The Windsor Castle Stakes is a Listed race for two-year-olds over five furlongs at Royal Ascot.
The Windsor Castle Stakes takes place on the 19th June 2024.
Notable past winners include the American-trained Strike The Tiger (2009) and Hootenanny (2014) and useful sprinters Washington DC (2015) and Soldier’s Call (2018).
Flashmans Papers provided one of the biggest shock results in Royal Ascot history when winning here at 100-1 in 2008. He ran here as a maiden for Trainer John Best after finishing third at Windsor and Kempton Park. Jockey Steve Drowne drove him out to beat the strongly-fancied Bushranger.
American Trainer Wesley Ward is a regular visitor to Royal Ascot, particularly in the juvenile races. He saddled his first winner here when Strike The Tiger made all the running to win in 2009 under John Velazquez. He started at 33-1 that day but his runners have been treated with a lot more respect in subsequent seasons.
Ward struck again in 2014 with Hootenanny, another all-the-way winner. He went on to win the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, this time leading inside the final 100 yards to beat Luck Of The Kitten by three-quarters of a length.
Aidan O’Brien won it for the first time with Washington DC in 2015. He had been beaten in a listed race at the Curragh prior to Royal Ascot but held on bravely to beat Areen by a head. He went on to become a top-flight sprinter, finishing second in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes next time and filling the same spot in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye in 2016.
Soldier’s Call won the race in 2018, trained by Archie Watson and ridden by Daniel Tudhope. He later won a Group 3 in France and the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster. He also ran a fine race to finish third in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp.
Her Majesty The Queen won it in 2020 with Tactical, trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by James Doyle. He followed up in the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket and won the European Free Handicap on his first start as a three-year-old.
Windsor Castle Stakes Previous Winners
Take a look at the previous winners from the Windsor Castle Stakes:
Year
Winner
Jockey
Trainer
2013
Extortionist
Johnny Murtagh
Olly Stevens
2014
Hootenanny
Victor Espinoza
Wesley A. Ward
2015
Washington DC
Ryan Moore
Aidan O’Brien
2016
Ardad
Robert Havlin
John Gosden
2017
Sound and Silence
William Buick
Charlie Appleby
2018
Soldier’s Call
Daniel Tudhope
Archie Watson
2019
Southern Hills
Ryan Moore
Aidan O’Brien
2020
Tactical
James Doyle
Andrew Balding
2021
Chipotle
Charles Bishop
Eve Johnson Houghton
2022
Little Big Bear
Ryan Moore
Aidan O’Brien
2023
Big Evs
Jason Hart
Michael Appleby
Windsor Castle Stakes Previous Result
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Windsor Castle Stakes winners have come from a wide variety of races and there are no established trials. Ten of the last twelve winners had at least one previous victory, five of them scoring on their most recent start.
The winners of the Windsor Castle Stakes are often aimed at the top five and six furlong races for two-year-olds.
Of the last twelve winners, only Frederick Engels (2011) and Tactical (2020) were successful on their next outing. Both horses won the July Stakes at Newmarket.
Frederick Engels was later sold to continue his racing career in Hong Kong.
Four of the last twelve winners ran at Glorious Goodwood, three of them in the Molecomb Stakes, but all were beaten. The Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster is an obvious target at the St Leger meeting in September.
Windsor Castle Stakes winners also have the option of top races in France and at the Breeders’ Cup.
Windsor Castle Stakes Betting Trends
There have only been three winning favourites in this race in recent years; Frederick Engels at 9-4 (2011), Hootenanny at 7-2 (2014) and Tactical at the same price (2020).
This race has produced plenty of shock results. The average winning Windsor Castle odds since 2002 have been around 16-1.
The biggest shock in the history of this race was Flashmans Papers at 100-1 in 2008. It equalled the longest-price winner at the Royal meeting at the time; Fox Chapel in the 1990 Britannia Stakes.
A new record was established in the 2020 Coventry Stakes when Nando Parrado struck at 150-1.
Strike The Tiger won at 33-1 in 2009 while Chipotle returned at 22-1 in 2021. Elhamri (2006) and Ardad (2016) were both 20-1 shots while Extortionist (2013) and Sound And Silence (2017) were 16-1 in the Windsor Castle betting.
Most recent Windsor Castle Stakes winners had at least two previous races and had winning form over five furlongs.
Many of them had been born in April or earlier, suggesting this race is more suited to precocious two-year-olds.
Windsor Castle Stakes – Top Trainers and Jockeys
No trainer has been able to dominate this race.
American trainer Wesley Ward won it with Strike The Tiger (2009) and Hootenanny (2014) and his runners certainly don’t go unnoticed in this event. The American juveniles are more forward than their European counterparts and Ward has exploited this to win several of the top two-year-old races at Royal Ascot. He has also won the Norfolk Stakes (2013, 2018) and the Queen Mary Stakes (2009, 2015, 2016, 2020).
Aidan O’Brien also has two victories with Washington DC (2015) and Southern Hills (2019), both ridden by Ryan Moore. The competitive nature of Windsor Castle Stakes betting is illustrated by a wide spread of successful trainers.
The leading jockey in the history of the Windsor Castle Stakes is Pat Eddery who won it six times; Barrys Gamble (1988), Pharaoh’s Delight (1989), Gipsy Fiddler (1990), Satank (1992), Autumnal (2000) and Irony (2001).
Richard Queen won it four times; Great Deeds (1993), Brave Music (1994), Kuantan (1995) and Kalindi (1999).
Betting on the Windsor Castle Stakes
The Windsor Castle Stakes has proved extremely tricky for punters in recent seasons.
The race consistently attracts a large field of relatively inexperienced juveniles and the market has not often been a reliable guide. It looks a race to approach with caution from a betting angle.
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We hope you have enjoyed our Windsor Castle Stakes guide, we have looked at odds, history, tips and more, so you have all the info you need whether you are placing a bet or simply enjoying the race.
The Windsor Castle Stakes is held on the same day as the following races listed below:
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