Past winners of the Hungerford Stakes

It is that time of year on the flat racing calendar where Newbury opens its doors and welcomes back the return of the Hungerford Stakes. Despite uncertainty at the start of the year regarding events taking place due to the coronavirus pandemic, racegoers are back. So far, we have seen the influence even a marginal crowd can have on the group one and two races, with hundreds flocking into marquees to enjoy a sense of normality, searching for what are the best horse racing betting sites in hope of picking a winner. Last year’s Hungerford Stakes, like many big sporting events throughout 2020, took place behind closed doors, but with the return of fans at Newbury racecourse, attention will not be overshadowed by the pandemic and paid solely on the racing. 

For this year’s race, there are several favourites that are within a chance of winning over the seven furlongs. Charlie Appleby’s D’bai is back after a few months’ absence, with the experienced trainer looking to add to his already impressive prize fund and add himself to the list of winners with a different horse. The last few races have been closely contended, so read on as we go through the last five winners of the Hungerford Stakes in ascending order.

2016 – Richard Pankhurst

Having not tasted a major victory in almost two years following the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot due to injury, Richard Pankhurst was a surprise winner back in 2016. The thoroughbred pipped home of the brave towards the final furlong to prove his injuries and fragility were a thing of the past. Since then, the horse has gone on to race in Abu Dhabi. 

2017 – Massaat

The Irish horse, trained by Owen Burrows, claimed victory in Newbury, winning by a length and three-quarters. The great performance of Jim Crowley was a key asset in Massaat’s success. The jockey said: “It was a great training performance to bring him back.

“He loved that slower ground, it’s quite important to him. He was a little bit fresh and free early on but he saw the race out well.”

2018 – Sir Dancealot

Another Irish horse to add to the list, the 2018 winner of the Hungerford Stakes was the David Elsworth-trained Sir Dancealot. Having already claimed victories over that year’s seven-furlong season, including wins at Newmarket and the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood, he came into the race as one of he favourites and certainly did deliver. After being held up at the start, Sir Dancealot began to pull away and eased to victory in no real danger of getting caught, as he won by a length and a quarter.

2019 – Glorious Journey

As mentioned before, Appleby has a reputation in this competition, and his horse Glorious Journey was steered to victory in a fairly routine fashion. By a quarter mile, he took the lead and sustained it all the way with no real danger of it being relinquished. Jockey James Doyle was happy with the performance saying:  “We thought quite a bit of him as a two-year-old then we lost him a little bit. Seven furlongs is perfect for him I think there’s lots more to look forward to.”

2020- Dream of Dreams

The most recent winner in Newbury, Dream of Dreams captured success last year, but was unable to bask in the full celebrations that the previous winners were able to. Seen as the ‘nearly horse’ for so long after some underwhelming finishes to races, all the cards fell into Sir Michael Stoute’s hands as his horse delivered at last.