Royal Ascot - Final - Day 5 -

This is the last of our look at a spectacular week of thoroughbred racing -

Chesham Stakes' History

The Chesham Stakes is a Listed race run at Royal Ascot over seven furlongs for two-year-old horses.  Now the opening race on the final day of the five-day meeting, this race was originally run over five furlongs when it was established in 1919, but having been extended to its current distance in 1996 it is now one of the leading contest for the juveniles and can occasionally unearth a potential Classic candidate for the following season.

Aidan O'Brien's Maybe was an impressive winner of the 2011 Chesham Stakes and she used this race as a catalyst for Group One glory and she in fact was sent off a short-priced favourite for the 1000 Guineas the following season, but was unable to grab victory when finishing third.

However, it just highlighted that this race can be a stepping stone for top class races and down the years there have been some notable winners of the Chesham Stakes. O'Brien's Bach was another cracking Ballydoyle winner in 1999, whilst Mick Channon's Championship Point stormed to victory in 2005.

Frankie Dettori has a terrific record in the Listed contest and the Italian enigma has bagged the winner three times in this event partnering Central Park (1997), Rhapsodist (1998) and Seba (2001) to victory to highlight that he is certainly a rider to keep an eye on when it comes to working out this ultra-competitive contest.

Recent Winners of Chesham Stakes

2000 - Celtic Silence
2001 - Seba
2002 - Helm Bank
2003 - Pearl Of Love
2004 - Whazzat
2005 - Championship Point
2006 - Champlain
2007 - Maze
2008 - Free Agent
2009 - Big Audio
2010 - Zaidan
2011 - Maybe
2012 - Tha'ir
2013 - Berkshire
2014 - Richard Pankhurst

Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap History

The Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap is a race run at Royal Ascot over one mile, four furlongs for horses aged three years or older.  Taking place on the final day of the five-day meeting, this race always attracts a competitive line-up with trainers hoping that their horses can use it as a springboard to bigger and better things out of the handicap sphere.

Being the penultimate race of the entire Royal festival, trainers can often let their horses who have had a run earlier in the week take their place in the contest, but there are some trainers who have a better record in the race than others.

Sir Michael Stoute is a name that jumps out of the roll of honour as the legendary handler has amassed a brace of victories in the last decade with some placed finishes as well. 4/1 shot Notable Guest was a winner for Stoute and jockey Johnny Murtagh in the 2005 Duke Of Edinburgh, whilst Sugar Ray partnered by Ryan Moore was victorious in the 2008 running.

Mark Johnston eclipses Stoute's recent record in the race and the Scottish trainer has saddled three winners of the race since the turn of the century with Takamaka Bay leading a one-two for Johnston in 2001, whilst Drill Sergeant (2009) and Fox Hunt (2011) were another classy pair of winners in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes.

George Margarson's Young Mick was a surprise 28/1 winner of the 2006 renewal and was close to regain his title in 2008 when finishing fourth to Sugar Ray to continue his fine record in what is a cracking contest.

Recent Winners of Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap

2000 - Katiykha
2001 - Takamaka Bay
2002 - Thundering Surf
2003 - Waverley
2004 - Wunderwood
2005 - Notable Guest
2006 - Young Mick
2007 - Pevensey
2008 - Sugar Ray
2009 - Drill Sergeant
2010 - Cill Rialaig
2011 - Fox Hunt
2012 - Camborne
2013 - Opinion
2014 - Arab Spring

Hardwicke Stakes' History

The Hardwicke Stakes is a Group Two race run at Royal Ascot over one mile, four furlongs for horses aged four years or older and has been widely regarded as a leading trial for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes which takes place the following month. Established in 1879, it is now one of the highlights of the final day of the Royal meeting and down the years it has certainly attracted some top class raiders who have gone on to bigger and better things later on in their career.

One of the most notable winners came in 2010 when the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Harbinger stormed to success before he became one of the sport's superstars the following season by romping to a superb victory in the King George.

Stoute is a trainer who has a superb record in the Hardwicke Stakes and during his illustrious career has amassed a plethora of winners in the Group Two race with Dihistan handing him his first victory in 1986, whilst Harbinger's aforementioned success was win number six for the Freemasons Lodge handler.

A brace of jockeys who had a sparkling record in this contest were Lester Piggott and Pat Eddery who managed to rack seven winners up each during their stellar careers, but no doubt they will be challenged by the likes of Ryan Moore, who bagged back-to-back successes in 2010 and 2011 with Harbinger and Aidan O'Brien's Await The Dawn.

Recent Winners of Hardwicke Stakes

2000 - Fruits Of Love
2001 - Sandmason
2002 - Zindabad
2003 - Indian Creek
2004 - Doyen
2005 - Bandari
2006 - Maraahel
2007 - Maraahel
2008 - Macarthur
2009 - Bronze Cannon
2010 - Harbinger
2011 - Await The Dawn
2012 - Sea Moon
2013 - Thomas Chippendale
2014 - Telescope

Diamond Jubilee Stakes' History

The Diamond Jubilee Stakes is a Group One race run at Royal Ascot over six furlongs for horses aged three years or older.  Established in 1868, it was originally known as the Cork and Orrey Stakes, but was changed to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth in 2002 and is now one of the sprinting highlights of the flat racing calendar.

Having gained Group One status the same year it became part of the Global Sprint Challenge which attracts the leading speedsters from all over the world and joins the July Cup and King's Stand Stakes in the challenge.

Contested on the final day of Royal Ascot it often attracts a plethora of horses who haev contested the King's Stand Stakes on the opening day of the five-day meeting, Right Boy won the 1958 and 1959 Golden Jubilee Stakes after previously winning the King's Stand a year earlier, whilst there have been a whole of host top sprinters to take the crown.

Australian superstar Choisir won the 2003 event after winning the King's Stand Stakes earlier in the week and then nearly grabbed more Group One glory when finishing a narrow second in the July Cup.  More recently Aidan O'Brien's Starspangledbanner was an emphatic winner of the 2010 Golden Jubilee Stake to notch up the Ballydoyle master's win in the prestigious sprint.

Recent Winners of Diamond Jubilee Stakes

2000 - Superior Premium
2001 - Harmonic Way
2002 - Malhub
2003 - Choisir
2004 - Fayr Jag
2005 - Cape of Good Hope
2006 - Les Arcs
2007 - Soldier's Take
2008 - Kingsgate Native
2009 - Art Conossieur
2010 - Starspangledbanner
2011 - Society Rock
2012 - Black Caviar
2013 - Lethal Force
2014 - Slade Power

Wokingham Stakes' History

The Wokingham Stakes is a handicap race run at Royal Ascot over six furlongs for horses aged three years older.  Held on the final day of the five-day Royal extravaganza, the Wokingham is a hotly-contested race with huge fields going to post looking to bag a coveted victory and it is one of the hardest conundrums of the entire week with punters usually have a difficult task to pick the winner.

Established in 1818 it is one of the oldest races on the horse racing calendar and incidentally the race was won by a horse named Wokingham in 1981 and again in 1982 and he was one of four dual winners of the race, which shows how highly competitive the race can be.

In 2003, there was a rare event as there was a dead-heat between Fayr Jag and Ratio, whilst there was a classy winner in James Fanshawe's Deacon Blues in 2011, as he stormed to success before going on to bigger and better things.

After his tremendous win in the Wokingham Stakes, he returned to the Berkshire track at the end of the 2011 campaign to bag the British Champions Sprint Stakes on British Champions Day to highlight that this contest can occasionally unearth Group winners, who go on to dominate the sprinting division.

Johnny Murtagh is a man who has a terrific recent record in the Wokingham Stakes and as well as riding Deacon Blues to victory, he also claimed glory in 2010 bagging success aboard Jeremy Noseda's Laddies Poker Two.

Recent Winners of Wokingham Stakes

2000 - Harmonic Way
2001 - Nice One Clare
2002 - Capricho
2003 - Fayr Hag/Ratio
2004 - Lafi
2005 - Iffraaj
2006 - Baltic King
2007 - Dark Missile
2008 - Big Timer
2009 - High Standing
2010 - Laddies Poker Two
2011 - Deacon Blues
2012 - Dandy Boy
2013 - York Glory
2014 - Baccarat

Queen Alexandra Stakes' History

The Queen Alexandra Stakes is a race run at Royal Ascot over two miles, five furlongs and 159 yards for horses aged four years or older.  Established in 1864, this contest has traditionally been run as the last race of the entire five-day festival and attracts both flat and jumping stars as the extreme distance means that trainers will need a real staying type to win this contest.

It is the longest race on the flat racing calendar and can see runners who have competed in the Ascot Stakes earlier in the Royal meeting line up to try and grab another staying crown.

The last horse to manage to win the Ascot Stakes on the first day of the meeting and then come back four days later to lift the Queen Alexandra Stakes was Mick Channon's Baddam, who landed the coveted double in 2006.

One horse that dominated this contest in the 1920s and 1930s was Brown Jack who during his cracking career won the Queen Alexandra Stakes on six occasions to cement his place as one of the leading stayers of all time.

Sir Michael Stoute's Cover Up was a dual winner of the race in 2002 and 2003, whilst some recent classy winners of the race include Nicky Henderson's Caracciola, who won the race in 2009 at the veteran age of 12-years-old to show that national hunt stars can also bag victory in the contest.

Recent Winners of Queen Alexandra Stakes

2000 - Dominant Duchess
2001 - Life Is Life
2002 - Cover Up
2003 - Cover Up
2004 - Corrib Eclipse
2005 - Cruzspiel
2006 - Baddam
2007 - Enjoy The Moment
2008 - Honolulu
2009 - Caracciola
2010 - Bergo
2011 - Swingkeel
2012 - Simenon
2013 - Chiberta King
2014 - Pique Sous