The Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes is a

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

American

thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

for three-year-old

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 ...

over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...

held annually in October at

Keeneland Race Course Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for i ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

during the fall meeting.

History

The race was inaugurated on October 11, 1984, in honour of the British monarch,

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

, who attended the

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for its ...

races, during her private visit to Central

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, and who presented a trophy on that date. The event was held on the dirt track over a distance of miles with Sintra winning in a time of 1:43. The following year the event was moved to the turf track. The Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup was a Listed race in 1984 and 1985, and was upgraded to Grade III status in 1986. The event held this status for two runnings and was upgraded to Grade II. In 1991 was upgraded once more to Grade I. It is an important prep race to the

Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for fillies and mares, three years old and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Champion ...

Records

Time record: * miles: 1:45.80 – Memories of Silver (1996) * miles: 1:43.20 - Graceful Darby (1987) Margins: * 5 lengths – Graceful Darby (1987) Most wins by an owner * 2 –

Henryk de Kwiatkowski Henryk Richard de Kwiatkowski (February 22, 1924 – March 17, 2003) was a Polish-born member of the Royal Air Force who became an aeronautical engineer, made a fortune in business in North America, and who owned Calumet Farm, one of the mos ...

(1985, 1986) * 2 –

Darby Dan Farm Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath (1 ...

(1988, 1990) * 2 – Stronach Stables (1999, 2000) Most wins by a

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 ...

* 5 – John R. Velazquez (1995, 2008, 2014, 2016, 2019) Most wins by a trainer * 5 – Chad C. Brown (2012, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)

Winners

''Legend:''

External links

Ten Things You Should Know about the QEII Challenge Cup at Hello Race Fans!

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Flat horse races for three-year-old fillies Grade 1 turf stakes races in the United States Keeneland horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1984 1984 establishments in Kentucky

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References