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Commonwealth Cup

United Kingdom | FEATURE RACE GUIDE

History

SHAQUILLE winning the Commonwealth Cup
SHAQUILLE winning the Commonwealth Cup Picture: Tom Dulat/Getty Images

The Commonwealth Cup is a Group 1 race run under Set Weights conditions for three year olds at Royal Ascot conducted by the Ascot Racecourse.

The Commonwealth Cup is run over the straight six furlongs. It was first run in 2015 and was won by Muhaarar.

Royal Ascot announced at the end of 2014 that an eighth Group One race will be conducted at the Royal meeting from 2015.

To be known as the Commonwealth Cup, it is open to three-year-old colts, geldings and fillies.

The Wolferton Stakes was moved from Friday to Saturday with the Duke of Edinburgh Handicap transferred the other way, to ensure a competitive handicap was run on each day of Royal Ascot.

Designed to attract young horses from all over the world, the Commonwealth Cup was able to get not just horses from the British Isles but also on the continent and from America.

It was hoped from a longer view to get interest from Australian horses albeit they would be two-year-olds in Australian time and may have competed in the Blue Diamond and/or Golden Slipper.

Frankie Dettori is the only multiple winner.

The event's appeal was helped by the outstanding first winner of the race as Muhaarar bolted in by four lengths. He would go onto win the July Cup, Prix Maurice De Gheest and British Champions Sprint against the open age horses before retirement was announced.

2016 saw Quiet Reflection come off a dominant win at Haydock to surge over the top and win with a length to spare.

In 2017 we saw an outstanding group of three year old sprinters as Caravaggio ran down Harry Angel and Blue Point in a strong edition. Caravaggio was supposed to travel to Sydney for the first running of The Everest but he had some flat runs later.

Sheikh Hamdan's colours were to the fore again as Eqtidaar was wayward but still did enough to win his second race.

Then in 2019 Advertise showed his Guineas run was too bad to be true in taking a rough and tumble edition. He won the Prix Maurice de Gheest later in the season.

2020 saw Golden Horde come down the near side rail and win with a bit in hand. He'd been around the mark in many of the major juvenile G1 sprints.

There was some controversy in 2021 as Dragon Symbol was first over the line but the race was awarded to the American 3yo Campanelle.

Dual juvenile G1 winner Perfect Power came back as a 3yo and was tried to get the Guineas mile but after failing, dropped back and was so good in winning over the straight six in 2022.

Shaquille missed the start badly in 2023 and yet weaved his way through the field to score a big win.

The 2023 Commonwealth Cup was worth £600,000.

The winners of the Commonwealth Cup are Muhaarar (2015), Quiet Reflection (2016), Caravaggio (2017), Eqtidaar (2018), Advertise (2019), Golden Horde (2020), Campanelle (2021), Perfect Power (2022) and Shaquille (2023).

The 2023 Commonwealth Cup was won by Shaquille from Little Big Bear and Swingalong.


Racing and Sports

Previous Commonwealth Cup Winners

Date Horse Jockey WT Trainer BP
SHAQUILLE (GB) 3C
CHARM SPIRIT (IRE) - MAGIC (IRE) GALILEO (IRE)
OISIN MURPHY 58.0 JULIE CAMACHO 4
PERFECT POWER (IRE) 3C
ARDAD (IRE) - SAGELY (IRE) FROZEN POWER (IRE)
C SOUMILLON 58.0 R A FAHEY 1
CAMPANELLE (IRE) 3F
KODIAC (GB) - JANINA (GB) NAMID (GB)
LANFRANCO DETTORI 56.0 W A WARD 14
GOLDEN HORDE (IRE) 3C
LETHAL FORCE (IRE) - ENTREAT (GB) PIVOTAL (GB)
ADAM KIRBY 57.0 C G COX 10
ADVERTISE (GB) 3C
SHOWCASING (GB) - FURBELOW (GB) PIVOTAL (GB)
LANFRANCO DETTORI 58.5 M MEADE 4
EQTIDAAR (IRE) 3C
INVINCIBLE SPIRIT (IRE) - MADANY (IRE) ACCLAMATION (GB)
JIM CROWLEY 58.5 SIR MICHAEL STOUTE 3
CARAVAGGIO (USA) 3C
SCAT DADDY (USA) - MEKKO HOKTE (USA) HOLY BULL (USA)
RYAN MOORE 58.5 A P O'BRIEN 5
QUIET REFLECTION (GB) 3F
SHOWCASING (GB) - MY DELIRIUM (GB) HAAFHD (GB)
DOUGIE COSTELLO 57.0 K R BURKE 8
MUHAARAR (GB) 3C
OASIS DREAM (GB) - TAHRIR (IRE) LINAMIX (FR)
DANE O'NEILL 58.5 C HILLS 8

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