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 1890 Group 1 5 furlongs
Pos. Horse Jockey Age/weight Owner
1 BUMPTIOUS Tommy Loates Alfred Hayhoe 2-7st 4lbs Leopold De Rothschild 5/6 fav
2 NOBLE CHIEFTAIN T Weldon Allen 5-9st 12lbs Lord Penrhyn 9/2
3 SWIFT Rickaby Wadlow 4-8st 12lbs Lord Bradford 20/1
4 MEPHISTO Fred Webb Tom Jennings snr aged-10st 4lbs Prince Soltykoff 100/30
5 MAXIM Liddiard Alf Sadler 6-9st 12lbs Mr R H Combe 100/8
The Queen's Stand Plate took place on Friday 20th June 1890 and the winner, a chesnut filly by Brag, won a first prize of a piece of plate valued at 500 sovereigns, and stakes of 130 sovereigns from 13 subscribers (equivalent to £56,000 in 2020). Over round 108%
King's Stand Stakes Group 1 5 furlongs 1860
1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869
1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879
1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889
1890