The Middle Park Stakes is a

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

flat Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

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 ...

in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.

History

The event was founded by

William Blenkiron William Blenkiron ( – 25 September 1871) was an English breeder of racehorses. Blenkiron was born in Marrick, Richmond, Yorkshire, about 1807. He was originally brought up as a farmer, but he abandoned that pursuit, and moved to London in 1834, ...

, and it is named after his stud at

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of Elt ...

. It was established in 1866, and was initially titled the Middle Park Plate. It was originally open to horses of either gender. The race was formerly staged during Newmarket's Cambridgeshire Meeting in late September or early October. It was restricted to colts in 1987. It became part of a new fixture called Future Champions Day in 2011. From 2015, the Middle Park Stakes was moved from Future Champions Day and brought forward two weeks, returning to the Cambridgeshire meeting, to avoid a clash with the similar Dewhurst Stakes. The Middle Park Stakes was added to the

Breeders' Cup Challenge The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of Thoroughbred horse races in which the winner earns an automatic spot in a specified Breeders' Cup race. The challenge races change somewhat each year. The Challenge series began in 2007 with 24 "Win and Yo ...

series in 2012. The winner earned an automatic invitation to compete in the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint was an ungraded American Thoroughbred horse race established in 2011 as part of the annual Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race open to two-year-old colts, geldings and fillies carried a purse of $500,000. ...

. The Middle Park Stakes was dropped from the Challenge series when the Juvenile Sprint Stakes was discontinued after the 2012 running. The leading horses from the Middle Park Stakes sometimes go on to compete in the following season's

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

. The first to win both was Prince Charlie (1871–72), and the most recent was

Rodrigo de Triano Rodrigo de Triano (foaled 27 May 1989 – 5 August 2014) was an English Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Background Foaled in Kentucky, and bred and raced by leading British horseman, Robert Sangster, he was out of the mare Hot Princess and sir ...

(1991–92).

Records

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 ...

(6 wins): *

Danny Maher Daniel Aloysius Maher (October 29, 1881 – November 9, 1916) was an American Hall of Fame jockey who also became a Champion jockey in Great Britain. U.S. riding career Danny Maher commenced his career at the age of 14, weighing 65 pounds. He ...

– ''Minstead (1901), Flotsam (1902), Lesbia (1907), Bayardo (1908), Lemberg (1909), Corcyra (1913)'' * Sir Gordon Richards – ''Medieval Knight (1933), Scottish Union (1937), Khaled (1945), The Cobbler (1947), Abernant (1948), Royal Challenger (1953)'' *

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 ...

– ''Petingo (1967), Steel Heart (1974), Junius (1978), Mattaboy (1980), Cajun (1981), Diesis (1982)'' Leading trainer (7 wins): *

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

– ''Minardi (2000), Johannesburg (2001), Ad Valorem (2004), Crusade (2011), US Navy Flag (2017), Ten Sovereigns (2018), Blackbeard (2022)'' Leading owner (7 wins) (includes part ownership): *

Susan Magnier John Magnier (born 10 February 1948; also known as "The Boss") is an Irish business magnate. He is Ireland's leading thoroughbred stud owner and has extensive business interests outside the horse-breeding industry. Magnier has also been a Senat ...

- ''Minardi (2000), Johannesburg (2001), Ad Valorem (2004), Crusade (2011), US Navy Flag (2017), Ten Sovereigns (2018), Blackbeard (2022)''

Winners

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
– ''Middle Park Stakes (ex Middle Park Plate).''
ifhaonline.org
– ''International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Middle Park Stakes (2019).''
pedigreequery.com
– ''Middle Park Stakes – Newmarket.'' * {{Race Meeting, Cambridgeshire Meeting, Turf Flat races in Great Britain Newmarket Racecourse Flat horse races for two-year-olds Recurring sporting events established in 1866 1866 establishments in England

History

Records

Winners

See also

References