Category: Big Races

Which was the last filly to run in the Derby?

Which was the last filly to run in the Derby? Theoretically, there’s nothing to stop fillies running in the Derby, but the trend among modern trainers is to run them against their own sex, in the fillies-only Oaks, rather than against the colts, from whom they receive a 3lb allowance. Interestingly, in 2021, the Derby is worth £1,125,000 in guaranteed prize money, while the Oaks is worth just £375,000, but prize money is not the only consideration.

Of course, a Derby-winning filly would be a valuable commodity as a broodmare, but not nearly as valuable as a Derby-winning colt would be as a stallion, granted that the latter could cover hundreds of mares a year, potentially at hundreds of thousands of pounds per covering. Anyway, whatever the rationale behind the dearth of fillies in the Derby in recent years, the last filly to line up for the ‘Blue Riband’ event was Cape Verdi in 1998.

Trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Frankie Dettori, the daughter of Caerleon had previously justified favouritism in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, beating subsequent Oaks winner Shahtoush by 5 lengths. Consequently, she sent off favourite for the Derby, but seemingly failed to stay a mile and a half, weakening two furlongs from home to finish ninth, 12 lengths behind the winner, High-Rise.

Who holds the course record for the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas?

The 2,000 Guineas and 1,000 Guineas, both run over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket Racecourse in late April or early May, are the first two Classics of the season. The 2,000 Guineas, which was inaugurated in 1809, is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies, while the 1,000 Guineas, which was inaugurated in 1814, is restricted to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies.

Unsurprisingly, as far as the fastest winning times are concerned, there is only half a second to choose between the two races. Interestingly, though, granted that fillies are officially considered 3lb inferior to colts – at least, that is the weight-for-sex allowance they receive in the 2,000 Guineas – it is the 1,000 Guineas that has produced the fastest winning time. That time, 1 minute and 34.22 seconds, was recorded by the Giants Causeway filly Ghanaati, trained by Barry Hills and ridden by his son, Richard, who beat 13 opponents on good to firm going in 2009.

The fastest winning time in the 2,000 Guineas, 1 minute and 34.72 seconds, was also recorded on good to firm going, but much more recently; in fact, by the most recent winner, Kameko, trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by Oisin Murphy, in 2020.

Do favourites have a good record in the 2,000 Guineas?

Traditionally the first British Classic of the season, the 2,000 Guineas is a test of class and, as such, is run off level weights; three-year-old fillies receive a 3lb weight-for-sex allowance from their male counterparts, but rarely, if ever, participate. Consequently, it’s reasonable to assume that, more often than not, the ‘best’ horse or, in other words, the favourite, will win. However, the 2,000 Guineas is restricted to three-year-olds in the first place, which, coupled with its position in the calendar, means that participants are often young, unexposed types, about whom only limited information is available.

Neverthless, in recent years, the bookmakers and the racing public have made a pretty good fist of identifying the ‘best’ horse in the 2,000 Guineas. In the past decade, five favourites – namely Frankel (2011), Camelot (2012), Dawn Approach (2013), Gleneagles (2015) and Churchill (2017) – have won the 2,000 Guineas, producing a level stake profit of 4.25 points and a return of investment of 42.5%. However, this was a significant improvement on the previous decade, during which just one favourite, George Washington (2006), prevailed in the 2,000 Guineas, producing a level stakes loss of 7.50 points and a return on investment of -75%.

Which jockey has won the 2,000 Guineas most often?

The career of jockey James Robinson, popularly known as ‘Jem’, effectively came to an end when, in 1852, at the age of 59, he was thrown from a fractious two-year-old colt, by the name of Feramorz, at Newmarket and sustained a broken thigh bone in the fall. The bone was not set properly, leaving his left leg several inches shorter than his right and forcing him into retirement.

Nevertheless, Robinson enjoyed a stellar riding career, winning a total of 24 British Classics, including the Derby six times, between 1817 and 1836, and the 2,000 Guineas nine times, between 1825 and 1848. His Derby record lasted until the latter part of the twentieth century, when surpassed by the legendary Lester Piggott – who would eventually ride nine Derby winners in all – aboard Empery in 1976.

Even more remarkably, though, nearly a century-and-a-half after his death, in 1873, Robinson remains the leading jockey in the history of the 2,000 Guineas. For the record, his nine winners of the Newmarket Classic were, in chronological order, Enamel (1825), Cadland (1828), Riddlesworth (1831), Clearwell (1833), Glencoe (1834), Ibrahim (1835), Bay Middleton (1836), Conyngham (1847) and Flatcatcher (1848). Of jockeys still riding, Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori, 50, has three 2,000 Guineas winners to his name, while Ryan Moore, 37, has two, so Robinson’s record looks safe for a while yet.

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