Run over six furlongs and open to three-year-old colts and fillies, but not geldings, the Commonwealth Cup is a Group 1 contest, worth £650,000 in total prize money and currently scheduled as the second race on the fourth day of Royal Ascot. The race was added Royal Ascot programme as recently as 2015, initially at the expense of the Buckingham Palace Stakes, although the latter was reinstated in 2020 and has been retained ever since.
The introduction of the Commonwealth Cup resulted in the other Group 1, six-furlong race of the week, the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, at the time the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, being closed to three-year-olds. For the first five years of its existence, the Commonwealth Cup was also open to geldings, making it unique in Europe.
No trainer has won the Commonwealth Cup more than once, but Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori, who rode Advertise (2019) and Campanelle (2021), remains the leading jockey so far. Four of the last 10 runnings have been won by the outright or joint favourite, although the most recent winner, Time For Sandals (2025) sprang a 25/1 surprise to become the longest-priced winner to date.
In terms of preparatory races, in the last decade two winners of the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury, Eqtidaar (2018) and Shaquille (2023), have gone on to win the Commonwealth Cup, as have two winners of the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock, Quiet Reflection (2016) and Inisherin (2024). Two other winners, Advertise (2019) and Perfect Power (2022), previously ran in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, although neither troubled the judge on the Rowley Mile.