Falmouth Stakes

The Falmouth Stakes is a Group 1 race for fillies and mares over a mile at the Newmarket July meeting. It features a fascinating clash of the generations as the current crop of three-year-olds take on their elders.

The Falmouth Stakes takes place on the 12th of July 2024.

Notable past winners include Sonic Lady (1986, 1987), Soviet Song (2004, 2005), Goldikova (2009) and Alpha Centauri (2018).

Find out more about the Falmouth Stakes:

The Race – The Falmouth Stakes

The Falmouth Stakes is over a straight mile on the July Course at Newmarket.

It is currently staged on the second day (Friday) of the July Festival meeting.

There is usually a relatively small field so the draw is seldom a factor on one of the fairest tracks in the country.

Famous Falmouth Stakes Winners & History

The Falmouth Stakes was first run in 1911 with Alice winning a race originally restricted to three-year-old fillies.

The race was classed at Group 3 level in 1971 and was not opened up to older horses until three years’ later.

It was run as the Child Stakes from 1975 until reverting to its original title in 1992.

The Falmouth Stakes was upgraded to Group 1 level in 2004 when Soviet Song claimed the first of her two victories.

Sonic Lady was the first horse to win the race twice, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Walter Swinburn. She finished second in the 1000 Guineas in 1986 before winning five consecutive races including the Irish Guineas, the Coronation Stakes and the Falmouth Stakes. She was a daughter of Nureyev out of Stumped, the dam also having won this race in 1980.

Soviet Song was the flagbearer for the Elite Racing Syndicate and was the highest-rated older filly in the World in 2004. She was trained by James Fanshawe and ridden to both Falmouth Stakes victories by Johnny Murtagh. Her 2004 victory came at the expense of English and Irish 1000 Guineas winner Attraction. Soviet Song won over £1.1million in prize money in her career with nine victories from 24 starts.

Goldikova was another brilliant race mare, winning the Falmouth Stakes in 2009 for Freddy Head and Olivier Peslier. She won a record 14 Group 1 races and is the only horse in history to win three Breeders’ Cup Mile races (2008 – 2010).

Alpha Centauri was another exceptional filly to win this race in 2018, trained by Jessica Harrington in Ireland. She won the Irish 1000 Guineas and then produced a devastating display in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. She defeated a high-class field that featured the winners of the English and French Guineas by six lengths. Alpha Centauri was almost as impressive in the Falmouth, winning by four and a half lengths. Her next victory at Deauville saw the Irish handicapper rate her 124, the highest rated three-year-old filly since Ridgewood Pearl in 1995.

Key Falmouth Stakes Trials

The two most significant trials for the Falmouth Stakes are the Coronation Stakes and the Duke of Cambridge Stakes, both at Royal Ascot. These two races account for nine of the last twelve Falmouth Stakes winners. Integral (2014), Amazing Maria (2015) and Nazeef (2020) all followed up their victories in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes with a win in the Falmouth. Although five of the last twelve winners ran in the Coronation Stakes last time, only Alpha Centauri (2018) had been successful.

Falmouth Stakes Betting Trends

Favourites have a moderate record for such a high-profile Group 1 race. Only three favourites have obliged in the last twelve seasons; Integral (2014), Roly Poly (2017) and Alpha Centauri (2018). The latter started odds-on at 4-9 after romping to an impressive victory in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The longest-priced winner during that period was Sir Henry Cecil’s Timepiece (2011) at 16-1. She had won the Warwickshire Oaks on her previous start and dropped down in trip to upset the well-backed favourite Sahpresa. Giofra (2012) was a 10-1 chance when winning for France and Elusive Kate was a 3-1 chance when upsetting the odds-on Sky Lantern in 2013.

Falmouth Stakes Tips 2025

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What Happened In The Previous Falmouth Stakes

Check out this result from the Newmarket Racecourse:

Falmouth Stakes Previous Winners

Check out the previous winners below:

Falmouth Stakes Stats

Three-year-olds and four-year-olds have shared the spoils with eight victories apiece in the Falmouth Stakes since Soviet Song won as at the age of five in 2005.

All recent winners had won at least once in listed or Group class prior to coming here.

A rating of 108 or higher is required to win the Falmouth. Alpha Centauri was rated at 122 before her commanding victory in 2018.

All bar one of the last twelve winners had at least two previous starts in the current season.

Top Trainers and Jockeys of the Falmouth Stakes

Sir Michael Stoute currently shares the all-time record of six Falmouth Stakes victories with Alec Taylor Junior.

Stoute first won the race with Royal Heroine (1983) before back-to-back wins for Sonic Lady (1986, 1987). Lovers Knot (1998), Integral (2014) and Veracious (2019) were his other winners.

James Fanshawe won the race for three successive seasons with Macadamia (2003) and Soviet Song (2004 and 2005).

Lester Piggott is still the most successful jockey in the history of the Falmouth Stakes with seven victories, the last of them achieved with Lemon Souffle in 1994.

Ryan Moore won the race three times during a four-year spell aboard Integral (2014), Alice Springs (2016) and Roly Poly (2017).

Betting on the Falmouth Stakes

Ante-post betting on the Falmouth Stakes is available after the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. Connections of the winner of that race and the Duke of Cambridge Stakes are usually keen to nominate the Falmouth Stakes as their next target.

History suggests that the Coronation Stakes form can be misleading for this race with beaten horses capable of reversing the places.

The next race for the Falmouth Stakes winner is usually the Prix Rothschild at Deauville. Seven of the last twelve winners have taken that route with only Elusive Kate (2013) and Roly Poly (2017) proving successful. Alpha Centauri (2018) next ran in the Prix Jacques Le Marois where she defeated the colts.

If looking to place a bet then check out our reviews of the best betting apps and betting sites around.

Summary of the Falmouth Stakes

The Falmouth Stakes often sees the best three-year-old fillies from the 1000 Guineas, Irish 1000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes renewing rivalry.

The 2021 renewal was particularly exciting with Snow Lantern running down Mother Earth and Alcohol Free in the final strides.

The race has also been won by some legendary mares such as Soviet Song and Goldikova and it is one of the highlights of the Newmarket July Festival.

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