Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a Group 1 race over a mile on British Champions Day at Ascot. It often features an exciting clash between the Classic generation and some of the best older horses in Europe.
The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes takes place on the 21st of October 2023.
The QE II Stakes has been won by some of the greatest names in racing history including Brigadier Gerard (1971, 1972), Dubai Millennium (1999) and Frankel (2011).
Find out more about the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes:
Contents
- 1 The Race – Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
- 2 Famous Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Winners & History
- 3 Key Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Trials
- 4 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes 2023 Odds
- 5 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Tips 2023
- 6 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Previous Winners
- 7 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Previous Result
- 8 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Betting Trends
- 9 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Stats
- 10 Top Trainers and Jockeys of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
- 11 Betting on the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
- 12 Popular Questions
- 13 Summary of The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
- 14 Ascot Champions Day Related Articles
- 15 Related October Articles
- 16 Resources
The Race – Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is currently race 4 on British Champions Day in October and takes place over the straight mile.
A top-class field is assured for this hugely valuable contest and there is usually a brisk early pace.
The race is very late in the year and can be one too many for horses who have been busy throughout the summer on faster ground.
Famous Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Winners & History
This race was originally known as the Knights’ Royal Stakes with the inaugural running in 1947 won by the brilliant Tudor Minstrel.
The race was renamed the QE II Stakes in 1955 with victory going to the French-trained Hafiz, owned by His Highness The Aga Khan.
The race was initially given Group 2 status in 1971 and was not promoted to Group 1 level until 1987.
It was moved from September to its current October date to complement the Champion Stakes in 2011 with prize money raised to a staggering £1 million.
Brigadier Gerard became the first dual winner of the race in 1971-72. He famously won 17 of his 18 races including the 2000 Guineas, the Champion Stakes twice and the Eclipse. He was incredibly tough and versatile, winning the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes over a mile and a half in 1972.
Rose Bowl, trained by Fulke Johnson-Houghton and ridden by Willie Carson, emulated The Brigadier with back-to-back victories in 1975 and 1976.
Other popular winners of this race include Kris (1979), Teleprompter (1984) and Dubai Millennium (1999).
Kris was a bold, front-running chestnut trained by Sir Henry Cecil and ridden by Joe Mercer. He won 14 of his 16 races, suffering his only defeats when runner-up in the 2000 Guineas to Tap On Wood and to Known Fact when attempting a repeat QEII Stakes win in 1980.
Teleprompter was a popular gelding trained by Bill Watts in Yorkshire.
Geldings were not permitted to run in Group 1 races at that time and the QEII still had Group 2 status. He looked certain to be beaten by Coronation Stakes winner Katies but battled back bravely to win by a neck. He gained his biggest career win in the Arlington Million in 1985.
Dubai Millennium’s 6 lengths win in this race in 1999 earned lavish praise from owner Sheikh Mohammed, calling him the best horse ever prepared by his Godolphin operation. He immediately assigned him to the Dubai World Cup which he duly won by the same margin in 2000.
Frankel (2011) graced the inaugural Champions’ Day meeting at Ascot with a four lengths victory to sign off his three-year-old campaign. He was eventually retired with a flawless 14/14 record and rated the greatest racehorse in history by Timeform and in the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings.
Key Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Trials
The two most significant form guides to the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes are the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp and the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood. These two races account for five of the last twelve winners. Charm Spirit (2014) and Baaeed (2021) both won the Prix du Moulin before following up at Ascot.
Four other Moulin winners were beaten here during that period, notably Excelebration (2011) and Ribchester (2017) who both finished second. Frankel (2011) and Solow (2015) both won the Sussex Stakes on their previous start.
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes 2023 Odds
The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes 2023 odds are listed below:
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Tips 2023
Below are our tips for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes 2023:
- 2 points to win for TBC at odds of TBC
- 1 point each way for TBC at odds of TBC
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Previous Winners
Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1970 | Welsh Pageant | 4 | Sandy Barclay | Noel Murless | Jim Joel | 1:42.10 |
1971 | Brigadier Gerard | 3 | Joe Mercer | Dick Hern | Jean Hislop | 1:41.39 |
1972 | Brigadier Gerard | 4 | Joe Mercer | Dick Hern | Jean Hislop | 1:39.90 |
1973 | Jan Ekels | 4 | Jimmy Lindley | Guy Harwood | Anthony Bodie | 1:47.20 |
1974 | no race [a] | |||||
1975 | Rose Bowl | 3 | Willie Carson | Fulke Johnson Houghton | Jane Engelhard | 1:49.00 |
1976 | Rose Bowl | 4 | Willie Carson | Fulke Johnson Houghton | Jane Engelhard | 1:43.50 |
1977 | Trusted | 4 | Willie Carson | John Dunlop | Duchess of Norfolk | 1:41.40 |
1978 | Homing | 3 | Willie Carson | Dick Hern | 2nd Baron Rotherwick | 1:40.40 |
1979 | Kris | 3 | Joe Mercer | Henry Cecil | Lord Howard de Walden | 1:40.69 |
1980 | Known Fact | 3 | Willie Carson | Jeremy Tree | Khalid Abdullah | 1:40.02 |
1981 | To-Agori-Mou | 3 | Lester Piggott | Guy Harwood | Andry Muinos | 1:46.80 |
1982 | Buzzards Bay | 4 | Walter Swinburn | Hugh Collingridge | Vera McKinney | |
1983 | Sackford | 3 | Greville Starkey | Guy Harwood | Anthony Bodie | 1:39.90 |
1984 | Teleprompter | 4 | Willie Carson | Bill Watts | 18th Earl of Derby | 1:42.96 |
1985 | Shadeed | 3 | Walter Swinburn | Michael Stoute | Maktoum Al Maktoum | 1:38.80 |
1986 | Sure Blade | 3 | Brent Thomson | Barry Hills | Sheikh Mohammed | 1:41.71 |
1987 | Milligram | 3 | Pat Eddery | Michael Stoute | Helena Springfield Ltd | 1:40.04 |
1988 | Warning | 3 | Pat Eddery | Guy Harwood | Khalid Abdullah | 1:40.51 |
1989 | Zilzal | 3 | Walter Swinburn | Michael Stoute | Mana Al Maktoum | 1:40.57 |
1990 | Markofdistinction | 4 | Frankie Dettori | Luca Cumani | Gerald Leigh | 1:39.70 |
1991 | Selkirk | 3 | Ray Cochrane | Ian Balding | George Strawbridge | 1:44.34 |
1992 | Lahib | 4 | Willie Carson | John Dunlop | Hamdan Al Maktoum | 1:44.50 |
1993 | Bigstone | 3 | Pat Eddery | Élie Lellouche | Daniel Wildenstein | 1:42.89 |
1994 | Maroof | 4 | Richard Hills | Robert Armstrong | Hamdan Al Maktoum | 1:42.75 |
1995 | Bahri | 3 | Willie Carson | John Dunlop | Hamdan Al Maktoum | 1:40.54 |
1996 | Mark of Esteem | 3 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 1:40.95 |
1997 | Air Express | 3 | Olivier Peslier | Clive Brittain | Mohamed Obaida | 1:40.90 |
1998 | Desert Prince | 3 | Olivier Peslier | David Loder | Lucayan Stud | 1:39.63 |
1999 | Dubai Millennium | 3 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 1:46.24 |
2000 | Observatory | 3 | Kevin Darley | John Gosden | Khalid Abdullah | 1:41.40 |
2001 | Summoner | 4 | Richard Hills | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 1:44.54 |
2002 | Where Or When | 3 | Kevin Darley | Terry Mills | John Humphreys | 1:41.37 |
2003 | Falbrav | 5 | Darryll Holland | Luca Cumani | Rencati / Yoshida | 1:38.99 |
2004 | Rakti | 5 | Philip Robinson | Michael Jarvis | Gary Tanaka | 1:39.82 |
2005 | Starcraft [b] | 5 | Christophe Lemaire | Luca Cumani | The Australian Syndicate | 1:37.87 |
2006 | George Washington | 3 | Michael Kinane | Aidan O'Brien | Magnier / Tabor / Smith | 1:40.06 |
2007 | Ramonti | 5 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 1:42.45 |
2008 | Raven's Pass | 3 | Jimmy Fortune | John Gosden | Princess Haya of Jordan | 1:38.94 |
2009 | Rip Van Winkle | 3 | Johnny Murtagh | Aidan O'Brien | Magnier / Tabor / Smith | 1:38.82 |
2010 | Poet's Voice | 3 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 1:39.76 |
2011 | Frankel | 3 | Tom Queally | Sir Henry Cecil | Khalid Abdullah | 1:39.45 |
2012 | Excelebration | 4 | Joseph O'Brien | Aidan O'Brien | Smith / Magnier / Tabor | 1:42.33 |
2013 | Olympic Glory | 3 | Richard Hughes | Richard Hannon Sr. | Sheikh Joaan al Thani | 1:44.18 |
2014 | Charm Spirit | 3 | Olivier Peslier | Freddy Head | Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani | 1:46.28 |
2015 | Solow | 5 | Maxime Guyon | Freddy Head | Wertheimer et Frère | 1:41.92 |
2016 | Minding | 3 | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | Magnier / Tabor / Smith | 1:38.53 |
2017 | Persuasive | 4 | Frankie Dettori | John Gosden | Cheveley Park Stud | 1:46.13 |
2018 | Roaring Lion | 3 | Oisin Murphy | John Gosden | Qatar Racing | 1:42.48 |
2019 | King of Change | 3 | Sean Levey | Richard Hannon Jr. | Ali Abdulla Saeed | 1:44.88 |
2020 | The Revenant | 5 | Pierre-Charles Boudot | Francis-Henri Graffard | Al Asayl France | 1:45.13 |
2021 | Baaeed | 3 | Jim Crowley | William Haggas | Shadwell Estate | 1:42.57 |
2022 | Bayside Boy | 3 | Tom Marquand | Roger Varian | Teme Valley & Ballylinch Stud | 1:45.53 |
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Previous Result
🏆Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1)
1610m, 1.156.250 GBP, for 3yo+
🇬🇧 AscotBayside Boy (IRE)
(3C New Bay – Alava, by Anabaa)
J :Tom Marquand
T :Roger Varian
O :Teme Valley & Ballylinch Stud
B : @BallylinchStudpic.twitter.com/MUlLtLXNpI— 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙𝙍𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 (@WorldRacing1) October 15, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Betting Trends
The form usually holds up well in the QEII Stakes with all but two of the last 12 winners coming from the first three in the betting. Five of those started favourite; Frankel (4-11), Excelebration (10-11), Solow (11-10), Minding (7-4) and Roaring Lion (2-1).
The two horses to buck the trend of winning market leaders were Persuasive (2017) who returned at 8-1 and King Of Change (2019) at 12-1.
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Stats
Three-year-olds hold the edge in this race with 10 winners in the past 14 years. The only horses to break their domination were Excelebration (2012) and Persuasive (2017) as four-year-olds and Solow (2015) and The Revenant (2020) as five-year-olds.
This race is all about class and 8 of the last 12 winners had already won at least once at Group 1 level.
An official rating of 115 or higher is usually required to win this, only Persuasive (113) falling narrowly below that mark in recent times.
The highest-rated winner going into this race was Frankel (135) in 2011.
Top Trainers and Jockeys of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor is the leading trainer in the history of the race with five winners; Mark of Esteem (1996), Dubai Millennium (1999), Summoner (2001), Ramonti (2007) and Poet’s Voice (2010).
John Gosden and Aidan O’Brien have both trained four winners, Gosden winning it in 2017 and 2018 with Persuasive and Roaring Lion.
Willie Carson remains the leading jockey in the history of the race with eight winners. This included a sequence of four successive seasons between 1975 and 1978. He has particularly fond memories of this race from his winning ride on Bahri in 1995 when taking the scenic route under the trees to find the better ground.
Frankie Dettori has won it six times; Markofdistinction (1990), Mark of Esteem (1996), Dubai Millennium (1999), Ramonti (2007), Poet’s Voice (2010) and Persuasive (2017).
Betting on the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
There is a strong ante-post market with some tempting bookmaker offers including enhanced odds on the favourite for new customers. It is always worth keeping a close eye on the state of the going for this meeting with soft ground horses often favoured.
This race comes at the end of a long season for the top milers in Europe. Three recent winners have gone to the Breeders’ Cup but were all beaten well in very different ground conditions.
Popular Questions
What Are the Important Facts About The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Race?
Here are interesting facts about The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Race:
- The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is run at Ascot Racecourse, England
- The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is for horses aged 3 and over
- The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a Group 1 horse race in Great Britain
- The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes distance is 1 mile
- The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes prize money is £1,100,000
Summary of The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is one of the most prestigious one-mile races in Europe and always provides a thrilling spectacle.
The winner will join the likes of Frankel and Dubai Millennium on the roll of honour for a race that is the perfect appetiser for the Champion Stakes.
It is one of the highlights of Ascot Champion weekend.
Find out more about all the races at Ascots Champions Day:
- Autumn Stakes
- Bateaux London Gold Cup
- Beckford Stakes
- Bengough Stakes
- Bluebell Stakes
- Boadicea Fillies' Stakes
- British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes
- British Champions Long Distance Cup
- British Champions Sprint Stakes
- Carlingford Stakes
- Cesarewitch Handicap
- Challenge Stakes
- Champion Stakes
- Charlie Hall Chase
- Concorde Stakes
- Cornwallis Stakes
- Cumberland Lodge Stakes
- Darley Stakes
- Dewhurst Stakes
- Doncaster Stakes
- Eyrefield Stakes
- Fillies' Mile
- Fleur De Lys Fillies' Stakes
- Futurity Trophy
- Garnet Stakes
- Guisborough Stakes
- Horris Hill Stakes
- Horse Racing In October
- Irish Cesarewitch Handicap
- Killavullan Stakes
- Knockaire Stakes
- Legacy Stakes
- Leopardstown October Handicap
- Mercury Stakes
- Noel Murless Stakes
- October Stakes
- Oh So Sharp Stakes
- Old Roan Chase
- Pride Stakes
- Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
- Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
- Radley Stakes
- River Eden Fillies' Stakes
- Rockingham Stakes
- Rous Stakes
- Silver Tankard Stakes
- Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle
- St. Simon Stakes
- Star Appeal Stakes
- Sun Chariot Stakes
- Trigo Stakes
- Two-Year-Old Trophy
- West Yorkshire Hurdle
- Zetland Stakes