King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes

The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes
Group 1 race
LocationAscot Racecourse
Ascot, England
Inaugurated1951 (1951)
Race typeFlat / Thoroughbred
SponsorQIPCO
WebsiteAscot
Race information
Distance1m 3f 211y (2,406 metres)
SurfaceTurf
TrackRight-handed
QualificationThree-years-old and up
Weight8 st 10 lb (3yo);
9 st 7 lb (4yo+)
Allowances
3 lb for fillies and mares
4 lb for S. Hemisphere 4yo
Purse£400,000 (2020)
1st: £226,840
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes
2020
Enable Sovereign Japan

It is Britain's most prestigious open-age flat race, and its roll of honour features some of the most highly acclaimed horses of the sport's recent history. The 1975 running, which involved a hard-fought battle to the finish between Grundy and Bustino, is frequently described as the "race of the century".[1] Many of its winners subsequently compete in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and a number go on to have a successful career at stud. The race is often informally referred to as the "King George".

History

The event was formed as the result of an amalgamation of two separate races at Ascot which were established in 1946 and 1948.[2] The first of these, named after King George VI, was a 2-mile contest for three-year-olds held in October. The second, in honour of his wife, Queen Elizabeth, was a one and a half-mile event staged in July. The idea was conceived by Major John Crocker Bulteel, the Clerk of the Course at Ascot, who wanted to create an important international race over one and a half miles for horses aged three or older. The inaugural running of the combined race took place on 21 July 1951. In its first year, to commemorate the Festival of Britain, it was titled the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Festival of Britain Stakes.

During the early part of its history the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was not commercially sponsored. Its first period of sponsorship started in 1972, when it began a long association with the diamond company De Beers. The word "Diamond" was added to the race's title when permission for its inclusion was given by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975. It became known as the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, and De Beers continued to back the event until 2006.

The online betting company Betfair started to sponsor the King George in 2009,[3] and its prize fund was increased from £750,000 to £1,000,000. It is now Britain's second richest horse race, with a purse exceeded only by that of The Derby.

The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes became part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series in 2011. The winner now earns an automatic invitation to compete in the same year's Breeders' Cup Turf.[4]

Most successful horse (3 wins):

Leading jockey (7 wins):

  • Lester Piggott – Meadow Court (1965), Aunt Edith (1966), Park Top (1969), Nijinsky (1970), Dahlia (1974), The Minstrel (1977), Teenoso (1984)
  • Frankie Dettori – Lammtarra (1995), Swain (1998), Daylami (1999), Doyen (2004), Enable (2017, 2019, 2020)

Leading trainer (6 wins):

  • Sir Michael Stoute – Shergar (1981), Opera House (1993), Golan (2002), Conduit (2009), Harbinger (2010), Poet's Word (2018)

Leading owner (6 wins): (includes part ownership)

  • Michael Tabor – Montjeu (2000), Galileo (2001), Hurricane Run (2006), Dylan Thomas (2007), Duke of Marmalade (2008), Highland Reel (2016)

Winners
Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Owner Time
1951 Supreme Court 3 Charlie Elliott Evan Williams Vera Lilley 2:29.40
1952 Tulyar 3 Charlie Smirke Marcus Marsh HH Aga Khan III 2:33.00
1953 Pinza 3 Sir Gordon Richards Norman Bertie Sir Victor Sassoon 2:34.00
1954 Aureole 4 Eph Smith Cecil Boyd-Rochfort Queen Elizabeth II 2:44.00
1955 Vimy 3 Roger Poincelet Alec Head Pierre Wertheimer 2:33.76
1956 Ribot 4 Enrico Camici Ugo Penco Mario della Rocchetta 2:40.24
1957 Montaval 4 Freddie Palmer Georges Bridgland Ralph B. Strassburger 2:41.02
1958 Ballymoss 4 Scobie Breasley Vincent O'Brien John McShain 2:36.33
1959 Alcide 4 Harry Carr Cecil Boyd-Rochfort Sir Humphrey de Trafford 2:31.39
1960 Aggressor 5 Jimmy Lindley Towser Gosden Sir Harold Wernher 2:35.21
1961 Right Royal 3 Roger Poincelet Etienne Pollet Elisabeth Couturié 2:40.34
1962 Match 4 Yves Saint-Martin François Mathet François Dupré 2:32.02
1963 Ragusa 3 Garnie Bougoure Paddy Prendergast Jim Mullion 2:33.80
1964 Nasram 4 Bill Pyers Ernie Fellows Mrs Howell Jackson 2:33.15
1965 Meadow Court 3 Lester Piggott Paddy Prendergast Bell / McMahon / Crosby 2:33.27
1966 Aunt Edith 4 Lester Piggott Noel Murless John Hornung 2:35.06
1967 Busted 4 George Moore Noel Murless Stanhope Joel 2:33.64
1968 Royal Palace 4 Sandy Barclay Noel Murless Jim Joel 2:33.22
1969 Park Top 5 Lester Piggott Bernard van Cutsem 11th Duke of Devonshire 2:32.46
1970 Nijinsky 3 Lester Piggott Vincent O'Brien Charles Engelhard 2:36.16
1971 Mill Reef 3 Geoff Lewis Ian Balding Paul Mellon 2:32.56
1972 Brigadier Gerard 4 Joe Mercer Dick Hern Jean Hislop 2:32.91
1973 Dahlia 3 Bill Pyers Maurice Zilber Nelson Bunker Hunt 2:30.43
1974 Dahlia 4 Lester Piggott Maurice Zilber Nelson Bunker Hunt 2:33.03
1975 Grundy 3 Pat Eddery Peter Walwyn Carlo Vittadini 2:26.98
1976 Pawneese 3 Yves Saint-Martin Angel Penna, Sr. Daniel Wildenstein 2:29.36
1977 The Minstrel 3 Lester Piggott Vincent O'Brien Robert Sangster 2:30.48
1978 Ile de Bourbon 3 John Reid Fulke Johnson Houghton David McCall 2:30.53
1979 Troy 3 Willie Carson Dick Hern Sobell / Weinstock 2:33.75
1980 Ela-Mana-Mou 4 Willie Carson Dick Hern Simon Weinstock 2:35.39
1981 Shergar 3 Walter Swinburn Michael Stoute HH Aga Khan IV 2:35.40
1982 Kalaglow 4 Greville Starkey Guy Harwood Tony Ward 2:31.88
1983 Time Charter 4 Joe Mercer Henry Candy Robert Barnett 2:30.79
1984 Teenoso 4 Lester Piggott Geoff Wragg Eric Moller 2:27.95
1985 Petoski 3 Willie Carson Dick Hern Lady Beaverbrook 2:27.61
1986 Dancing Brave 3 Pat Eddery Guy Harwood Khalid Abdullah 2:29.49
1987 Reference Point 3 Steve Cauthen Henry Cecil Louis Freedman 2:34.63
1988 Mtoto 5 Michael Roberts Alec Stewart Ahmed Al Maktoum 2:37.33
1989 Nashwan 3 Willie Carson Dick Hern Hamdan Al Maktoum 2:32.27
1990 Belmez 3 Michael Kinane Henry Cecil Sheikh Mohammed 2:30.76
1991 Generous 3 Alan Munro Paul Cole Prince Fahd bin Salman 2:28.99
1992 St Jovite 3 Stephen Craine Jim Bolger Virginia Kraft Payson 2:30.85
1993 Opera House 5 Michael Roberts Michael Stoute Sheikh Mohammed 2:33.94
1994 King's Theatre 3 Michael Kinane Henry Cecil Sheikh Moh'd / Poland [5] 2:28.92
1995 Lammtarra 3 Frankie Dettori Saeed bin Suroor Saeed bin M. Al Maktoum 2:31.01
1996 Pentire 4 Michael Hills Geoff Wragg Mollers Racing 2:28.11
1997 Swain 5 John Reid Saeed bin Suroor Godolphin 2:36.45
1998 Swain 6 Frankie Dettori Saeed bin Suroor Godolphin 2:29.06
1999 Daylami 5 Frankie Dettori Saeed bin Suroor Godolphin 2:29.35
2000 Montjeu 4 Michael Kinane John Hammond Michael Tabor 2:29.98
2001 Galileo 3 Michael Kinane Aidan O'Brien Magnier / Tabor 2:27.71
2002 Golan 4 Kieren Fallon Michael Stoute Exors of Lord Weinstock 2:29.70
2003 Alamshar 3 Johnny Murtagh John Oxx HH Aga Khan IV 2:33.26
2004 Doyen 4 Frankie Dettori Saeed bin Suroor Godolphin 2:33.18
2005 Azamour [lower-alpha 1] 4 Michael Kinane John Oxx HH Aga Khan IV 2:28.26
2006 Hurricane Run 4 Christophe Soumillon André Fabre Michael Tabor 2:30.29
2007 Dylan Thomas 4 Johnny Murtagh Aidan O'Brien Magnier / Tabor 2:31.11
2008 Duke of Marmalade 4 Johnny Murtagh Aidan O'Brien Magnier / Tabor 2:27.91
2009 Conduit 4 Ryan Moore Michael Stoute Ballymacoll Stud 2:28.73
2010 Harbinger 4 Olivier Peslier Michael Stoute Highclere "Admiral Rous" 2:26.78
2011 Nathaniel 3 William Buick John Gosden Lady Rothschild 2:35.07
2012 Danedream 4 Andrasch Starke Peter Schiergen Burg Eberstein / Yoshida 2:31.62
2013 Novellist 4 Johnny Murtagh Andreas Wohler Christoph Berglar 2:24.60
2014 Taghrooda 3 Paul Hanagan John Gosden Hamdan Al Maktoum 2:28.13
2015 Postponed 4 Andrea Atzeni Luca Cumani Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum 2:31.25
2016 Highland Reel 4 Ryan Moore Aidan O'Brien Magnier / Tabor/ Smith 2:28.97
2017 Enable 3 Frankie Dettori John Gosden Khalid Abdullah 2:36.22
2018 Poet's Word 5 James Doyle Michael Stoute Saeed Suhail 2:25.84
2019 Enable 5 Frankie Dettori John Gosden Khalid Abdullah 2:32.42
2020 Enable 6 Frankie Dettori John Gosden Khalid Abdullah 2:28.92
  1. The 2005 running took place at Newbury
  • The time of the 1962 race was incorrectly given on the day of the race as 2 min. 32.02 and corrected to 2 min. 37.02 in October 1962.
    • Since 2006 the race has been run over the same distance but over a reconstructed course in the final two furlongs

See also

References
  1. Wood, Greg (27 July 2000). "Enduring greatness of Grundy v Bustino". The Independent. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  2. "King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes". tbheritage.com. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  3. Armytage, Marcus (3 December 2008). "New sponsor announced for classic". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  4. "2011 Breeders' Cup Challenge Schedule" (PDF). breederscup.com. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  5. Montgomery, Sue (24 July 1994). "Theatre's dramatic effect". The Independent. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  • galopp-sieger.de – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
  • horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Race Detail (2018).
  • pedigreequery.com – King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes – Ascot.
  • tbheritage.com – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes.
  • Abelson, Edward; John Tyrrel (1993). The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books. pp. 122–123. ISBN 1-873626-15-0.
  • Randall, John; Tony Morris (1985). Horse Racing: The Records. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. pp. 71–73. ISBN 0-85112-446-1.
  • Race Recordings
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