UK Horse Racing Tips

Bred and owned by Bjorn Nielsen and trained by John and Thady Gosden, Stradivarius is the leading stayer of his generation. Now retired, the son of Sea The Stars had won 20 of his 35 races over seven seasons and £3.4 million in prize money. He has the distinction of being named Cartier Champion Stayer in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Indeed, in both 2018 and 2019, Stradivarius won the so-called ‘WH Stayers’ Million’, a £1 million bonus awarded to any horse that won a recognised preparatory race – in his case, the Yorkshire Cup – followed by the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, Goodwood Cup and Lonsdale Cup. After paying out the bonus for the second time, Charles Hamilton, Chief Executive of Weatherbs Hamilton, said, ‘”I think, realistically, we have to declare this particular fight to be over…’

Stradivarius won the Gold Cup for the third successive year in 2020, emulating Sagaro, who did likewise, under Lester Piggott, in 1975, 1976 and 1977. After disappointing performances in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the British Champions Long Distance Cup at the end of the 2020 season, he returned to form when readily winning the aptly-named Sagaro Stakes at Ascot on his reappearance in April, 2021. Often ridden by Frankie Dettori, but with fellow Italian Andrea Atzeni on board for his final run in August 2022, Stradivarius certainly made his mark in the racing world.

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