Royal Ascot 2022: Duke Of Cambridge Stakes Stats Guide

Last year’s race

Winner: Indie Angel

Jockey: L Dettori

Trainer: J & T Gosden

Owner: Cheveley Park Stud

Age: 4 Weight: 9st 0lbs

Starting Price: 22/1

Season Form Figures: 54

Previous Best: 1st - Listed EBF Fleur De Lys Fillies’ Stakes, Lingfield (October 2020)

By Paul Jones

This Group 2 affair for older fillies and mares over the straight mile will be the 19th running since it was upgraded from being a Listed race at the September Meeting and a number of strong patterns have emerged since its upgrade. Peeress (14/1) and Amazing Maria (25/1) were hard to find but the favourite or second-favourite has won on ten occasions.

The most notable negative trend is that none of the 13 fillies to run under Group 1 winning penalty (5lb) have won and just two have placed - the vast majority being well to the fore in the market. If declared, Alcohol Free, Mother Earth and Saffron Beach would have to defy their 5lb penalty. Godolphin’s Usherette defied 3lb penalty in style six years ago so an extra 2lb would have made no difference to that result.

All but four of the 18 winners since the race became part of Royal Ascot had won a Group 2 or Group 3 earlier in their career with another three having won at Listed level. As such, Move Swiftly would not have been on the radar of trends backers in 2019 being the first winner of the Duke of Cambridge not to have won at any of those levels.

Of the 17 winners when this race was run at Ascot (one running at York), six had previously recorded a victory at the course and another three had been placed at the previous year’s Royal Meeting so quality course form is certainly a bonus.

The leading connections have been Sir Michael Stoute and Cheveley Park Stud who have combined to win the race twice and both have won it twice more separately and they could team up again with the bet365 Mile winner, Lights On. The same owners also have the Princess Elizabeth Stakes 1-2 of Bashkirova and Potapova also in the mix and that Group 2 at Epsom often throws up a leading hope. Sacred is a fourth potential contender for Cheveley Park Stud whose Indie Angel caused a 22/1 surprise in last season’s Duke of Cambridge.

She had previously finished fourth in the Dahlia Stakes so was reversing placings with the winner at Newmarket, Lady Bowthorpe, who finished second here. The Dahlia has been a notable guide as the last nine winners to take their chance here have produced two winners, two seconds and a third plus Integral finished second seven years ago before adding this more sought-after prize. This season’s Dahlia saw Dreamloper (since added the Group 1 Prix D’Ispahan) beat Ville De Grace and Ebaiyra.

John Gosden is chasing a hat-trick in the race after wins for Nazeef and Indie Angel and has now joined Sir Michael Stoute (also had four seconds) on four victories. Godolphin have supplied four beaten favourites but the Andre Fabre-trained Usherette put that right for them as the market leader six years ago. The French are not to be underestimated having supplied three winners, two seconds and three thirds so pay any Gallic rivals plenty of respect.

Four-year-olds have had much the best of it leading their older rivals 15-3 but they have held a numerical advantage making up approximately three-quarters of the total runners so don't read too much into that.

At a glance summary:

POSITIVES

The favourite or second-favourite

Contested the Dahlia Stakes (the winner especially)

Winning course form

Won or placed at Royal Ascot last year

Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, John & Thady Gosden or in France

Owned by Cheveley Park Stud

NEGATIVES

Running under a Group 1 penalty

Yet to win a Group race