The Coronation Stakes is a 'fillies only' event established in 1840 to honor Queen Victoria's coronation. Currently, it is a Group 1 event sponsored by QIPCO and a key race in the British Champions Series Fillies and Mares category. The Coronation Stakes is preceded by both of the prestigious English and Irish 1000 Guineas, and most of the fillies that compete in these events face off again in the Coronation Stakes as well.
The Coronation Stakes is one of the last Group 1 races to be held at the Royal Ascot Festival, which takes place every year in June at Ascot Racecourse. This prestigious event is run over a distance of one mile on Ascot's right-handed turf track.
This is a 'girls only' event, with entry restricted to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies exclusively. Each must carry 9 stones. These promising young horses compete for a purse of £430,000 (as of 2017) or more which is a massive incentive for a fillies' juvenile Flat racing event.
location: Ascot Racecourse
grade: Fillies Group 1
race type: Flat
The Coronation Stakes was added to the British Flat racing calendar in 1840. The race name itself refers to the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838, and the event is staged as a commemoration of the much-loved monarch's rise to the throne.
While it was initially classified as a Group 2 event in 1971 when the classification system was introduced, the Coronation Stakes has held Group 1 status since 1988. The thoroughbreds entered into the Coronation Stakes are typically top performers from other high-class fillies' only events such as the 1,000 Guineas Stakes, Irish 1,000 Guineas Stakes, and the French equivalent - Poule D'Essai des Pouliches.
From the time of its establishment in 1840, the Coronation Stakes has been regarded as a key race for top female milers around the world. These are only a few of the record-setting fillies that have graced Ascot turf (as of 2017) .
Although no horse can enter the Coronation Stakes more than once, there are two jockeys that hold the record for most career wins. Nat Flatman and Morny Cannon both rode six winners at the Coronation Stakes during their stellar careers from 1844 to 1851 and 1892 to 1898 respectively.
The filly that currently holds the record for being the biggest-priced winner is 1997's Rebecca Sharp with 25/1 odds.
The jockey that has had the most wins in the 19th century is the legendary Lester Piggott who won on five occasions with these fillies: Chalon (1982), Roussalka (1975), Extras (1874), Calve (1973), and Aiming High (1961).
The trainer with the most wins is John Porter who won six times from 1883's Alvarez to 1898's Lowood. The most successful trainer in modern times is Henry Cecil with five wins from 1975's Roussalka to 1994's Kissing Cousin.
IAmongst the record-setting fillies talented enough to win the Coronation Stakes, these few have left a lasting print on the track of history (as of 2017) .
Only a handful of fillies can claim to have won both the prestigious English 1000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes in the same year. These include Jos Dawson (1863), Pretty Polly (1904), One in a Million (1979), Russian Rhythm (2003), Attraction (2004), Ghanaati (2009), Sky Lantern (2013), and Winter (2017).
As previously mentioned, Winter has not only won the English 1000 Guineas Stakes but a total of four Group 1 events in a single year making her one of the greatest fillies to run the Coronation Stakes in modern times. In 1904, another filly managed something similar, winning not only the Coronation Stakes, but also the Epsom Oaks, 1000 Guineas, and St Leger all in the same year. She also claimed an impressive 22 career wins out of 24 starts.
