Royal Hunt Cup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Class | Handicap |
|---|---|
| Location | Ascot Racecourse Ascot, England |
| Inaugurated | 1843 |
| Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
| Website | Ascot |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 mile (1,609 metres) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Straight |
| Qualification | Three-years-old and up |
| Weight | Handicap |
| Purse | £120,000 (2021) 1st: £64,800 |
| 2025 | ||
| My Cloud | Bullet Point | Bopedro |
| Previous years | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ||
| Wild Tiger | Sonny Liston | Perotto |
| 2023 | ||
| Jimi Hendrix | Sonny Liston | Awaal |
| 2022 | ||
| Dark Shift | Intellogent | Tempus |
| 2021 | ||
| Real World | Astro King | Grove Ferry |
The Royal Hunt Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.
The event was established in 1843, and it was originally contested on a right-handed course over 7 furlongs and 166 yards. The inaugural running was won by Knight of the Whistle, with a triple dead-heat for second between Bourra Tomacha, Epaulette, and Garry Owen.
The race's distance was shortened to 7 furlongs and 155 yards in 1930, and it was extended to its present length in 1956. It is now run on a straight course, and it usually features a large field.
The Royal Hunt Cup is currently held on the second day of the five-day Royal Ascot meeting. It is one of three perpetual trophies at the meeting, along with the Gold Cup and the Queen's Vase, which can be kept permanently by the winning owners.
Records
Most successful horse (2 wins):
- Master Vote – 1947, 1948
Leading jockey (4 wins):
- Charles Wood – Thuringian Prince (1875), The Mandarin (1879), Elzevir (1883), Gay Hermit (1887)
- Lester Piggott – Spaniard's Close (1963), Casabianca (1965), Kamundu (1969), Jumping Hill (1976)
Leading trainer (5 wins):
- James Jewitt – Sweetbread (1882), Elzevir (1883), Shillelagh (1888), Suspender (1892), Knight of the Thistle (1897)