Dewhurst Stakes 150: A Glimpse at Its Greatest Irish Winners The Dewhurst Stakes turns 150 this year and the Group 1 event has been won by some excellent horses over the years. Legendary trainer Vincent O’Brien single-handedly increased the prestige of this race when deciding to send the great Nijinsky to it, rather than the more fashionable Middle Park Stakes, and the races have swapped roles ever since. Here we take a look at five of the very best Irish-trained winners of this 7f event. Nijinky — 1969 No colt has completed the triple crown in Britain since this legend of the sport. Unbeaten in four starts prior to the Dewhurst, Nijinsky won the Beresford Stakes at the Curragh beforehand and made no mistake at Newmarket. Lester Piggott held the son of Northern Dancer up in the early stages but he made smooth progress to take the lead in the final furlong. After his exceptional exploits at three, it’s not hard to make the case that he’s the best ever winner of this race. The Minstrel — 1976 Another one for Vincent O’Brien, The Minstrel was a famous name for racing fans in the 1970s and he was crowned horse of the year in Britain and Ireland in 1977. Defeats in the English and Irish Guineas that year led to a step up in trip and he returned to winning ways with a game effort in the Derby at Epsom. He then followed up in the Irish equivalent and also won the King George at Ascot that year. Victory in the Dewhurst actually came a year prior to those exploits, as he won the 1976 renewal by four lengths. Rock Of Gibraltar — 2001 Star miler Rock Of Gibraltar won five of his seven starts as a two-year-old, including back-to-back Group 1 wins in France and in the Dewhurst. It was a 1-2-3 for Aidan O’Brien, with Landseer and Tendulkar finishing second and third respectively. His outstanding three-year-old campaign began with victory in the 2000 Guineas and he went on to win another four consecutive top level races, before finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Teofilo — 2006 One of the biggest robberies racing fans have faced in the last couple of decades is not getting to see the exceptional Teofilo race at three. He won all five starts as a juvenile and two of those came in Group 1 races. Getting the better of Holy Roman Emperor in the National Stakes, he was well fancied to confirm the form in the Dewhurst and managed to do so, beating Aidan O’Brien’s runner by a head at odds of 11/8. City Of Troy — 2023 City Of Troy was given many notable descriptions by trainer Aidan O’Brien and the master trainer even said he might be the best he’s ever trained. That’s a rather bold claim as O’Brien has nurtured the careers of some excellent horses over the years. The son of Justify looked exceptional in all three starts beforehand and was expected to win, going off at odds of 8/15. The soft ground was a concern but made little difference in the end, as he was far too good for his rivals. His career went to new heights at three and he won the Derby, Eclipse and the Juddmonte International.
