The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a
Group 1 Group 1 may refer to:
* Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal
* Group 1 (motorsport), a regulation set of the FIA for series-production touring cars used in motorsport.
* Group One Thoroughbred horse races, the leading e ...
flat horse race
Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, 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 bas ...
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 take place as part of
British Champions Day each year in October.
History
The event was established in 1955, and it was originally held in September. It was created when a race called the Knights' Royal Stakes
was renamed in honour of
Queen Elizabeth II. The first three winners were all trained in France.
The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the "QEII" was initially given Group 2 status. It was promoted to Group 1 level in 1987.
The race was added to the
Breeders' Cup Challenge series in 2008. From this point the winner earned an automatic invitation to compete in the
Breeders' Cup Mile. It was removed from the series in 2012.
The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes was switched to October in 2011. It became part of a new fixture called British Champions Day, and its prize fund was increased fourfold to £1,000,000. It now serves as the mile-category final of the
British Champions Series.
Records
Most successful horse (2 wins):
*
Brigadier Gerard – ''1971, 1972''
* Rose Bowl – ''1975, 1976''
Leading
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), 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 ...
(8 wins):
*
Willie Carson
William Fisher Hunter Carson, OBE (born 16 November 1942) is a retired jockey in thoroughbred horse racing.
Life and career
Best known as "Willie", Carson was born in Stirling, Scotland in 1942. He was apprenticed ...
– ''Rose Bowl (1975, 1976), Trusted (1977), Homing (1978), Known Fact (1980), Teleprompter (1984), Lahib (1992), Bahri (1995)''
Leading
trainer (5 wins):
*
Saeed bin Suroor
Saeed bin Suroor (; born 16 November 1968 in Dubai) is a horse racing horse trainer, trainer in Great Britain. Formerly a policeman, he took out his training licence in 1995 and the following year was appointed as the trainer for Mohammed bin Ra ...
– ''Mark of Esteem (1996), Dubai Millennium (1999), Summoner (2001), Ramonti (2007), Poet's Voice (2010)''
Leading owner (5 wins):
*
Godolphin – ''Mark of Esteem (1996), Dubai Millennium (1999), Summoner (2001), Ramonti (2007), Poet's Voice (2010)''
Winners since 1967
Earlier winners
Knights' Royal Stakes
* 1947:
Tudor Minstrel
* 1948: Djelal
* 1949: Wat Tyler
* 1950: Hyperbole
* 1951: Leading Light
* 1952: Tudor Castle
* 1953: King of the Tudors
* 1954: Umberto
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
* 1955:
Hafiz
* 1956: Cigalon
* 1957: Midget
* 1958: Major Portion
* 1959: Rosalba
* 1960: Sovereign Path
* 1961: Le Levanstell
* 1962: Romulus
* 1963: The Creditor
* 1964: Linacre
* 1965:
Derring-Do
* 1966:
Hill Rise
See also
*
Horse racing in Great Britain
Horse racing is the second largest spectator sport in Great Britain, and one of the longest established, with a history dating back many centuries. According to a report by the British Horseracing Authority it generates £3.39 billion total di ...
*
List of British flat horse races
A list of notable Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse races which take place annually in Great Britain, under the authority of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), including all conditions races which currently hold Group One, Group 1, 2 or 3 ...
References
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* Paris-Turf:
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----
*
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing, and sports betting publisher published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 60,629 ...
:
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External links
* Race Recordings (1978-2004
youtube.comgalopp-sieger.de– ''Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (ex Knights' Royal Stakes).''
horseracingintfed.com– ''International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (2018).''
pedigreequery.com– ''Queen Elizabeth II Stakes – Ascot.''
*
{{British Champions Series, state=uncollapsed
Flat races in Great Britain
Ascot Racecourse
Open mile category horse races
Recurring sporting events established in 1955
1955 establishments in England