The Falmouth Stakes stands as the sole Group 1 event on day two of the July Festival. It hasn’t always been such a top-quality race though, having initially been awarded Group 3 status when the present grading system was introduced in 1971, becoming a Group 2 in 1987 and Group 1 in 2004.
A contest for fillies and mares, the Falmouth gives the classic generation of three year olds a chance to take on older rivals over a distance of one mile. Notable winners include Sonic Lady, Soviet Song and Goldikova.
Next Race: TBD
The next renewal of this race has not been scheduled yet. We will update this once the schedule has been released for next season. The race info, trends and tips shown below will be updated for the next renewal once the final declarations have been made.
Last Run: 10th July 2020
- Winner: Nazeef
- SP: 9/2
- Trainer: John Gosden
- Jockey: Jim Crowley
Race Info
With rain already falling and more set to come according to the forecasts, it is widely expected that the going will change from the currently stated good. Only seven runners go to post for this Group 1 race, run over a mile on the July Course, for fillies and mares. This time around it offers only half the purse of last year, but that’s still a substantial figure of £100,000, with £62,381 going to winning connections.
| Going | Distance | Grade | Prize Money | Runners | EW Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | 1m | Group 1 | £100,000 | 7 | 1/4 1-2 |
Falmouth Stakes Betting Tips
Note: The following tips are from 2020. Tips for the next renewal will be added once the final declarations have been made.
The most prestigious race on the Friday card at Newmarket sees a small field of fillies and mares battle it out over a mile on the July Course. This Group 1 race has been won by some handy runners over the years including three-time Breeders’ Cup Mile victor Goldikova and Irish 1,000 Guineas winners Alpha Centauri and Sonic Lady.
This has not been a race for the older runners in recent times, with only two five year olds having won the race since 1979. In that time there have been 12 four year old winners and 27 three years olds. With the only three old in this year’s renewal the 40/1 outsider, it is the two four year olds who leap into our gaze, not least because each has decent claims irrespective of the age trend they fit into.
| Horse | Odds | Rating | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terebellum | 11/8 | 116 | John Gosden | Frankie Dettori |
| Nazreef | 9/2 | 110 | John Gosden | Jim Crowley |
Terebellum – 11/8
The John Gosden-Frankie Dettori combination is rarely one to ignore and that’s the case in this race as much as any other. They combined to guide Terebellum to victory on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket in the Dahlia Fillies’ Stakes in June and only narrowly lost out to Circus Maximus in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot last month too. That is form that is not to be sniffed at and this daughter of Sea The Stars is the understandable favourite to put in a winning run in this one.
Also in her favour is the fact that the going in the Queen Anne was good to soft, which is likely to be repeated in this one by the time the race runs. Unless something goes amiss on the day, Terebellum is going to be tough to beat in this race, though there are one or two who feel they might have a chance of causing an upset.
Nazreef – 9/2
If any runner is likely to challenge the favourite it is her stablemate, the four year old Nazeef. Having won her last five races, including one over seven furlongs at this course last June. Her victory in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes last time out at Royal Ascot was not by a massive margin, but it was still an impressive run.
Jim Crowley has never failed to win on Nazeef in four runs and he’ll be keen to keep that fine form going in this one. There is a slight question mark about how Nazeef will cope if the ground gets too soft underfoot, and that could be the difference between her battling it out with Terebellum and possibly falling away in the final furlong. She is a worthy contender, however, and though we would side with the favourite overall, backing both of them in a forecast or a reverse forecast might not be a bad option to boost the odds.
Falmouth Stakes Winners
| Year | Winner | SP | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Nazeef | 9/2 | John Gosden | Jim Crowley |
| 2019 | Veracious | 6/1 | Sir Michael Stoute | Oisin Murphy |
| 2018 | Alpha Centauri | 4/9 | Jessica Harrington | Colm O’Donoghue |
| 2017 | Roly Poly | 6/4 | Aidan O’Brien | Ryan Moore |
| 2016 | Alice Springs | 5/2 | Aidan O’Brien | Ryan Moore |
| 2015 | Amazing Maria | 17/2 | David O’Meara | James Doyle |
| 2014 | Integral | 15/8 | Michael Stoute | Ryan Moore |
| 2013 | Elusive Kate | 3/1 | John Gosden | William Buick |
| 2012 | Giofra | 10/1 | Alain De Royer-Dupre | Christophe Soumillon |
| 2011 | Timepiece | 16/1 | Sir Henry Cecil | Tom Queally |
About the Falmouth Stakes
May’s Guineas Meeting at Newmarket may raise the curtain for the big-time flat racing action each year, but it is far from the only major event to be held at the headquarters of the British flat racing game. The three-day July meeting at the track is one of the real summertime highlights for many racing fans, with top quality Group action on offer on each of the three days.
One of the standout contests on the second day is this Group 1 event held over a mile, and restricted to fillies and mares aged three and older. First taking place way back in 1911 this contest was named in honour of the 6th Viscount Of Falmouth, Evelyn Boscawen.
Regularly featuring a clash between the current season’s Classic crop and the best of the older horses, the race has been the scene of a number of scintillating performances over the years. With the likes of the tough and talented Soviet Song, globetrotting great Goldikova and Alpha Centauri all featuring on the roll of honour, this is a race where some true greats have shone.
INCREASING QUALITY OVER TIME
The race hasn’t always occupied such a lofty place on the racing calendar. Initially granted Group 3 status upon the introduction of the modern racing classifications in 1971, it took fully 26 years for the event to attain Group 2 status. It didn’t stop there though, and as the quality of field continued to improve over the years, the race finally attained the coveted Group 1 classification in 2004.
From that time the Falmouth Stakes has only continued to go from strength to strength, and with prize money hitting a very impressive £200,000 in 2019 (halved to £100,000 for 2020), it remains one of the most coveted fillies and mares contests of the season.
YOUTH HOLDS THE EDGE
In common with the vast majority of these events which are open both to the three year olds and the older runners, the weight for age scale applies here. In the case of this race the three year olds receive a weight allowance of 7lbs in order to help compensate for the greater physical maturity of the older runners. History shows us that this weight concession is one which the older runners have struggled to overcome, as illustrated in the chart below which breaks down the results between 1980 and 2020.
With 27 wins as opposed to 14 for the older performers, the three year olds have landed two thirds of the editions held over this period. During this time only two winners have been older than four. Those are trends that are certainly something to bear in mind when placing those bets.
STOUTE CLOSING IN ON ALL TIME LEAD
The benchmark amongst the trainers was set very early in this race, with Alec Taylor, Jnr. winning six of the first 14 editions. That record stood on its own for more than a century after the first of those wins, but Taylor has since been joined by a modern great.
Sir Michael Stoute is a man who has done pretty well with his fillies over the years and has certainly made his presence felt in this event. Getting off the mark in 1983 with Royal Heroine, Stoute then sent out Sonic Lady to become one of only two dual winners of the race in 1986 and 1987 – James Fanshawe’s Soviet Song (2004, 2005) was the other. Recording a fifth success with Integral in 2014 moved Stoute to within one of the lead, his sixth with Veracious in 2019 moved him level with Alec Taylor Jnr at the top.
SIR MICHAEL STOUTE’S FALMOUTH STAKES WINNERS
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Veracious | Oisin Murphy | Cheveley Park Stud |
| 2014 | Integral | Ryan Moore | Cheveley Park Stud |
| 1998 | Lovers Knot | John Reid | Cheveley Park Stud |
| 1987 | Sonic Lady | Walter Swinburn | Sheikh Mohammed |
| 1986 | Sonic Lady | Walter Swinburn | Sheikh Mohammed |
| 1983 | Royal Heroine | Walter Swinburn | Robert Sangster |
No prizes for guessing the name of the most successful rider in the history of the race. As with so many of these classy events it is the great Lester Piggott who is out in front on his own having recorded seven wins between the years of 1957 and 1994. Ryan Moore fares best of the modern riders, with three wins, so we expect Piggott’s record will stand for some time yet.