Taking its name from the historic royal residence in the West End of London, the Kensington Palace Stakes is a recent addition to the Royal Ascot programme, having been run for the first time. Currently scheduled as the seventh and final race on the second day, the Kensington Palace Stakes is a 0-105 handicap, nowadays run over a straight mile, open to fillies and mares aged four years and upwards and worth £110,000 in total prize money.
Obviously, five previous renewals are too few to reveal any meaningful trends, but it is worth noting that all five winners so far were four-year-olds or, in other words, fillies rather than mares. Thus far, no jockey or trainer has won the Kensington Palace Stakes more than once and the only favourite to trouble the judge was Hopeful, who finished second in the 2024 renewal. In fact, all five winners so far were sent off at double-figure prices, with Rising Star (2022) and Villanova Queen (2023) belying odds of 40/1 and 25/1, respectively.
The Kensington Palace Stakes has a safety limit of 24 and has attracted 18, 20, 19, 24 and 23 runners in the five renewals since its inception. Rainbows Edge, owned by the King and Queen, who finished seventh of 23 behind Miss Information in 2025, was sent off the shortest-priced favourite, so far, at 3/1. On the whole, though, the betting market for the Kensington Palace is hugely competitive, befitting a valuable and, typically, wide open event.
It is worth noting that the first three renewals were run on the Round (Old) Mile at Ascot, during which time winners of the Kensington Palace Stakes included Lola Showgirl, who made virtually all in 2021. However, on the straight mile course, horses that are held up off the pace have a significantly better record than those that race prominently. The most recent winner, Miss Information, for example, did not make headway from the rear until two furlongs from home and did not take the lead until the final half-furlong.