Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2025 Challenge Stakes Preview
The Challenge Stakes is run at Newmarket racecourse and is scheduled to take place in October of each year, this Group Two race is open to runners who are aged three or older and is contested over a distance of seven furlongs.
Established in 1878, the race was originally run over six furlongs and two-year-old runners were permitted entry, it was extended to the now seven furlongs in 1977 and two-year-olds restricted in 1985.
Challenge Stakes Information:
We also have a dedicated Newmarket tips page that will cover this race as well as all of the other races on the day of the race, see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are predicting to win this race and the others on the cards. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information, head down to the Other Principal Races at Newmarket Racecourse section for links to these.
How competitive is the Challenge Stakes market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2023 when the race had an over-round of 109%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 126%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Challenge Stakes, the over-round has been 117%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £117 which is bet.
Challenge Stakes Trends:
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the Challenge Stakes next time out then you would have backed a total of 0 winners. Backing all 17 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -17.00. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Limato, trained by Henry Candy and ridden by Harry Bentley who set the fastest winning time in the Challenge Stakes, the runner won the race in a time of 1:22.24 when winning the race in 2017. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Andrew Balding and jockey Jim Crowley with Here Comes When who set the slowest winning time, the race-winning time was 1:26.53 in the 2014 renewal.
These are the top three quickest-run Challenge Stakes over the last 20 renewals:
- Limato (1:22.24) in 2017
- Stimulation (1:22.48) in 2008
- Strong Suit (1:22.74) in 2011
Challenge Stakes Past Winners
Here are the Challenge Stakes' past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Challenge Stakes are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 1:24.50 | Topgear (FR) 5yo 9-5 (7 of 11) 3/1F | Stephane Pasquier Christopher Head (FR) |
| 2023 1:25.28 | Matilda Picotte (IRE) 3yo 9-0 (6 of 4) 2/1 | Oisin Murphy Kieran P Cotter (IRE) |
| 2022 1:23.83 | Pogo (IRE) 6yo 9-5 (1 of 8) 7/4 | William Buick Charles Hills (GB) |
| 2021 1:24.29 | Al Suhail (GB) 4yo 9-3 (2 of 9) 3/1F | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2020 1:25.11 | Happy Power (IRE) 4yo 9-3 (7 of 9) 7/2 | Silvestre De Sousa Andrew Balding (GB) |
| 2019 1:24.91 | Mustashry (GB) 6yo 9-8 (5 of 5) 2/1 | Jim Crowley Sir Michael Stoute (GB) |
| 2018 1:24.87 | Limato (IRE) 6yo 9-3 (3 of 8) 7/4F | Harry Bentley Henry Candy (GB) |
| 2017 1:22.24 | Limato (IRE) 5yo 9-3 (9 of 11) 6/4F | Harry Bentley Henry Candy (GB) |
| 2016 1:23.92 | Aclaim (IRE) 3yo 9-1 (8 of 12) 6/1 | Frankie Dettori Martyn Meade (GB) |
| 2015 1:24.45 | Cable Bay (IRE) 4yo 9-3 (7 of 10) 8/1 | Frankie Dettori Charles Hills (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Challenge Stakes have been based:
- GB: 17 winners with an additional 34 placings from 184 runners
- IRE: 2 winners with an additional 1 placing from 21 runners
- FR: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- GER: 0 winners with an additional 2 placings from 6 runners
Challenge Stakes Trainer Statistics
There are multiple leading trainers in the Challenge Stakes over the last 20 renewals with Andrew Balding, Charles Hills and Henry Candy having all won the race two times. Andrew Balding's winners have been Here Comes When (2014) and Happy Power (2020). Charles Hills winners have been with Cable Bay (2015) and Pogo (2022). Henry Candy winners have been with Limato (2017 & 2018). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Challenge Stakes, Saeed bin Suroor has sent a total of 12 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Challenge Stakes trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Balding | 11-2-2 | +2.50 | -2.10 |
| Charles Hills | 9-2-6 | +2.75 | +5.45 |
| Henry Candy | 4-2-3 | +1.25 | +0.95 |
| John Gosden | 8-1-3 | -2.50 | -2.93 |
| Sir Michael Stoute | 7-1-3 | -4.00 | -1.75 |
| Charlie Appleby | 6-1-3 | -2.00 | -1.35 |
| Martyn Meade | 1-1-1 | +6.00 | +3.60 |
| Hughie Morrison | 1-1-1 | +4.50 | +2.70 |
| Christopher Head | 1-1-1 | +3.00 | +1.80 |
| W McCreery | 1-1-1 | +3.00 | +1.80 |
Challenge Stakes Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the Challenge Stakes over the last 20 renewals with Frankie Dettori, William Buick, Jim Crowley and Harry Bentley having all won the race two times. Frankie Dettori's winners have been with Cable Bay (2015) and Aclaim (2016). William Buick winners have been with Al Suhail (2021) and Pogo (2022). Jim Crowley winners have been with Here Comes When (2014) and Mustashry (2019). Harry Bentley winners have been with Limato (2017 & 2018). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Challenge Stakes, Ryan Moore has ridden 16 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Challenge Stakes jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankie Dettori | 13-2-2 | +3.00 | -2.60 |
| William Buick | 12-2-5 | -5.25 | -3.15 |
| Jim Crowley | 8-2-3 | +4.00 | +1.10 |
| Harry Bentley | 3-2-2 | +2.25 | +0.95 |
| Oisin Murphy | 7-1-1 | -4.00 | -6.00 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 4-1-1 | +0.50 | -0.90 |
| Stephane Pasquier | 2-1-2 | +2.00 | +1.90 |
| Gerald Mosse | 1-1-1 | +20.00 | +12.00 |
| Joe Fanning | 1-1-1 | +7.50 | +4.50 |
| W J Lee | 1-1-1 | +3.00 | +1.80 |
2025 Challenge Stakes Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 1, 15, 1, 5, 4, 1, (4, 5), 1, (3, 5), 5, 5, 1, 1, 5, 9, 1, 2, 4, 1
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (73%) - Had 1 - 4 wins (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Beaten no more -4½l (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Break of 21 - 175 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - No bigger than 20/1
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Break of 21 - 399 days (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Ran in 8 - 36 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - In a field of 5 - 14 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - No bigger than 9/1 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Had 1 - 9 placings (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Had 4 - 18 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Achieved an RPR of 81+ (Going)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Achieved a TS of 77+ (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Highest Won is not Cl2-5
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Not in a Cl2/Cl4-5 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Ran in 1 - 10 races (Going)
Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Newmarket racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the Challenge Stakes. If there is anything that you do not understand in this blog, please leave a comment or head over to the Horse Racing Terms and Abbreviations article which is available in the OLBG Betting School section.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, It is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Challenge Stakes by adding a tip on the race here.
Challenge Stakes Trend Analysis
The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +17.00 is when runners had 1 career win over the trip. The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 career wins over the trip, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-38.
Here are the most recent winning draws along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2024: Winner in 7 (11,10) [11 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 6 [4 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 1 (7,2) [8 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 2 (3,5) [9 Runners]
- 2020: Winner in 7 (5,3) [9 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Challenge Stakes is Goodwood, there has been a total number of 4 winners of this race who ran at Goodwood last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Ascot, there has been a total number of 3 winners of this race who ran at Ascot last time out.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 17 winners from a total of 173 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 3 winners from a total of 39 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Challenge Stakes, that stallion Tagula has produced 2 winners (2018,2017).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Challenge Stakes despite multiple attempts:
- Oasis Dream (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Dansili (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Pivotal (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Bahamian Bounty (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Kodiac (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Le Vie Dei Colori in 2005, winning for Luca Cumani at odds of 20/1 under the guidance of Gerald Mosse. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 8 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2025 Challenge Stakes remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Challenge Stakes Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for Flat Racing.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
Other Principal races at Newmarket Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Newmarket racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
Races in April (Craven Meeting)
Races in May (Guineas Festival)
- Jockey Club Stakes
- King Charles II Stakes
- Newmarket Stakes
- Palace House Stakes
- Qipco 2000 Guineas
- Rowley Handicap Stakes
- Suffolk Stakes
- Dahlia Stakes
- Pretty Polly Stakes
- Qipco 1000 Guineas
Races in July (July Festival)
- Bahrain Trophy Stakes
- bet365 Sprint Handicap
- July Stakes
- Princess of Wales's Stakes
- bet365 Handicap
- Duchess of Cambridge Stakes
- Falmouth Stakes
- bet365 Mile Handicap
- Bunbury Cup
- July Cup
- Superlative Stakes
Races in September (Cambridgeshire Meeting)
- Jockey Club Rose Bowl
- Tattersall Stakes
- Godolphin Stakes
- Joel Stakes
- Princess Royal Stakes
- Rockfel Stakes
- Rosemary Stakes
- Cambridgeshire Handicap
- Cambridgeshire Meeting 7f Handicap
- Cheveley Park Stakes
- Jersey Lily Fillies Nursery
- Middle Park Stakes
- Royal Lodge Stakes
