Royal Ascot 2021 Stats Guides: Sandringham Stakes

This handicap for three-year-old fillies over a mile has been part of Royal Ascot since 2002 but it isn’t that strong a stats race. For the fourth year it is being run as a standard handicap rather than a Listed handicap so to all intents and purposes, it is basically now the fillies’ Britannia Stakes.

It has been a good idea to look at later developers as 13 winners since 1995 started the season as a maiden. Agrotera became the first last-time-out maiden winner since 2000 when she justified favouritism three years ago but very much look to last-time-out winners as they have supplied the winner on 14 occasions in the last 26 runnings.

With only five of the last 26 winners not being sent off in the front half-dozen in the market, it has been one of the better handicaps at the meeting for punters. Eighteen of those had visited the Winner's Enclosure at some point earlier in the campaign (obviously that was difficult last season when not holding up) and one of those not to score earlier in the campaign was having her seasonal debut.

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The classic trials of the Nell Gwyn and Pretty Polly have been worth noting. Four fairly recent winners ran creditably in the 1000 Guineas trial where they finished in the first five at Newmarket with. Osaila winning both races in 2015. Two recent Sandringham winners were also placed in the Oaks trial so were dropping back in distance.

Like so many handicaps at the Royal Meeting, Mark Johnston figures prominently but Charlie Fellowes and Hayley Turner have combined to win the last two runnings with a 33/1 outsider both times. Johnston had mustered just one runner in the eight renewals prior to Muteela’s success seven years ago which is surprising considering that four of his previous five runners made the frame including the winner in 1998. Also note Michael Bell or Ed Dunlop given that they have both won this race twice and Dunlop went within a neck of making in three wins eight years ago when supplying the runner-up and he also supplied the close-up third in 2016.

Jamie Spencer has ridden the winner on four occasions going back to 2006 (finished third of 27 last year) strengthening the view held by many that he is the best exponent of how to ride a hold-up horse in big handicaps on the straight course at Ascot. However, he trails Frankie Dettori by three winners having won it seven times.

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Positives: Last-time-out winner, trained by John Gosden, Mark Johnston, Ed Dunlop or Michael Bell, first six in the market, maiden at the start of the season, finished in the first five in the Nell Gwyn Stakes or placed in the Pretty Polly Stakes, ridden by Frankie Dettori or Jamie Spencer.

Negatives: None.