The Britannia Stakes

ASCOT, ENGLAND - JUNE 17: Kieren Fallon and Mandobi land The Britannia Stakes Race run at Ascot Racecourse on June 17, 2004 at Ascot, England. Today was the third day of The Royal Meeting which features some of the flat seasons best racing and displays of the finest fashions. (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images)

The Britannia Stakes is a Class 2 Heritage handicap run after the Ascot Gold Cup on the third day of racing at the Royal Ascot meeting. The 2008 Britannia Stakes will be run at 4:20pm on Thursday the 22nd of June.

The Britannia Stakes was first run over the straight mile of the Royal Hunt Cup course. The race is one of the Royal Ascot meeting's most popular handicap events and tends to draw a packed field. The prize money offered for the race was recently up by £45,000 to £100,000.

The Britannia Stakes is open to three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses, and covers the distance of a mile. The distance run, combined with the presence of handicaps, makes this one of the most unpredictable and exciting races at the meeting.

Britannia Stakes Winners

The prestige of the Britannia Stakes has rocketed over recent years, leading to enormous fields and entries from around the world. Like all great handicap races the Britannia Stakes regularly serves up surprise winners, with an excellent example being the last Britannia Stakes winner, Eddie Jock, who won the race at 33-1 odds despite few backing his chances of picking up a major race win.

Top lightweight jockey Francis Norton has two recent Britannia Stakes wins to his credit, an impressive achievement given the unpredictable nature of the event. English jockey Jamie Spencer shares the spoils with Francis Norton, having achieved two race victories in 2003 and 2006.

John Gosden heads the Britannia Stakes winners list for trainers by the thinnest of margins. The top English trainer's racehorses won both the 2000 and 2001 Britannia Stakes, also taking third place in the 2001 Britannia Stakes.

Britannia Stakes Betting

The large field alone makes the Britannia Stakes a tough race to bet on. Race results are often dependent on racehorses' starting position and which horses are able to push into an early lead. The handicap doesn't help matters, and the race has earned a reputation for producing long-odds winners with the occasional short-odds favourite romping home just to complicate matters.

Britannia Stakes betting is best kept conservative and spread out amongst the winners.

For live horse race betting we recommend William Hill, one of the world's leading bookmakers.