The Windsor Forest Stakes

The Windsor Forest Stakes is a Group 2 race for thoroughbred fillies that remained in training beyond their 3-year-old season.

The Windsor Forest Stakes is one of the more recent additions to the Royal Ascot meeting and was first run in 2004. The event was created to offer horses that had performed well in the two- and three-year-olds events in previous years the opportunity to continue their careers and contest major races.

The Windsor Forest Stakes is open to four-year-old thoroughbred fillies and is run over one mile on the Ascot flat racing course. It is not unusual to see winners of the previous season's Irish and English 1,000 Guineas participating in this race.

Windsor Forest Stakes Betting

A trend that has emerged in the short history of the Windsor Forest Stakes betting is race favourites performing well in the race. Class from the previous season tends to carry over into this race, and winners of major 3-year-old group 1 races are therefore favourites in the betting markets.

Windsor Forest Stakes Winners

Four horses have won the Windsor Forest Stakes. Of these the most notable is Soviet Song, who did credit to her favourite rating in 2006 by winning the Windsor Forest Stakes. Her victory came on the heels of her being voted the highest-rated older filly in the world in 2004 and 2005. At present the race record belongs to 2005 winner Peeress, with a time of 1 minute and 37 seconds - three seconds clear of the next fastest time.

A different jockey has claimed the Windsor Forest Stakes winners' title in each year of the race's running. Some of Britain's top jockeys have won the race during its brief history, including Michael Kinane, Jamie Spencer and Kieran Fallon.

In the short history of the Windsor Forest Stakes, one trainer has stamped his name on the event. Sir Michael Stoute won the first two Windsor Forest Stakes with Favourable Terms in 2004 and Peeress in 2005.