Dewhurst Stakes Tips & Odds

What is the Dewhurst Stakes? 

Established back in 1875, the Dewhurst Stakes is one of the key two-year-old races of the Flat season, and the Newmarket race has a long and varied history.

The importance of the Dewhurst is two-fold, with the seven-furlong Group 1 race serving as a big prize in its own right, but it is also a crucial barometer as we look for potential classic horses for the following season. Run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket in Suffolk, the main contenders from the Dewhurst will be immediately installed towards the top of the betting for the 2000 Guineas over a mile at the same track the following May.

What happened in the 2023 Dewhurst Stakes? 

Aidan O'Brien's City Of Troy was a runaway winner of the Dewhurst Stakes in 2023, as the hot favourite scooted clear to land another notable Group success at Newmarket.

The history of the Dewhurst Stakes 

Along with Doncaster's Futurity Trophy in November, the Dewhurst Stakes is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious races in the UK for juvenile horses, and it holds a special place in the calendar each October.

First run all the way back in 1875, the Dewhurst has produced some memorable moments on the Rowley Mile, with seven furlongs at Newmarket serving as the perfect classic trial for young and inexperienced horses. Up until 2011, the Dewhurst was run on Newmarket's Champions’ Day, but it has since become part of the new Future Champions Day card in the Autumn.

Kisber was the first winner of the Dewhurst, and since then we have seen some iconic winners of the race, with future stars of the sport often making their first big mark here.

In the 20th century we saw Nijinsky win the Dewhurst in 1969 before going on to win the Triple Crown the following year, while Mill Reef, Grundy and Rock Of Gibraltar are just three more names to have won the Dewhurst before going on to bigger and better things later in their careers. Churchill is the most recent winner of the race to go on to win the 2000 Guineas the following season, doing so in 2016/17 for the Aidan O'Brien team.

Who is the most iconic winner of the Dewhurst Stakes? 

The list of notable horses to have won the Dewhurst is too long to mention, but there is no doubt that the name of Frankel is the one that stands out more than most.

Considered by many to be greatest Flat horse of all time, the Henry Cecil-trained Frankel won the Dewhurst in scintillating style back in 2010. The Galileo colt would end his career unbeaten in 14 starts, and the Dewhurst was the first of ten Group 1 wins.

What followed was a scarcely-believable career, which included a win in the 2000 Guineas in remarkable fashion, before he was eventually retired as four-year-old. Frankel will live long in the memory of all who witnessed his remarkable achievements, and he is undoubtedly the most iconic winner of the Dewhurst Stakes.

Are there any trials for the Dewhurst Stakes? 

There is a clear plan for two-year-old horses in the second half of the season, which means that punters can follow a number of races with the aim of picking out potential Dewhurst horses.

The 2018 Dewhurst winner Too Darn Hot used the Champagne Stakes on the St Leger card at Doncaster as his final start before heading to the Dewhurst, while the Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot is another potential prep race for Newmarket - with Frankel perhaps the most famous recent example of a horse winning both.

Over in Ireland, the National Stakes is a Group 1 contest over seven furlongs at the Curragh in September which can see horses move on to the Dewhurst, as Churchill did when winning both races back in 2016 for Aidan O’Brien.

Who is the most successful jockey in the Dewhurst Stakes? 

The legendary Lester Piggott dominated the Dewhurst Stakes, with ten wins to his name in the race between 1956 and 1982.

Piggott won the race on Crepello (1956), Follow Suit (1962), Ribofilio (1968), Nijinsky (1969), Crowned Prince (1971), Cellini (1973), The Minstrel (1976), Try My Best (1977), Monteverdi (1979) and Diesis (1982).

Who is the most successful trainer in the Dewhurst Stakes? H3

A number of trainers have made their mark in the Dewhurst, but there are two who currently sit proudly at the top of the tree, with John Porter and Frank Butters both having eight wins apiece.

Porter trained Paradox (1884), Ormonde (1885), Friar's Balsam (1887), Orme (1891), Matchbox (1893), Vesuvian (1896), Hawfinch (1897) and Frontier (1898) to victory on the Rowley Mile, while Butters equalled him with Toboggan (1927), Mrs Rustom (1933), Hairan (1934), Bala Hissar (1935), Sultan Mahomed (1936), Umiddad (1942), Paper Weight (1944) and Migoli (1946) all crossing the line first.