The three-year-olds will battle it out in the King Edward VII Stakes on the Friday of Royal Ascot, a race that is now over 180 years old.
During its early days it was open to fillies but now only colts and geldings are eligible to take part.
At the same distance as the Epsom Derby, this race began life known as the Ascot Derby and to this day runners from the Classic, which runs earlier in the month, regularly take part.
King Edward VII Stakes Course Map (Flat Course)
At one and a half miles, the King Edward VII Stakes begins after the turn at the end of the home straight. The field travel north away from the stands before tuning back south with a final right-hand turn onto the straight towards the winning post.
King Edward VII Stakes Past Winners
| Year | Winner | SP | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Calandagan | 11/2 | Francis Henri Graffard | Stéphane Pasquier |
| 2023 | King Of Steel | 11/10 | Roger Varian | Kevin Stott |
| 2022 | Changingoftheguard | 11/10 | Aidan O'Brien | Ryan Moore |
| 2021 | Alenquer | 13/8 | William Haggas | Tom Marquand |
| 2020 | Pyledriver | 18/1 | William Muir | Martin Dwyer |
| 2019 | Japan | 6/4 | Aidan O'Brien | Ryan Moore |
| 2018 | Old Persian | 9/2 | Charlie Appleby | William Buick |
| 2017 | Permian | 6/1 | Mark Johnston | William Buick |
| 2016 | Across the Stars | 7/1 | Sir Michael Stoute | Frankie Dettori |
| 2015 | Balios | 3/1 | David Simcock | Jamie Spencer |
| 2014 | Eagle Top | 12/1 | John Gosden | William Buick |
| 2013 | Hillstar | 15/2 | Sir Michael Stoute | Ryan Moore |
| 2012 | Thomas Chippendale | 9/2 | Sir Henry Cecil | Johnny Murtagh |
| 2011 | Nathaniel | 11/4 | John Gosden | William Buick |
| 2010 | Monterosso | 7/2 | Mark Johnston | Frankie Dettori |
| 2009 | Father Time | 9/1 | Henry Cecil | Eddie Ahern |
| 2008 | Campanologist | 9/1 | Saeed bin Suroor | Frankie Dettori |
| 2007 | Boscobel | 7/1 | Mark Johnston | Joe Fanning |
| 2006 | Papal Bull | 5/4 | Sir Michael Stoute | Kieren Fallon |
| 2005 | Plea Bargain | 9/2 | John Gosden | Jimmy Fortune |
About the King Edward VII Stakes
Standing as one of the highlights of day four at Royal Ascot is the King Edward VII Stakes. Run over the same distance as the Epsom Derby, you tend to find a few horses featuring in both events. Although this Group 2 contest doesn’t quite carry the same level of prestige, its £273,000 purse is enough to ensure it attracts a high quality field each year.
Like many of the races that feature during Royal Ascot, the King Edward VII Stakes has a long history stretching all the way back to the 19th century. It enjoyed its inaugural run in 1834 under the name of the Ascot Derby. The change in title occurred in 1926 in order to commemorate the son of Queen Victoria who died 16 years earlier. While initially a mixed sex race in its early days, the 1m 3f 211y test has long been a contest only open for colts and geldings aged three-years-old.
A STEP UP FOR MOST
Since 2016, five horse have competed in the Derby before claiming victory in the King Edward VII Stakes. King Of Steel finished as runner-up in the 2023 Epsom Derby, Changingoftheguard came fifth in the 2022 Derby, Japan, the 2019 winner of this race, came third, Permian finished 10th at Epsom in 2017 and Across the Stars was 10th in 2016. Winning both races is rare however, with no horse doing so since the 19th century, showing the difference in quality between the two contests. In 2020 this race took place before the Epsom Derby, meaning the roles were reversed and the King Edward VII was a prelude to the Classic.
Epsom Derby Runners in the King Edward VII Stakes: 2010 – 2024
| Year | Horse | Trainer | Epsom Derby | King Edward VII |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Macduff | Ralph Beckett | 13th at 14/1 | 6th at 20/1 |
| 2024 | Voyage | Richard Hannon | 13th at 18/1 | Unseated at 28/1 |
| 2023 | King Of Steel | Roger Varian | 2nd at 66/1 | 1st at 11/10 |
| 2023 | Artistic Star | Ralph Beckett | 7th at 22/1 | 3rd at 15/2 |
| 2023 | Dubai Mile | Charlie Johnston | 9th at 25/1 | 4th at 14/1 |
| 2023 | Arrest | John & Thady Gosden | 10th at 4/1 | 5th at 3/1 |
| 2022 | Changingoftheguard | Aidan O’Brien | 5th @ 9/1 | 1st @ 11/10 |
| 2022 | Grand Alliance | Charlie Fellowes | 11th @ 40/1 | 2nd @ 10/1 |
| 2021 | Gear Up | Mark Johnston | 10th at 50/1 | 5th at 9/1 |
| 2020 | Epsom Derby run after King Edward VII stakes. | |||
| 2019 | Japan | Aidan O’Brien | 3rd at 20/1 | 1st at 6/4 |
| 2019 | Bangkok | Andrew Balding | 12th at 9/1 | 2nd at 10/1 |
| 2019 | Humanitarian | John Gosden | 7th at 33/1 | 7th at 12/1 |
| 2018 | Delano Roosevelt | Aidan O’Brien | 6th at 16/1 | 5th at 5/2 |
| 2017 | Permian | Mark Johnston | 10th at 8/1 | 1st at 6/1 |
| 2017 | Khalidi | John Gosden | 14th at 20/1 | 2nd at 10/1 |
| 2017 | Glencadam Glory | John Gosden | 9th at 33/1 | 5th at 25/1 |
| 2017 | Salouen | Sylvester Kirk | 13th at 33/1 | 7th at 9/1 |
| 2017 | Best Solution | Saeed bin Suroor | 8th at 12/1 | 10th at 13/2 |
| 2016 | Across The Stars | Sir Michael Stoute | 10th at 25/1 | 1st at 7/1 |
| 2016 | Humphrey Bogart | Richard Hannon | 5th at 25/1 | 6th at 7/1 |
| 2013 | Battle Of Marengo | Aidan O’Brien | 4th at 11/2 | 2nd at 10/11 |
| 2012 | Thought Worthy | John Gosden | 4th at 16/1 | 3rd at 8/1 |
| 2012 | Astrology | Aidan O’Brien | 3rd at 13/2 | 4th at 8/11 |
| 2010 | Buzzword | Mahmood Al Zarooni | 8th at 40/1 | 3rd at 11/1 |
| 2010 | At First Sight | Aidan O’Brien | 2nd at 100/1 | 4th at 5/2 |
| 2010 | Bullet Train | Sir Henry Cecil | 12th at 13/2 | 6th at 5/1 |
Usually, this race acts as a step up for the hopeful field, rather than being a step down. Between 2000 and 2024, only 11 of the 25 champions of this Group 2 event had previously won at Listed quality or better. The remaining 14 had either not given it a shot or were unable to win at Class 1 prior. That said, seven of those Class 1 winners have been in the past eight runnings, which may suggest an improvement in the quality of winners recently. In the exceptionally rare cases that a horse has won a Group 1 race anytime since the previous August, they are subject to a 3lb penalty here. The last horse saddled with the extra weight was the Italian-trained Dylan Mouth in 2014.
Calandagan Breaks Duck for Geldings
When Calandagan stormed to a six-length victory in the 2024 King Edward VII Stakes for French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, he became the first gelding to win this race in at least the last half century. Despite the fact that geldings are free to take part, as long as they are three years old, the race has generally been dominated by colts.
Prior to Calandagan’s 2024 win the most successful geldings in recent times have been Oriental Express in 1996, Palio Sky in 1997, Snowstorm in 2001 and Ride With The Wind in 2009 who all finished as runners-up.
Since 2010, just 8 geldings have competed against 115 colts, which equates to just 6.5% of runners, reflecting just how much of advantage the colts have had with their representation. Perhaps Calandagan’s success will pave the way for more gelded three-year-old winners of this race in the future.
WATCH FOR THE DRAW
Although Ascot isn’t associated with having a strong draw bias, an interesting draw trend has emerged from this race over the years. Horses starting from between stalls two and seven (inclusive) have fared similarly, and far better than those setting off elsewhere. In fact horses drawn 2, 5, and 7 all have an identical record of three wins each since 2000, with stall 3 one better on four wins.
Runners placed on the very inside gate have enjoyed relatively little success of late and this is something definitely to be aware of. Pyledriver in 2020 was the first horse drawn in stall 1 to win this contest since Five Dynsaties back in 2004. As this race rarely attracts a huge field, you would fancy more frequent inside stall champions but there has only been these two since 2000.