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Craven Meeting
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bet365 Craven Meeting: Dates, races, runners, history & more

The bet365 Craven Meeting takes place at Newmarket in April and there is a feast of flat action to entertain spectators across the three days.

Just a month after the Cheltenham Festival in March, all eyes turn to the historic home of racing, with Newmarket often referred to as "the headquarters of British horseracing".

It has two courses, but it is the Rowley Mile racecourse that is used for April's bet365 Craven meeting.

Horse Racing

bet365 Craven Meeting date

The bet365 Craven Meeting is a three-day meeting which takes from Tuesday 16th April to Thursday 18th April in 2024.

bet365 Craven Meeting venue

Newmarket plays host to the bet365 Craven meeting, with fans expected to pack into the stands for the event on the Rowley mile.

The track in Suffolk hosts two of the UK's five Classic Races, the 1000 Guineas and 2000 Guineas, and it hosts a total of nine Group 1 races each year.

bet365 Craven Meeting how to watch

All racing from Britain and Ireland, including the bet365 Craven meeting, is available to watch via the bet365 Sports Live Streaming platform.

ITV will also cover two days of the meeting on Wednesday and Thursday, while Racing TV will cover all three days.

bet365 Craven Meeting details

Day One of the bet365 Craven meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 16th April, with eight races taking place.

The standout contest on the first day is the Mutasaabeq New for 2024 Handicap stakes, which is a Class 2 race over one mile.

On Wednesday, the quality of racing steps up a notch. After the first race of the day at 13:50, the Listed bet365 Feilden Stakes takes place over 1m1f at 14:25, followed by the bet365 Earl Of Sefton Stakes and Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes, both of which are Group 3 races.

There are two further Group 3 contests on Thursday, the Connaught Access Flooring Abernant Stakes at 15:00, as well as the bet365 Craven Stakes at 15:35.

bet365 Craven Meeting history

The first meeting at Newmarket is one of the highlights of the Flat season, especially after months of National Hunt action in the winter.

The bet365 Craven meeting has a rich history, with the first-ever Craven Stakes founded in 1771.

Some of the best Flat trainers and jockeys have since competed at the track over the years and it will always hold a special place in the calendar, as it signals the start of a fresh season at Newmarket.

bet365 Craven Meeting most successful trainer

Some of the world's best trainers have enjoyed countless success at the bet365 Craven meeting, while in the last five years, local trainer Charlie Appleby has enjoyed great success, winning three Craven Stakes contests since 2018.

Appleby has won the race with Masar, Master of The Seas and Native Trail, but Sir Michael Stoute has won the most Craven Stakes races with an incredible eight wins.

The 10-time champion trainer last won the race in 2007 with Adagio.

bet365 Craven Meeting most successful jockey

The likes of William Buick, Jim Crowley, Ryan Moore, Kieren Fallon, Jamie Spencer, Frankie Dettori and Willie Carson have all won the bet365 Craven Stakes.

Buick's success for Appleby's stable has given him plenty of winners in the last five years, but nobody has won the Craven Stakes more than Morny Cannon.

Cannon won the race six times from 1893 to 1906.

bet365 Craven Meeting famous winners

As a trial to the 2000 Guineas, some of the world's best Flat horses have competed in the Craven Stakes.

Woodpecker, who won the Craven Stakes three times in the 1700s, remains the most successful in the feature race of the meeting.

Native Trail won the Craven Stakes in 2022, and Appleby's runner has also won the Irish 2000 Guineas, Dewhurst Stakes and National Stakes.

Master of the Seas, who won the race in 2021, has since had success in America winning the Saratoga Derby, Woodbine Mile, Breeders' Cup Mile and Maker's Mark Mile.

Another of Appleby's team, Masar, won the feature race in 2018 before winning the Epsom Derby later that year.

All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.

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