SANDOWN
The five-furlong Temple Stakes was inaugurated at Sandown on 15 May 1965 with £1,500 added, to help rectify a deficiency of weight-for-age sprint races at the beginning of the season. It was to be a logical stepping stone to the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. In that first contest the favourite was Runnymede, who’d beaten Holborn easily at Newmarket and re-opposed on five pounds better terms. Nevertheless Holborn was made favourite and won; Runnymede bolted on the way to the start and finished down the field. An official dope test proved negative.
Song, Raffingora and Mummy’s Pet were top class winners in 1969-71. Subsequent 20th century winners of similar grade were Lochnager, Sharpo, Dayjur, Lochsong and Mind Games (twice) won it. The standard has slipped since then.
What is the Temple of the race name? Sandown has had races named after places in London and Surrey. One explanation is that it comes from the Inner and Middle Temple Inns of Court. It would be apt that the first winner in modern times, Holborn, should be named after another part of central London a stone’s throw away.
Another is that it is connected with the Augustinian priory that stood on the site in the Middle Ages, founded by Henry II (qv) – whose race was on the same card. However, “temple” is not a word usually associated with priories and my favourite suggestion is that it refers to the ornamental eighteenth century temple situated on an island in the lake within the Claremont Landscape Gardens, just down the road from Esher. Sandown held a Claremont Handicap as early as 1875, the year of its inception.
Due to terrestrial TV coverage on on the late Spring Bank Holiday Monday being dropped in 2004, the race was moved to the Friday of the Epsom Derby meeting. That didn’t go well, as a flip start had to be used and three runners were left facing the wrong way and two others got flyers, one of which won at 33/1.
Sandown’s first Temple Stakes was a handicap between 1887-1914. Its first running was the highlight of the October meeting, its last of the flat season. The five furlong prize was worth £500. The penultimate race on that card, with only £100 to the winner, was uncomplimentarily called the Weeds Plate.
HAYDOCK
After the Epsom debacle the race moved back to Sandown, and then to Haydock in 2008. It enjoyed a mini-renaissance with Battaash in 2018 and 2019; each time he went on to finish second to Blue Point in the King’s Stand. The context of the word Temple has gone.
WINDSOR
The lesser-known Temple Stakes was a race at Windsor for two-year-olds. Run from 1967-90, it settled on the Monday evening before Royal Ascot. This temple may apply to the town’s Masonic Hall, a building erected around 1716 as a charity school but in the late 19th century part of it was used by the local freemasons – hence its use as a race name as early as 1885.
Alternatively, it may refer to the Roman remains brought from Libya to nearby Virginia Water 200 years ago and erected in the park to suggest the ruins of an ancient temple. Yet another explanation is that George IV had a Chinese Fishing Temple built in Virginia Water. It was a spot the royal family enjoyed, picnicking and going for boat rides. In 1867 Queen Victoria had it turned into a Swiss Cottage. It continued to be known as the Fishing Temple for years. Eventually it fell into disuse and was demolished in 1936.
The Temple Stakes was the name of a coursing event at Newmarket in 1870 and at Blankney in Lincolnshire from circa 1873-1935.