LOOKING AHEAD to . . . the Henry II Stakes
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LOOKING AHEAD TO . the Henry II Stakes WHERE: SANDOWN PARK WHEN: MAY 27 by JOHN SCANLON NYONE who has followed the careers of the top to land the Gold Cup after the Ascot Group 1. one of four runners from the stable, the others being And A stayers trained by Johnston Racing over the years winning the Sandown A similar Beyond and Murghem. will be aware of the importance of the Henry II race. programme the Stakes at Sandown in the racing calendar. The great Double following N 2019, Dee Ex Bee landed the race for Sheikh Hamdan The race, established in 1963 and to be run at the end of Trigger won the race season saw I bin Mohammed, ridden by Silvestre de Sousa. Having this month, is open to horses aged four or above, and is over in 1995 and 1996, on him finish comprehensively defeated Mekong at Sandown, with a distance of two miles and 50 yards. It has been a Group 3 both occasions ridden second in Austrian School and Making Miracles finishing third and since 2012. by Jason Weaver. In the Gold fourth, Dee Ex Bee’s next three races saw him finish second It is named after King Henry II, the first Plantagenet King 1995, he went straight Cup, just to Stradivarius, in the Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup and of England and father of the subsequent monarchs, Richard I from the Sandown race outpointed Lonsdale Cup. (the Lionheart) and John (of Magna Carta fame). to the extra half-mile by Classic The stable can also claim some credit in the 2005 winner of Apparently, Henry founded a priory on the site of Sandown of the Gold Cup, Cliche, who the race, Fight Your Corner, who won for Godolphin having Park in the 12th Century. slamming Moonax had warmed been trained by Mark in the early part of his career, finishing Leaving all of that aside, over by five lengths in up in the Yorkshire Cup. fifth in the Derby. the years the race has carved out Royal Rebel, our Gold Cup The Sandown race has also been won by horses of the class its own place in British racing winner of 2001/2, ran three of Ardross, the dual Arc winner, and Persian Punch. The 2018 history as a major trial for times in the Henry II Stakes, winner, Magic Circle, even ran next in the Melbourne Cup at the Gold Cup at Ascot. including both renewals in those Flemington, and was far from disgraced in a midfield finish. Since the turn of the years, without winning. Indeed, One of the highlights of the racing programme for stayers, century, Mr Dinos, in 2002, the race was won by our this year’s renewal will take place at Sandown on May 27, Papineau and Big own Akbar, ridden by Richard Hills and it’s a fair bet that Johnston Racing will be seeking to land Orange have all gone on and owned by Markus Graff, who was the race for a fifth time. Dee Ex Bee, who won the Henry II Stakes in 2019 24 25.