Last year’s race

• Winner: Trinity College
• Jockey: Ryan Moore
• Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
• Owner: P Smith/Mrs Magnier/M Tabor/D Smith
• Age: 3 Weight: 9st 2lbs
• Starting Price: 5/2
• Season Form Figures: 124
• Previous Best: 4th - Prix du Jockey Club (Group 1), Chantilly (June 2025)

By Paul Jones

Previously run over 1m4f, the Hampton Court was upgraded from Listed status to Group 3 14 years ago having been a 1m2f handicap since 2000 so only patterns from the turn of the century are of interest from which point all nine fillies to run have yet to get seriously competitive.

The standout most recent trend is that five of the last eight winners had contested a Classic considering how heavily outnumbered such contenders have been. Trinity College and Hunting Horn previously finished fourth and sixth in the French Derby, Benbatl and Wapiro finished fifth and sixth in the Derby, and Claymore was last from the coffin-box draw in the French 2000 Guineas before he failed to read the script and turned over The Queen’s 2/5 favourite, Reach For The Moon, at around the time of her 70th anniversary on the throne. The 2011 winner, Pisco Sour, also contested the Derby.

The 2020 Covid running took place before the Derby and the 2021 winner, Mohaafeth, was withdrawn from the Derby on the day after the rain fell, a move that paid off for his connections, winning this contest over a more suitable 1m2f on fast ground instead and giving William Haggas a second Hampton Court success.

Of the 23 penalised horses to have run since 2000, only Afsare has won and just two others have made the frame. Afsare justified 9/4 favouritism on that occasion and this has been a race where the market leaders have come to the fore as 20 of the last 22 winners could be found in the first four in the betting. In fact, in 2020 the first four horses home occupied the first four places in the market and it was almost the same case in 2019 when the 1-2-3 were the three most fancied contenders.

A contest chock full of progressive horses mainly consisting from the top stables, of the 25 winners this century, 14 had been contesting and getting beaten in Group races (five of which in the Dante), five others contested a handicap on their last start (two of the last 11 winners won the London Gold Cup at Newbury and the last two runners-up finished third and first in that Newbury handicap) with another three running in a maiden last time out. The last ten winners were all officially rated between 105-113.

Hawkbill led home a Godolphin 1-2 ten years ago and then their Benbatl took the spoils in 2017. Aidan O’Brien has gone three better winning it on five occasions.