The Buckingham Palace Stakes is a 0-105 handicap, run over seven furlongs amd open to horses aged three years and upwards. It was first added to the Royal Ascot programme in 2002, when the Saurday, formerly known as ‘Ascot Heath’, officially became part of the Royal Meeting. However, it was effectively replaced by the Commonwealth Cup in 2015, before being resurrected in 2020, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and permanently added to the programme the following year. The Buckingham Palace Stakes is currently scheduled as the concluding race on the third day of Royal Ascot, Gold Cup Day.
Kevin Ryan, who saddled Uhoomagoo (2006) and Lightning Cloud (2013), and Richard Hannon, who saddled Motakhayyel (2020) and Witch Hunter (2023), are the leading trainers in the history of the Buckingham Palace Stakes, while Neil Callan, who rode the Ryan-trained pair, plus Eton Forever (2012) for Roger Varian, is the leading jockey, Ar the other end of the scale, the Buckingham Palace Stakes has proved a less-than-happy hunting ground for trainers Richard Fahey and George Margason and jockeys Ryan Moore, William Buick and Daniel Tudhope, all of whom remain winless after multiple attempts.
Worth £110,000 in prize money, and with a maximum safety limit of 28 runners, the Buckingham Palace Stakes is invariably well-subscribed and, hence, highly competitive. In six renewals since its return to the Royal Ascot programme, two favourites – English Oak (2024) and Never So Brave (2025) – have won, but the other four winners were sent off at 50/1, 18/1, 14/1 and 12/1. Interestingly, five of the six winners were drawn in stall 24 or higher, with only Inver Park (2022) winning from a far-side berth. Patience also appears to a virtue in the Buckingham Palace Stakes, with horses who are held up faring better than those who race prominently or in mid-division.