Understanding the
British racing scene can be difficult at the best of times for those of us from the Southern Hemisphere.
However as the world continues to become smaller and as we fly horses from one point of the globe to another to compete and further, as the gene pool of thoroughbreds expands, its important to have some
basic knowledge of what happens abroad, especially in the
UK and even moreso for
2YO racing as this establishes the
breeding trends for future generations.
The obvious distinction is the
different dates recorded as the
Official Horse’s Birthday where in the
Northern Hemisphere that date is the
1st January whilst in the
Southern Hemisphere it’s the
1st August.
Traditionally the two-year-old season begins at Doncaster’s - Lincoln Meeting held, dependent upon the calendar, in the last week in
March or the first week in
April.
The
advent and advancement of the
all-weather surfaces programmes means that
two-year-old horses may have an opportunity to run before the
Flat turf season officially begins.
Depending on how the calendar falls, it is sometimes possible for a Flat turf meeting to take place just before the
Lincoln Meeting at Doncaster.
The
traditional start to the
Flat racing season for the 2YO age group is the running of the
Brocklesby Stakes run at the
Doncaster - Lincoln meeting.
All Northern Hemisphere racehorses are deemed to have their birthday on
1st January, so its important to acknowledge that a horse foaled in January compared to another foaled in May clearly has an advantage in
growth, development and maturity. This
same philosophy occurs in the
Southern Hemisphere where the horse’s birthday is the
1st August and the
2YO Racing Season starts early October.
In the early part of the season,
two-year-old racing is restricted to running over 5 furlongs (1000m) which is steadily increased to
6 furlongs (1200m), until finally, towards to end of the Flat season, a maximum race distance for
2YO’s of 1 mile 2 furlongs (2000m) is permitted.
The calendar of Stakes Races reflects these restrictions.
Stakes Races around the racing world are considered the
top end of the racing programmes and are classified as:
Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 and Listed, with Group 1 races representing the pinnacle.
The first 2YO Stakes Race in the UK is currently the
Marygate Fillies Stakes - a
Listed Race run over 5 furlongs.
The
first Group race of the year take place on
Day 1 of the Royal Ascot meeting in June.
The first of these is the
Group 2 Coventry Stakes over 6 furlongs run on the first day of the meeting and generally attracts a large field. This race is renowned for being a
stallion making race. Recent winners that have become sires include:
Power, War Command, The Wow Signal and Caravaggio all who went on to better things by winning at Group 1 level.
There is a total of five Stakes Races for 2yo’s conducted over the five Days at Royal Ascot; three at Group 2 level, a Group 3 plus a Listed Race.
The first Stakes Race over 1 mile (1600m) takes place at
Salisbury towards the end of August which is a
Listed event.
The first Group race over the mile is run at
Doncaster during the
September St Leger Meeting.
In total the two-year-old season’s Stakes Race programme includes 61 Stakes Races:
5 Group 1’s
16 Group 2’s
16 Group 3’s
24 Listed races
The Group 1 programme does not start until the
end of September with the running of the
Cheveley Park Stakes for fillies and the Middle Park Stakes colts on the same day at
Newmarket.
The Fillies’ Mile and the Dewhurst Stakes are also run at
Newmarket in
October.
The fifth Group 1 is the
Vertem Futurity Trophy which is run at
Doncaster.
The Futurity was first run in 1961 as the
Timeform Gold Cup and five winners have subsequently gone on to win
The Derby the following year.
The Middle Park Stakes was first run in 1866 when it was known as the
Middle Park Plate.
It was originally open to both sexes and in 1903 Pretty Polly did the Cheveley Park Stakes and Middle Park Stakes double.
It was restricted to colts in 1987.
The Fillies’ Mile was transferred to
Newmarket in 2011.
The Dewhurst Stakes is seen as the most prestigious two-year-old race in the British racing calendar.
Established in
1875 as the
Dewhurst Plate, it’s run at the same meeting as the
Fillies’ Mile.
The
Dewhurst has been won by legendary horses as
Hyperion in 1932, Nijinski in 1969, Mill Reef in 1970, Grundy in 1974 and The Minstrel in 1976. In recent times, the likes of
Rock Of Gibraltar and
Frankel have won both the
Dewhurst and went on to win the
2,000 Guineas.
ROYAL ASCOT Meeting: 2YO Races Programmed
Day 1 The Coventry Stakes (Group 2), a race run over six furlongs and is one of the premier juvenile sprints of the Flat season.
Day 2 The Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2) is a race run over five furlongs, and the race is restricted to two-year-old fillies.
Day 3 The Norfolk Stakes (Group 2) is an open sprint run over 5 furlongs. This is the shortest permitted distance for Flat horses under UK rules.
Day 4 The Albany Stakes (Group 3) is a race run over six furlongs restricted for two-year-old fillies.
Day 5 The Chesham Stakes (Listed) is held over seven furlongs with fillies receiving a 5 lb allowance; Horses who have achieved previous victories in Listed races carry a 3 lb penalty or Group races winners carry a 5 lb penalty.
The 2YO Stakes Races in the UK
Group 1
| Month |
Race Name
|
Racecourse
|
Dist
|
Age/Sex
|
| September |
Middle Park Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
6f
|
2yo c
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| October |
Dewhurst Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
7f
|
2yo c&f
|
| October |
Vertem Futurity Trophy
|
Doncaster
|
1m
|
2yo c&f
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| September |
Cheveley Park Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
6f
|
2yo f
|
October
|
Fillies' Mile
|
Newmarket
|
1m
|
2yo f
|
Group 2
| Month |
Race Name
|
Racecourse
|
Dist
|
Age/Sex
|
June
|
Coventry Stakes
|
Ascot
|
6f
|
2yo
|
| June |
Norfolk Stakes
|
Ascot
|
5f
|
2yo
|
| July |
Superlative Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
7f
|
2yo
|
| July |
Vintage Stakes
|
Goodwood
|
7f
|
2yo
|
| Sep |
Flying Childers Stakes
|
Doncaster
|
5f 3y
|
2yo
|
Sep
|
Mill Reef Stakes
|
Newbury
|
6f
|
2yo
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| July |
July Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
6f
|
2yo c&g
|
| August |
Richmond Stakes
|
Goodwood
|
6f
|
2yo c&g
|
| August |
Gimcrack Stakes
|
York
|
6f
|
2yo c&g
|
Sep
|
Champagne Stakes
|
Doncaster
|
7f y
|
2yo c&g
|
Sep
|
Royal Lodge Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
1m
|
2yo c&g
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| June |
Queen Mary Stakes
|
Ascot
|
5f
|
2yo f
|
| July |
Duchess of Cambridge Stakes |
Newmarket
|
6f
|
2yo f
|
August
|
Lowther Stakes
|
York
|
6f
|
2yo f
|
Sep
|
May Hill Stakes
|
Doncaster
|
1m
|
2yo f
|
| Sep |
Rockfel Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
7f
|
2yo f |
Group 3
| Month |
Race Name
|
Racecourse
|
Dist
|
Age/Sex
|
| July / Aug |
Molecomb Stakes
|
Goodwood
|
5f
|
2yo
|
| August |
Acomb Stakes
|
York
|
7f
|
2yo
|
| Sep |
Solario Stakes
|
Sandown
|
7f
|
2yo
|
| Sep |
Sirenia Stakes
|
Kempton
|
6f
|
2yo
|
| October |
Cornwallis Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
5f
|
2yo
|
| October |
Autumn Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
1m
|
2yo
|
| October |
Zetland Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
1m 2f
|
2yo
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Sep |
Somerville Tattersall Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
7f
|
2yo c&g
|
| October |
Horris Hill Stakes
|
Newbury
|
7f
|
2yo c&g |
| |
|
|
|
|
| June |
Albany Stakes
|
Ascot
|
6f
|
2yo f
|
| July |
Princess Margaret Stakes
|
Ascot
|
6f
|
2yo f
|
| August |
Sweet Solera Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
7f
|
2yo f
|
| August |
Prestige Stakes
|
Goodwood
|
7f
|
2yo f
|
| Sep |
Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes
|
Salisbury
|
6f
|
2yo f
|
Sep
|
Firth of Clyde Stakes |
Ayr
|
6f
|
2yo f
|
| Sep |
Oh So Sharp Stakes
|
Newmarket
|
7f
|
2yo f
|
24 Listed Races round out the 2YO Stakes Races Programme.
Each season
commercial breeders around the globe sweat upon the results of progeny by stallions where they have commercial interests, as fortunes are made and lost on the racetrack deeds of sire’s progeny.
Further,
precocious juvenile performing colts, are in demand as
sire prospects where telephone numbers are offered to trade these colts as
stallion prospects.
That’s a significant reason to keep an
eye out as to what is happening in the
Northern Hemisphere but from
Australia’s perspective, the
UK Racing Scene influences Australian Thoroughbreds.
The Team at Dynamic Syndications spend countless hours researching what’s happening in the Northern Hemisphere keeping infront of the curve to ensure we are best placed to take advantage of favourable statistics.
The classic example of this is the
booming performance of
First Crop Sire CARAVAGGIO (USA),
The "Ballydoyle Bullet" was the fastest son of the World Class Sire SCAT DADDY.
He’s the Leading First Crop Sire in the UK and importantly, his
three progeny to have won to date, have secured wins in the
bigger races available at the
better meetings which can be seen in the significant lead he has generated in the
all important prizemoney premiership race as this determines the
Class of the Sire’s Progeny.
Below is a snapshot of the premiership as at the
27th April 2021.
This data supports Dynamic Syndications opinion that CARAVAGGIO would be a commercial success as a sire and already his three winners to date are being touted as Royal Ascot contenders.
We invite you to join us in racing our own spectacular son of the Ballydoyle Bullet – CARAVAGGIO (USA).
Want a 2YO Prospect?
Then this Colt has all the "bells and whistles" and you have a genuine ticket in the equine lottery.
5% Shares are $9,690 inc GST and ALL COSTS to 30 June.
Contact ADAM WATT at Dynamic Syndications on 02 9540 1511 or 0419 464 378 and have a chat.