Two-Year-old Horse Racing: Brocklesby Stakes Winners

The 23^rd March 2024 the Flat turf season began and the second race on the card at Doncaster (1:50) saw the Brocklesby Stakes take place. This two-year-old horse race had a bumper win price of £20,616. As detailed in a recent post: Why I Love The Brocklesby Stakes [Horseracingdirectory.net] this race has been won by a number of talented horses, a few going on to be sires.

The winner of the Brocklesby Stakes 2024 Zminiature, trained by Dylan Cuhna, ridden by Rhys Clutterbuck, raced in the familiar silks of the Sarkar family. This diminutive son of Territories ran on well to win in stylish fashion at odds of 16/1, beating Bob The Bandit trained by Brocklesby legend Bill Turner, who has won this race 6 times, dating back to Indian Spark in 1996 when ridden by Tim Sprake. Turner last won this race in 2013 with Mick’s Yer Man. Interesting the horse was later sold to race in Hong Kong where his name was changed to Always Win. This son of Bahamian Bounty went on to win 7 races and total price earning of £328,456.

The Brocklesby Stakes has seen winners including Mind Games (1994), Hearts Of Fire (2009) and more recently Persian Force (2022) trained by Richard Hannon in the ownership of Amo Racing Limited.

In fact the likes of Mind Games, The Last Lion and Persian Force all went on to be stallions.

Looking at the list of Brocklesby Stakes winners on the Wikipedia page, they go back to 1988 when Denham Green won for trainer Steve Muldoon, ridden by J H Brown.

From 1988 to 2024 (a period of 37-years) there have been 37 races although 2020 didn’t take place due to the COVID pandemic and in 2017 the race was split into two divisions.

It’s interesting to consider the winning odds of the 2024 winner Zminiature who returned at 16/1 as the race history has proven to favour those more fancied in the betting with 31/37 (83%) being won by horses priced 10/1 and less starting price (SP).

Interest to note that two of the shortest priced winners were better horses.

For instance:

2016 – The Last Lion, trained by Mark Johnston was priced 4/5f. He went on to win the Middle Park Stakes (Group 1) at odds of 25/1. He went to stud after his two-year-old career. However, he wasn’t successful at stud and came out of retirement to race some five-years later. He raced just four times, pulling up on his final start at Kempton.

2022 – Persian Force won ‘impressively’ for Richard Hannon in the ownership of Amo Racing Limited. A very talented sprinter, he raced 8 times achieving 3 wins including the July Stakes (Group 2) at Newmarket and narrow loser when runner-up in the Prix Morny (Group 1) at Deauville, France. He concluded his two-year-old racing season and career when finishing fourth at Keeneland in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Race in the United States. He now stands as a sire at Tally Ho Stud, Ireland for 8,000 (Euros].

For those who love their two-year-old racing the Brocklesby Stakes will always be the starting point of hope and ambition. For some it will be their only win. While others such as Bill O’Gorman’s Provideo 1984 victor set a 20^th century record winning 16 of his 24 races at two, including a couple of Listed races. He was crowned British Horse of the Year (1984).

A truly exceptional horse.

Such a record will never be beaten.

Zminiature has proven his ability to win the Brocklesby Stakes. By all accounts the stable had high hopes detailed by the Racing Post: ‘That was expected. We really fancied Zminiature. He's small but he's done a lot of work and he's tough. We took him to Chelmsford on Monday and did all we had to. He's tiny but he's a lovely horse - Dylan Cunha, trainer.’

Only time will tell if this colt will achieve the lofty heights of past winners.

His name sits proudly in the record book of the Brocklesby Stakes.