Royal Ascot: King's Stand Stakes

The King's Stand Stakes was created as a result of bad weather at Royal Ascot in 1860. Heavy rain made it impossible to run the Royal Stand Plate over its usual distance of 2 miles, so it was shortened to 5 furlongs on the only raceable part of the course. The amended version was called the Queen's Stand Plate, and it subsequently became the most important sprint at the Royal meeting. For a time it was open to horses aged two or older. It was renamed the King's Stand Stakes following the death of Queen Victoria and the accession of King Edward VII in 1901. The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the King's Stand Stakes was given Group 1 status in 1973, although it was downgraded to Group 2 level in 1988, but regained its Group 1 status in 2008 and is contested on the opening day of the Royal meeting.
Early history:-The inaugural running of the Queen's Stand Plate for 300 sovereigns, on Tuesday 5th June 1860, saw a large field of superior quality headed by Baron Rothschild's Queen of the Vale (100/6) ridden by John Daley in a canter by 3 lengths from Brown Duchess (5/1), with two lengths back to Satellite (7/1) in third, and 14 others further adrift.

Queen's Stand Plate 1872 Group 1 5 furlongs
Pos. Horse Jockey Age/weight Owner
1 BERTRAM Jewitt Charles Blanton 3-8st 5lbs Mr A C Barclay 4/1 jt fav
2 DIGBY GRAND George Fordham Henry Woolcott 4-9st 2lbs Mr G G Keswick 100/15
3 VEX Cannon William Day aged-9st 5lbs Sir F Johnstone 8/1
4 POLDOODY Macksey George Bloss 2-6st 9lbs Mr H Chaplin 25/1
5 THE TESTER T Crickmere J Dover 2-7st 5lbs Mr J Dover 8/1
6 TASSELSON Killick Drewitt 3-8st 5lbs Mr T H Fleet 25/1
7 TIM WEAVER Huxtable John Porter 5-8st 8lbs Sir Joseph Hawley 25/1
8 DRUMMOND Morris Tom Jennings 3-8st 12lbs Mr M Lefevre 10/1
9 BAUERNFANGER Maidment Joseph Hayhoe jnr 4-9st 8lb Count Bernard 4/1 jt fav
10 SILURIA Skelton Wadlow 2-6st 9lbs Lord Wilton 5/1
The Queen's Stand Plate took place on Tuesday 11th June 1872 and the winner, a bay colt by The Duke out of Constance, won a first prize of a piece of plate valued at 200 sovereigns, and stakes of 180 sovereigns from 18 subscribers (equivalent to £43,000 in 2020). Over round 114%
King's Stand Stakes Group 1 5 furlongs 1860
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