Group 2 race | |
Location |
Rowley Mile Newmarket, England |
---|---|
Inaugurated | 1981 |
Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
Sponsor | Shadwell Racing |
Website | Newmarket |
Race information | |
Distance | 7f (1,408 metres) |
Surface | Turf |
Track | Straight |
Qualification | Two-year-old fillies |
Weight | 9 st 0 lb |
Purse | £100,000 (2016) 1st: £56,710 |
The Rockfel Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.
The event is named after Rockfel, a successful filly whose victories included two Classics in 1938. It was established in 1981, and its first winner was Top Hope.
The Rockfel Stakes attained Listed status in 1985, and it was promoted to Group 3 level in 1986. It was upgraded to Group 2 in 1998.
The race was formerly staged during Newmarket's Champions' Day meeting in mid-October. It became part of a new fixture called Future Champions Day in 2011 and was moved to a September date from 2014, switching places in the calendar with the Fillies' Mile.
The leading horses from the Rockfel Stakes sometimes go on to compete in the following season's 1,000 Guineas. Four fillies have won both events, the most recent being Finsceal Beo (2006–07).
Leading jockey (4 wins):
Leading trainer (4 wins):
a The 1987 running was abandoned because of high winds and structural damage.