The King's Stand Stakes

ASCOT, ENGLAND - JUNE 20, Jay Ford and Takeover Target land The King's Stand Stakes Race run at Ascot Racecourse on June 20, 2006, in Ascot, England. Today is the first day of The Royal Meeting held at the Berkshire track, which has just reopened after the course underwent major redevelopment over the last two years. (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images)

The King's Stand Stakes is the second race of the day on day one of the Royal Ascot meeting. The King's Stand Stakes is regarded as the third leg of the international Global Sprint Challenge, falling between the Australia Stakes and the Golden Jubilee Stakes each year. The 2008 King's Stand Stakes will be run at 3:05pm on Tuesday the 20th of June.

The King's Stand Plate was first run in 1837 as the Stand Plate. It was renamed as the Royal Stand Plate and then the Queen's Plate before taking its current name in 1901. The race is a Group 2 flat race run on the Ascot flat racing course.

The King's Stand Plate is open to three-year-old and above thoroughbred racehorses and is run over a distance of five furlongs (approximately one kilometre). The fast-paced event rewards the winner with a massive £250,000 purse, making it one of the richest Group 2 races run at the Royal Ascot meeting.

King's Stand Plate Winners

Notable racehorses include 2006 King's Stand Plate winner, Australian-born Takeover Target, who was named best sprinter in the world on turf by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. Two times winner Elbio also stands out as the only horse to have claimed the title twice in the last two decades, with wins in 1991 and 1993.

In recent years no jockey has managed to dominate the King's Stand Plate winners' list, which is somewhat predictable as this race is heavily dependent on the talents of the racehorse rather than the jockey. During the late 1980s and early 1990s the race was fiercely contested by Willie Carson, Steve Cauthen and Walter Swinburn, who all managed to pick up two titles apiece during this period.

Similarly, no single trainer has managed to train numerous King's Stand Plate winners in recent years, with the last trainer to achieve this feat being Peter Makin, who won both races with Elbio.

King's Stand Stakes Betting

The King's Stand Stakes attracts runners from around the world, with recent races hosting a number of Australian thoroughbreds. The key to predicting a winner is keeping tabs on recent form, which can be done online at form tracking sites such as the Racing Post.

For live horse race betting we use William Hill, one of the world's largest betting companies.