Cheveley Park Stakes Betting

Known as the “Course of Champions,” the Rowley Mile at Newmarket Racecourse is the scene of the historic Cambridgeshire Meeting, which takes place around the end of September or beginning of October each year. It is three days of great racing, featuring three Group 1 events, among which is the six-furlong Cheveley Park Stakes for two-year-old fillies. It is currently conducted on the final day of the meeting along with the mile-long Group 1 Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes for older fillies.

All of the runners in the Cheveley Park Stakes carry eight stone twelve pounds up the turf of this famous straightaway. The event offers a total prize fund of £170,000, of which about half goes to the winner, down somewhat from earlier heydays when the victor’s share occasionally topped £100,000.

The current sponsor of the Cheveley Park Stakes is the Suffolk-based regional brewery known as Adnams. One of the earliest entities to claim sponsorship here was Tattersalls, and throughout most of the 1990s, Shadwell Stud was the race’s primary backer. Other sponsors since 2002 have included Electrolux, 32red.com, sky bet and betfair.

When the event was launched in 1899, it took its name from the Newmarket estate of Harry McCalmont, Cheveley Park. The inaugural race was won by Lutetia with Tod Sloan in the saddle. Shortly thereafter, the Irish phenomenon Pretty Polly got the second win of her brilliant career here in 1903, before going on to become only the fifth filly ever to win the British Triple crown.

The 1915 winner of the Cheveley Park Stakes was Fifinella. She went on to become the last horse to succeed in both the Epsom Derby and the Epsom Oaks and was the last filly ever to win the Derby.

Leading horses from this race are frequently entrants in the following season’s 1,000 Guineas. The most recent filly to win both events was Special Duty, who triumphed here in 2009 before claiming Newmarket’s famous mile for three-year-olds the following year.

One name heads the list of the most successful jockeys in the Cheveley Park Stakes—Sir Gordon Richards. He totaled up nine victories here, starting with Tiffin in 1928. That triumph was followed up by wins aboard Keystone in 1940, Lady Sybil in 1942, Neolight in 1945 and Pambidian in 1948. Then, he proved himself the undisputed master of the track by stringing together four consecutive wins in 1950-53 on Belle of All, Zabara, Bebe Grande and Sixpence, respectively.

Among trainers, Alec Taylor, Jr. topped all others for more than half a century with four winners: Maid of the Mist in 1908, Maid of Corinth in 1909, Bayuda in 1918 and Miss Gadabout in 1924. Then, Criquette Head-Maarek joined him by bringing four champions of his own to the Cheveley Park Stakes: Ma Biche in 1982, Ravinella in 1987 and Pas de Reponse in 1996, climaxed by Special Duty.

Meanwhile, only a single owner has contributed four fillies to the roster of honour here. Robert Sangster gets the credit for Durtal in 1976, Sookera in 1977, Woodstream in 1981 and Capricciosa in 1990. Chasing him now is Cheveley Park Stud with three recent winners: Gay Gallanta in 1994, Regal Rose in 2000 and the very latest victor, Hooray in 2010.

Hooray, by the way, was the favourite paying 7/2. She was the fourth touted filly to win in the most recent eight installments. But don’t count the long-shots out. In 2004, Magical Romance won at odds of 40/1, and the following year Donna Blini ridden by Michael Kinane surprised the field to win by a neck and pay 12/1.

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