The Henry II Stakes is a Group 3flathorse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 2 miles and 78 yards (3,290 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in late May.
History
The event is named after Henry II, who founded a priory on the site of Sandown Park in the 12th century. It was established in 1963, and the inaugural running was won by Gaul.
The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and for a period the Henry II Stakes held Group 3 status. It was promoted to Group 2 in 2002, and relegated back to Group 3 in 2012.
The leading horses from the Henry II Stakes often go on to compete in the following month's Gold Cup at Ascot. The last to win both in the same year was Papineau in 2004.
Records
Winners since 1978
a The 1981 running was abandoned because of a waterlogged course.
Henry II (6 May 973 – 13 July 1024), also known as Saint Henry, Obl. S. B., was Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") from 1014 until his death in 1024 and the last member of the Ottonian dynasty of Emperors as he had no children. The Duke of Bavaria from 995, Henry became King of Germany ("Rex Romanorum") following the sudden death of his second cousin, Emperor Otto III in 1002, was crowned King of Italy ("Rex Italiae") in 1004, and was crowned by the Pope as Emperor in 1014.
The son of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria and his wife Gisela of Burgundy, Emperor Henry II was a great-grandson of German KingHenry I and a member of the Bavarian branch of the Ottonian dynasty. Since his father had rebelled against two previous emperors, the younger Henry was often in exile. This led him to turn to the Church at an early age, first finding refuge with the Bishop of Freising and later being educated at the cathedral school of Hildesheim. He succeeded his father as Duke of Bavaria in 995 as "Henry IV". As Duke, he attempted to join his second-cousin, Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, in suppressing a revolt against imperial rule in Italy in 1002. Before Henry II could arrive, however, Otto III died of fever, leaving no heir. After defeating several other claimants to the throne, Henry II was crowned as King of Germany ("Rex Romanorum") on July 9, 1002 and as King of Italy ("Rex Italiae") on 15 May 1004. Henry II in 1004 aided Jaromír, Duke of Bohemia against the Poles, definitively incorporating the Duchy of Bohemia into the Holy Roman Empire.
At birth, he was adopted by Rodrigo Álvarez de las Asturias. Rodrigo died the following year and Henry inherited his lordship of Noreña. His father later made him Count of Trastámara and lord over Lemos and Sarria in Galicia, and the towns of Cabrera and Ribera, which constituted a large and important heritage in the northeast of the peninsula. It made him the head of the new Trastámara dynasty, arising from the main branch of Burgundy-Ivrea.
... having suffered narrow defeats this year in both the Sagaro Stakes and the Henry II Stakes and that’s no coincidence given that both those races were strongly-run affairs which is the key to her.
The $750,000, Grade II JohnHenry Turf Championship Stakes – up from $200,000 last year, when it was run on Sunday – has an 11-horse field, up from six and eight the past two years, including Gold...
card will include the $750,000, Grade II JohnHenry Turf Championship, $750,000, Grade II Eddie D. Stakes and $200,000, Grade II City of Hope Mile. All four graded stakes have implications for races on the second day of the Nov.
Progressive last season, she posted a pair of excellent efforts when a close second in both the Sagaro and Henry II Stakes on her first two starts this year before finding the Gold Cup too hot at Royal Ascot last time.
The front-running Quickthorn, who also won the Henry II Stakes over Friday’s course and distance in 2022, slipped his field under regular rider Tom Marquand to cause a 16/1 surprise in last year’s Goodwood Cup.
A convincing winner of Saint-Cloud’s Prix Belle de Nuit last autumn, Caius Chorister has taken her form to the next level this term with narrow defeats in both the Sagaro Stakes and Henry II Stakes, teeing-up a shot at the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
That form was franked by the placed horses, Sweet William and Caius Chorister, who subsequently finished first and second in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown, and while there isn’t a lot between the ...
Caius Chorister is out to continue a good week for David Menuisier in the Chasemore FarmHenry II Stakes on Thursday evening ... She was narrowly denied by Coltrane in the Sagaro Stakes on her first run ...
Both hold entries for the Boodles Yorkshire Cup on May 17, while Sandown’s Henry II Stakes a week later is another possible option for the duo to tune up for their main summer assignment.
