockey Johnny Murtagh, trainer Aidan O’Brien and owners Ferguson / Magnier, Pat Smullen winning the race in 2003 on board Refuse to Bend for trainer Dermot Weld and owners Moyglare Stud Farm.

We then have Footstepsinthesand winning in 2005 for jockey Kieran Fallon, trainer Aidan O’Brien and owners Tabor / Magnier with them following it up in 2006 with George Washington this time for Magnier / Tabor / Smith.

We also have Frankel who won in 2011 for jockey Tom Queally, trainer Henry Cecil and owner Khalid Abdullah, followed up by Camelot in 2012 for jockey Joseph O’Brien, trainer Aidan O’Brien and owners Smith / Magnier / Tabor. There’s also Gleneagles in 2015 for jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Aidan O’Brien and owners Smith / Magnier / Tabor. With Galileo Gold winning in 2016 for Frankie Dettori, Hugo Palmer and Al Shaqab Racing.

In 2017, 2018 and 2019 trainer Aidan O’Brien and owners Smith / Magnier / Tabor were successful, firstly with Churchill in 2017 rode by Ryan Moore, then Saxon Warrior in 2018 rode by Donnacha O’Brien followed up by Magna Grecia in 2019 also rode by Donnacha O’Brien.

The latest winner was Kameko who won the race in 2020 when it was actually ran slightly later into the year in June due to the Coronavirus pandemic. He was rode by Oisin Murphy for Andrew Balding and Qatar Racing.

Now let’s have a look at some records over the years.

Starting with the leading jockey with a massive 9 victories in this race, we have Jem Robinson. His first victory came in 1825 with Enamel, with Cadland in 1828, Riddlesworth in 1831, Clearwell in 1833, Glencoe in 1834, Ibrahim in 1835, Bay Middleton in 1836, Conyngham in 1847 and finally Flatcatcher in 1848.

In more recent times with 5 wins we have Kieren Fallon who won with King’s Best in 2000, Golan in 2001, Footstepsinthesand in 2005, George Washington in 2006 and Night Of Thunder in 2014.

Let’s now have a look at the leading trainer, the name I think all racing fans know very very well within the flat racing world and that is of course Aidan O’Brien who has a huge 10 wins in this race. King of Kings in 1998 starting his run of winners, followed up by Rock of Gibraltar in 2002, Footstepsinthesand in 2005, George Washington in 2006, Henrythenavigator in 2008, Camelot in 2012, Gleneagles in 2015, Churchill in 2017, Saxon Warrior in 2018 and finally Magna Grecia in 2019.

So now, the leading owner, (this includes part ownership) and that goes to an 11 time winner Sue Magnier who has won with Entrepreneur in 1997, King of Kings in 1998, Rock of Gibraltar in 2002, Footstepsinthesand in 2005, George Washington in 2006, Henrythenavigator in 2008, Camelot in 2012, Gleneagles in 2015, Churchill in 2017, Saxon Warrior in 2018 and finally Magna Grecia in 2019.

Now onto some interesting facts to note:

The fastest winning time was 1 minute 34.72 seconds achieved by the latest winner Kameko in 2020.

The widest winning margin (since 1900) is Tudor Minstrel in 1947 who won by 8 lengths.

The biggest priced winner was Rockavon in 1961 at 66/1.

The shortest priced winner was St Frusquin in 1896 at 12/100

The biggest field was in 1930 when 28 horses ran.

The smallest field was in 1829 and 1830 when each time only 2 horses ran.

—–

So there we have it, some interesting facts, figures and records in the race. Today’s renewal should be exciting as it always is and I, for one, am quite looking forward to it. I hope you enjoyed this post and I will hopefully see you all tomorrow for an extra post where I look at the history of the 1000 Guineas ahead of tomorrow’s renewal!

Thank you for reading!