Champagne Stakes (Great Britain)

Group 2 race
Champagne Stakes

Location	Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster, England
Inaugurated	1823
Race type	Flat / Thoroughbred
Sponsor	One Call Insurance
Website	Doncaster
Race information
Distance	7f (1,408 metres)
Track	Turf, straight
Qualification	Two-year-old colts and geldings
Weight	8 st 12 lb Penalties 3 lb for G1 / G2 winners
Purse	£100,000 (2009) 1st: £56,770

The Champagne Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.

The event was established in 1823, and it was originally open to horses of either gender. For much of its history it was contested over 6 furlongs. It was extended to 7 furlongs in 1961. The race was restricted to male horses only in 1988.

The Champagne Stakes is held during Doncaster's four-day St. Leger Festival, and it is presently run on the final day, the same day as the St. Leger Stakes. The leading horses from the event sometimes go on to compete in the following month's Dewhurst Stakes.

Contents 1 Records 2 Winners since 1974 3 Earlier winners 4 References 5 See also

Records

Leading jockey (9 wins):

• Bill Scott – Swiss (1823), Memnon (1824), The Colonel (1827), Francesca (1831), Cotillon (1833), Jereed (1836), Don John (1837), Launcelot (1839), Attila (1841)

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Leading trainer (10 wins):

• John Scott – Swiss (1823), The Colonel (1827), Jereed (1836), Don John (1837), Launcelot (1839), Attila (1841), Vindex (1852), The Bonnie Morn (1854), Prelude (1858), The Marquis (1861)
• Mathew Dawson – Zambezi (1864), Sunshine (1869), Camballo (1874), Farnese (1875), Lady Golightly (1876), Charibert (1878), Bal Gal (1880), Langwell (1884), Minting (1885), Ladas (1893)

Winners since 1974

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Time
1974	Grundy	Pat Eddery	Peter Walwyn	1:27.20
1975	Wollow	Gianfranco Dettori	Henry Cecil	1:27.70
1976	J. O. Tobin	Lester Piggott	Noel Murless	1:27.80
1977	Sexton Blake	Willie Carson	Barry Hills	1:26.70
1978	R. B. Chesne	Joe Mercer	Henry Cecil	1:28.30
1979	Final Straw	Paul Cook	Michael Stoute
1980	Gielgud	Joe Mercer	Henry Cecil	1:28.90
1981	Achieved	Pat Eddery	Vincent O'Brien	1:27.10
1982	Gorytus	Willie Carson	Dick Hern	1:26.20
1983	Lear Fan	Tony Clark	Guy Harwood	1:28.16
1984	Young Runaway	Greville Starkey	Guy Harwood	1:28.80
1985	Sure Blade	Brent Thomson	Barry Hills
1986	Don't Forget Me	Pat Eddery	Richard Hannon	1:25.06
1987	Warning	Pat Eddery	Guy Harwood	1:25.22
1988	Prince of Dance	Willie Carson	Neil Graham	1:26.50
1989	no race 1989 [1]
1990	Bog Trotter	Nigel Day	William Haggas	1:26.88
1991	Rodrigo de Triano	Willie Carson	Peter Chapple-Hyam	1:26.55
1992	Petardia	Michael Hills	Geoff Wragg	1:25.86
1993	Unblest	George Duffield	James Fanshawe	1:28.36
1994	Sri Pekan	Michael Kinane	Paul Cole	1:27.22
1995	Alhaarth	Willie Carson	Dick Hern	1:31.57
1996	Bahhare	Willie Carson	John Dunlop	1:23.21
1997	Daggers Drawn	Kieren Fallon	Henry Cecil	1:26.92
1998	Auction House	Michael Hills	Barry Hills	1:26.08
1999	Distant Music	Michael Hills	Barry Hills	1:24.16
2000	Noverre	Frankie Dettori	David Loder	1:25.67
2001	Dubai Destination	Frankie Dettori	David Loder	1:26.45
2002	Almushahar	Frankie Dettori	David Loder	1:24.15
2003	Lucky Story	Darryll Holland	Mark Johnston	1:27.92
2004	Etlaala	Richard Hills	Barry Hills	1:23.33
2005	Close to You (DH)	John Egan	Terry Mills	1:26.62
2005	Silent Times (DH)	Jamie Spencer	Eoghan O'Neill	1:26.62
2006	Vital Equine [2]	Richard Mullen	Eoghan O'Neill	1:23.29
2007	McCartney	Ryan Moore	Mark Johnston	1:25.04
2008	Westphalia [3]	Johnny Murtagh	Aidan O'Brien	1:28.52
2009	Poet's Voice	Frankie Dettori	Saeed bin Suroor	1:24.91
2010	Saamidd	Frankie Dettori	Saeed bin Suroor	1:26.32
2011	Trumper Major	Richard Hughes	Richard Hannon	1:25.86

¹ The race was abandoned in 1989 because of subsidence.
² The 2006 running took place at York.
³ The 2008 winner Westphalia was later exported to Hong Kong and renamed Super Pistachio.

Earlier winners

* Blue Gown finished first in 1867, but he was disqualified for carrying an undeclared weight.
* The 1886 and 1904 races were dead-heats and have joint winners. The 1865 running was also a dead heat, but the prize was awarded to Redan when the owner of Lord Lyon declined to take part in a run-off.
* The 1941 running took place at Newbury.

References

• Racing Post:
  • 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
  • 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
  • 2009, 2011

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• galopp-sieger.de – Champagne Stakes.
• horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Champagne Stakes (2009).
• pedigreequery.com – Champagne Stakes – Doncaster.
• The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books. 1993. p. 173. ISBN 1-873626-15-0. 

See also

• Horseracing in Great Britain
• List of British flat horse races