The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a Group 1 flat 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 take place as part of British Champions Day each year in October.
| Group 1 race | |
| Location | Ascot Racecourse Ascot, England |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1955 |
| Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
| Sponsor | QIPCO |
| Website | Ascot |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 mile (1,609 metres) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Straight |
| Qualification | Three-years-old and up |
| Weight | 9 st 1 lb (3yo); 9 st 4 lb (4yo+) Allowances 3 lb for fillies and mares |
| Purse | £1,140,000 (2022) 1st: £655,700 |
| 2023 | ||
 |  |  |
| Big Rock | Facteur Cheval | Tahiyra |
| Previous years | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | ||
 |  |  |
| Bayside Boy | Modern Games | Jadoomi |
| 2021 | ||
 |  |  |
| Baaeed | Palace Pier | Lady Bowthorpe |
| 2020-2011 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ||
 |  | |
| The Revenant | Roseman | Palace Pier |
| 2019 | ||
 | |  |
| King Of Change | The Revenant | Safe Voyage |
| 2018 | ||
 |  |  |
| Roaring Lion | I Can Fly | Century Dream |
| 2017 | ||
 | |  |
| Persuasive | Ribchester | Churchill |
| 2016 | ||
 | |  |
| Minding | Ribchester | Lightning Spear |
| 2015 | ||
 | |  |
| Solow | Belardo | Gabrial |
| 2014 | ||
 |  |  |
| Charm Spirit | Night Of Thunder | Toormore |
| 2013 | ||
 |  |  |
| Olympic Glory | Top Notch Tonto | Kingsbarns |
| 2012 | ||
|  |  |
| Excelebration | Cityscape | Elusive Kate |
| 2011 | ||
|  |  |
| Frankel | Excelebration | Immortal Verse |
| 2010–2001 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | ||
| |  |
| Poet's Voice | Rip Van Winkle | Red Jazz |
| 2009 | ||
| | |
| Rip Van Winkle | Zacinto | Delegator |
| 2008 | ||
 | |  |
| Raven's Pass | Henrythenavigator | Sabana Perdida |
| 2007 | ||
| |  |
| Ramonti | Excellent Art | Duke Of Marmalade |
| 2006 | ||
|  |  |
| George Washington | Araafa | Court Masterpiece |
| 2005 | ||
 | |  |
| Starcraft | Dubawi | Blatant |
| 2004 | ||
 |  | |
| Rakti | Lucky Story | Refuse To Bend |
| 2003 | ||
 | | |
| Falbrav | Russian Rhythm | Tillerman |
| 2002 | ||
 | | |
| Where Or When | Hawk Wing | Tillerman |
| 2001 | ||
| | |
| Summoner | Noverre | Hawkeye |
| 2000–1991 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | ||
| | |
| Observatory | Giant's Causeway | Best of The Bests |
| 1999 | ||
|  |  |
| Dubai Millennium | Almushtarak | Gold Academy |
| 1998 | ||
 |  | |
| Desert Prince | Dr Fong | Second Empire |
| 1997 | ||
 |  | |
| Air Express | Rebecca Sharp | Faithful Son |
| 1996 | ||
|  |  |
| Mark of Esteem | Bosra Sham | First Island |
| 1995 | ||
|  | |
| Bahri | Ridgewood Pearl | Soviet Line |
| 1994 | ||
|  |  |
| Maroof | Barathea | Bigstone |
| 1993 | ||
| |  |
| Bigstone | Barathea | Kingmambo |
| 1992 | ||
|  |  |
| Lahib | Brief Truce | Selkirk |
| 1991 | ||
|  | |
| Selkirk | Kooyonga | Shadayid |
| 1990–1982 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | ||
 | |  |
| Markofdistinction | Distant Relative | Green Line Express |
| 1989 | ||
 | | |
| Zilzal | Polish Precedent | Distant Relative |
| 1988 | ||
| |  |
| Warning | Salse | Persian Heights |
| 1987 | ||
 | | |
| Milligram | Miesque | Sonic Lady |
| 1986 | ||
|  |  |
| Sure Blade | Teleprompter | Efisio |
| 1985 | ||
| | |
| Shadeed | Teleprompter | Zaizafon |
| 1984 | ||
|  |  |
| Teleprompter | Katies | Sackford |
| 1983 | ||
| |  |
| Sackford | Adonijah | Montekin |
| 1982 | ||
 |  |  |
| Buzzards Bay | Noalcoholic | Achieved |
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[1] 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 (8 wins):
- Willie Carson – Rose Bowl (1975, 1976), Trusted (1977), Homing (1978), Known Fact (1980), Teleprompter (1984), Lahib (1992), Bahri (1995)
Leading trainer (5 wins):
- Saeed bin Suroor – 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 1970
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
See also
References
- galopp-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.
- Abelson, Edward; Tyrrel, John (1993). The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books. p. 187. ISBN 1-873626-15-0.
- Race Recordings [1]