Duke of Edinburgh Stakes

The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes is a handicap for three-year-olds and upwards over a mile and a half at Royal Ascot. It currently takes place on day 4 of the festival meeting.

The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes takes place on Friday 23rd June 2023 at 3:40 pm.

Sir Michael Stoute has a great record in this event. His past winners include Her Majesty The Queen’s Blueprint (1999), Group 1 winner Opinion (2013) and top-weighted Arab Spring (2014).

Find out more about the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes:

Race Overview – Duke of Edinburgh Stakes

The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes is a flat Handicap contest held in the U.k for horses aged three and above. It is held each year in June at Ascot with a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards.

Check out our guides to all the other UK Premier Handicap horse races.

Duke of Edinburgh Stakes Previous Winners

Take a look at the previous winners from the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes:

Duke of Edinburgh Stakes Previous Result

Check out the latest result on the Ascot Racing Track:

Famous Duke of Edinburgh Stakes Winners

The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes was formerly known as the Bessborough Stakes, named after the 5th Earl of Bessborough. It was given its current title in 1999 and is one of the most competitive mile and a half all-aged handicaps of the season.

1999 winner Blueprint raced in the colours of Her Majesty The Queen and was ridden by American Gary Stevens. He carried 9st 9lbs to victory and would later win the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket. Other horses to go on and win at Group level include Young Mick (2006), a shock 28-1 winner here for trainer George Margarson. He went on to win the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes.

2011 winner Fox Hunt was trained by Mark Johnston and ridden by Silvestre de Sousa. He gained his biggest career success in the Group 3 German St Leger. 2013 winner Opinion was beaten in his next two races before being gelded and sent to Chris Waller in Australia. He won the Group 1 Metropolitan at Randwick in 2014.

Arab Spring was another high class winner for Sir Michael Stoute in 2014. He would later win twice at Group 3 level, taking the John Porter Stakes at Newbury in 2015 and The September Stakes in 2016. The race produced another shock result in 2020 when Hollie Doyle swept to the front on 33-1 outsider Scarlet Dragon for trainer Alan King.

Key Duke of Edinburgh Stakes Trials

Winners of the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes have come from a wide variety of sources. Competitive handicaps at York, Epsom and Newmarket are certainly influential. Dash Of Spice had won the big handicap at Epsom prior to winning here in 2018, defying an 11lbs weights rise. Arab Spring was a big handicap winner at York and also defied the handicapper at Royal Ascot.

Of the last twelve winners, only Rare Rhythm (2017) managed to win on their next outing. He won the Silver Cup at York. Other races contested include the Princess of Wales Stakes at Newmarket, the Old Newton Cup at Haydock and the John Smiths Cup at York.

Duke of Edinburgh Stakes Betting Trends

The record of favourites in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes is notoriously bad. There have only been four winning favourites since 1982 and two of those have come in the last four seasons; Hateel (1990), Arab Spring (2014), Dash Of Spice (2018) and Baghdad (2019). That long drought from 1990 to 2014 is certainly enough to make you think twice before backing the favourite here!

The longest priced winner in recent times was Scarlet Dragon (2020) at 33-1. His victory came at the age of seven, making him the oldest winner. Four-year-olds have the best recent record, accounting for eight of the last eleven winners.

An official rating of 97 or higher is usually required to win this race. The highest-rated winners in recent times were Arab Spring (2014) and Baghdad (2019) on 104. Seven of the last twelve winners had been successful on their last outing which is quite a high percentage for a race as competitive as this.

Duke of Edinburgh Stakes – Top Trainers and Jockeys

Sir Michael Stoute has a fine record in this race. He has won it with Greek Palace (1998), Blueprint (1999), Notable Guest (2005), Sugar Ray (2008), Opinion (2013) and Arab Spring (2014). Hughie Morrison is another trainer to note here. He has successfully targeted this race over the years and been successful with Waverley (2003), Cill Rialaig (2010), Arab Dawn (2015) and Quickthorn (2021).

Ryan Moore leads the modern jockey standings in this race with four winners; Sugar Ray (2008), Opinion (2013), Arab Spring (2014) and Baghdad (2019). William Buick and Silvestre de Sousa have two victories apiece.

Betting on the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes

The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes carries a health warning for punters with a shocking record for favourites. However, the high percentage of last time out winners could be a good starting point in the search for each-way value. Statistics also indicate that winners of this race struggle under a penalty, although several have eventually managed to win at a higher level.

Summary of Duke of Edinburgh Stakes

Thank you for reading our Duke of Edinburgh Stakes guide. We hope it was helpful.

The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes takes place on the same day as the following races listed below:

• King Edward Vii Stakes
• Sandringham Handicap
• Coronation Stakes
• Albany Stakes
• Commonwealth Cup

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