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European Free Handicap
Flat horse race in Britain
Flat horse race in Britain
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| class | Listed |
| horse race | European Free Handicap |
| location | Rowley Mile |
| Newmarket, England | |
| race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
| sponsor | Bet365 |
| website | Newmarket |
| distance | 7f (1,408 metres) |
| surface | Turf |
| track | Straight |
| qualification | Three-year-olds |
| weight | Handicap |
| purse | £35,000 (2021) |
| 1st: £19,849 |
Newmarket, England 1st: £19,849 |} The European Free Handicap was a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It was run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket in mid-April. In December 2022 the British Horseracing Authority announced that it would not be run in 2023.
The handicap for the race is based on the European Thoroughbred Rankings, an assessment of the previous season's two-year-olds published in January.
History
Records point to the first running of the race being 1929. It was won by top weight Sir Cosmo carrying 9st. The event was formerly known as the Free Handicap. For a period it was backed by the Tote. The word "European" was added to its title in 1981.
The race served as a trial for various Classics in Europe. The last winner to achieve victory in the 2000 Guineas was Mystiko in 1991. The last participant to win the 1000 Guineas was Harayir, the runner-up in 1995.
Records
Leading jockey (8 wins):
- Pat Eddery – Charlie Bubbles (1974), Lyric Dance (1979), Danehill (1989), Anshan (1990), Pursuit of Love (1992), So Factual (1993), Cayman Kai (1996), Twilight Blues (2002)
Leading trainer (5 wins):
- Richard Hannon Sr. – Bluegrass Prince (1994), Cayman Kai (1996), Cape Town (2000), Kamakiri (2005), Pausanias (2011)
Winners
- Weights given in stones and pounds.
| Year | Winner | Weight | Jockey | Trainer | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Sir Cosmo | 9-00 | Joe Childs | William Walters | 1:24.80 | |
| 1930 | Quothquan | 7-04 | Billy Nevett | Matthew Peacock | 1:27.60 | |
| 1931 | Zanoff | 7-05 | Jack Sirett | Major Molony | 1:26.00 | |
| 1932 | Rolling Rock | 9-00 | Rufus Beasley | Victor Gilpin | 1:29.60 | |
| 1933 | Cotoneaster | 6-13 | Bill Rickaby | Fred Templeman | 1:27.40 | |
| 1934 | Phaleron Bay | 7-07 | Eph Smith | Jack Jarvis | 1:26.00 | |
| 1935 | Knighted | 8-12 | Arthur Wragg | Percy Allden | 1:25.60 | |
| 1936 | Pay Up | 8-02 | Jack Sirett | Joseph Lawson | 1:25.80 | |
| 1937 | Mid-day Sun | 7-02 | Kenneth Robertson | Fred Butters | 1:30.80 | |
| 1938 | Lapel | 7-00 | Georgie Wells | George Lambton | 1:27.20 | |
| 1939 | Solar Cloud | 7-06 | Cliff Richards | Fred Darling | 1:27.00 | |
| 1940 | Salt Spring | 8-12 | Les Miles | V Hobbs | 1:31.40 | |
| 1941 | Orthodox | 8-03 | Doug Smith | Noel Cannon | 1:29.60 | |
| 1942 | no race 1942–43 | |||||
| 1944 | Roadhouse | 7-12 | Eph Smith | Jack Jarvis | 1:29.00 | |
| 1945 | Grandmaster | 8-13 | Tommy Carey | Walter Nightingall | 1:27.60 | |
| 1946 | Cama | 8-05 | Gordon Richards | Frank Butters | 1:31.40 | |
| 1947 | Benedictine | 8-07 | Michael Beary | Henry Leach | 1:28.20 | |
| 1948 | Rear Admiral | 8-11 | Herbert Packham | Herbert Smyth | 1:28.20 | |
| 1949 | Spy Legend | 8-00 | Percy Evans | Rufus Beasley | 1:24.20 | |
| 1950 | The Moke | 7-02 | Tommy Mahon | Willie Stephenson | 1:26.00 | |
| 1951 | Wilwyn | 7-12 | Manny Mercer | George Colling | 1:30.80 | |
| 1952 | Caerlaverock | 7-12 | Frankie Durr | William Smyth | 1:28.60 | |
| 1953 | Good Brandy | 8-05 | Doug Smith | Harry Peacock | 1:26.34 | |
| 1954 | Sun Festival | 8-02 | Sir Gordon Richards | Noel Murless | 1:28.28 | |
| 1955 | Counsel | 8-11 | Joe Mercer | Jack Colling | 1:29.36 | |
| 1956 | Honeylight | 8-07 | Edgar Britt | Charles Elsey | 1:28.07 | |
| 1957 | Quorum | 8-07 | Alec Russell | Wilfrid Lyde | 1:27.00 | |
| 1958 | Faultless Speech | 8-04 | Eph Smith | Harold Wallington | 1:27.20 | |
| 1959 | Petite Etoile | 9-00 | George Moore | Noel Murless | 1:32.65 | |
| 1960 | Running Blue | 8-04 | Johnny Limb | Jack Jarvis | 1:28.24 | |
| 1961 | Erudite | 8-06 | Jimmy Etherington | Richard Peacock | 1:28.40 | |
| 1962 | Privy Councillor | 8-04 | Joe Sime | Tom Waugh | 1:28.84 | |
| 1963 | Ros Rock | 8-01 | Paul Tulk | Jeremy Tree | 1:33.04 | |
| 1964 | Port Merion | 8-09 | Scobie Breasley | Sir Gordon Richards | 1:26.26 | |
| 1965 | Short Commons | 8-04 | Russ Maddock | Pat Rohan | 1:26.88 | |
| 1966 | Kibenka | 8-04 | Ron Hutchinson | Atty Corbett | 1:27.14 | |
| 1967 | Supreme Sovereign | 8-01 | Peter Robinson | Avril Vasey | 1:24.90 | |
| 1968 | Panpiper | 7-13 | Ernie Johnson | Ron Smyth | 1:29.42 | |
| 1969 | Welsh Pageant | 8-10 | Sandy Barclay | Noel Murless | 1:29.12 | |
| 1970 | Shiny Tenth | 8-03 | Geoff Lewis | Atty Corbett | 1:29.80 | |
| 1971 | No Mercy | 8-05 | Brian Taylor | Harvey Leader | 1:27.85 | |
| 1972 | Panama Canal | 7-11 | Richard Marshall | Bill Marshall | 1:31.02 | |
| 1973 | Pitskelly | 8-05 | Bill Williamson | Michael Jarvis | 1:25.52 | |
| 1974 | Charlie Bubbles | 8-03 | Pat Eddery | Peter Walwyn | 1:25.56 | |
| 1975 | Green Belt | 8-09 | Eric Eldin | Harry Wragg | 1:35.52 | |
| 1976 | Man of Harlech | 8-04 | Ron Hutchinson | John Dunlop | 1:26.52 | |
| 1977 | Mrs McArdy | 8-00 | Taffy Thomas | Mick Easterby | 1:26.32 | |
| 1978 | Remainder Man | 7-10 | Michael Wigham | Reg Hollinshead | 1:28.13 | |
| 1979 | Lyric Dance | 8-10 | Pat Eddery | Jeremy Tree | 1:27.65 | |
| 1980 | Moorestyle | 8-10 | Lester Piggott | Robert Armstrong | 1:25.32 | |
| 1981 | Motavato | 8-13 | Steve Cauthen | Barry Hills | 1:28.46 | |
| 1982 | Match Winner | 9-04 | Lester Piggott | Henry Cecil | 1:26.39 | |
| 1983 | Boom Town Charlie | 8-11 | Tony Ives | Bill O'Gorman | 1:30.98 | |
| 1984 | Cutting Wind | 8-08 | Walter Swinburn | Michael Hinchliffe | 1:25.35 | |
| 1985 | Over the Ocean | 8-11 | Alain Lequeux | Olivier Douieb | 1:27.60 | |
| 1986 | Green Desert | 9-07 | Walter Swinburn | Michael Stoute | 1:32.36 | |
| 1987 | Noble Minstrel | 9-07 | Alain Badel | Olivier Douieb | 1:27.00 | |
| 1988 | Lapierre | 9-01 | Michael Roberts | Clive Brittain | 1:27.61 | |
| 1989 | Danehill | 9-01 | Pat Eddery | Jeremy Tree | 1:27.57 | |
| 1990 | Anshan | 9-07 | Pat Eddery | John Gosden | 1:24.07 | |
| 1991 | Mystiko | 9-02 | Michael Roberts | Clive Brittain | 1:25.72 | |
| 1992 | Pursuit of Love | 9-01 | Pat Eddery | Henry Cecil | 1:26.55 | |
| 1993 | So Factual | 9-06 | Pat Eddery | Guy Harwood | 1:26.23 | |
| 1994 | Bluegrass Prince | 8-13 | Frankie Dettori | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:30.67 | |
| 1995 | Diffident | 9-05 | Michael Kinane | André Fabre | 1:22.93 | |
| 1996 | Cayman Kai | 9-07 | Pat Eddery | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:22.98 | |
| 1997 | Hidden Meadow | 9-03 | Frankie Dettori | Ian Balding | 1:25.60 | |
| 1998 | Desert Prince | 9-05 | Olivier Peslier | David Loder | 1:31.39 | |
| 1999 | Bertolini | 9-07 | Frankie Dettori | John Gosden | 1:26.00 | |
| 2000 | Cape Town | 9-02 | Richard Hughes | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:27.50 | |
| 2001 | Clearing | 9-06 | Richard Hughes | John Gosden | 1:29.37 | |
| 2002 | Twilight Blues | 9-05 | Pat Eddery | Brian Meehan | 1:24.88 | |
| 2003 | Indian Haven | 9-01 | John Egan | Paul D'Arcy | 1:27.01 | |
| 2004 | Brunel | 8-13 | Darryll Holland | William Haggas | 1:26.45 | |
| 2005 | Kamakiri | 8-10 | Ryan Moore | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:24.51 | |
| 2006 | Misu Bond | 8-13 | Tony Culhane | Bryan Smart | 1:24.11 | |
| 2007 | Prime Defender | 9-05 | Michael Hills | Barry Hills | 1:23.36 | |
| 2008 | Stimulation | 9-03 | Steve Drowne | Hughie Morrison | 1:27.17 | |
| 2009 | Ouqba | 8-09 | Richard Hills | Barry Hills | 1:27.22 | |
| 2010 | Red Jazz | 9-06 | Michael Hills | Barry Hills | 1:26.55 | |
| 2011 | Pausanias | 8-12 | Richard Hughes | Richard Hannon Sr. | 1:24.06 | |
| 2012 | Telwaar | 8-11 | William Buick | Peter Chapple-Hyam | 1:28.03 | |
| 2013 | Garswood | 9-00 | Tony Hamilton | Richard Fahey | 1:24.84 | |
| 2014 | Shifting Power | 9-01 | Ryan Moore | Richard Hannon Jr. | 1:26.72 | |
| 2015 | Home of the Brave | 8-13 | James Doyle | Hugo Palmer | 1:22.22 | |
| 2016 | Ibn Malik | 9-06 | Paul Hanagan | Charlie Hills | 1:26.17 | |
| 2017 | Whitecliffsofdover | 9-07 | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | 1:24.68 | |
| 2018 | Anna Nerium | 8-13 | Tom Marquand | Richard Hannon Jr. | 1:26.34 | |
| 2019 | Shine So Bright | 9-07 | Silvestre de Sousa | Andrew Balding | 1:24.68 | |
| no race 2020 | ||||||
| 2021 | Tactical | 9-05 | Oisin Murphy | Andrew Balding | 1:24.79 | |
| 2022 | New Science | 9-07 | William Buick | Charlie Appleby | 1:24.80 |
References
- Paris-Turf:
- , , , , ,
- Racing Post:
- , , , , , , , , ,
- , , , , , , , , ,
- , , , , , , , , ,
- , ,
- galopp-sieger.de – Newmarket Free Handicap.
- pedigreequery.com – European Free Handicap – Newmarket.
References
- (16 April 1980). "1980 Tote Free Handicap". [[The Herald (Glasgow).
- (15 April 1981). "1981 Tote European Free Handicap". Glasgow Herald.
- (17 March 2020). "Coronavirus: Horse racing in Great Britain suspended until end of April".
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