When Qirat held off Rosallion to land the G1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood at 150/1, he became the longest-priced Group 1 winner since the introduction of the pattern in Britain in 1971.
In fact, he was the biggest surprise victor of a feature race in Britain since Theodore won the St Leger at 200/1 in 1822.
So where does he fit in the scheme of big race upsets?
Here are five other major Group 1 or Grade 1 upsets from around the world.
Emblem Road – 114/1, 2022 Saudi Cup
With no betting in Saudi Arabia, 114/1 was the American tote price for the first local winner of the G1 Saudi Cup, Emblem Road.
While he had won a local lead-up, Emblem Road looked to face a tough assignment in 2022 against defending champion Mishriff and Group 1 winners Aero Trem, Art Collector, Country Grammer, Mandaloun, Marche Lorraine, Sealiway and T O Keynes.
It seemed impossible early when Emblem Road was near the rear and being hard ridden by jockey Wiggy Ramos, but he stayed on past all 13 rivals to land the world’s richest race.
Star Appeal – 119/1, 1975 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
The G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is a race of superstars, where the cream rises to the top and the best horse usually prevails. Upsets do occur – most recently, Torquator Tasso won at 80/1 – but they are few and far between.
Like Torquator Tasso, 1975 winner Star Appeal was German-trained or in those days, West German. Despite winning the G1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown earlier in the year, he was completely unfancied and started the outsider of 24 runners.
Coming from near last, Star Appeal belied his odds to sweep to a three-length win under Greville Starkey. Among those left in his wake were champion mares Allez France and Dahlia.
Dandy Andy – 125/1, 1988 Australian Cup
There have been bigger-priced shocks in Australian Group 1 races – Abaridy won the 1986 Caulfield Guineas at 250/1 and Lunar Fox was an extraordinary 300/1 when he took out the 2021 Australian Guineas – but Dandy Andy remains the epitome of an upset.
In Australian terms, the 1988 G1 Australian Cup was a “boilover”.
It was seen as a match race – the free-wheeling Vo Rogue taking on the “equine immortal” Bonecrusher. Other runners included G1 Irish St Leger winner Authaal and Group 1 performers Cossack Warrior and King Of Brooklyn.
But it was the unfancied Dandy Andy who swept to the lead and raced clear for his biggest success.
Arcangues – 133/1, 1993 Breeders’ Cup Classic
When Andre Fabre-trained Arcangues lined up in the 1993 G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, he was dismissed as a most unlikely winner.
It was not that he didn’t have the class – he had won the G1 Prix d’Ispahan earlier in the season – but he had never raced on dirt and it looked a difficult task against a competitive field.
Perhaps the biggest shock of all was that racecaller Tom Durkin didn’t skip a beat when Arcangues sluiced between horses, chasing down favourite Bertrando. Durkin identified him early and summed up the upset perfectly.
His price was so high that his actual odds did not even fit into the infield tote board, which could only accommodate two digits.
Ten Happy Rose – 208/1, 2024 Victoria Mile
Again, not the biggest priced upset in Japanese Grade 1 history – Sand Peeress won the 1989 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at 430/1, although it was still a domestic G1 event at that time, while Copano Rickey was somehow sent off at 271/1 when he landed the first of two wins in the February Stakes in 2014.
However, Ten Happy Rose achieved global notoriety with her defeat of horses like Masked Diva, Namur and Stunning Rose in last year’s G1 Victoria Mile at 208/1. She wasn’t the outsider of the field – Kita Wing was sent off at 337/1 – but she made a mockery of her price by winning comfortably.
Ten Happy Rose showed it was no fluke when she finished fourth, beaten just over a length, in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile last year. ∎
