King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes
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The King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Kingdom for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs (2,414 metres) at Ascot Racecourse in late July.
The race was created as the result of an amalgamation of the King George VI Stakes, a two-mile race for three-year-olds run in October since 1946, and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, which had been run each July since 1948 at one and a half miles. The amalgamated race was first run during the Festival of Britain in 1951, and was called the Festival of Britain King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. This became the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 1952, and the race continued with this title until 1974.
From 1972 to 2006 the race was sponsored by the diamond company De Beers, and in 1975 permission was given by Queen Elizabeth II for the word Diamond to be included in the title. As a result, from 1975 it was run as the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. With De Beers ending their sponsorship after the 2006 running, the race reverted to its old title and was run in 2007 without sponsorship.
It is probably the highest quality race in the United Kingdom and it is an opportunity for the leading middle-distance three-year-olds to compete against the more established older horses. This race can often put the merits of the Classic generation into context.
[edit] Winners
| Year |
Winner |
Age |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Time |
| 1951 | Supreme Court | 3 | Charlie Elliott | Evan Williams | Mrs T. Lilley | 2:29.40 |
| 1952 | Tulyar | 3 | Charlie Smirke | Marcus Marsh | HH Aga Khan III | 2:33.00 |
| 1953 | Pinza | 3 | Sir Gordon Richards | Norman Bertie | Sir Victor Sassoon | 2:34.00 |
| 1954 | Aureole | 4 | Eph Smith | Cecil Boyd-Rochfort | Queen Elizabeth II | 2:44.00 |
| 1955 | Vimy | 3 | Roger Poincelet | Alec Head | Pierre Wertheimer | 2:33.76 |
| 1956 | Ribot | 4 | Enrico Camici | Ugo Penco | Mario della Rocchetta | 2:40.24 |
| 1957 | Montaval | 4 | Freddie Palmer | Georges Bridgland | Ralph B. Strassburger | 2:41.02 |
| 1958 | Ballymoss | 4 | Scobie Breasley | Vincent O'Brien | John McShain | 2:36.33 |
| 1959 | Alcide | 4 | Harry Carr | Cecil Boyd-Rochfort | Sir Humphrey de Trafford | 2:31.39 |
| 1960 | Aggressor | 5 | Jimmy Lindley | Towser Gosden | Sir Harold Wernher | 2:35.21 |
| 1961 | Right Royal | 3 | Roger Poincelet | Etienne Pollet | Mme Jean Couturié | 2:40.34 |
| 1962 | Match II | 4 | Yves Saint-Martin | Francois Mathet | Francois Dupre | 2:32.02 |
| 1963 | Ragusa | 3 | Garnie Bougoure | Paddy Prendergast | Jim Mullion | 2:38.80 |
| 1964 | Nasram | 4 | Bill Pyers | Ernie Fellows | Mrs Howell Jackson | 2:33.15 |
| 1965 | Meadow Court | 3 | Lester Piggott | Paddy Prendergast | Max Bell / Bing Crosby | 2:33.27 |
| 1966 | Aunt Edith | 4 | Lester Piggott | Noel Murless | J. Hornung | 2:35.06 |
| 1967 | Busted | 4 | George Moore | Noel Murless | Stanhope Joel | 2:33.64 |
| 1968 | Royal Palace | 4 | Sandy Barclay | Noel Murless | Jim Joel | 2:33.22 |
| 1969 | Park Top | 5 | Lester Piggott | Bernard van Cutsem | 11th Duke of Devonshire | 2:32.46 |
| 1970 | Nijinsky | 3 | Lester Piggott | Vincent O'Brien | Charles W. Engelhard, Jr. | 2:36.16 |
| 1971 | Mill Reef | 3 | Geoff Lewis | Ian Balding | Paul Mellon | 2:32.56 |
| 1972 | Brigadier Gerard | 4 | Joe Mercer | Dick Hern | Mrs Jean Hislop | 2:32.91 |
| 1973 | Dahlia | 3 | Bill Pyers | Maurice Zilber | Nelson Bunker Hunt | 2:30.43 |
| 1974 | Dahlia | 4 | Lester Piggott | Maurice Zilber | Nelson Bunker Hunt | 2:33.03 |
| 1975 | Grundy | 3 | Pat Eddery | Peter Walwyn | Carlo Vittadini | 2:26.98 |
| 1976 | Pawneese | 3 | Yves Saint-Martin | Angel Penna, Sr. | Daniel Wildenstein | 2:29.36 |
| 1977 | The Minstrel | 3 | Lester Piggott | Vincent O'Brien | Robert Sangster | 2:30.48 |
| 1978 | Ile de Bourbon | 3 | John Reid | Fulke Johnson Houghton | David McCall | 2:30.53 |
| 1979 | Troy | 3 | Willie Carson | Dick Hern | M. Sobell & A. Weinstock | 2:33.75 |
| 1980 | Ela-Mana-Mou | 4 | Willie Carson | Dick Hern | Simon Weinstock | 2:35.39 |
| 1981 | Shergar | 3 | Walter Swinburn | Michael Stoute | HH Aga Khan IV | 2:35.40 |
| 1982 | Kalaglow | 4 | Greville Starkey | Guy Harwood | Anthony P. Ward | 2:31.58 |
| 1983 | Time Charter | 4 | Joe Mercer | Henry Candy | Robert Barnett | 2:30.78 |
| 1984 | Teenoso | 4 | Lester Piggott | Geoff Wragg | Eric Moller | 2:27.95 |
| 1985 | Petoski | 3 | Willie Carson | Dick Hern | Lady Beaverbrook | 2:27.61 |
| 1986 | Dancing Brave | 3 | Pat Eddery | Guy Harwood | Khalid Abdullah | 2:29.49 |
| 1987 | Reference Point | 3 | Steve Cauthen | Henry Cecil | Louis Freedman | 2:34.63 |
| 1988 | Mtoto | 5 | Michael Roberts | Alec Stewart | Ahmed Al Maktoum | 2:37.33 |
| 1989 | Nashwan | 3 | Willie Carson | Dick Hern | Hamdan Al Maktoum | 2:32.27 |
| 1990 | Belmez | 3 | Michael Kinane | Henry Cecil | Sheikh Mohammed | 2:30.76 |
| 1991 | Generous | 3 | Alan Munro | Paul Cole | Prince Fahd bin Salman | 2:28.99 |
| 1992 | St Jovite | 3 | Stephen Craine | Jim Bolger | Virginia Kraft Payson | 2:30.85 |
| 1993 | Opera House | 5 | Michael Roberts | Michael Stoute | Sheikh Mohammed | 2:33.94 |
| 1994 | King's Theatre | 3 | Michael Kinane | Henry Cecil | Sheikh Mohammed / M. Poland | 2:28.92 |
| 1995 | Lammtarra | 3 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Saeed Maktoum Al Maktoum | 2:31.01 |
| 1996 | Pentire | 4 | Michael Hills | Geoff Wragg | Mollers Racing | 2:28.11 |
| 1997 | Swain | 5 | John Reid | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:36.45 |
| 1998 | Swain | 6 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:29.06 |
| 1999 | Daylami | 5 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:29.35 |
| 2000 | Montjeu | 4 | Michael Kinane | John Hammond | Michael Tabor | 2:29.98 |
| 2001 | Galileo | 3 | Michael Kinane | Aidan O'Brien | Sue Magnier & Michael Tabor | 2:27.71 |
| 2002 | Golan | 4 | Kieren Fallon | Sir Michael Stoute | Exors of late Lord Weinstock | 2:29.70 |
| 2003 | Alamshar | 3 | Johnny Murtagh | John Oxx | HH Aga Khan IV | 2:33.26 |
| 2004 | Doyen | 4 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:33.18 |
| 2005 | Azamour * | 4 | Michael Kinane | John Oxx | HH Aga Khan IV | 2:28.26 |
| 2006 | Hurricane Run | 4 | Christophe Soumillon | André Fabre | Michael Tabor | 2:30.29 |
| 2007 | Dylan Thomas | 4 | Johnny Murtagh | Aidan O'Brien | Sue Magnier & Michael Tabor | 2:31.11 |
* The 2005 race took place at Newbury Racecourse.
