Minstrel Stakes
Group 2 race | |
Location | Curragh Racecourse County Kildare, Ireland |
---|---|
Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
Sponsor | Robert Ng (as Romanised[1]) |
Website | Curragh |
Race information | |
Distance | 7f (1,408 metres) |
Surface | Turf |
Track | Right-hand elbow |
Qualification | Three-years-old and up |
Weight | 9 st 1 lb (3yo); 9 st 8 lb (4yo+) Allowances 3 lb for fillies and mares Penalties 3 lb for G1 winners * * since 1 November last year |
Purse | €111,600 (2022) 1st: €70,800 |
2024 | ||
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Poet Master | Lord Massusus | Mutasarref |
Previous years | ||
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2022 | ||
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Order Of Australia | Pearls Galore | Dr Zempf |
2021 | ||
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Order Of Australia | Njord | Power Under Me |
The Minstrel Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.
The event is named after The Minstrel, a successful Irish-trained racehorse in the 1970s. It was formerly held at Phoenix Park in late April or early May, and it used to be contested by three-year-olds over a mile. For a period it was classed at Listed level.[citation needed]
The race was transferred to the Curragh and switched to July in 1991, and at this point it was opened to older horses. It was promoted to Group 3 status in 1996, and cut to 7 furlongs in 2001. The minimum age of participating horses was raised to four in 2002, and three-year-olds were re-admitted in 2007. It was upgraded to Group 2 level from the 2016 running.[2]
Records
[edit]Most successful horse since 1988 (2 wins):
- Ramooz – 1997, 1999
- Gordon Lord Byron - 2015, 2016
- Romanised - 2019, 2020
- Order of Australia - 2021, 2022
Leading jockey since 1988 (6 wins):
- Michael Kinane – Executive Perk (1988), Twilight Agenda (1989), Go and Go (1990), Asema (1993), King Charlemagne (2001), Caradak (2005)
Leading trainer since 1988 (7 wins):
- Aidan O'Brien - Wandering Thoughts (1994), King Charlemagne (2001), Air Chief Marshal (2010), Darwin (2013), Spirit Of Valor (2017), Order of Australia (2021,2022)
Winners since 1988
[edit]Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1988 | Executive Perk | 3 | Michael Kinane | Dermot Weld | 1:43.20 |
1989 | Twilight Agenda | 3 | Michael Kinane | Dermot Weld | 1:49.50 |
1990 | Go and Go | 3 | Michael Kinane | Dermot Weld | 1:38.00 |
1991 | Rimpa | 3 | Lester Piggott | Vincent O'Brien | 1:35.60 |
1992 | Via Borghese | 3 | Walter Swinburn | Vincent O'Brien | 1:40.20 |
1993 | Asema | 3 | Michael Kinane | Dermot Weld | 1:41.00 |
1994 | Wandering Thoughts | 5 | Christy Roche | Aidan O'Brien | 1:43.30 |
1995 | Hushang | 5 | Johnny Murtagh | John Oxx | 1:39.50 |
1996 | Restructure | 4 | Paul Eddery | Julie Cecil | 1:37.60 |
1997 | Ramooz | 4 | Kieren Fallon | Ben Hanbury | 1:38.80 |
1998 | Burden of Proof | 6 | Johnny Murtagh | Charles O'Brien | 1:42.70 |
1999 | Ramooz | 6 | Jimmy Fortune | Ben Hanbury | 1:39.10 |
2000 | Shibl | 3 | Stephen Craine | Kevin Prendergast | 1:36.90 |
2001 | King Charlemagne | 3 | Michael Kinane | Aidan O'Brien | 1:23.80 |
2002 | Gateman | 5 | Keith Dalgleish | Mark Johnston | 1:26.40 |
2003 | Avorado | 5 | Kevin Manning | Jim Bolger | 1:24.80 |
2004 | Trade Fair | 4 | Richard Hughes | Roger Charlton | 1:21.50 |
2005 | Caradak | 4 | Michael Kinane | John Oxx | 1:21.20 |
2006 | Jedburgh | 5 | Seb Sanders | John Dunlop | 1:28.60 |
2007 | Redstone Dancer | 5 | Pat Shanahan | Sheena Collins | 1:32.79 |
2008 | Jumbajukiba | 5 | Fran Berry | Jessica Harrington | 1:26.26 |
2009 | Three Rocks | 4 | Kevin Manning | Jim Bolger | 1:28.61 |
2010 | Air Chief Marshal | 3 | Johnny Murtagh | Aidan O'Brien | 1:23.92 |
2011 | Across the Rhine | 5 | Pat Shanahan | Tracey Collins | 1:27.60 |
2012 | Takar | 3 | Johnny Murtagh | John Oxx | 1:33.08 |
2013 | Darwin | 3 | Joseph O'Brien | Aidan O'Brien | 1:24.08 |
2014 | Ansgar | 4 | Pat Smullen | Sabrina Harty | 1:23.11 |
2015 | Gordon Lord Byron[a] | 7 | Wayne Lordan | Tom Hogan | 1:25.11 |
2016 | Gordon Lord Byron | 8 | Billy Lee | Tom Hogan | 1:23.30 |
2017 | Spirit Of Valor | 3 | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | 1:24.56 |
2018 | Larchmont Lad | 4 | James Doyle | David O'Meara | 1:23.63 |
2019 | Romanised | 4 | Billy Lee | Ken Condon | 1:22.07 |
2020 | Romanised | 5 | Billy Lee | Ken Condon | 1:25.88 |
2021 | Order of Australia | 4 | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | 1:27.28 |
2022 | Order of Australia | 5 | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | 1:25.24 |
2023 | Zarinksk [b] | 3 | Colin Keane | Ger Lyons | 1:30.45 |
2024 | Poet Master | 4 | Sam James | Karl Burke | 1:23.74 |
- ^ Home Of The Brave finished first in 2015, but was disqualified after failing a drug test
- ^ The 2023 race was run at Leopardstown after the original Curragh fixture was abandoned due to heavy rainfall
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Robert Ng To Sponsor Minstrel S.
- ^ "European Pattern Committee announces changes to the 2016 European Programme / 21 Jan 16". British Horseracing Authority. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- galopp-sieger.de – Minstrel Stakes.
- ifhaonline.org – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Minstrel Stakes (2019).
- irishracinggreats.com – Minstrel Stakes (Group 3).
- pedigreequery.com – Minstrel Stakes – Curragh.