The British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes is a Group 1

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horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

open to

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

and

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

s aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres) as part of

British Champions Day British Champions Day is a thoroughbred horse race meeting held at Ascot Racecourse in October each year since 2011, which acts as the end of season highlight fixture of British flat racing. It is the culmination of the British Champions Series an ...

at Ascot in October.

History

The event was established in 1946 and was originally called the Princess Royal Stakes. It was named after the

Princess Royal Princess Royal is a substantive title, style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a United Kingdom, British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of th ...

at that time, Princess Mary. For a period it took place in September, and it later moved to October. The current system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the Princess Royal Stakes subsequently held Group 3 status. The race was run at Newmarket in 2000, after being called off at Ascot due to a security alert. It was switched to Ascot's late September fixture in 2004. It took place at Newmarket again in 2005, as its usual home was closed for redevelopment. It reverted to October in 2007. The event was promoted to Group 2 level, transferred to Newmarket and renamed the Pride Stakes in 2008. It was named after

Pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

, a recent winner of the

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

. From this point it was staged during the venue's Champions' Meeting in mid-October. The title "

Princess Royal Stakes The Princess Royal Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres) on the Rowley M ...

" was assigned to a different race at Ascot, an event previously called the Harvest Stakes. The Pride Stakes had a purse of £100,000 in 2010. The race returned to Ascot and was given its present name in 2011. Its prize fund was now £250,000. Part of the newly created British Champions Day, it became the final race in the fillies & mares division of the

British Champions Series The British Champions Series is a series of 35 top British flat races, which culminates in a day-long festival of championship races, known as British Champions Day. It was inaugurated in the 2011 season to draw together some of Britain's key f ...

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

Records

Most successful horse (2 wins): * Shebeen – ''1974, 1975'' * Crystal Capella – ''2008, 2010'' Leading

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

(8 wins): *

Lester Piggott Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest f ...

– ''Rose of Medina (1959), Green Opal (1960), Vhairi (1963), Bracey Bridge (1965), Bamboozle (1967), Mandera (1973), Karamita (1980), One Way Street (1984)'' Leading trainer (9 wins): * John Dunlop – ''Predicament (1966), Trillionaire (1978), Flighting (1981), Believer (1982), Banket (1988), Labibeh (1995), Signorina Cattiva (1999), Head in the Clouds (2001), Acts of Grace (2006)'' ---- Leading owner (4 wins): * HH Aga Khan IV – ''Karamita (1980), Tashtiya (1986), Narwala (1990), Ashalanda (2009)''

Winners since 1979

Earlier winners

* 1946: Mehmany * 1947: Mombasa * 1948: Angelola * 1949: Jet Plane * 1950: Divinalh * 1951: Verse * 1952: Nicky Nook * 1953: Skye * 1954: Dust Storm * 1955: Nemora * 1956: Carezza * 1957: Nagaika * 1958: Mother Goose * 1959: Rose of Medina * 1960: Green Opal * 1961: Tenacity * 1962: Romantica * 1963: Vhairi * 1964: French Possession * 1965: Bracey Bridge * 1966: Predicament * 1967: Bamboozle * 1968: ''no race'' * 1969: Seventh Bride * 1970: Heavenly Thought * 1971: Hill Circus * 1972:

Attica Meli Attica Meli (1969 – after 1988) was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, broodmare. Owned by Louis Freedman and trained by Noel Murless she won seven of her fifteen races and was regarded as ...

* 1973: Mandera * 1974: Shebeen * 1975: Shebeen * 1976: ''no race'' * 1977: Aloft * 1978: Trillionaire

References

---- * Paris-Turf: **, , , , ---- *

Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...

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galopp-sieger.de
– ''Pride Stakes (ex Princess Royal Stakes).''
horseracingintfed.com
– ''International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (2018).''
pedigreequery.com
– ''Princess Royal Stakes – Ascot.'' * {{British Champions Series, state=uncollapsed Long-distance horse races for fillies and mares Ascot Racecourse Flat races in Great Britain British Champions Series 1946 establishments in England

History

Records

Winners since 1979

Earlier winners

See also

References