Last year’s race

• Winner: Revival Power
• Jockey: Oisin Murphy
• Trainer: Tim D Easterby
• Owner: King Power Racing Co Ltd
• Age: 2 Weight: 9st 0lbs
• Starting Price: 17/2
• Season Form Figures: 1021
• Previous Best: 1st - Julia Graves Roses Stakes (Listed), York (August 2025)

By Paul Jones

Given that five of the last 17 winners of the Flying Childers never even raced as three-year-olds, and 10 of the other 12 never won at three, we can be excused for concentrating on what we believe to be out-and-out two-year-olds for this test of raw speed over 5f.

The 2022 short-head runner-up for example, The Platinum Queen, then went on to become the first two-year-old win the Prix de l’Abbaye since 1978 and the 2023 winner, Big Evs, won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on his next start on firm ground - another race all about brazen speed.

The most recent trend to note is a big one as up until the shock 40/1 winner, Ubettabelieveit, in 2020, the previous four winners had all won over 5f at Royal Ascot. Ardad and Soldier’s Call won the Windsor Castle, Heartache completed the Queen Mary-Flying Childers double and A’Ali did likewise in the colt’s equivalent by winning the Norfolk at Royal Ascot. The 2023 winner, Big Evs, join that recent quartet having won the Windsor Castle.

Like the equivalent two-year-old race at Glorious Goodwood over 5f, the Molecomb Stakes, the Flying Childers has historically been a good race for fillies with 12 wins in the last 34 years, which is a decent return given the extent to which they have been outnumbered over that period of time. Big Evs may be a colt, but he completed the Molecomb-Flying Childers double two years ago.

With regards to the Molecomb won this season by Pershaada, the omens are good as five of its last 19 winners went on to add the Flying Childers (Fleeting Spirit, Zebedee, Requinto, Trillium and Big Evs) plus Cotai Gory was certainly going to be another in 2014 but for unseating his rider with 50 yards to race when clear letting in the Molecomb third, Beacon, to take the spoils.

In fact, the 2024 Molecomb 1-2 also filled the first two positions in the Flying Childers, though in reverse order from Goodwood with Aesterius turning the tables on Big Mojo. Moreover, the 1993, 1995 and 2006 Flying Childers winners finished second in the Molecomb and in 2018 Soldier’s Call was third before there before coming on to win here having won a Group 3 in France in between.

The Gimcrack Stakes won by Arapaho Gold is also a guide worth noting and not necessarily just those who ran well on the Knavesmire. Ubettabelieveit was last of nine at York before winning here two years ago and Ardad was only seventh of eight in the 2017 Gimcrack but appreciated the step back down to 5f. Others defeated in the Gimcrack to win the Flying Childers since 1996 were Easycall, Sheer Viking, Saddad, Wi Dud and Beacon, so don’t rule out beaten contenders from York dropping down in trip. Last season’s Flying Childers winner, Revival Power, was following up his win in the Julia Graves Roses Stakes, also at the Ebor Meeting.

The Weatherbys Super Sprint won by Zigazig Ah has been another notable guide featuring four winners since 2000 notably Superstar Leo, who completed the double.

Experience has been key with just five of the last 33 winners not having run at least four times previously, so last-time-out flashy maiden/novice winners can be taken on. In fact, 15 of those 33 winners had run on a minimum of five occasions beforehand (and five of the last 16 winners were having their seventh start of the campaign here no less), which is a highly unusual profile for a winner of a two-year-old Group 2 race.

Since 1994, four trainers have won this event more than once; Kevin Ryan, Richard Hannon Snr, Richard Hannon (Jnr) and Sir Michael Stoute. So, the Hannon stable combined have won this race on seven occasions; Cayman Kai, Godfrey Street, Zebedee, Sir Prancealot, Beacon, Gutaifan and Trillium.