Queen's Vase
| Group 2 race | |
| Location |
Ascot Racecourse Ascot, England |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1838 |
| Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
| Website | Ascot |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1m 5f 211y (2,808 metres) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Right-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds |
| Weight | 9 st 0 lb Allowances 3 lb for fillies Penalties 3 lb for G1 winners * * since 31 August last year |
| Purse |
£161,250 (2017) 1st: £91,445 |
The Queen's Vase is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 5 furlongs and 211 yards (2,808 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.
The event was established over a distance of 2 miles in 1838, and its original trophy was a gold vase donated by Queen Victoria. The race was initially confined to horses aged three, but it was opened to older horses in 1840. Its title was changed to the King's Vase in 1903, and it was given its current name in 1960.
The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and for a period the Queen's Vase held Group 3 status. It was relegated to Listed class in 1986, and it was restricted to three-year-olds in 1987. It returned to Group 3 level in 1991 and was downgraded to Listed status again in 2014. However in a move to recognise the importance of staying Flat races in the calendar the European Pattern Committee decided to upgrade the race to Group 2 status in 2017 while reducing its distance to 1 mile and 6 furlongs.
The Queen's Vase is now contested on the fourth day of the five-day Royal Ascot meeting. It is one of three perpetual trophies at the meeting, along with the Royal Hunt Cup and the Gold Cup, which can be kept permanently by the winning owners.
The 2013 running was renamed the 'Queen's Vase In Memory of Sir Henry Cecil' in memory of Sir Henry Cecil who died on 11 June 2013. Sir Henry had trained the winners of more races than anyone at the Royal meeting (75), included eight winners of the Queen's Vase.
Leading jockey (6 wins):
Leading trainer (8 wins):
a The 2005 running took place at York.
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