Royal Ascot: Hardwicke Stakes

The Hardwicke Stakes, held on the final day of the Royal meeting, is a Group 2 race over 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards and is open to horses aged four years or older. The race is named in honour of the 5th Earl of Hardwicke, the Master of the Buckhounds in Benjamin Disraeli’s government from 1874 to 1880. The race was named in his honour in 1879, but he was an inveterate gambler who had huge debts with Agar-Robartes Bank and had to try to sell his Wimpole Hall Estate in Cambridgeshire in 1891. However, it failed to sell at auction and Lord Robartes, chairman of the Bank, had to accept the Estate in settlement of the debt.
Early history:- The inaugural running of the Hardwicke Stakes over a mile and a half of the Swinley Course took place on Friday 13th June 1879 with £2000 added prize money and a massive 168 subscribers at 10 sovereigns each. The race was won by Lord Bradford's Chippendale, beating Lord Falmouth's Silvio and Mr W Crawfurd's Lancastrian by a head and 10 lengths in 2 minutes 56 seconds.
Hardwicke Stakes 1914 Stakes Old Mile
Pos. Horse Jockey Trainer Owner
1 PETER THE HERMIT R Watson Withington Mr H J King 7/1
2 CORCYRA Herbert Jones Captain Dewhurst Lord Londonderry 4/6 fav
3 MAGYAR E Huxley R C Dawson Lord Carnarvon 20/1
4 MAIDEN ERLEGH Wal Griggs Charles Peck Mr Solly Joel 10/1
5 ROSEWORTHY Steve Donoghue Atty Persse Mr A Basset 100/8
6 THISTLETON Fred Rickaby Wootton Mr E Hulton 20/1
7 RABBLE G Bellhouse Miguel (France) M San Miguel 25/1
8 BLACK JESTER W Huxley Morton Mr Jim Joel 10/1
9 ABOUKIR R Stokes D Waugh Mr F Alexander 25/1
10 SOULOUQUE H Robbins F Hartigan Lord Rosebery 20/1
The Hardwicke Stakes over a mile and a half of the Swinley Course was on Friday 19th June 1914 and the winner, a chestnut colt by St Petersburg out of Carlia won a first prize of 2566 sovereigns (equivalent to £303,000 in 2020). Over round 121%
Hardwicke Stakes Group 2 1 mile 4 furlongs 1879
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