The Ribblesdale Stakes

ASCOT, ENGLAND - JUNE 22: Michael Hills and Mont Etoile land The Ribblesdale Stakes run at Ascot on June 22, 2006, in Ascot, England. Today was the Third 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 Ribblesdale Stakes is the curtain-raiser for the Ascot Gold Cup. The second race of day three of the Royal Ascot meeting, the Ribblesdale Stakes is a Group 2 race run on the Ascot flat racing course. The 2008 Ribblesdale Stakes will be run at 3:05pm on Thursday the 22nd of June.

The Ribblesdale Stakes was first run in 1919 and is in honour of Thomas Lister, the 4th Baron Ribblesdale. The race is regarded as unofficial sequel to the annual Epsom Oaks race, with many of the same fillies involved in both races. Ribblesdale Stakes runners often go on to run in the Irish Oaks the following month.

The Ribblesdale Stakes is open to three-year-old fillies. The race is run over a mile and carries one of the richest purses of the Ascot meeting - £150,000.

Ribblesdale Stakes Winners

The Ribblesdale Stakes involves the best of the three-year-old filly milers in Britain. The most recent Ribblesdale Stakes winner was Silkwood. However, the stand-out Ribblesdale Stakes winner in recent years was Bolas, who clocked the one-minute, 28-second race record in 1994.

Celebrity jockey Frankie Dettori has the best record in the Ribblesdale Stakes. The Italian has ridden four Ribblesdale Stakes winners, easily overshadowing the race's next best jockey, two-time winner Michael Roberts.

With a Ribblesdale Stakes win a much sought-after prize amongst trainers, it is unsurprising that several top trainers have made a strong showing in the history of the event. Saeed bin Suroor, one of the most famous names in the recent history of the Royal Ascot, has trained three Ribblesdale Stakes Winners, matching Henry Cecil's win tally.

Ribblesdale Stakes Betting

The key to Ribblesdale Stakes betting is awareness of results at the Epsom Oaks race that features many of the same horses. Online form sites such as the Racing Post carry updated statistics and form information on all active racehorses that can be used to determine a horse's prospects in Royal Ascot races.

Although race favourites do have a decent record of finishing placed in the Ribblesdale Stakes, horse racing betting trends show that a favourite has not won the race in the past three years.

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