Chesham Stakes

The Chesham Stakes is a Listed race for two-year-olds over seven furlongs and takes place on the final day of Royal Ascot.

It is one of the earliest significant races of the season over this distance for juveniles and was won by subsequent dual Guineas winner Churchill in 2016.

Other notable winners include Be My Chief (1989), Central Park (1997), Maybe (2011) and Pinatubo (2019).

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Some of the participating horses in the Chesham Stakes will run in other events throughout the year. Keep a close eye on the horses and see how they do then place your ante-postbets.

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Famous Chesham Stakes Winners

The Chesham Stakes was first run over five furlongs in 1919 and was not extended to seven furlongs until 1996. The Chesham Stakes is restricted to runners sired by horses who had won over at least a mile and a quarter.

Although the winner often attracts quotes for the following season’s 2000 Guineas or Derby, Churchill (2016) has been the only Chesham winner in modern times to go on to Classic success. Bakharoff (1985), Minstrella (1986) and Be My Chief (1989) were all high-class performers. Bakharoff finished third in the French and Irish Derbies but neither Minstrella nor Be My Chief won in their Classic season.

The 1997 renewal did produce a Classic winner but it was runner-up Cape Verdi, beaten by Central Park. Cape Verdi won the 1000 Guineas by 5 lengths and started favourite for the Epsom Derby, an unusual target for a Classic-winning filly. She failed to stay and finished ninth behind High Rise. Central Park won the Italian Derby and would finish runner-up in the 1999 Melbourne Cup.

Free Agent won the Chesham Stakes for Her Majesty The Queen in 2008. He had won impressively on his debut and followed up for trainer Richard Hannon Snr and jockey Richard Hughes. Richard Pankhurst (2014) sustained an injury after winning here and was off the track for 439 days. He claimed his biggest win in the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes at Newbury in 2016.

Churchill (2016) ran on strongly to beat 25-1 outsider Isomer by half a length. Aidan O’Brien’s colt went on to become the leading miler of the Classic generation, winning the English and Irish 2000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes in 2018.

O’Brien won the Chesham Stakes again in 2017 with the filly September. The filly justified heavy support to beat Nyaleti with Masar back in third place. Masar won the Solario Stakes at Sandown but was beaten at Chantilly and in the Breeders’ Cup. He returned the following season to win the Craven Stakes by 9 lengths and started favourite for the 2000 Guineas. He finished third to Saxon Warrior but reversed the form comprehensively at Epsom to win at 16-1.

Pinatubo was a brilliant two-year-old, achieving the highest official rating (128) since Celtic Swing (130) in 1994. He broke the course record at Ascot when defeating Lope Y Fernandez in 2019. He went on to win the National Stakes at the Curragh and the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. He was placed in the 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes at three, winning the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville.

Key Chesham Stakes Trials

There are no established trials for the Chesham Stakes with winners coming from a wide range of races.

O’Brien’s Churchill (2016) had finished third in a Curragh maiden while Maybe (2011) and September (2017) had won at Naas and Leopardstown respectively.

Free Agent (2008) had won a Leicester maiden by five lengths and Berkshire (2013) had finished third at Newbury on his debut.

Pinatubo began his racing career in a Wolverhampton maiden and won the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom before winning the Chesham.

Chesham Stakes winners inevitably tackle some top two-year-old races later in the season. Churchill next ran in a Group 3 at Leopardstown before establishing himself as the leading juvenile colt.

September was a beaten favourite in a Group 2 at the Curragh next time and was later beaten a nose in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile.

Berkshire won the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket on his next start whereas Pinatubo won the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood by 5 lengths.

Chesham Stakes Previous Result

Check out the latest result on the Ascot Racing Track:

Chesham Stakes Betting Trends

Favourites have a good recent record in the Chesham Stakes betting, winning four of the last six.

Interestingly, all of O’Brien’s five victories in the last eleven seasons started favourite. Maybe (2011), Churchill (2016), September (2017), Battleground (2020) and Point Lonsdale (2021) all justified strong support. Churchill returned odds-on favourite at 8-11 while Point Lonsdale was only marginally better-priced at 10-11.

Big Audio was a shock 22-1 winner in 2009. Other long priced winners in the Chesham Stakes odds were Berkshire (2013) at 16-1 and Suits You (2015) at 14-1. Richard Pankhurst returned at 10-1 for John Gosden and William Buick in 2014.

Most Chesham Stakes winners had raced only once previously and had finished in the first three. Eight of the last twelve winners had at least one victory prior to Royal Ascot. Many of them had won their only previous start over six furlongs.

Chesham Stakes – Top Trainers and Jockeys

Aidan O’Brien is the most successful trainer in the history of the race with six victories. Five of them have come in the past eleven years with his first success coming in 1999 with Bach. O’Brien eclipsed the four victories for Paul Cole, last successful with Berkshire in 2013. Mark Johnston enjoyed great success in this race with three victories in four years between 2000 and 2003 but he has not won it since.

Lester Piggott rode the winner on seven occasions between 1960 and 1982. Ryan Moore moved to within one of Piggott’s tally when riding his sixth Chesham Stakes winner on Point Lonsdale in 2021. Frankie Dettori rode his fourth Chesham Stakes winner aboard Tha’ir in 2012.

Betting on the Chesham Stakes

Despite the inexperience of the runners, the market often proves a good guide to the outcome of the Chesham Stakes. Fancied runners from the Aidan O’Brien stable have a formidable record in recent seasons. The form of the race is worth following for the rest of the season with winners and placed horses going on to success at Group level.

Summary of the Chesham Stakes

Thank you for checking out our Chesham Stakes guide, we hope you enjoyed it and found all the information you needed.

The Chesham Stakes takes place on the same day as the Queen Alexandra Stakes and the Wokingham Stakes.

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