Events / Malcolm Pannett / 06 August 2009 /

Established 23 years ago the Rose of Lancaster Stakes has become a stepping stone to international success. Malcolm Pannett fills in the details...

The Rose of Lancaster Stakes entered the Racing Calendar in 1986. The first race was won by Wassl Touch trained by Dick Hern and ridden by Willie Carson and the same combination was also victorious the following year this time with Free Fact (1987).

Two years later the extended mile-and-a-quarter contest was awarded Group 3 status. In that year's race Braiswick (1989) beat Pelorus by a head with odds-on favourite Batshoof back in third. Batshoof went on to win the next season's Prince of Wales's Stakes while the winner went on to add the Sun Chariot Stakes before taking a Grade 1 event at Woodbine in Canada.

The die was cast, whether intentionally or not, and many Rose of Lancaster Stakes-winners since have won decent international races including Defensive Play (1990) who went on to take the Grade 1 Man O'War Stakes at Belmont Park; Half A Tick (1992) who won a listed race at San Siro in Italy twice; and Knifebox (1993) twice a winner of the Select Stakes at Goodwood who also captured the Prix Dollar at Longchamp before bowing out with success in the Group 1 Prix Roma at Capannelle.

The theme continued with Urgent Request (1994) subsequently victorious in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap; Tamayaz (1996) who won three races at Nad al Sheba including the Dubai Duty Free; Mutamam (1998) winner of the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine; and Ekraar (2000) whose swansong was a victory in the 2003 Group 1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club at San Siro.

Arguably one of the best winners of the Rose of Lancaster Stakes was Nayef (2001) who went on to win the Champion Stakes, International Stakes at York and Prince of Wales's Stakes. While David Junior may be the best runner-up, after finishing second to Notable Guest in 2005 he subsequently won the Champion Stakes, Dubai Duty Free and the Eclipse.

The Rose of Lancaster was the symbol of the House of Lancaster that was victorious over the House of York, who had a white version, in the fifteenth century Wars of the Roses. It brought to a close the Plantagenet dynasty and led to over a century of Tudor monarchs.

As Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire it was fitting for the race to be run at Haydock which was then in Lancashire. Since 1974 though it has been impossible to run any race in Lancashire as due to boundary changes all of its racecourses left the county. Haydock, along with Aintree, became part of the metropolitan county of Merseyside while Cartmel was subsumed into Cumbria.

There was no race in 2002 as the whole meeting was abandoned as the course was waterlogged.

10 years ago - A win for Gary Stevens as Greek Dance easily mastered market leader Prolix. Moutahddee made the early pace but after a furlong Michael Hills, on Prolix, took up the running. Stevens was always traveling cosily in rear and when asked Sir Michael Stoute's charge made ground smoothly collaring Prolix while still on the bridle. Stevens then asked the son of Sadler's Wells to extend which he duly did putting a cushion of two lengths between himself and the runner-up with ten back to Moutahhddee in third. Subsequently Greek Dance finished runner-up in top flight races at York, Longchamp and the Curragh before finally landing a Group 1 in Munich.

Five years ago - Mark Johnston's ill-fated Mister Monet, ridden by Joe Fanning, beat John Dunlop's Muqbil by a length and a half. Sent off even-money favourite the son of Peintre Celebre broke well but was soon headed by Lateen Sails. Three furlongs from home Fanning made his move and opened up a clear advantage. Muqbil tried to mount a challenge and the pair both edged left but the market leader had too many guns keeping on well to land the spoils with Checkit five lengths away in third. Mister Monet had won five of his seven races before breaking down in the Champion Stakes.

Last year - Multidimensional, trained by Henry Cecil and running in the Niarchos Family colours, secured the prize despite wandering off a straight line in the closing stages. The son of Danehill chased Flying Clarets to the quarter-mile pole before Ted Durcan asked him to go by. Bahia Breeze emerged from the pack and was given momentary hope by Multidimensional's deviation from the shortest route between two points. Durcan though kept pushing and prevailed by a length-and-a-quarter at 2/1 favourite.

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