The biggest race of the year is just 1 week away, the The Bombardier British Hopped Amber Beer Lady Wulfruna Stakes. To kick off the weekend here are 8 fun facts about the race...
1. Border Music was unbeaten in three runs at Wolverhampton, including the Lady Wulfruna in 2006 and 2007, setting a track record on the latter occasion. He was much better on the all-weather, where he won seven races against just one on turf.
2. Eight of Jack Sullivan’s nine victories were on all-weather tracks, but he particularly liked Wolverhampton’s Polytrack surface. After winning the Lady Wulfruna in 2008 his trainer said, “He worked so well here before going to race in Japan in November that a motorbike wouldn’t have kept up with him.”
3. Towards the end of a career spanning seven seasons, Dunelight won the Lady Wulfruna Stakes in 2010 and 2011. His consistency made him an owner’s dream, for out of 37 races he won seven, finished second in seven, and third in seven. And his best distance was seven furlongs.
4. The 2014 Lady Wulfruna winner, Chookie Royale was durable and versatile, with 16 victories. He won six of his eleven starts at Wolverhampton. He was best over six and seven furlongs, but that didn’t stop him scoring in a two mile hurdle near the end of his career. His owners name all their horses with the Chookie prefix.
5. Sovereign Debt won the 2015 Lady Wulfruna and was second, beaten a nose, in the following year’s race. From 63 starts he finished first 15 times and second in 19 others, earning over £800,000 in prize money. He won three Group races and his record in the Mile at Lingfield’s prestigious All Weather Championships was one win and two seconds.
6. Victory for Second Thought in the 2018 Lady Wulfruna was one of six wins in his eleven-race career. His best performance was a three-year-old when he was runner-up to the champion sprinter of his generation, Harry Angel. His owner also had horses called First Thought and Perfect Thought, both of whom won races.
7. The 2019 winner of the Lady Wulfruna, Above The Rest, already had high class form, having won the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket two years earlier. His owner, the youngest of ten children, had built up a thriving pharmacy business from scratch, and was now able to indulge his passion for racing.
8. Urban Icon, victorious in the 2020 Lady Wulfruna, is turning out to be one of the best recent winners of the race. He went on to show improved form when placed at Glorious Goodwood and at the St Leger meeting. As a result of those performances he was sold for 320,000 guineas, three years after changing hands for just £23,000.
...So there you go! Now you can show off your expert knowledge for one of the biggest All Weather contests of the year!
