Royal Ascot: Duke of Edinburgh Stakes

The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes is a flat handicap over 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards open to horses of three-year-old and up. The race was previously known as the Bessborough Stakes and was named after John George Brabazon Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough, who was Master of the Buckhounds on three occasions between 1848 and 1858 under Lord John Russell, Lord Aberdeen and Lord Palmerston. The first race under the original name of the Bessborough Stakes, was a five-furlong race for two-year-olds run on Tuesday 16th June 1914. The title was later bestowed on a mile and a half handicap race at the same meeting. In 1999 the race was renamed in honour of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, although the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes had previously been used for a two-year-old race at Ascot, with Sea Pigeon a former winner who later landed the Champion Hurdle.
Early history:- The inaugural running of the Bessborough Stakes, a forerunner of the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, was over 5 furlongs on Tuesday 16th June 1914 when Mr W Astor's Good and Gay (100/8) defeated Rossendale (10/1), Scotch Rose (100/6) and 13 others by a head and 2 lengths.
Bessborough Stakes 1991 Handicap 1 mile 4 furlongs
Pos. Horse Jockey Trainer Owner
1 RINJA John Lowe David Arbuthnot Dr Omar Zawawi 16/1
2 LOCAL DERBY Dean McKeown J W Watts Sheikh Mohammed 33/1
3 FIRST VICTORY Pat Eddery Richard Hannon Sir David Seale 9/2 fav
4 HATEEL Willie Carson Peter Walwyn Hamdan Al Maktoum 7/1
5 TIDEMARK Jimmy Fortune Luca Cumani Lord De La Warr 8/1
6 LIFT AND LOAD R Perham Richard Hannon Geoff Howard-Spink 25/1
7 BARRISH Tyrone Williams Reg Akehurst A D Spence 14/1
8 ELEMENTARY Pat Shanahan Jim Bolger Paul Green 33/1
9 COMSTOCK Payl Eddery Jimmy Fitzgerald A F Budge Equine 16/1
10 CASTORET Darryll Holland John Hills Lady D'Avigdor Golgsmidt 16/1
11 WITNESS BOX George Duffield John Gosden Sheikh Mohammed 25/1
12 AIR MUSIC Ray Cochrane Clive Brittain A J Richards 50/1
13 ENDOLI Frankie Dettori Clive Brittain Lady Beaverbrook 16/1
14 CHOIR MASTER Gary Carter Major Dick Hern Sheikh Mohammed 16/1
15 WAKI GOLD D Biggs Paul Kelleway Lewis Norris 33/1
16 FURTHER FLIGHT Michael Hills Barry Hills Simon Wingfield Digby 6/1
17 RED TOTO Michael Roberts Alec Stewart M Hawkes 16/1
18 LODESTAR Richard Fox Guy Harwood Sheikh Mohammed 11/1
19 ROLL A DOLLAR Brian Rouse David Elsworth Ken Higson 25/1
20 MULL HOUSE Alan Munro John Sutcliffe Mrs B Facchino 33/1
The Bessborough Stakes, forerunner of the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, took place on Wednesday 19th June 1991 and the winner was a bay horse by Robellino out of Dijla, won a first prize of £18,084 (equivalent to £40,000 in 2020).. Over round 133%
Duke of Edinburgh Stakes Handicap 1 mile 4 furlongs 1914
        1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990 1991