Princess of Wales’s Stakes Tips and Offers

Princess of Wales’s Stakes Preview: Tips, Betting Offers and Odds

The highlight of the opening day of Newmarket’s thrilling July meeting is this high class middle distance contest. Read on for the best odds and racing betting offers, as well as our betting tips for the Princess of Wales’s Stakes.

First run at Newmarket way back in in 1894, this 1m4f Group 2 contest is open to all runners aged three and older and now offers £100,000 in total prize money. Almost all of the best jockeys have won this one on at least one occasion. It’s a real summer highlight and we’ve got the full lowdown right here.

Princess Of Wales’s Stakes Tips and Betting Offers, 3:35 at Newmarket, 11 July 2019

The Princess Of Wales’s Stakes is the feature race on the first day of Newmarket’s July Festival. Run over the same 1 mile 4 furlong distance as some of the biggest flat races of all, this Group 2 is an important race for horses with designs of winning at the highest level.

Masar the Big Unknown

The trends for the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes show that this is not a race for horses working their way up to top form. All but three of the last 17 winners had at least two previous runs in the same season to get themselves up to speed and it’s that stat which may be most troubling to connections of Masar.

The 2018 Derby winner made his long awaited return to the track at Royal Ascot. Charlie Appleby wouldn’t have entered him in the Hardwicke Stakes were he not convinced that Masar was fully fit but it was a lack of race sharpness, rather than fitness which let him down at Ascot.

Masar got off to a terrible start, blundering out of the blocks. By the time he had rediscovered his tempo it was too late to have any influence on the places and his challenge faded away. Racing fans will hope that Masar makes use of that run by getting back to his best but many punters are unconvinced about him over this trip, especially at a best price of 6/4.

Baghdad Ready to Step Up

The market makes Mirage Dancer the most likely challenger to Masar. Sir Michael Stoute will ensure that his five-year-old is at his best for his return to Newmarket but he just looks shy of the quality required to win at this level. That should open the door for Baghdad.

Given that Baghdad is making the step up from handicap company there are obviously risks associated with backing him at a best price of 13/2 with Paddy Power. The quality of his performance last time out when winning the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes off a career high mark suggests that price is worth the risk as a repeat of that performance will surely case Masar and Mirage Dancer big problems.

Forecast Gives Dashing Willoughby Hope

With questions over each of the top three in the betting we have a real chance of a surprise winner of the 2019 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes. Dashing Willoughby could be best place to land that surprise given the weather forecast for Ladies Day at Newmarket.

Andrew Balding’s three-year-old made the most of the soft ground at Ascot to win the Group 2 Queen’s Vase and the more the rains falls and the ground cuts up throughout the day the better his chances will be.

Betting Predictions

This looks a wide open renewal of the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes which throws up a couple of tempting bets. Baghdad is the first of these at 13/2 with Paddy Power given his consistently strong performances this season. Dashing Willoughby is the second at 14/1 with BetVictor even if he may need the rain to come in order to get the win.

Previous Race Winners

2018 – Best Solution – jockey Pat Cosgrave, trainer Saeed bin Suroor
2017 – Hawkbill – jockey James Doyle, trainer Charlie Appleby
2016 – Big Orange – jockey James McDonald, trainer Michael Bell
2015 – Big Orange – jockey Jamie Spencer, trainer Michael Bell
2014 – Cavalryman – jockey Silvestre de Sousa, trainer Saeed bin Suroor
2013 – Universal – jockey Joe Fanning, trainer Mark Johnston
2012 – Fiorente – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Sir Michael Stoute
2011 – Crystal Capella – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Sir Michael Stoute
2010 – Sans Frontieres – jockey Tom Queally, trainer Jeremey Noseda
2009 – Doctor Fremantle – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Sir Michael Stoute
2008 – Lucarno – jockey Jimmy Fortune, trainer John Gosden
2007 – Papal Bull – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Sir Michael Stoute

Princess of Wales’s Stakes History, Top Jockeys and Best Trainers

Established over 120 years ago, this contest was named in honour of the wife of King Edward VII, Alexandra of Denmark, who became the Princess of Wales in 1863.

Having initially been run over one mile, the race’s current 1m4f distance was introduced in 1902 and has remained in place ever since. Upon the advent of race classifications in 1971, this contest was granted Group 3 status. By 1978 however, the quality of the participants attracted to the event led to its status being raised to Group 2 level.

The race could hardly have gotten off to a better start in terms of the quality of its winner. A quite brilliant racehorse, Isinglass, won the 2000 Guineas, Derby (Derby betting offers) and St. Leger a year prior to his success here in 1894. Further demonstrating his talent and versatility, the colt then took the stayers’ championship of the Ascot Gold Cup in 1895.

Isinglass is not the only Triple Crown winner to prevail here. Both Flying Fox (1899) and Rock Sand (1904) also landed the famous Classic treble prior to success in this race.

1982 heroine, Height of Fashion certainly made her mark at the track. She won the Acomb Stakes, May Hill Stakes and Fillies Mile in an exceptional two year old campaign, prior to landing this at three. Her career as stud mare was if anything even more productive. From just 11 foals, she produced, Unfuwain who also won this race, the four-time Group 1 winner Nayef and the brilliant 2000 Guineas, Derby and King George winner, Nashwan.

Big Orange became the fifth horse to win this more than once when winning back to back editions in 2015 and 2016, following in the footsteps of Lance Chest, Primera, Lomond and Milenary.

Jockeys and Trainers

There are a few trainers who have enjoyed a good record in this over the years, with “the major” Dick Hern and Mark Johnston amongst those with multiple wins to their name. Way out in front with an impressive nine triumphs though is Sir Michael Stoute. Often famed for his prowess with older horses, that is certainly borne out here as each of Stoute’s winners have been aged four or older.

The talented riding trio of Ryan Moore, Willie Carson and Pat Eddery recorded four, five and six wins in this respectively. It is the greatest of them all, Lester Piggott who leads the way though with an impressive eight wins. Piggott boasts such a record in so many races that we get bored of recording his prowess and here’s another for the list!