Big Race History: The Prince of Wales's Stakes

Royal Ascot / Malcolm Pannett / 15 June 2009 / Leave a Comment

The Prince of Wales's Stakes is the highlight of Wednesday's card at Royal Ascot. Malcolm Pannett investigates the history of the £450,000 contest.

Named after the title of the male heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales's Stakes was once a natural stepping stone for Derby winners. But since 2000 it is the older horses that do battle for this now Group 1 prize.

The race began in 1862 when 10-1 shot Carisbrook prevailed over a trip of one mile five furlongs. The event was named in honour of Queen Victoria's son who had taken over most of the social duties of his mother who was in mourning after the death of her husband Prince Albert.

The event soon gained prestige and was won by 1000 Guineas and Oaks-winner Wheel Of Fortune (1879) followed two years later by Derby-winner Iroquois (1881) both ridden by Fred Archer.

There was a notable low point in 1887 when a mounted policeman crossing the track got his timing wrong and ran smack into the field felling Tom Cannon's mount Phil as well as knocking several other runners out of their stride. The beneficiary of the mayhem was Claymore owned by the Duchess of Montrose.

In general though the good horses prevailed including 2000 Guineas-winner Galliard (1883); 2000 Guineas and Derby-winner Galtee More (1897); Derby winner-Jeddah (1898); Ard Patrick (1902) who won the Derby and was awarded the Prince of Wales's Stakes in the Stewards' Room after a successful objection to the first past the post Cupbearer; and Derby winners Sansovino (1924) and Hyperion (1933) who were both owned by Lord Derby who also owned Heliopolis who in 1939 won the last renewal before the Second World War.

George V's son had been Prince of Wales until he became Edward VIII in 1936. He had no children and his brother George VI, who followed him later that year after the abdication, only had two daughters - Elizabeth and Margaret. Therefore there was no Prince of Wales and in turn there was no Prince of Wales' Stakes.

Prince Charles became Prince of Wales in 1958 but was not invested until 1969 and the race made a timely return a year before the ceremony at Caernarfon Castle at a reduced distance of a mile and a quarter.

Jim Joel won the first three of the revived races with Royal Palace (1968) and the first dual-winner Connaught (1969 and 1970). Since then Mtoto (1987 and 1988) and Muhtarram (1994 and 1995) have also won twice.

Kooyonga was first past the post, by a length and a half, in 1992 but was found guilty of interfering with third home Young Buster. As a result the winner of the previous season's Irish 1000 Guineas was demoted to third gifting Henry Cecil's Perpendicular, who had finished second, a somewhat fortuitous win.

Fantastic Light, second to Lear Spear (see below), goes down in the record book as the last three-year-old to compete before the classic generation were excluded with the promotion to Group 1 status. Fantastic Light though returned as a five year old to win it in 2001 - the middle leg of a Saeed bin Suroor hat-trick started by Dubai Millennium (2000) and completed by Grandera (2002).

There were no races between 1915 and 1918 or 1940 to 1967. The 2005 renewal, won by the Aga Khan's Azamour, was run at Royal York.

25 years ago - A superb front running ride from Willie Carson on Morcon. Dick Hern's son of Morston, who headed the market after successes in the Westbury Stakes at Sandown and Clive Graham Stakes at Goodwood, completed a hat-trick after responding to Carson's tactically astute urgings to quicken twice to hold off the challenges of Hot Touch and Muscatite with the only other runner Legend of France eased down after injuring his back.

10 years ago - Godolphin second-string Limpid led until the two-furlong marker where favourite Chester House bustled by hanging to the right. Then at the distance Lear Spearpictured, in the grey and pink colours of top divorce lawyer Raymond Tooth, completed his progress from last to first proceeding to gamely hold off the challenge of Fantastic Light by a head at 20-1. Xaar, Godolphin's first string, was a further two and a half lengths back in third with Chester House fourth.

Five years ago - The massive Rakti , who had finished second to Nayef the previous year, went one better despite pulling like a train. Lunar Sovereign cut out the pace and still led approaching the furlong marker until Philip Robinson allowed Rakti his head and the son of Polish Precedent, trained by Michael Jarvis, duly strode on to win comfortably by two lengths from Powerscourt and Ikhtyar who fought out a good battle for second spot.

Last Year - Favourite Duke Of Marmalade ran out an easy winner from Phoenix Tower and Pipedreamer. Johnny Murtagh was able to tuck in behind the pacesetter Red Rock Canyon, also from the Aidan O'Brien yard, until delivering a challenge inside the last quarter mile. The son of Danehill put four lengths between himself and the runner up to record his third win in a row. That sequence was extended to five with subsequent successes in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot and the International Stakes at York.