The Challenge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in October.
History The event was established in 1878, and the inaugural edition was titled the First Great Challenge Stakes. It was originally contested over six furlongs and open to horses aged two or older.
The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and for a period the Challenge Stakes held Group 3 status. It was extended to seven furlongs in 1977, and closed to two-year-olds in 1985. It was promoted to Group 2 level in 1987.
The race was formerly staged during Newmarket's Champions' Day meeting in mid-October. It became part of a new fixture called Future Champions Day in 2011.
Records
Most successful horse (2 wins):
Energy – 1882, 1884 Mephisto – 1886, 1890 Kilcock – 1896, 1897 Sonatura – 1900, 1901 Chacornac – 1902, 1903 Succour – 1907, 1908 Hornet's Beauty – 1912, 1914 Phalaris – 1917, 1918 Boldboy – 1973, 1977 Moorestyle – 1980, 1981 Limato - 2017, 2018
Leading jockey (7 wins): Lester Piggott – Princely Gift (1954), Forlorn River (1967), Mountain Call (1968), Abergwaun (1972), Moorestyle (1980, 1981), Salieri (1983)
Leading trainer (6 wins): Barry Hills – Asteroid Field (1987), Distant Relative (1989), Last Resort (2000), Munir (2001), Miss Lucifer (2007), Red Jazz (2010)
Winners since 1900 Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Time 1900 Sonatura 3 Clem Jenkins Fred Day 1901 Sonatura 4 William Halsey Fred Day 1:16.80 1902 Chacomac 5 Skeets Martin Felix Leach 1903 Chacomac 6 Felix Leach 1904 Delaunay 3 Otto Madden Peter Gilpin 1905 Thrush 3 Herbert Randall Edward Robson 1906 Rocketter 3 Wiliam Higgs Sam Darling 1907 Succour 4 Herbert Jones Captain Robert Dewhurst 1908 Succour 5 Herbert Randall Captain Robert Dewhurst 1909 Sir Martin 3 Danny Maher Joseph Cannon 1910 Jack Snipe 5 Wiliam Higgs Sam Darling 1911 Iron Mask II 3 Skeets Martin Jack Joyner 1912 Hornet's Beauty 4 William Huxley Felix Leach 1913 Borrow 5 Danny Maher Jack Joyner 1914 Hornet's Beauty 6 Freddie Fox Frank Barling 1915 Golden Sun 5 Frank Bullock Charles Peck 1916 King's Joker 3 Frank Bullock Reg Day 1917 Phalaris 4 Fred Rickaby Jr. George Lambton 1918 Phalaris 5 Bernard Carslake George Lambton 1919 Diadem 5 Steve Donoghue George Lambton 1920 Poltava 3 Steve Donoghue Percy Linton 1921 Sunblaze 3 Bernard Carslake Atty Persse 1:14.60 1922 Two Step 3 Herbert Jones Alec Taylor Jr. 1:13.20 1923 Black Gown 5 Ted Gardner Vanda Beatty 1:17.40 1924 Drake 4 Michael Beary Harry Cottrill 1:13.20 1925 Twelve Pointer 5 Harry Beasley Jr. Atty Persse 1:12.20 1926 Diomedes 4 Jack Leach Harvey Leader 1:11.80 1927 Highborn II 4 Joe Childs Ossie Bell 1:17.00 1928 Nice Prospect 5 Charlie Elliott Charles Peck 1:14.80 1929 Reedsmouth 3 Harry Beasley Jr. Atty Persse 1:13.20 1930 Soloptic 4 Joe Childs Cecil Boyd-Rochfort 1:13.80 1931 Portlaw 3 Harry Beasley Jr. Atty Persse 1:14.60 1932 The Divot 3 Bobby Dick Alfred Stedall 1:13.80 1933 Myrobella 3 Sir Gordon Richards Fred Darling 1:12.80 1934 Mate 6 Freddie Fox Ivor Anthony 1:11.80 1935 Bellacose 3 Rufus Beasley Jack Colling 1:13.80 1936 Solerina 4 Bobby Jones Harry Cottrill 1:13.40 1937 Ipsden 4 Sam Wragg Ossie Bell 1:12.20 1938 Old Reliance 3 Eph Smith Jack Jarvis 1:12.60 1939–44No Race 1945 Royal Charger 3 Eph Smith Jack Jarvis 1:12.60 1946 Daily Double 3 Doug Smith Cecil Boyd-Rochfort 1:22.00 1947 Closeburn 3 Sir Gordon Richards Noel Murless 1:12.20 1948 The Cobbler 3 Sir Gordon Richards Noel Murless 1:14.20 1949 Combined Operations 7 Harry Carr Joseph Lawson 1:14.20 1950 Bob Cherry 3 Doug Smith Atty Persse 1:14.00 1951 Hard Sauce 3 Sir Gordon Richards Norman Bertie 1:12.00 1952 Agitator 3 Sir Gordon Richards Noel Cannon 1:15.07 1953 Parakeet 3 Manny Mercer Richard Poole 1:14.33 1954 Princely Gift 3 Lester Piggott Noel Murless 1:14.29 1955 Royal Palm 3 Willie Snaith Sam Armstrong 1:14.76 1956 Coronation Year 5 Doug Smith Arthur Thomas 1:15.86 1957 Welsh Abbot 2 Eddie Hide Walter Nightingall 1:14.47 1958 Logarithm 3 Eddie Hide Arthur Budgett 1:17.12 Race not held from 1959 to 1966 1967 Forlorn River 5 Lester Piggott Arthur Stephenson 1:14.11 1968 Mountain Call 3 Lester Piggott Bernard van Cutsem 1:18.04 1969 Burglar 3 Ron Hutchinson John Dunlop 1:14.86 1970 Realm 3 Brian Taylor John Winter 1:14.73 1971 Joshua 4 Joe Mercer Alec Kerr 1:14.98 1972 Abergwaun 4 Lester Piggott Vincent O'Brien 1:14.53 1973 Boldboy 3 Joe Mercer Dick Hern 1:16.02 1974 New Model 3 Pat Eddery Henry Cecil 1:18.68 1975 Be Tuneful 3 Tony Kimberley Jeremy Hindley 1:12.70 1976 Star Bird 3 Jean-Pierre Lefevre Philippe Lallie Not taken 1977 Boldboy 7 Willie Carson Dick Hern 1:27.62 1978 Spence Bay 3 Joe Mercer Seamus McGrath 1:25.50 1979 Kris 3 Joe Mercer Henry Cecil 1:24.49 1980 Moorestyle 3 Lester Piggott Robert Armstrong 1:26.93 1981 Moorestyle 4 Lester Piggott Robert Armstrong 1:26.39 1982 Noalcoholic 5 George Duffield Gavin Pritchard-Gordon 1:26.11 1983 Salieri 3 Lester Piggott Henry Cecil 1:24.34 1984 Brocade 3 Greville Starkey Guy Harwood 1:26.18 1985 Efisio 3 Willie Carson John Dunlop 1:26.19 1986 Lucky Ring 4 Willie Carson Dick Hern 1:26.31 1987 Asteroid Field 4 Michael Hills Barry Hills 1:33.94 1988 Salse 3 Michael Roberts Henry Cecil 1:27.04 1989 Distant Relative 3 Michael Hills Barry Hills 1:25.13 1990 Sally Rous 3 Gary Carter Geoff Wragg 1:25.42 1991 Mystiko 3 Michael Roberts Clive Brittain 1:22.77 1992 Selkirk 4 Ray Cochrane Ian Balding 1:22.27 1993 Catrail 3 Michael Roberts John Gosden 1:27.92 1994 Zieten 4 Frankie Dettori John Gosden 1:25.89 1995 Harayir 3 Willie Carson Dick Hern 1:23.79 1996 Charnwood Forest 4 Frankie Dettori Saeed bin Suroor 1:25.12 1997 Kahal 3 Frankie Dettori Saeed bin Suroor 1:25.38 1998 Decorated Hero 6 Olivier Peslier John Gosden 1:25.76 1999 Susu 6 Kieren Fallon Sir Michael Stoute 1:24.20 2000 Last Resort 3 Michael Hills Barry Hills 1:26.34 2001 Munir 3 Darryll Holland Barry Hills 1:27.50 2002 Nayyir 4 Eddie Ahern Gerard Butler 1:22.69 2003 Just James 4 Pat Eddery Jeremy Noseda 1:24.68 2004 Firebreak 5 Frankie Dettori Saeed bin Suroor 1:27.22 2005 Le Vie dei Colori 5 Gérald Mossé Luca Cumani 1:25.34 2006 Sleeping Indian 5 Jimmy Fortune John Gosden 1:26.16 2007 Miss Lucifer 3 Michael Hills Barry Hills 1:25.56 2008 Stimulation 3 Darryll Holland Hughie Morrison 1:22.48 2009 Arabian Gleam 5 Johnny Murtagh Jeremy Noseda 1:23.81 2010 Red Jazz 3 Robert Winston Barry Hills 1:26.04 2011 Strong Suit 3 Richard Hughes Richard Hannon Sr. 1:22.74 2012 Fulbright 3 Joe Fanning Mark Johnston 1:24.03 2013 Fiesolana 4 Billy Lee Willie McCreery 1:24.24 2014 Here Comes When 4 Jim Crowley Andrew Balding 1:26.53 2015 Cable Bay 4 Frankie Dettori Charlie Hills 1:24.45 2016 Aclaim 3 Frankie Dettori Martyn Meade 1:23.92 2017 Limato 5 Harry Bentley Henry Candy 1:22.24 2018 Limato 6 Harry Bentley Henry Candy 1:24.87 2019 Mustashry 6 Jim Crowley Sir Michael Stoute 1:24.91 2020 Happy Power 4 Silvestre de Sousa Andrew Balding 1:25.11 2021 Al Suhail 4 William Buick Charlie Appleby 1:24.29 2022 Pogo 6 William Buick Charles Hills 1:23.83 2023 Matilda Picotte 3 Oisin Murphy Kieran Cotter 1:25.28 2024 Topgear 5 Stéphane Pasquier Christopher Head 1:24.50 2025 Beauvatier 4 Alexis Pouchin Yann Barberot 1:22.52
Earlier winners
1878: Lollypop 1879: Rayon d'Or 1880: Thebais 1881: Nellie 1882: Energy 1883: Busybody 1884: Energy 1885: Modwena 1886: Mephisto 1887: Kilwarlin 1888: Sandal 1889: Heaume 1890: Mephisto 1891: Sir Frederick Roberts 1892: St Angelo 1893: Dame President 1894: Whittier 1895: Amandier / Chasseur 1896: Kilcock 1897: Kilcock 1898: Heir Male 1899: Fosco
See also Horse racing in Great Britain List of British flat horse races
References Paris-Turf: , , , , Racing Post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
galopp-sieger.de – Challenge Stakes. ifhaonline.org – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Challenge Stakes (2019). pedigreequery.com – Challenge Stakes – Newmarket.