Middle Park Stakes Tips & Odds
The Middle Park Stakes is one of the most important two-year-old races of the entire season. Read More
You can find the current odds for the Middle Park Stakes here.
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Middle Park Stakes Tips
Check out our Middle Park Stakes tips here...
What is the Middle Park Stakes?
The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 race run over a trip of six furlongs at Newmarket in September each season. The race itself is open to two-year-old colts and as well as being an important race to win, it is also a crucial pointer for the future, with a number of potential classic horses likely to take their chance at HQ.
The race is run on the world-famous Rowley Mile at Newmarket and takes place during the excellent Cambridgeshire meeting towards the end of the season on the Flat. The Middle Park is an obvious trial for the 2000 Guineas the following year, with the first classic of the season run over two furlongs further on the same course.
What happened in the 2023 Middle Park Stakes?
Simon & Ed Crisford's Vandeek was an impressive winner of the Middle Park Stakes in 2023, as the 5/4 favourite beat Task Force impressively.
The history of the Middle Park Stakes
Originally known as the Middle Park Plate, the race was first run in 1866 and was open to horses of either gender at that stage.
The race itself used to be part of Future Champions Day at Newmarket until 2015, when it was moved forward by two weeks to avoid a clash with the Dewhurst Stakes. A number of horses have won the Middle Park before going to glory in the 2000 Guineas, with the most recent horse to achieve the feat being Rodrigo de Triano, who did so in 1991-92.
In more recent years we have seen a number of sprinters emerge from this race, with Dream Ahead winning in 2010 before going on to success in Group 1 sprints later in his career. The Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot has become a popular target for Middle Park horses since it was introduced in 2015.
Who is the most iconic winner of the Middle Park Stakes?
The Middle Park Stakes roll of honour is a special one for fans of the Flat game, with some stellar names claiming the big race at Newmarket before going to greater glories during their careers.
In recent history it is worth mentioning Oasis Dream, who went on to win the July Cup and the Nunthorpe the following year after his Middle Park success, while U S Navy Flag also won the July Cup the season after tasting success at Newmarket.
By far the most iconic name on the roll of honour, though, is the superb Brigadier Gerard, who remains one of the greatest horses in the history of the sport. The Dick Hern-trained star won the Middle Park Stakes in 1970 before embarking on a sensational career which included wins in the 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes, Champion Stakes and the Eclipse among many other highlights.
Owned by John Hislop, Brigadier Gerard was the British Horse Of the Year in 1972, and even won a King George over a mile and a half - proving his flexibility and talent.
Are there any trials for the Middle Park Stakes?
There are a host of potential routes for the juvenile horses to use on their way to the Middle Park Stakes, and those contenders with plenty of speed should emerge naturally as the summer progresses. The Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot is always the first big race of the season for the two-year-old horses and a number of those runners could well turn into Middle Park contenders.
Aidan O’Brien has tended to use the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes at the Curragh as a potential prep race for the Middle Park, with US Navy Flag winning both races in 2017 for the master of Ballydoyle.
Who is the most successful jockey in the Middle Park Stakes?
There are three jockeys at the top of the Middle Park tree with six wins each and they are Danny Maher, Sir Gordon Richards and Lester Piggott. The latter achieved his six wins in the race with Petingo (1967), Steel Heart (1974), Junius (1978), Mattaboy (1980), Cajun (1981) and Diesis (1982).
Who is the most successful trainer in the Middle Park Stakes?
Aidan O’Brien has dominated the sport in general over the past 20 years, and that has also been the case in the Middle Park Stakes, with six wins to his name. The Irish handler has saddled Minardi (2000), Johannesburg (2001), Ad Valorem (2004), Crusade (2011), US Navy Flag (2017) and Ten Sovereigns (2018) to victory at Newmarket.