The St James' Palace Stakes

ASCOT, ENGLAND - JUNE 19: Jamie Spencer and Excellent Art (R) get the better of the Mick Kinane ridden Duke Of Marmalade to land The St James's Palace Stakes Race run at Ascot Racecourse during the First day of The Royal Meeting held at the Berkshire track on June 19, 2007, in Ascot, England. (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images)

The St James' Palace Stakes is the third race of the day run on day one of the Royal Ascot meeting, and the first prestigious Group 1 race run at the meeting. The 2008 St James' Palace Stakes will be run at 3:45pm on Tuesday the 20th of June.

The St James' Palace Stakes was added to the Royal Ascot meeting in 1834, with the first St James' Palace Stakes being won by Plenipotentiary. The race was named after the residence favoured by the Royal Family during the Tudor period, and upgraded to a Group 1 race in 1988.

As a Group 1 race the St James' Palace Stakes is one of the 31 horse races held in England each year considered to be of international importance. The St James' Palace Stakes is open to three-year-old horses and is run over the distance of a mile.

St James' Palace Stakes Winners

The St James' Palace Stakes attracts the finest milers in the horse racing world, and has seen several brilliant racehorses win the race as part of their short flat racing careers. Outstanding 2002 winner Rock of Gibraltar deserves special mention for winning the European Racehorse of the Year award following his St James' Palace Stakes win.

Irish jockey Michael Kinane can virtually call the race his own after capturing five St James' Palace Stake wins in the past two decades. Riding his first St James' Palace Stake winner in 1992, Kinane won the race again as recently as 2004 on Azamour.

Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien heads the list of St James' Palace Stakes winners with four of his racehorses winning the race in the last decade. Amongst the horses he has trained for victory was Sir Alex Ferguson's Rock of Gibraltar.

St James' Palace Stakes Betting

The St James' Palace Stakes is an immensely popular betting event at the Royal Ascot meeting. With the race run over a mile stamina comes into play, and St James' Palace Stakes betting involves picking horses with some experience over longer distances.

With Aidan O'Brien boasting a stellar record in the race his entries are hard to ignore. As race fields are confirmed you'll need to make sure you keep abreast of the latest St James's Palace Stakes betting odds.

We recommend William Hill for the best horse race betting experience.