The Gold Cup is a

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horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,014 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June. It is Britain's most prestigious event for "stayers" – horses which specialise in racing over long distances. It is traditionally held on the third day of the Royal Ascot meeting, which is known colloquially (but not officially) as Ladies' Day. Contrary to popular belief the actual title of the race does not include the word "Ascot".

History

The event was established in 1807, and it was originally open to horses aged three or older. The inaugural winner, Master Jackey, was awarded prize money of 100

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

. The first race took place in the presence of

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

and

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...

. The 1844 running was attended by

Nicholas I of Russia , house = Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp , father = Paul I of Russia , mother = Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) , birth_date = , birth_place = Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Russian Empire , death_date = ...

, who was making a state visit to England. That year's winner was unnamed at the time of his victory, but he was given the name "The Emperor" in honour of the visiting monarch. In return Nicholas offered a new trophy for the race — the "Emperor's Plate" — and this became the title of the event for a short period. Its original name was restored after nine years, during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

. It was taken by thieves on 18 June 1907. The theft was never solved, but a replacement was finished by August. Mark Twain, the American humorist, came to London about that time, and was much amused by the twin headlines appearing in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'': MARK TWAIN ARRIVES ASCOT GOLD CUP STOLEN The Gold Cup is the first leg of Britain's ''Stayers' Triple Crown'', followed by the Goodwood Cup and the

Doncaster Cup The Doncaster Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 2 miles 1 furlong and 197 yards (3,600 metr ...

. The last horse to win all three races in the same year was

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in 2019. The Gold Cup is one of three perpetual trophies at the Royal Ascot meeting, along with the

Royal Hunt Cup The Royal Hunt Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to ...

and the

Queen's Vase The Queen's Vase is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 6 furlongs and 34 yards (2,847 metres), and it is schedul ...

, which can be kept permanently by the winning owners. A number of horses have won it more than once, and the most successful is

Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

, who recorded his fourth victory in 2009.

Records

Most successful horse (4 wins): *

– ''2006, 2007, 2008, 2009'' Other multiple winners: * Anticipation – ''1816, 1819'' * Bizarre – ''1824, 1825'' * Touchstone – ''1836, 1837'' * The Emperor – ''1844, 1845'' * The Hero – ''1847, 1848'' *

Fisherman A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or rec ...

– ''1858, 1859'' * Isonomy – ''1879, 1880'' * The White Knight – ''1907, 1908'' *

Prince Palatine Prince Palatine (1908–1924) was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. He was named for Duchy of Lancaster, County Palatine of Lancaster near where his breeder William Walker, 1st Baron Wa ...

– ''1912, 1913'' * Invershin – ''1928, 1929'' * Trimdon – ''1931, 1932'' * Fighting Charlie – ''1965, 1966'' * Sagaro – ''1975, 1976, 1977'' *

Le Moss Le Moss (3 April 1975 – 17 August 2000) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. A specialist stayer, he excelled at distances of two miles and beyond, winning eleven times from fifteen races between 1977 and 1980. He showed good form ...

– ''1979, 1980'' * Ardross – ''1981, 1982'' * Gildoran – ''1984, 1985'' *

Sadeem Sadeem (foaled 1983) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. A specialist stayer, he won consecutive runnings of the Ascot Gold Cup in 1988 and 1989. His other victories included the Sagaro Stakes, Goodwood Cup ...

– ''1988, 1989'' * Drum Taps – ''1992, 1993'' *

Kayf Tara Kayf Tara (18 March 1994 – 8 December 2022) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Kayf Tara was bred in England by the Meon Valley Stud. His dam Colorspin won the Irish Oaks and had previously produced the multiple Group ...

– ''1998, 2000'' * Royal Rebel – ''2001, 2002'' *

– ''2018, 2019, 2020'' Leading jockey (11 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 ...

– ''Zarathustra (1957), Gladness (1958), Pandofell (1961), Twilight Alley (1963), Fighting Charlie (1965), Sagaro (1975, 1976, 1977), Le Moss (1979), Ardross (1981, 1982)'' Leading trainer (8 wins): *

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

– ''

(2006, 2007, 2008, 2009),

Fame and Glory Fame and Glory (20 March 2006 – 13 February 2017) was an Irish Thoroughbred horse whose wins include the Critérium de Saint-Cloud, Irish Derby, Tattersalls Gold Cup, Coronation Cup and Ascot Gold Cup. Background Fame and Glory was a bay ...

(2011), Leading Light (2014),

Order of St George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

(2016), Kyprios (2022)'' Leading owner (8 wins): ''(includes part ownership)'' *

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– ''

(2006, 2007, 2008, 2009),

(2011), Leading Light (2014),

(2016), Kyprios (2022)''

Winners

References

* Paris-Turf: **, , , , , , , , * Racing Post: ** , , , , , , , , , ** , , , , , , , , , ** , , , , , , , , , ** , , , , ----
galopp-sieger.de
– ''Ascot Gold Cup.''
horseracingintfed.com
– ''International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Gold Cup (2018).''
pedigreequery.com
– ''Ascot Gold Cup – Ascot.''

– ''Ascot Gold Cup.'' * * YouTube Race Video https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfn5x2SD03q4TvYnBjgdsNth34if5VTOt {{Authority control Flat races in Great Britain Ascot Racecourse Open long distance horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1807 British Champions Series June sporting events 1807 establishments in England

History

Records

Winners

See also

References