Earl of Sefton Stakes
Flat horse race in Britain
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The Earl of Sefton Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong (1,811 metres) on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket in mid-April.
| Class | Group 3 |
|---|---|
| Location | Rowley Mile Newmarket, England |
| Inaugurated | 1971 |
| Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
| Sponsor | Bet365 |
| Website | Newmarket |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1m 1f (1,811 metres) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Straight |
| Qualification | Four-years-old and up |
| Weight | 9 st 2 lb Allowances 3 lb for fillies and mares Penalties 7 lb for Group 1 winners * 5 lb for Group 2 winners * 3 lb for Group 3 winners * * since 31 August last year |
| Purse | £85,000 (2025) 1st: £48,204 |
| 2026 | ||
| Damysus | King's Gambit | Boiling Point |
History
The event was established in 1971, and it was initially called the Rubbing House Stakes.[1] The first running was won by Pembroke Castle.
The race was renamed the Earl of Sefton Stakes in 1973[2] in memory of Hugh Molyneux (1898–1972), the seventh Earl of Sefton.
The Earl of Sefton Stakes is currently held on the first day of Newmarket's three-day Craven Meeting, the day before the Craven Stakes.
Records
Most successful horse (2 wins):
- Terimon – 1990, 1991
- Mull of Killough - 2013, 2014
- Ottoman Fleet - 2023, 2024
Leading jockey (5 wins):
- William Buick - Questioning (2012), French Navy (2015), Master Of The Seas (2022), Ottoman Fleet (2023, 2024)
Leading trainer (7 wins):
- Sir Henry Cecil – Gunner B (1978), Ivano (1983), Legend of France (1984), Reprimand (1989), Ali-Royal (1997), Shiva (1999), Phoenix Tower (2008)
Winners
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Pembroke Castle | 4 | Geoff Lewis | Noel Murless | 1:52.97 |
| 1972 | Lord David | 4 | Lester Piggott | Staff Ingham | 1:58.30 |
| 1973 | Scottish Rifle | 4 | Ron Hutchinson | John Dunlop | 1:51.80 |
| 1974 | Owen Dudley | 4 | Geoff Lewis | Noel Murless | 1:52.98 |
| 1975 | Jimsun | 6 | Joe Mercer | Herbert Jones | 2:03.29 |
| 1976 | Chil the Kite | 4 | Geoff Lewis | Bruce Hobbs | 1:52.12 |
| 1977 | Heaven Knows | 4 | Brian Taylor | Ron Smyth | 1:52.51 |
| 1978 | Gunner B | 5 | Joe Mercer | Henry Cecil | 1:55.48 |
| 1979 | Hawaiian Sound | 4 | Steve Cauthen | Barry Hills | 1:53.54 |
| 1980 | Ela-Mana-Mou | 4 | Willie Carson | Dick Hern | 1:50.88 |
| 1981 | Hard Fought | 4 | Walter Swinburn | Michael Stoute | 1:54.52 |
| 1982 | Kalaglow | 4 | Greville Starkey | Guy Harwood | 1:51.06 |
| 1983 | Ivano | 4 | Lester Piggott | Henry Cecil | 1:57.69 |
| 1984 | Legend of France | 4 | Joe Mercer | Henry Cecil | 1:51.49 |
| 1985 | King of Clubs | 4 | Pat Eddery | Ian Balding | 1:52.73 |
| 1986 | Supreme Leader | 4 | Philip Robinson | Clive Brittain | 1:59.02 |
| 1987 | K-Battery | 6 | Pat Eddery | Bill Elsey | 1:54.53 |
| 1988 | Media Starguest | 4 | Ray Cochrane | Luca Cumani | 1:51.90 |
| 1989 | Reprimand | 4 | Steve Cauthen | Henry Cecil | 1:56.51 |
| 1990 | Terimon | 4 | Ray Cochrane | Clive Brittain | 1:49.15 |
| 1991 | Terimon | 5 | Michael Roberts | Clive Brittain | 1:49.23 |
| 1992 | Sure Sharp | 5 | Steve Cauthen | Barry Hills | 1:52.05 |
| 1993 | Ezzoud | 4 | Walter Swinburn | Michael Stoute | 1:51.42 |
| 1994 | Del Deya | 4 | Frankie Dettori | John Gosden | 1:56.82 |
| 1995 | Desert Shot | 5 | Walter Swinburn | Michael Stoute | 1:48.73 |
| 1996 | Luso | 4 | Michael Kinane | Clive Brittain | 1:47.96 |
| 1997 | Ali-Royal | 4 | Kieren Fallon | Henry Cecil | 1:50.46 |
| 1998 | Apprehension | 4 | Darryll Holland | David Loder | 1:58.49 |
| 1999 | Shiva [a] | 4 | Kieren Fallon | Henry Cecil | 1:46.60 |
| 2000 | Indian Lodge | 4 | Michael Kinane | Amanda Perrett | 1:54.90 |
| 2001 | Right Wing | 7 | Pat Eddery | John Dunlop | 1:54.44 |
| 2002 | Indian Creek | 4 | Richard Quinn | David Elsworth | 1:49.66 |
| 2003 | Olden Times | 5 | Kieren Fallon | John Dunlop | 1:52.58 |
| 2004 | Gateman | 7 | Keith Dalgleish | Mark Johnston | 1:52.77 |
| 2005 | Norse Dancer | 5 | John Egan | David Elsworth | 1:49.10 |
| 2006 | Notnowcato | 4 | Michael Kinane | Sir Michael Stoute | 1:49.21 |
| 2007 | Manduro | 5 | Stéphane Pasquier | André Fabre | 1:47.26 |
| 2008 | Phoenix Tower | 4 | Tom Queally | Henry Cecil | 1:54.11 |
| 2009 | Tazeez | 5 | Richard Hills | John Gosden | 1:47.83 |
| 2010 | Sri Putra | 4 | Neil Callan | Michael Jarvis | 1:49.33 |
| 2011 | Ransom Note | 4 | Michael Hills | Barry Hills | 1:49.42 |
| 2012 | Questioning | 4 | William Buick | John Gosden | 1:50.62 |
| 2013 | Mull of Killough | 7 | George Baker | Jane Chapple-Hyam | 1:48.58 |
| 2014 | Mull of Killough | 8 | Adam Kirby | Jane Chapple-Hyam | 1:48.44 |
| 2015 | French Navy | 7 | William Buick | Charlie Appleby | 1:51.81 |
| 2016 | Mahsoob | 5 | Paul Hanagan | John Gosden | 1:53.67 |
| 2017 | Steel Of Madrid[b] | 4 | Pat Dobbs | Richard Hannon Jr. | 1:51.27 |
| 2018 | Forest Ranger | 4 | Tony Hamilton | Richard Fahey | 1:52.38 |
| 2019 | Zabeel Prince | 6 | Andrea Atzeni | Roger Varian | 1:52.43 |
| no race 2020 [c] | |||||
| 2021 | My Oberon | 4 | James Doyle | William Haggas | 1:52.05 |
| 2022 | Master of The Seas | 4 | William Buick | Charlie Appleby | 1:49.60 |
| 2023 | Ottoman Fleet | 4 | William Buick | Charlie Appleby | 1:55.17 |
| 2024 | Ottoman Fleet | 5 | William Buick | Charlie Appleby | 1:47.51 |
| 2025 | Persica | 4 | Ryan Moore | Richard Hannon Jr. | 1:54.07 |
| 2026 | Damysus | 4 | James Doyle | John & Thady Gosden | 1:49.92 |
- The 1999 edition was run on Newmarket's July Course over 1 mile and 110 yards
- Steel Of Madrid was later exported to Australia and renamed Calderon
- The 2020 running was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom[3]