Royal Ascot 2025: Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes Stats Guide
Last year’s race
Winner: Pilgrim
Jockey: Joe Fanning
Trainer: David & Nicola Barron
Owner: Mr H D Atkinson
Age: 3
Weight: 9st 1lbs
Starting Price: 18/1
Season Form Figures: 031
Previous Best: 1st - Class 4 Handicap, Musselburgh (June 2024)
By Paul Jones
This will be just the sixth running of this 5f handicap for three-year-olds rated 0-105, so more evidence is clearly required, but already four quite interesting areas are worth throwing into the argument.
Very early days, of course, but only one horse from the top six in the weights (last year’s 4th) has finished any better than eighth in the five editions so far.
The first four winners were also towards the fore in the betting for such a big-field sprint handicap, returning with an SP of no bigger than 12/1. In fact, the 2023 1-2-3-4 were priced up at no bigger than 12/1, while four of the first six in the betting finished in the first five in 2021. And as for the first running, the favourite beat the second-favourite into second, with the third-favourite finishing third. Maybe a handicap to chance a few at the front of the market in combined exactas and trifectas then, despite Pilgrim's 18/1 success 12 months ago.
The first four runnings also favoured horses drawn high (25-16-17-20, 11-21-26-28, and 24-22-20-23), while in the inaugural running the 6/4 favourite Art Power scorched to victory by 3 lengths, when the stands’ side was the place to be again (19-21-11-20). Of course, it also helped that he went on to be a future Group 1 winner. Only one horse drawn in single-figures featured in the top-10 places last year.
Another interesting aspect from the inaugural running is that despite fillies in the race were outnumbered 2:1, they finished second, third, fourth and fifth. They were also responsible for both the second and third in 2022, as well as the third and fourth last year.
At a glance summary
Positives
Priced no bigger than 12/1Fillies
Negatives
Top six in the handicap
Drawn in a single-figure stall