Royal Ascot 2025: (Group 3) Albany Stakes Stats Guide

Last year’s race
Winner: Fairy Godmother
Jockey: Ryan L Moore
Trainer: Aidan P O'Brien
Owner: Mr M Tabor, D Smith & Mrs John Magnier
Age: 2
Weight: 9st 2lbs
Starting Price: 15/8
Season Form Figures: 21
Previous Best: 1st - Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes (Group 3), Naas (May 2024)

By Paul Jones

Aidan O’Brien has now saddled three winners (all in the last nine years) following Fairy Godmother’s escape act to win last year, but a setback means she has yet to be seen since. Godolphin, on the other hand, are still awaiting their first Albany victory, despite sending out some leading hopes.

Introduced into the Royal Meeting 23 years ago, this Group 3 6f race restricted to two-year-old fillies may not be as prestigious as the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes in terms of its official status but it has certainly been the classier of the two races in recent seasons.

For example, it has featured two of the last four winners of the 1000 Guineas (in fact, Cachet and Mawj were both beaten in the Albany), as well as last year’s narrow 1000 Guineas second Porta Fortuna. In fact, five of the last 14 Albany winners went on to win a Group 1 contest.

Strong trends are thin on the ground, but it is certainly of significant interest that the last three winners in Meditate, Porta Fortuna and Fairy Godmother all previously won the Group 3 Fillies Sprint Stakes at Naas, which was won this season by Lady Iman, who made it 3-3 for Ger Lyons by seeing off Green Sense and Signora for O’Brien’s Jr and Snr, when successfully stepping up to 6f having shown pace aplenty over 5f. Cuis Ghaire also completed the same double in 2008.

Eleven winners were having just their second career start here and three winners had won at Sandown also appreciating that stiff finish. Naas also has a stiff, uphill finish, so no surprise that fillies to have won there also have a good Albany record.

Team Hannon have secured three victories and all three entered the Albany Stakes off the back of winning a maiden on their sole previous start. As with all two-year-old races at Royal Ascot, the Channon stable’s contenders need to be viewed closely, and they have also won three runnings including a 1-2 in 2003. Take note that two of their winners have also been upsets striking at 40/1 and 16/1 plus five of their other 12 runners have all run creditably finishing in the first six in what is well-contested event.

The last four winners were drawn low-centre but the previous 10 were drawn in double-figure stalls including three from closest to the stands’ rail (high).

Different League was a very rare French-trained two-year-old winner at Royal Ascot when causing a 20/1 surprise seven years ago.

At a glance summary

Positives
Won the Group 3 Fillies Sprint Stakes at Naas
Had just one career start
Won a maiden or novice last time out
Drawn high
Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Richard Hannon or Jack Channon
Won at Sandown

Negatives
Godolphin