This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(September 2015) |
Listed race | |
Location | Sandown Park Esher, England |
---|---|
Inaugurated | 1889 |
Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
Sponsor | Orbital Veterinary Services |
Website | Sandown Park |
Race information | |
Distance | 5f 10y (1,110m) |
Surface | Turf |
Track | Straight |
Qualification | Two-year-olds |
Weight | 9 st 5 lb Allowances 5 lb for fillies Penalties 5 lb for Group race winners 3 lb for Listed winners |
Purse | £30,000 (2024) 1st: £17,013 |
2024 | ||
Enchanting Empress | Rock Hunter | Zminiature |
Previous years | ||
---|---|---|
2023 | ||
Elite Status | World Of Darcy | Hackman |
2022 | ||
Maria Branwell | Crispy Cat | Rumstar |
2021 | ||
Ebro River | Little Earl | Navello |
1990-1988 | ||
---|---|---|
1990 | ||
Balwa | Tinkins Wood | It's All Academic |
1989 | ||
Princess Taufan | Old Alliance | Petillante |
1988 | ||
Superpower | Shuttlecock Corner | Optaria |
The National Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged two years old. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 5 furlongs and 10 yards (1,015 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year at the end of May.
The race was first run in 1889 and was known as the National Breeders' Produce Stakes until 1959. In 1932 it was "the most valuable two-year-old race on the English calendar". [1]
Previous winners include Pretty Polly (1903), Cicero (1904), Neil Gow (1909), The Tetrarch (1913), Tetratema (1919), Tiffin (1928), Myrobella (1932), Tudor Minstrel (1946) and Belle of All (1950).
Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | Super Cavalier | Paul Cook | Gavin Hunter | |
1976 | Piney Ridge | Lester Piggott | Mick Kauntze | |
1977 | Noiritza | Pat Eddery | Mick O'Toole | |
1978 | Schweppeshire Lad | Greville Starkey | Michael Stoute | |
1979 | Rollahead | Joe Mercer | Jeremy Hindley | |
1980 | Penmarric | Greville Starkey | Gavin Hunter | |
1981 | no race | |||
1982 | Krayyan | Greville Starkey | Gavin Hunter | |
1983 | Precocious | Lester Piggott | Henry Cecil | |
1984 | Primo Dominie | John Reid | Brian Swift | |
1985 | Moonlight Lady | Pat Eddery | Paul Kelleway | 1:04.37 |
1986 | Risk Me | Pat Eddery | Paul Kelleway | 1:02.75 |
1987 | Tricky Note | Michael Hills | William Haggas | 1:01.18 |
1988 | Superpower | Tony Ives | Bill O'Gorman | 1:03.22 |
1989 | Princess Taufan | Ray Cochrane | Dr Jon Scargill | 1:00.47 |
1990 | Balwa | Willie Carson | Alex Scott | 1:02.15 |
1991 | Marling | Gary Carter | Geoff Wragg | 1:01.59 |
1992 | Lyric Fantasy | Michael Roberts | Richard Hannon Sr. | 0:59.62 |
1993 | Redoubtable | Richard Quinn | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:00.95 |
1994 | Signs | Pat Eddery | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:03.14 |
1995 | Amaretto Bay | Mick Kinane | Brian Meehan | 1:03.54 |
1996 | Deadly Dudley | Mick Kinane | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:01.83 |
1997 | Pool Music | Richard Hughes | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:00.72 |
1998 | Bint Allayl | Frankie Dettori | Mick Channon | 1:02.36 |
1999 | Rowaasi | Frankie Dettori | Mick Channon | 0:59.95 |
2000 | Taras Emperor | Jimmy Fortune | John Quinn | 1:05.89 |
2001 | Shiny | Philip Robinson | Clive Brittain | 1:02.72 |
2002 | Presto Vento | Dane O'Neill | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:02.00 |
2003 | Russian Valour | Kevin Darley | Mark Johnston | 1:00.65 |
2004 | Polly Perkins | Kevin Darley | Nick Littmoden | 1:01.65 |
2005 | Salut d'Amour | Kieren Fallon | Jeremy Noseda | 1:02.33 |
2006 | Excellent Art | Frankie Dettori | Neville Callaghan | 1:06.49 |
2007 | Sweepstake | Richard Hughes | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:02.72 |
2008 | Icesolator | Richard Hughes | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:04.89 |
2009 | Monsieur Chevalier | Richard Hughes | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:00.83 |
2010 | Dinkum Diamond | Dane O'Neill | Henry Candy | 1:01.88 |
2011 | Pyman's Theory | Richard Kingscote | Tom Dascombe | 1:02.55 |
2012 | Sir Prancealot | Richard Hughes | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:01.85 |
2013 | Rizeena | Ryan Moore | Clive Brittain | 1:03.57 |
2014 | Tiggy Wiggy | Richard Hughes | Richard Hannon Jr. | 1:03.92 |
2015 | King Of Rooks | Richard Hughes | Richard Hannon Jr. | 1:01.30 |
2016 | Global Applause | Ryan Moore | Ed Dunlop | 1:01.17 |
2017 | Havana Grey | P. J. McDonald | Karl Burke | 0:59.93 |
2018 | Vintage Brut | David Allan | Tim Easterby | 1:02.50 |
2019 | Flippa The Strippa | Silvestre de Sousa | Charles Hills | 1:00.85 |
2020 | Ubettabelieveit | Oisin Murphy | Nigel Tinkler | 1:01.65 |
2021 | Ebro River | James Doyle | Hugo Palmer | 1:05.24 |
2022 | Maria Branwell | Daniel Tudhope | David O'Meara | 1:02.79 |
2023 | Elite Status | Clifford Lee | Karl Burke | 1:00.48 |
2024 | Enchanting Empress | David Egan | Dominic Ffrench Davis | 1:05.60 |
Abernant was the a dominant sprinter who went on to achieve champion status in 1949 and 1950. As a two-year-old in 1948 he was top of the Free Handicap. Abernant was only once on the stretch and that was in a fantastic race for the National Breeders Produce Stakes at Sandown on July 17. His main opponent was Star King. The 1948 edition of The Bloodstock Breeders Review provided the following wonderful account written by James Park of the race.
"Star King had won three races in runaway fashion. He had not been engaged at Ascot... Star King's jockey Sam Wragg after a gallop said "Abernant may be a good one, but he will have to hop along". I should say there was something more than quiet confidence behind Star King. Each had earned the maximum penalty and were meeting at level weights.
When the tapes went up off went Star King. Abernant followed at an interval of perhaps three lengths. The others dribbled out of the gate, so that by the time half a furlong had been covered there were many lengths between Star King and the hindmost member of the party. The uphill course at Sandown is not one on which waiting tactics can be employed successfully. So I was rather surprised when Gordon Richards (Abernant's jockey) pretty well sat on Star King's tail without making any attempt to join issue. The leader was slipping along while still on the bit. Gordon, on Abernant, had what is known as a double handful. It was after covering three furlongs that Gordon set Abernant alight. He soon went past Star King and it looked all over bar the shouting. But drama was to follow. Star King had never even been shown the whip in previous races. It had not been necessary. It electrified him to such an extent he suddenly became jet propelled. By that time Abernant had gained probably a length lead. Quick to sense the situation, out came Gordon's whip. The response was not quite the same. Instead of gaining further ground, Abernant began to edge over to the right. Star King kept a perfectly true line. Up he crept, and 100 yards from the winning post he was still gaining. It was anybody's race as they went past the post, with Star King definitely going the stronger. The judge promptly ruled that Abernant had retained sufficient of his lead to win by the shortest of short heads. (There was no photo finish at Sandown at the time) James Park went on to write I am old enough to know better than to argue with the judge. He is the one person in a position to give an opinion. Sam Wragg thought he had won and he was not the only one.
Mr Wilfred Harvey, the owner of Star King, took it well. "I hope they can meet again over 6 furlongs" he said. They did not do so. The controversy raged throughout the season, and no doubt continued during the winter. There was the usual inquest. Noel Murless ... told me that in home gallops Abernant had been ridden from behind, and had always produced a brilliant burst of speed in the last 100 yards or so. That was why it was decided to adopt similar tactics at Sandown. [2]
In the Free Handicap at the end of the year Abernant was allocated 9st 7lb and Star King was second on the list at 9st 5lb. Timeform, in its first Annual that rated all horses, gave Abernant 133 and Star King 131 rating. [3]
Sir Gordon Richards was an English jockey who was the British flat racing Champion Jockey 26 times, and is often considered the world's greatest jockey. He remains the only flat jockey to have been knighted.
Neil Gow (1907–1919) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who won the classic 2000 Guineas in 1910. In a racing career that lasted from spring 1909 until July 1910 the colt ran ten times and won seven races, attracting attention both for his racing ability and for his difficult and unpredictable temperament. He raced four times against the 1910 Epsom Derby winner Lemberg, winning twice outright and dead-heating on a third occasion. Neil Gow was one of the best British two-year-olds of 1909, when he won the National Stakes at Sandown Park, the Imperial Produce Stakes at Kempton Park and the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster. After winning the Craven Stakes on his first appearance of 1910 he overcame a strong field to win the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. He finished fourth in the Derby and then dead-heated in the Eclipse Stakes. He was injured in training later that year and was retired from racing at the end of the season. He had limited success as a breeding stallion before his death in 1919.
Sir Charles Francis Noel Murless was an English racehorse trainer who one of the most successful of the twentieth century. Murless began his career as a trainer in 1935 at Hambleton Lodge in Yorkshire before moving to Hambleton House after the war, at one time sharing premises with Ryan Price. In 1947, he moved south, first to Beckhampton, Wiltshire and then to Warren Place, Newmarket.
The Champagne Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 7 furlongs and 6 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.
Star Kingdom (1946–1967) was a Thoroughbred race horse bred in Ireland in 1946. Exported to Australia, he was an outstanding sire, being the leading sire for five seasons, the leading sire of two-year-olds seven times as well as heading the broodmare sires' list three times.
The King George Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 5 furlongs, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.
Tetratema was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from May 1919 until October 1921 he won thirteen of his sixteen races, include the all twelve of his starts over the sprint distances of five and six furlongs. He was unbeaten in five races in 1919, including the Molecomb Stakes, Champagne Stakes, and Middle Park Stakes, and was the highest-rated two-year-old in Britain by a record margin. In the following year he had enough stamina to win the Classic 2000 Guineas over a mile, but failed to stay when unplaced in both The Derby and the Eclipse Stakes. He then returned to sprinting and won his remaining two races of 1920 and all four in 1921. His successes in this phase of his career included the King's Stand Stakes, July Cup and two runnings of the King George Stakes.
The Tetrarch (1911–1935) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was undefeated in a racing career of seven starts and was voted the best British-trained two-year-old of the 20th century according to the National Horseracing Museum. He did not race after 1913 and was retired to stud where he became an influential sire.
Abernant (1946–1970) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from May 1948 until 1950, he ran 17 times and won 14 races. He was the best British two-year-old of 1948 and returned from a narrow defeat in the 2000 Guineas to become the dominant sprinter in Britain in 1949 and 1950. Abernant's Timeform rating is the highest for a sprinter in Europe since World War II.
Rockfel was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare, best known for winning two Classics in 1938. In a career which lasted from July 1937 until May 1939 she ran thirteen times and won eight races. Rockfel began her career at the lowest level, being beaten in a selling race, but improved to become recognised as one of the best British racemares of the 20th century. In 1938 she was the dominant three-year-old in England, winning the 1000 Guineas over one mile at Newmarket and the Oaks over one and a half miles at Epsom. In the autumn she defeated colts in the Champion Stakes and the Aintree Derby and was retired after winning her only race as a four-year-old. She produced one foal before dying in November 1941.
Tiffin was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare, who was undefeated in a career of eight races. Tiffin won five races in 1928 including the National Breeders' Produce Stakes at Sandown Park and the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket and was the highest-rated British two-year-old of either sex. Her three-year-old season was disrupted by illness and injury, but she won all three of her starts, proving herself the year's best sprinter with wins in the July Cup at Newmarket and the King George Stakes at Goodwood. At her peak she was regarded as one of the fastest racehorses in the world. At the end of her racing career she was retired to stud where she produced one foal before dying in 1931.
Patrick Joseph Prendergast (1910–1980), known as Paddy "Darkie" Prendergast was an Irish trainer of racehorses. He won seventeen Irish classics and became the first Irish trainer to have a major impact on British flat racing. He trained the first Irish winners of the 2000 Guineas and The Oaks and was British champion trainer for three successive seasons.
Belle of All was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won the classic 1000 Guineas in 1951. In a racing career lasting from the spring of 1950 until July 1951, the filly ran six times and won four races. Belle of All won both her races as a two-year-old, beating a strong field in the National Stakes at Sandown Park and winning the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse in autumn. She won the 1000 Guineas on the first appearance of 1951 and added the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. Her only career defeats came when she was tried over longer distances in The Oaks and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. She was retired from racing at the end of the season and had some influence as a broodmare.
Windy City was a British-bred Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the leading European two-year-old of 1951 when he won four races including the Gimcrack Stakes and was awarded a Timeform rating of 142, which remains one of the highest in the organisation's history. In the following season he was sold and exported to the United States where he twice defeated the future Kentucky Derby winner Hill Gail before his racing career was ended by injury. He was retired to stud where he had some success as a breeding stallion.
Ridge Wood (1946–1956) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1949. The colt was rejected by his prospective owner as a yearling and failed to win as a two-year-old in 1948. Even after winning five of his first six races as a three-year-old he was not regarded as a top-class performer even by his trainer, who only ran him in the St Leger when a more fancied stable companion was injured. After winning the Leger as a 14/1 outsider, Ridge Wood was defeated in his only subsequent start and was retired to stud, where he was a failure as a breeding stallion. He died at the age of ten in 1956.
Myrobella was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Bred by the British National Stud she was the outstanding two-year-old of either sex in Britain in 1932 when she won five consecutive races. In the following year she failed to stay the distance in the 1000 Guineas but had considerable success when reverting to sprint distances, winning the July Cup, King George Stakes and Challenge Stakes. On her retirement from racing she became a successful and influential broodmare.
Petition (1944–1964) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was officially rated the second-best two-year-old in Britain in 1946 when he won the New Stakes, Richmond Stakes, Gimcrack Stakes and Champagne Stakes. He won on his debut in 1947 but sustained an injury when finishing unplaced in the 2000 Guineas and failed to win in two subsequent races that year. In 1948 he returned to his best form to beat a strong field in the Eclipse Stakes. He was retired to stud where he became a successful and influential breeding stallion.
Lake Coniston was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After being sold as a yearling for 22,000 guineas he was sent to be trained in England by Geoff Lewis. Unraced as a juvenile, he established himself as a top-class sprinter as a three-year-old with wins in the Hackwood Stakes, Prix de Meautry and Diadem Stakes. He was even better at four, winning the Abernant Stakes, Duke of York Stakes and July Cup. His performance in the last-named race saw him regarded as one of the best British sprinters of modern times. He stood as a breeding stallion in Ireland, England, Australia, New Zealand, Italy and South Africa with limited success. He died in South Africa in 2014 at the age of 23.
Mr Jinks was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was one of the best two-year-olds in England in 1928 when he won five of his seven races including the New Stakes, July Stakes, Lavant Stakes and Prendergast Stakes. In the following spring he took the Severals Stakes before recording his biggest success in the 2000 Guineas. He failed when favourite for the Epsom Derby but returned to form to win the St James's Palace Stakes. His performances subsequently deteriorated and he was retired from racing at the end of the year. He made little impact as a breeding stallion.
Wolver Hollow (1964–1987) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion. In a career spanning four seasons, his performances in handicaps and top class company, including victory in the 1969 Eclipse Stakes, established him as a talented racehorse without being exceptional. He would achieve greater success as a stallion whereupon retiring to stud where he became Champion Sire in Britain.