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St. James' Palace Stakes
20 May 2013: Farhh Dominates Lockinge Stakes
5 May 2013: All Too Hard Set For Royal Ascot Festival
15 Apr 2013: Return to Ascot Possible For Black Caviar
3 Sep 2012: Danedream on track for Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
31 Jul 2012: Black Caviar Out of Spring Carnival
The St. James' Palace Stakes is a part of the magnificent Royal Ascot Festival, which is held every year in June and includes seven Group 1 races. It is the opening event of this legendary meeting.
The race was inaugurated in 1834 and was named after St. James' Palace, one of the Royal Residences established during the Tudor period. The first running of the race was a little anticlimactic, a walkover with only one contestant.
The race is run over the distance of one mile at the historic Ascot Racecourse, and it is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts only. It has an unusually high purse for a juvenile race with a total prize money of £250,000.
When the classification system was introduced in 1971, the St. James' Palace Stakes was initially classified as a Group 2 event. It was elevated to Group 1 status in 1988.
Horses competing in the St. James' Palace Stakes frequently perform in the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, the Poule D'Essai Des Poulains or the Irish 2,000 Guineas Stakes before moving on to run at the Royal Ascot Festival. With such an impressive set of unofficial preparatory races, it is no surprise that this juvenile race is one of the most anticipated and prestigious events of his kind on the British flat racing calendar.
Recent Winners of the St. James' Palace Stakes:
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
2010 |
Canford Cliffs |
Richard Hughes |
Richard Hannon |
1:39.55 |
2009 |
Mastercraftsman |
Johnny Murtagh |
Aidan O'Brien |
1:39.21 |
2008 |
Henrythenavigator |
Johnny Murtagh |
Aidan O'Brien |
1:38.70 |
2007 |
Excellent Art |
Jamie Spencer |
Aidan O'Brien |
1:39.33 |
2006 |
Araafa |
Alan Munro |
Jeremy Noseda |
1:39.59 |
2005 |
Shamardal |
Kerrin McEvoy |
Saeed Bin Suroor |
1:37.18 |
St James's Palace Stakes Odds and News
10 Oct 2012: Frankel to have Final Career Start in Champion Stakes
Equine superstar Frankel is expected to have his final career start in the 2012 Champion Stakes that will be run at Ascot Racecourse on October 20.
Connections of the undefeated stallion announced yesterday that the predicted soft ground at Ascot would not stop the four-year-old from running in his farewell race.
Frankel has not run on soft ground since his debut win in the European Breeders’ Fund Maiden Stakes but Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Frankel’s owner Khalid Abdullah was confident he could handle a rain affected track.
“I don’t think he would be unduly worried by soft ground,” Grimthorpe said yesterday.
Grimthorpe confirmed that Frankel was in fantastic condition but refused to guarantee that the son of Galileo will definitely contest the Champion Stakes and win his fourteenth straight race.
“Frankel is fine and hopefully it will be a good race,” Grimthopre said.
“I cannot say he’ll race come what may.”
A victory in the Champion Stakes will cap off the career of the horse who many experts consider is the greatest of all time.
Frankel has amassed £2,261,072 in his thirteen race career and won nine Group 1 races.
He made his Group 1 debut in the Dewhurst Stakes and has subsequently won the 2000 Guineas, St James Palace Stakes, the Sussex Stakes twice, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes and Juddmonte International Stakes.
The amazing horse has won his thirteen career starts by an incredible average of almost five lengths, with his last two runs being seven and six length demolitions of star-studded fields.
Frankel is currently priced at 1/10 in the 2012 Champion Stakes betting market at 
Bet365 ahead of Cirrus Des Aigles (5/1), Nathaniel (8/1) and old foe Excelebration (18/1).
You can find all the best odds for Frankel’s last ever race at Bet365. Why not savor this historic moment by placing a winning bet?
16 Jun 2010: Canford Cliffs Can Indeed – Revenge In St. James’s Stakes
15 Jun 2010: St. James’s Palace Stakes – O’Brien Chases 7th Heaven
11 Jun 2010: Royal Ascot Ascending – Get Ready For Regal Racing
