Nowadays, the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes is a 0-105 handicap, run over a mile and a half, open to horses aged three years and upwards and worth £110,000 in prize money. It is currently scheduled as the third race on the fourth day of Royal Ascot, between the two Group 1 contests of the day, the Commonwealth Cup and the Coronation Stakes.
The race was inaugurated, as the Bessborough Stakes, in 1914, and named in memory of John Ponsonby, Fifth Earl of Bessborough, who was Her Majesty’s Representative at Ascot during the reign of Queen Victoria. Originally a five-furlong event for two-year-olds, the Bessborough Stakes subsequently evolved into its current form and, in 1999, was renamed in honour of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
None of the last 10 renewals of the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes has featured fewer than 14 runners but, even so, four favourites have been successful and three other winners were returned at single-figure prices. The other winners were sent off at 11/1, 20/1 and 33/1. Notable winners in recent years include Quickthorn (2021), trained by Hughie Morrison, who went on to win the Group 1 Goodwood Cup two years later, and Ethical Diamond (2025), trained by Willie Mullins, who went on to win the Ebor Handicap at York and the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar, California on his next two starts.
Notwithstanding the sharpish home turn at Ascot, conventional wisdom dictates that the draw has a minimal impact on the outcome of the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes. However, it is interesting to note that the last three winners were all drawn in single-figure stalls, whereas the previous seven were all drawn in stall 12 or higher. Nine of the last 10 winners were officially rated 96 or higher, the exception being Candleford (2022), who was rated 91 at the time, but earnt a 13lb rise in the weights by winning, readilly, by six lengths.