The AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Gr 1 Australian open Weight
for Age horserace run at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in April or May
every year over 2000m. With a purse of AUD$500,000, the race is one
of many lucrative and prestigious races that form part of the Royal
Carnival at Randwick.
Like most Australian horse races, the AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes has
a long history, and has been contested for almost 160 years. For
instance, from 1851 to 1872 the race was known as the Queens Plate,
and in 1873 it was renamed the AJC Plate, a name it retained until
1954.
That same year the race became known as the AJC Queen Elizabeth
Stakes, a name that it continues to be known by today. Not only has
the race seen its name changed many times, but also its distance.
From 1851 until 1922, the AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes was run
over a distance of 24 furlongs (4800m).
In fact, over the years the race distance of the AJC Queen Elizabeth
Stakes has been changed a total of seven times. The most recent was
in 1979. That year it was run over 2000m. Since then (except for
1984 and 1985) it has been run over the same distance.
The AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes has yielded many extraordinary
winners, including the legendary Phar Lap in 1930, Tulloch in 1958,
1960 and 1961, Apollo Eleven in 1973, Jeune in 1995, Grand Armee in
2004 and 2005 and Desert War in 2007. |
