The British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres) as part of British Champions Day at Ascot in October.

History The event was established in 1946 and was originally called the Princess Royal Stakes. It was named after the Princess Royal at that time, Princess Mary. For a period it took place in September, and it later moved to October.

The current system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the Princess Royal Stakes subsequently held Group 3 status.

The race was run at Newmarket in 2000, after being called off at Ascot due to a security alert. It was switched to Ascot's late September fixture in 2004. It took place at Newmarket again in 2005, as its usual home was closed for redevelopment. It reverted to October in 2007.

The event was promoted to Group 2 level, transferred to Newmarket and renamed the Pride Stakes in 2008. It was named after Pride, a recent winner of the Champion Stakes. From this point it was staged during the venue's Champions' Meeting in mid-October. The title "Princess Royal Stakes" was assigned to a different race at Ascot, an event previously called the Harvest Stakes. The Pride Stakes had a purse of £100,000 in 2010.

The race returned to Ascot and was given its present name in 2011. Its prize fund was now £250,000. Part of the newly created British Champions Day, it became the final race in the fillies & mares division of the British Champions Series.

The British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes was upgraded to Group 1 in 2013. Its total prize money was doubled to £500,000. The title Pride Stakes was given to a Listed race at Newmarket formerly known as the Severals Stakes.

Records

Most successful horse (2 wins): Shebeen – 1974, 1975 Crystal Capella – 2008, 2010 Kalpana - 2024, 2025

Leading jockey (8 wins): Lester Piggott – Rose of Medina (1959), Green Opal (1960), Vhairi (1963), Bracey Bridge (1965), Bamboozle (1967), Mandera (1973), Karamita (1980), One Way Street (1984)

Leading trainer (9 wins): John Dunlop – Predicament (1966), Trillionaire (1978), Flighting (1981), Believer (1982), Banket (1988), Labibeh (1995), Signorina Cattiva (1999), Head in the Clouds (2001), Acts of Grace (2006)

Leading owner (4 wins): HH Aga Khan IV – Karamita (1980), Tashtiya (1986), Narwala (1990), Ashalanda (2009)

Winners Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Owner Time 1946 Mehmany 3 Gordon Richards Frank Butters Aga Khan III 2:43.00 1947 Mombasa 3 Ken Gethin Victor Smyth D Miln 2:40.60 1948 Angelola 3 Edgar Britt Cecil Boyd-Rochfort King George VI 2:36.40 1949 Jet Plane 3 Gordon Richards Joseph Lawson Lord Astor 2:44.60 1950 Divinalh 3 Rae Johnstone Charles Semblat Marcel Boussac 2:44.80 1951 Verse 3 Charlie Smirke Noel Cannon J V Rank 2:46.20 1952 Nicky Nook 3 Gordon Richards Rufus Beasley J B Townley 2:40.20 1953 Skye 3 Bill Rickaby Jack Jarvis Lord Rosebery 2:44.40 1954 Dust Storm 3 Manny Mercer George Colling Colonel W A G Burns 2:52.60 1955 Nemora 3 Manny Mercer Harry Wragg M G Egalis 2:47.60 1956 Carezza 3 Rae Johnstone Paddy Prendergast Lady Honor Svejdar 2:52.78 1957 Nagaika 3 Harry Carr William Smyth H J Joel 2:41.78 1958 Mother Goose 3 Harry Carr Walter Nightingall Emile Littler 2:42.17 1959 Rose Of Medina 3 Lester Piggott Noel Murless J R Hindley 2:37.30 1960 Green Opal 3 Lester Piggott Noel Murless Lieutenant-Colonel Giles Loder 3:23.00 1961 Tenacity 3 Scobie Breasley Sir Gordon Richards Mrs W H D Riley-Smith 2:44.19 1962 Romantica 3 Bill Williamson Harry Wragg G A Oldham 2:45.11 1963 Vhairi 3 Lester Piggott Rufus Beasley Hugh Leggat 2:43.60 1964 French Possession 3 Doug Smith Geoffrey Brooke R F Dennis 2:34.36 1965 Bracey Bridge 3 Lester Piggott Noel Murless M W Wickham-Boynton 2:38.73 1966 Predicament 3 Ron Hutchinson John Dunlop Duke of Norfolk 2:38.50 1967 Bamboozle 3 Lester Piggott Frank Armstrong E Cooper Bland 2:40.32 1968Abandoned due to waterlogging 1969 Seventh Bride 3 Duncan Keith Peter Walwyn Louis Freedman 2:40.19 1970 Heavenly Thought 3 Joe Mercer Dick Hern Lord Rotherwick 2:34.57 1971 Hill Circus 3 Geoff Lewis Noel Murless G Pope, jnr 2:36.21 1972 Attica Meli 3 Geoff Lewis Noel Murless Louis Freedman 2:36.11 1973 Mandera 3 Lester Piggott Jeremy Tree Mrs C Engelhard 2:42.46 1974 Shebeen 3 Geoff Baxter Bruce Hobbs Sir Kenneth Butt 2:50.98 1975 Shebeen 4 Geoff Baxter Bruce Hobbs Sir Kenneth Butt 2:34.84 1976Abandoned due to waterlogging 1977 Aloft 3 Greville Starkey Barry Hills Mrs J Buckhardt 2:43.76 1978 Trillionaire 3 Pat Eddery John Dunlop Nelson Bunker Hunt 2:35.61 1979 Alia 3 Steve Raymont Jeremy Tree Khalid Abdullah 2:40.28 1980 Karamita 3 Lester Piggott Michael Stoute HH Aga Khan IV 2:41.85 1981 Flighting 3 Brian Rouse John Dunlop Sandy Struthers 2:44.79 1982 Believer 3 Brian Rouse John Dunlop Arthur Budgett 2:44.22 1983 Sylph 3 Tony Ives Jeremy Tree Khalid Abdullah 2:33.25 1984 One Way Street 3 Lester Piggott Henry Cecil Louis Freedman 2:38.59 1985 Free Guest 4 Rae Guest Luca Cumani Fittocks Stud 2:31.76 1986 Tashtiya 3 Walter Swinburn Michael Stoute HH Aga Khan IV 2:34.35 1987Abandoned due to waterlogging 1988 Banket 3 Brian Rouse John Dunlop 3rd Earl of Halifax 2:40.66 1989 Snow Bride 3 Steve Cauthen Henry Cecil Saeed bin M. Al Maktoum 2:30.73 1990 Narwala 3 Pat Eddery Luca Cumani HH Aga Khan IV 2:30.36 1991 Always Friendly 3 Alan Munro Henry Candy Fahd Salman 2:38.78 1992 Cunning 3 Frankie Dettori Luca Cumani Fittocks Stud 2:36.19 1993Abandoned due to waterlogging 1994 Dancing Bloom 4 Walter Swinburn Michael Stoute Lord Weinstock 2:34.15 1995 Labibeh 3 Willie Carson John Dunlop Hamdan Al Maktoum 2:41.86 1996 Time Allowed 3 John Reid Michael Stoute Robert Barnett 2:33.44 1997 Delilah 3 Olivier Peslier Michael Stoute Highclere Racing Ltd 2:45.33 1998 Silver Rhapsody 3 Kieren Fallon Henry Cecil Lordship Stud 2:43.68 1999 Signorina Cattiva 3 Frankie Dettori John Dunlop Maria Mai Goransson 2:35.40 2000 Sacred Song 3 Richard Quinn Henry Cecil Niarchos Family 2:31.86 2001 Head in the Clouds 3 Pat Eddery John Dunlop Neil Jones 2:35.73 2002 Love Everlasting 4 Kevin Darley Mark Johnston G. & L. Middlebrook 2:33.55 2003 Itnab 3 Richard Hills Ben Hanbury Hamdan Al Maktoum 2:34.16 2004 Mazuna 3 Ryan Moore Clive Brittain Saeed Manana 2:30.24 2005 Ouija Board 4 Frankie Dettori Ed Dunlop 19th Earl of Derby 2:32.45 2006 Acts of Grace 3 Kerrin McEvoy John Dunlop Prince A. A. Faisal 2:35.64 2007 Trick or Treat 4 Tom Queally James Given Onslow / Henderson 2:36.93 2008 Crystal Capella 3 Ryan Moore Sir Michael Stoute Sir Evelyn de Rothschild 2:31.48 2009 Ashalanda 3 Christophe Lemaire Alain de Royer-Dupré HH Aga Khan IV 2:31.55 2010 Crystal Capella 5 Ryan Moore Sir Michael Stoute Sir Evelyn de Rothschild 2:34.73 2011 Dancing Rain 3 Johnny Murtagh William Haggas Martin and Lee Taylor 2:27.29 2012 Sapphire 4 Pat Smullen Dermot Weld Moyglare Stud Farm 2:37.32 2013 Seal of Approval 4 George Baker James Fanshawe T R G Vestey 2:39.09 2014 Madame Chiang 3 Jim Crowley David Simcock Kirsten Rausing 2:38.76 2015 Simple Verse 3 Andrea Atzeni Ralph Beckett QRL / Al Thani / Al Kubaisi 2:32.01 2016 Journey 4 Frankie Dettori John Gosden George Strawbridge 2:28.41 2017 Hydrangea 3 Ryan Moore Aidan O'Brien Smith / Magnier / Tabor 2:40.82 2018 Magical 3 Ryan Moore Aidan O'Brien Smith / Magnier / Tabor 2:33.28 2019 Star Catcher 3 Frankie Dettori John Gosden Anthony Oppenheimer 2:28.48 2020 Wonderful Tonight 3 William Buick David Menuisier Christopher Wright 2:37.84 2021 Eshaada 3 Jim Crowley Roger Varian Shadwell Estate 2:34.05 2022 Emily Upjohn 3 Frankie Dettori John and Thady Gosden Lloyd Webber, Tactful Finance & S Roden 2:33.76 2023 Poptronic 4 Sam James Karl Burke David & Yvonne Blunt 2:28.29 2024 Kalpana 3 William Buick Andrew Balding Juddmonte 2:29.57 2025 Kalpana 4 Colin Keane Andrew Balding Juddmonte 2:32.67

See also Horseracing in Great Britain List of British flat horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1946 – this race is included under its original title, Princess Royal Stakes.

References

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Racing Post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

galopp-sieger.de – Pride Stakes (ex Princess Royal Stakes). horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (2018). pedigreequery.com – Princess Royal Stakes – Ascot.