Geoffrey Freer Stakes
Group 3 race | |
Location | Newbury Racecourse Newbury, England |
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Inaugurated | 1949 |
Race type | Flat |
Sponsor | BetVictor |
Website | Newbury |
Race information | |
Distance | 1m 5f 61y (2,671 m) |
Surface | Turf |
Track | Left-handed |
Qualification | Three-years-old and up |
Weight | 8 st 10 lb (3yo); 9 st 5 lb (4yo+) Allowances 3 lb for fillies and mares Penalties 7 lb for Group 1 winners * 5 lb for Group 2 winners * 3 lb for Group 3 winners * *after 2017 |
Purse | £68,000 (2022) 1st: £40,000 |
2024 | ||
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Al Aasy | Al Qareem | Go Daddy |
Previous years | ||
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2023 | ||
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Arrest | Ching Shih | Shandoz |
2022 | ||
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Zechariah | Universal Order | Outbox |
2021 | ||
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Hukum | Rodrigo Diaz | Pablo Escobarr |
1990-1988 | ||
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1990 | ||
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Charmer | Sesame | Mountain Kingdom |
1989 | ||
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Ibn Bey | Apache | Alphabel |
1988 | ||
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Top Class | Melodist | Waterfield |
The Geoffrey Freer Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 1 mile, 5 furlongs and 61 yards (2,671 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.
History
The event was established in 1949, and it was originally called the Oxfordshire Stakes. It was founded by Geoffrey Freer, a Jockey Club handicapper who served as the manager of Newbury Racecourse. The venue had been used as an American military supply depot during World War II, and Freer restored the course in the post-war period. The race was renamed in his honour in 1969, the year after his death.
For a period the Geoffrey Freer Stakes was classed at Group 2 level. It was relegated to its current status, Group 3, in 2006.
The leading three-year-olds from the race sometimes go on to compete in the following month's St. Leger Stakes.
Records
Most successful horse (3 wins):
- Mubtaker – 2002, 2003, 2004
Leading jockey (5 wins):
- Frankie Dettori – Charmer (1990), Drum Taps (1991), Phantom Gold (1996), Kite Wood (2009), Arrest (2023)
Leading trainer (5 wins):
- Noel Murless – Ridge Wood (1949), Court Command (1956), Hopeful Venture (1967), Rangong (1969), Attica Meli (1973)
Winners since 1979
Earlier winners
- 1949: Ridge Wood
- 1950: Tilloy
- 1951: Le Sage
- 1952: Westinform
- 1953: Harwin
- 1954: Umberto
- 1955: True Cavalier
- 1956: Court Command
- 1957: Court Harwell
- 1958: Owen Glendower
- 1959: Kalydon
- 1960: High Hat
- 1961: Sagacity
- 1962: Sovrango
- 1963: Sovrango
- 1964: Sunseeker
- 1965: Court Gift
- 1966: Charlottown
- 1967: Hopeful Venture
- 1968: Levmoss
- 1969: Rangong
- 1970: High Line
- 1971: High Line
- 1972: Sol'Argent
- 1973: Attica Meli
- 1974: Realistic
- 1975: Consol
- 1976: Swell Fellow
- 1977: Valinsky
- 1978: Ile de Bourbon
See also
- Horse racing in Great Britain
- List of British flat horse races
- Recurring sporting events established in 1949 – this race is included under its original title, Oxfordshire Stakes.
References
- galopp-sieger.de – Geoffrey Freer Stakes (ex Oxfordshire Stakes).
- horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Geoffrey Freer Stakes (2018).
- pedigreequery.com – Geoffrey Freer Stakes – Newbury.
- Abelson, Edward; John Tyrrel (1993). The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books. pp. 147–148. ISBN 1-873626-15-0.