It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 209 yards (2,002 metres) at Sandown Park in late April.
The event was established in 1963, and it was originally called the Westbury Stakes.
[2] Its date was switched with that of the Brigadier Gerard Stakes in 1974, and from this point it was held in April.
It was renamed in memory of Sir Gordon Richards, a famous jockey who died the previous year.
[4] The Gordon Richards Stakes is part of a two-day meeting which features both flat and jump races.