The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes is a Group 1flathorse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. Three-year-olds foaled in the Southern Hemisphere are also eligible. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.
History
The event was established in 1868, and it was originally called the All-Aged Stakes. It was renamed the Cork and Orrery Stakes in 1926, in honour of the 9th Earl of Cork, who served as the Master of the Buckhounds in the 19th century.
The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the Cork and Orrery Stakes was initially classed at Group 3 level. It was promoted to Group 2 status in 1998.
The race was renamed to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. From this point it held Group 1 status. In 2012 the race was named the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and in 2022 it was again renamed to the Platinum Jubilee Stakes, to commemorate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. In 2023 the race was given its present title, to honour the memory of the Queen and retain the connection with the three jubilees celebrated since 2002.[1]
The Platinum Jubilee Stakes became part of a new international race series, the Global Sprint Challenge, in 2005.
The race is now contested on the final day of the five-day Royal Ascot meeting. Prior to 2015 the race was also open to three-year-olds. It was restricted to four-year-olds and up when a new six furlong Group One race, the Commonwealth Cup, was created at the meeting for three-year-olds only in 2015.[2]
Lester Piggott – Right Boy (1958, 1959), Tin Whistle (1960), El Gallo (1963), Mountain Call (1968), Welsh Saint (1970), Saritamer (1974), Swingtime (1975), Thatching (1979), College Chapel (1993)
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