Flying Childers Stakes

British Racecourses review The Flying Childers Stakes, a Group 2 race for two-year-olds over five furlongs at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting.

This race takes place at Doncaster Racecourse on Day 3 of the St Leger Festival along with other known races such as the Doncaster Cup and Flying Scotsman Stakes.

The race attracts some of the fastest juveniles in training and several winners have gone on to become Group 1 sprinters.

Notable Flying Childers Stakes winners include Marwell (1980), Green Desert (1985), Paris House (1991) and Fleeting Spirit (2007).

Find out more about the Flying Childers Stakes:

Race Overview – The Flying Childers

The Flying Childers Stakes is a two-year-old flat horse race in the United Kingdom. It takes place every year in September at Doncaster over the distance of 5 furlongs and 3 yards.

Check out our guides to all the other Group 2 horse races.

Flying Childers Stakes Previous Winners

Check out the previous winners below:

Flying Childers Stakes Previous Result

Check out this result from the Doncaster Racecourse:

Famous Flying Childers Stakes Winners

The Flying Childers Stakes was established in 1967 and is named after a locally bred racehorse and successful stallion.

The inaugural running was won by D’Urberville, trained by Jeremy Tree and ridden by Jimmy Lindley.

The race has been won by some top-class sprinters, one of the earliest being Mummy’s Pet. He won the Temple Stakes at Sandown and the Hyperion Stakes at Ascot and went on to sire champion racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland.

Lester Piggott rode four of the first eight winners of the Flying Childers; Tribal Chief (1969), Marble Arch (1972), Gentle Thoughts (1973) and Hot Spark (1974). 1975 winner Hittite Glory produced a 100-1 shock and later proved that it was no fluke by taking the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.

Devon Ditty (1978) was a brilliant juvenile filly, winning five consecutive races; Cherry Hinton Stakes, Princess Margaret Stakes, Lowther Stakes, Flying Childers Stakes and Cheveley Park Stakes. She was trained for the 1000 Guineas as a three-year-old but did not stay and finished a creditable fifth. After contesting some top-class sprints without winning she was transferred to John Gosden in California where she won three times.

1980 winner Marwell also went on to win the Cheveley Park and, like Devon Ditty, failed to stay a mile when fourth in the 1000 Guineas. She successfully dropped back to sprinting to win the King’s Stand Stakes. Marwell then won the Group 1 July Stakes and the Prix de l’Abbaye.

Green Desert was yet another champion sprinter to emerge from the Flying Childers. He had enough class to finish runner-up to Dancing Brave in the 2000 Guineas and to Sure Blade in the St James’s Palace Stakes. He reverted to sprinting to win the July Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup. Recent winners worthy of note include Superstar Leo (2000) and Fleeting Spirit (2007).

Key Flying Childers Stakes Trials

The two most informative trials for the Flying Childers Stakes in recent seasons have been the Gimcrack Stakes at York and the Prix Morny at Deauville. Each of these races has supplied three of the last twelve winners, although only one of them had been placed.

Future targets for winners of the Flying Childers include the Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Four of the last twelve winners headed to France for their next race but only Soldier’s Call (third in 2018) managed to feature. A’Ali (2019) and Ubettabelieveit (2020) ran in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with the latter finishing third.

None of the last twelve winners managed to win their next start as a juvenile.

Flying Childers Stakes Betting Trends

Four of the last twelve favourites have won the Flying Childers Stakes but only one of the last nine; Gutaifan in 2015. Zebedee (2010), Requinto (2011) and Sir Prancealot (2012) all started favourite, winning at 100-30 twice and 7-4 favourite respectively.

Hittite Glory (1975) remains the longest-priced winner in the history of the race but Ubettabelieveit produced a 40-1 shock in 2020. Green Door (2013) won at 18-1 for Olly Stevens and Jim Crowley so the race can still throw up the occasional surprise.

Green Door was the lowest rated winner in the same twelve-year period on 94. A rating of 101 or higher is normally required to win this, the highest officially rated winner in the same spell being Gutaifan on 114.

Flying Childers Stakes – Top Trainers and Jockeys

Sir Michael Stoute is the leading trainer in the history of the Flying Childers Stakes with five winners. He first won it with Music Maestro (1977) and the struck with subsequent champion sprinters Marwell (1980) and Green Desert (1985). His fourth winner was Raah Algharb in 1994 and his most recent success came with Saddad in 2001.

Stoute trained one more winner than Richard Hannon Snr who last won it with Sir Prancealot in 2012. Richard Hannon Jnr has kept the family tradition going with back-to-back victories for Beacon (2014) and Gutaifan (2015).

Clive Cox has won it twice in the past five seasons with Heartache (2017) and Caturra (2021).

Frankie Dettori leads the all-time jockey stands with six winners; Howick Falls (2003), Fleeting Spirit (2007), Sand Vixen (2009), Gutaifan (2015), Ardad (2016) and A’Ali (2019).

Best Flying Childers Stakes Betting Sites

The Flying Childers Stakes is always fast and furious and has a good record for producing leading sprinters.

The race often attracts a strong field of ten or more runners with some good each-way betting opportunities. It can provide the occasional shock result the first three in the market have accounted for the majority of recent winners.

If you are looking to place a bet on the Flying Childers Stakes we recommend checking out the best horse racing websites UK and these other bookmakers:

• Bet with best odds guaranteed bookies
• Check out betting sites with free bet credits
• Read our review of the best mobile betting sites
• Bookies with big payout bookmakers

Summary of Flying Childers Stakes

We hope you enjoyed our guide to the Flying Childers.

It is one of the top races of the 2 year old season and often produces a top-class sprinter who goes on to have proven success at the top level.

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