AUSTRALIAN TURF CLUB DISPLAYS QUEEN ELIZABETH STAKES TROPHY ON QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS DAY
The Australian Turf Club has extended its international partnership framework with QIPCO British Champions Day by taking part in an initiative to display the respective trophies commemorating Queen Elizabeth II around the world.
The Australian Turf Club stage the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick in April, which is among a number of races held globally named after Queen Elizabeth II, with the eponymous race in Great Britain, the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, held on QIPCO British Champions Day (Saturday, 21st October this year).
The Randwick trophy will be part of the Hall of Fame exhibition in the main grandstand on Saturday. In 2021, Queen Elizabeth II was the first to be inducted into the Special Contributor category of the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame.
There are several other races worldwide named after Queen Elizabeth II including those in the USA, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore and Australia (Melbourne).
The trophies for the respective races will be on display at each racecourse. The Australian Turf Club and QIPCO British Champions Series Ltd, operators of British Champions Day, will each make special presentations to the connections of the winners at the forthcoming renewals.
This initiative comes at a time when the relationship between QIPCO British Champions Day and Sydney’s flagship Autumn weight-for-age race, the Group 1 $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes, have never been stronger.
Newmarket trainer William Haggas and jockey Tom Marquand have won three of the last four renewals of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick with DUBAI HONOUR (2023) and ADDEYBB (2020 & 2021), with the latter also a winner of the QIPCO Champion Stakes, the feature race on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot.
In fact, Addeybb won the QIPCO Champion Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in the same year in 2020, while Dubai Honour was also second in the Champion Stakes in 2021.
Chief Executive of QIPCO British Champions Series, Rod Street said:
“QIPCO British Champions Day will be proud to exhibit the Queen Elizabeth Stakes Trophy, kindly lent by the Australian Turf Club.
“Queen Elizabeth II’s lifelong passion for racing created widespread interest and global investment in the sport. That there are so many prestigious races named after her internationally is testament to her patronage of the sport throughout her life.
“Our knowledgeable racing crowd will enjoy viewing this exhibit, as they have enjoyed others on this day over the years, when we have celebrated racing’s history and heritage with similar displays.”
Australian Turf Club Chairman, Peter McGauran, said the relationship between Royal Randwick, Ascot Racecourse and Queen Elizabeth II was special in the world of racing:
“Royal Randwick remains the only racecourse in the world outside of Royal Windsor Racecourse to carry the great honour of bearing the Royal name,’’ Mr McGauran said.
“We are delighted to further strengthen that link with British Champions Series, Ascot Racecourse and our own Queen Elizabeth Stakes as one of Australia’s most significant and highest rating races year after year.
“It has been fantastic to see stronger links between our showcase meetings with horse participation in recent years and we are clearly seeing growing visitation and engagement in these great racedays.”