When you think of Royal Ascot, you’d be forgiven for thinking about races that have been taking place for hundreds of years, etched into the history books thanks to the longevity of their existence. You probably wouldn’t think much about a race that was only added to the program in 2020. That, though, is exactly what you get with the Copper Horse Handicap, which is open to horses aged four and over is run over a stance of just shy of two miles.
It is the final race on the first day of the Royal meeting, being the sort of race that often attracts jump racing trainers. It was one of three new handicap races added to the Royal Ascot card.
The field for the race is always competitive, largely thanks to the fact that it tends to bring in stayers that haven’t quite been able to make the grade for Group class events. The relative youth of the race means that there isn’t a huge amount that we can tell you about it yet.
What we can say is this is another race, like the Ascot Stakes earlier, that is good for the traditional National Hunt trainers, shown by the fact Willie Mullins has trained two of the six winners so far. All winners in this race have been rated between 95-101 with three 4-year-olds, one five-year-old and three six-year-olds winning to date. Three of the seven winners have been favourites.
Race Facts
When the Copper Horse Stakes took place for the first time in 2020, the winner was Fujaira Prince, setting a high standard for future iterations of the event. Having finished second at York the previous season and third behind Baghdad in the Royal Ascot’s Duke of Edinburgh Stakes before injury kept him way from the track for nearly a year, punters still backed him well for this race and with good reason. They sent him off as a well-backed favourite and he didn’t disappoint, meaning that it was the bettors who won the battle with the bookmakers in the race’s inaugural running.
Fast-forward a year and it wads the bookies who were smiling in 2021. The Willie Mullins-trained Saldier went off as the 15/8 favourite, but Ryan Moore never looked happy on the gelding and it ended up being fought over by two 33/1 offerings. It was Hollie Doyle that won out in the end, taking the John and Thady Gosden-trained Amtiyaz past the post ahead of Jamie Spender on Dubious Affair. That was an impressive win when you consider that he’d only ridden on turf once before, having made his name riding in staying handicaps at Kempton and Wolverhampton.
It was the bookmakers who were happy again a year on, with 16/1 Get Shirty being ridden home well by Daniel Tudhope. If the punters were getting worried then they were soon feeling relaxed again thanks to the victory of Vauban in 2023. That was another horse trained by Willie Mullins that was well-backed, ending up taking to the starting stalls as the Evens Favourite and very much living up to his billing. Interestingly, he had been in stall 7, just like Get Shirty had been the year before. It was a race with 16 runners, which had been the case in every year bar 2021, which had 15.
Mullins did it again in 2024 with William Buick ridden Belloccio, priced at 4/1 and John & Thady Gosden trained another winner in 2025, 5/2 favourite French Master ridden by James Doyle. This means Willie Mullins and John & Thady Gosden now hold the trainer record in this race with 2 wins each. The 2026 race was won by 4 year old Daiquiri Bay at 6/1 ridden by Rossa Ryan and trained by Alan King.
Records For Most Wins
| Record Type | No of Wins | Record Holder |
|---|---|---|
| Horse | 1 | Multiple (7) |
| Trainer | 2 | Willie Mullins & John & Thady Gosden |
| Jockey | 1 | Multiple (7) |
Previous Winners
| Year | Winner | Age | Odds | Prize | Jockey / Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Daiquiri Bay | 4 | 6/1 | £61,848 |
J: Rossa Ryan
T: Alan King
|
| 2025 | French Master | 4 | 5/2 F | £56,694 |
J: James Doyle
T: John & Thady Gosden
|
| 2024 | Belloccio | 6 | 4/1 | £56,694 |
J: William Buick
T: Willie Mullins
|
About The Race
.jpg){kind=link}
It might seem as though the name of the race is a bit odd, especially when you consider the fact that every other event that is run during the week of Royal Ascot has some sort of link to the Royal Family. If you know your Royal history, however, then you’ll probably have a good idea of where the title comes from. The Copper Horse is a statue that was made in 1831 and stands at Snow Hill in the Great Park of Windsor. On the back of the horse is George III, who is seemingly pointing at Windsor Castle, with the statue having been commission by his son, George VI.
The race itself tends to last for around three minutes, with none of those run to date coming in at under that time. The other interesting thing about it is that it isn’t a race that tends to offer you any hints by looking at what the horses were doing before taking part in it. Fujaira Prince had been out with injury for 362 days prior to returning and winning in 2020, whilst Amtiyaz plied his tried on all-weather tracks before winning here in only his second outing on a turf track. It is a race that is likely to appeal to National Hunt trainers on account of the length of the event, which is emphasised when you see Willie Mullins has trained two winners.
When the race was first run, it was only intended to be a one-off, added to the calendar in order to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. As with most of the races that were added for that reason, it was decided that the extra day should remain as part of the meeting. As a result, it now looks to be a permanent fixture at Ascot, so more information will become clear in the years that follow. Ultimately, one of the biggest influences on the outcome of the event will be the world of the handicapper, who assigns the weights for each of the horses to carry in line with their ability.
Race Trivia
As you might imagine, there isn’t loads of trivia yet about such a young race, but here’s something we can tell you:
Look Out For The Horse’s Rating
At the time of writing, here are the ratings of the winners of the race: 99, 95, 99, 101, 100, 100, 100. In other words, those that are rated at around 100 will have a good chance of getting themselves over the finish line first. Of course, the higher the horse’s rating the more weight the handicapper is likely to ask them to carry, but if you can find a horse that is able to defy the handicapper then you’ll be well-placed with your betting.
That, of course, is something of a key to betting on handicap races in general so we’re not telling you anything special, but it is worth bearing in mind for this event.
Summary
There are several races that were added to the Royal Ascot lineup on a temporary basis in 2020, which was when the racecourse decided to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The Copper Horse Stakes was one of them, but, as with most of the others, it has remained as a permanent fixture since. Named in honour of a statue that stands near Windsor Castle depicting King George III on horseback and pointing at the Royal household, the event is often targeted by National Hunt trainers as well as those with horses that haven’t quite made the cut for Group events.
Run over one mile and six furlongs, the Copper Horse Stakes is a handicap event that asks the official handicapper to assign weights to the participating horses depending on their ability. With one winner who had been absent for a year before taking part and another who was only riding on turf for the second time in a career that has mostly been spent on all-weather tracks, it isn’t an easy race to predict by looking at the form of the runners. The race usually lasts for a touch over three minutes, with the winners tending to have an official rating of around and about 100.