The Challenge Stakes is a
Group 2 flat horse race
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...
in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at
Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in October.
History
The event was established in 1878, and the inaugural edition was titled the First Great Challenge Stakes. It was originally contested over six furlongs and open to horses aged two or older.
The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and for a period the Challenge Stakes held Group 3 status. It was extended to seven furlongs in 1977, and closed to two-year-olds in 1985. It was promoted to Group 2 level in 1987.
The race was formerly staged during Newmarket's Champions' Day meeting in mid-October. It became part of a new fixture called Future Champions Day in 2011.
Records
Most successful horse (2 wins):
* Energy – ''1882, 1884''
* Mephisto – ''1886, 1890''
* Kilcock – ''1896, 1897''
* Sonatura – ''1900, 1901''
* Chacornac – ''1902, 1903''
* Succour – ''1907, 1908''
* Hornet's Beauty – ''1912, 1914''
*
Phalaris – ''1917, 1918''
*
Boldboy
Boldboy (1970 – September 1998) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He raced for eight seasons in the 1970s and was one of the most popular and successful racehorses of his era. As a two-year-old he showed ability, ...
– ''1973, 1977''
*
Moorestyle – ''1980, 1981''
*
Limato
Limato (foaled 8 February 2012) is a retired Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was a sprinter who produced his best performances over six and seven furlongs on good or firm ground. In a racing career lasting from June 2014 ...
- ''2017, 2018''
Leading
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
(7 wins):
*
Lester Piggott – ''Princely Gift (1954), Forlorn River (1967), Mountain Call (1968), Abergwaun (1972), Moorestyle (1980, 1981), Salieri (1983)''
Leading
trainer (6 wins):
*
Barry Hills – ''Asteroid Field (1987), Distant Relative (1989), Last Resort (2000), Munir (2001), Miss Lucifer (2007), Red Jazz (2010)''
Winners since 1977
Earlier winners
* 1878: Lollypop
* 1879:
Rayon d'Or
Rayon d'Or (1876–1896) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and Champion sire in the United States. Bred by Frédéric Lagrange at his Haras de Dangu stud farm in Dangu, Eure, he was sired by Flageolet whose wins included the Prix Morny ...
* 1880: Thebais
* 1881: Nellie
* 1882: Energy
* 1883:
Busybody
* 1884: Energy
* 1885: Modwena
* 1886: Mephisto
* 1887:
Kilwarlin
Kilwarlin (1884 – 1900) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. The detail of his ownership were complicated and led to complaints being lodged with the Jockey Club. He showed considerable promise as a juvenile in 1886 when he won h ...
* 1888: Sandal
* 1889: Heaume
* 1890: Mephisto
* 1891: Sir Frederick Roberts
* 1892: St Angelo
* 1893: Dame President
* 1894: Whittier
* 1895: Amandier / Chasseur
* 1896: Kilcock
* 1897: Kilcock
* 1898: Heir Male
* 1899: Fosco
* 1900: Sonatura
* 1901: Sonatura
* 1902: Chacornac
* 1903: Chacornac
* 1904: Delaunay
* 1905:
Thrush
''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret ...
* 1906: Rocketter
* 1907: Succour
* 1908: Succour
* 1909:
Sir Martin
Sir Martin (1906–1930) was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was foaled in 1906 in Lexington, Kentucky at Hamburg Place, the stud farm of noted turfman and horse trainer John E. Madden.Daily Racing Form January 27, 1920./ref> Sir Martin was a hal ...
* 1910: Jack Snipe
* 1911: Iron Mask
* 1912: Hornet's Beauty
* 1913: Borrow
* 1914: Hornet's Beauty
* 1915: Golden Sun
* 1916: King's Joker
* 1917:
Phalaris
* 1918:
Phalaris
* 1919:
Diadem
* 1920: Poltava
* 1921: Sunblaze
* 1922: Two Step
* 1923: Black Gown
* 1924: Drake
* 1925: Twelve Pointer
* 1926: Diomedes
* 1927: Highborn II
* 1928: Nice Prospect
* 1929: Reedsmouth
* 1930: Soloptic
* 1931: Portlaw
* 1932: The Divot
* 1933:
Myrobella
Myrobella (foaled 1930) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Bred by the British National Stud she was the outstanding two-year-old of either sex in Britain in 1932 when she won five consecutive races. In t ...
* 1934:
Mate
Mate may refer to:
Science
* Mate, one of a pair of animals involved in:
** Mate choice, intersexual selection
** Mating
* Multi-antimicrobial extrusion protein, or MATE, an efflux transporter family of proteins
Person or title
* Friendship ...
* 1935: Bellacose
* 1936: Solerina
* 1937: Ipsden
* 1938: Old Reliance
* 1939–44: ''no race''
* 1945:
Royal Charger
Royal Charger (1942–1961) was a British Thoroughbred that was successful as a horse racing, racehorse, but much more important as a Horse breeding#Terminology, sire.
Background
Royal Charger was a chestnut horse sired by the important stallio ...
* 1946: Daily Double
* 1947: Closeburn
* 1948: The Cobbler
* 1949: Combined Operations
* 1950: Bob Cherry
* 1951: Hard Sauce
* 1952: Agitator
* 1953: Parakeet
* 1954:
Princely Gift
Princely Gift (1951–1973) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from 1953 until 1955 he ran twenty-three times and won nine races. After showing good, but unexceptional form in his first two seasons, ...
* 1955: Royal Palm
* 1956: Coronation Year
* 1957: Welsh Abbot
* 1958: Logarithm
* 1959–66: ''no race''
* 1967: Forlorn River
* 1968: Mountain Call
* 1969: Burglar
* 1970: Realm
* 1971: Joshua
* 1972: Abergwaun
* 1973:
Boldboy
Boldboy (1970 – September 1998) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He raced for eight seasons in the 1970s and was one of the most popular and successful racehorses of his era. As a two-year-old he showed ability, ...
* 1974: New Model
* 1975: Be Tuneful
* 1976: Star Bird
See also
*
Horse racing in Great Britain
*
List of British flat horse races
References
* Paris-Turf:
**, , , ,
*
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...
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galopp-sieger.de– ''Challenge Stakes.''
ifhaonline.org– ''International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Challenge Stakes (2019).''
pedigreequery.com– ''Challenge Stakes – Newmarket.''
*
{{Race Meeting, Future Champions Festival, Turf
Flat races in Great Britain
Newmarket Racecourse
Open mile category horse races
Recurring sporting events established in 1878
1878 establishments in England