The European Free Handicap was a
Listed flat horse race
Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, 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 bas ...
in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It was run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) on the Rowley Mile at
Newmarket in mid-April. In December 2022 the British Horseracing Authority announced that it would not be run in 2023.
The
handicap for the race is based on the European Thoroughbred Rankings, an assessment of the previous season's two-year-olds published in January.
History
Records point to the first running of the race being 1929. It was won by top weight Sir Cosmo carrying 9st.
The event was formerly known as the Free Handicap. For a period it was backed by the
Tote. The word "European" was added to its title in 1981.
The race served as a trial for various Classics in Europe. The last winner to achieve victory in the
2000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1.6 km) and scheduled to take place each yea ...
was
Mystiko in 1991. The last participant to win the
1000 Guineas
The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile ...
was
Harayir, the runner-up in 1995.
Records
Leading
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), 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 ...
since 1966 (8 wins):
*
Pat Eddery
Patrick James John Eddery (18 March 1952 – 10 November 2015) was an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer. He rode three winners of the Derby and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a f ...
– ''Charlie Bubbles (1974), Lyric Dance (1979), Danehill (1989), Anshan (1990), Pursuit of Love (1992), So Factual (1993), Cayman Kai (1996), Twilight Blues (2002)''
Leading
trainer since 1966 (5 wins):
*
Richard Hannon Sr. – ''Bluegrass Prince (1994), Cayman Kai (1996), Cape Town (2000), Kamakiri (2005), Pausanias (2011)''
Winners since 1966
* ''Weights given in
stones
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
and
pounds.''
Earlier winners
* 1929: Sir Cosmo
* 1930: Quothquan
* 1931:
* 1932:
* 1933:
* 1934:
* 1935: Knighted
* 1936:
Pay Up
* 1937: Mid-Day Sun
* 1938: Lapel
* 1939: Solar Cloud
* 1940: Salt Spring
* 1941: Orthodox
* 1942: No Race
* 1943: No Race
* 1944: Roadhouse
* 1945: Grandmaster
* 1946: Cama
* 1947: Benedictine
* 1948: Rear Admiral
* 1949: Spy Legend
* 1950: The Moke
* 1951:
Wilwyn
* 1952: Caerlaverock
* 1953: Good Brandy
* 1954: Sun Festival
* 1955: Counsel
* 1956:
Honeylight
* 1957: Quorum
* 1958: Faultless Speech
* 1959:
Petite Etoile
* 1960: Running Blue
* 1961: Erudite
* 1962:
Privy Councillor
* 1963: Ros Rock
* 1964: Port Merion
* 1965: Short Commons
See also
*
Horse racing in Great Britain
Horse racing is the second largest spectator sport in Great Britain, and one of the longest established, with a history dating back many centuries. According to a report by the British Horseracing Authority it generates £3.39 billion total di ...
*
List of British flat horse races
A list of notable Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse races which take place annually in Great Britain, under the authority of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), including all conditions races which currently hold Group One, Group 1, 2 or 3 ...
References
* Paris-Turf:
**, , , , ,
*
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing, and sports betting publisher published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 60,629 ...
:
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galopp-sieger.de– ''Newmarket Free Handicap.''
pedigreequery.com– ''European Free Handicap – Newmarket.''
{{Race Meeting, Craven Meeting, Turf
Flat horse races for three-year-olds
Newmarket Racecourse
Flat races in Great Britain