Taking its title from the village of the same name on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, owned by King Charles III, the Wolferton Stakes is a fairly recent addition to the Royal Ascot programme, having been run for the first time in 2020. Currently scheduled as the penultimate race on the opening day of the Royal Meeting, the Wolferton Stakes is a Listed contest run over a mile-and-a-quarter, open to horses aged four years and currently worth £120,000 in total prize money.
Until 2018, the Wolferton Stakes was, in fact, a handicap. Even so, since it became a level-weights contest, with a 5lb allowance for fillies and mares, just one favourite – Israr, trained by John and Thady Gosden, who was sent off 11/4 joint-favourite in 2024 – has won. In his own name, John Gosden had previously saddled four winners, namely Beachfire (2011), Gatewood (2012), Mahsoob (2015) and Monarchs Glen (2018), and is the leading trainer in the history of the race.
Seven of the eight winners since the Wolferton Stakes since it became a traditional Listed race were officially rated 111 or higher, the exception being Juan Elcano, trained by Kevin Ryan and ridden by Andrea Atzeni, in 2021. Juan Elcano was sent off at 14/1 and was subsequently joined by Dubai Future, at 20/1 in 2022, and Royal Champion, at 16/1 in 2023, as double-figure winners of the race in its current guise.
As far as trial races for the Wolferton Stakes are concerned, the Huxley Stakes – a Group 2 contest run over a similar distance at Chester in May – appears as good as any. The 2024 winner, Israr, finished second, as a beaten favourite, on the Roodeye, the 2023 winner, Royal Champion, finished fifth of six, at 22/1, and the 2019 winner, Addeyb, finished fourth of six, as another beaten favourite.