Group 2 race | |
Location | Curragh Racecourse County Kildare, Ireland |
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Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
Sponsor | Robert Ng (as Romanised[1]) |
Website | Curragh |
Race information | |
Distance | 7f (1,408 metres) |
Surface | Turf |
Track | Right-hand elbow |
Qualification | Three-years-old and up |
Weight | 9 st 1 lb (3yo); 9 st 8 lb (4yo+) Allowances 3 lb for fillies and mares Penalties 3 lb for G1 winners * * since 1 November last year |
Purse | €111,600 (2022) 1st: €70,800 |
2024 | ||
Poet Master | Lord Massusus | Mutasarref |
Previous years | ||
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2022 | ||
Order Of Australia | Pearls Galore | Dr Zempf |
2021 | ||
Order Of Australia | Njord | Power Under Me |
The Minstrel Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.
The event is named after The Minstrel, a successful Irish-trained racehorse in the 1970s. It was formerly held at Phoenix Park in late April or early May, and it used to be contested by three-year-olds over a mile. For a period it was classed at Listed level.[citation needed]
The race was transferred to the Curragh and switched to July in 1991, and at this point it was opened to older horses. It was promoted to Group 3 status in 1996, and cut to 7 furlongs in 2001. The minimum age of participating horses was raised to four in 2002, and three-year-olds were re-admitted in 2007. It was upgraded to Group 2 level from the 2016 running.[2]