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The Australian Turf Club and QIPCO British Champions Day have further deepened their international partnership by collaborating on a global initiative to showcase the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II trophies in various locations.
The Queen Elizabeth II name is popularly used for many horse racing events worldwide, including the Australian Turf Club-operated Royal Randwick's Queen Elizabeth Stakes, which is held in April. In Great Britain, the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is held on QIPCO British Champions Day every year. The Randwick trophy will be displayed in the main grandstand's Hall of Fame exhibition next week. Queen Elizabeth II was the first to be inducted into the Special Contributor category of the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame in 2021.
The other Queen Elizabeth II-named races are held in several countries, including the USA, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, and Australia (Melbourne). The trophies for each race will be available for viewing at their respective racecourses. Special presentations will be made by the Australian Turf Club and QIPCO British Champions Series Ltd to the winners' connections at the upcoming renewals.
The relationship between QIPCO British Champions Day and Sydney's flagship Autumn weight-for-age race, the Group One A$5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes, has never been stronger. Newmarket trainer William Haggas and jockey Tom Marquand have won three of the last four renewals of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick with DUBAI HONOUR (2023) and ADDEYBB (2020 & 2021). ADDEYBB also won the QIPCO Champion Stakes, the feature race on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot, in 2020. In 2021, Dubai Honour was the runner-up in the Champion Stakes.
Chief Executive of QIPCO British Champions Series, Rod Street said,“QIPCO British Champions Day will be proud to exhibit The Queen Elizabeth Trophy, kindly lent by the Australian Turf Club.
“Queen Elizabeth II’s lifelong passion for racing created widespread interest and global investment in the sport. That there are so many prestigious races named after her internationally is testament to her patronage of the sport throughout her life.
“Our knowledgeable racing crowd will enjoy viewing this exhibit, as they have enjoyed others on this day over the years, when we have celebrated racing’s history and heritage with similar displays.”
Australian Turf Club Chairman, Peter McGauran, said the relationship between Royal Randwick, Royal Ascot and Queen Elizabeth II was unique in the world of racing:
“Royal Randwick remains the only racecourse in the world outside of Royal Windsor Racecourse to carry the great honour of bearing the Royal name,’’ Mr McGauran said.
“We are delighted to further strengthen that link with British Champions Series, Ascot and our own Queen Elizabeth Stakes as one of Australia’s most significant and highest rating races year after year.
“It has been fantastic to see stronger links between our showcase meetings with horse participation in recent years and we are clearly seeing growing visitation and engagement in these great racedays.”