The 2017 Moonga Stakes is a Group 3 event raced annually at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne during October. It is contested over a trip of 1400m under set weight conditions and worth a total of $150,000 in prize money.
The race is for horses aged four years and over and has in recent times also be referred to as the Betfair Stakes.
It is hosted on the final day of the three day carnival run by the Melbourne Racing Club. That puts it on the same card as the feature event Group 1 Caulfield Cup.
Given its positioning in mid October many horses running in the Moonga Stakes will have had a start before this but still have plenty of running left in them.
Some may even come down from the Sydney carnival as Love Conquers All did before winning in 2011 via the Group 2 Premiere Stakes at Randwick.
Being an Open event over 1400m there are a huge number of possibilities for horses coming through this race depending on ability, ideal distance and the stage of their prep.
There have been some good horses to pass through the Moonga Stakes including Rough Habit in 1992, Assertive Lad in 2002 and Thorn Park in 2003.
More recently it’s been won by McClintock in 2009, Rothera in 2010 and Love Conquers All in 2011.
2017 Moonga Stakes Field
The Moonga Stakes field usually attracts some fairly talented sprinters. As it is restricted to horses aged four years and older, most runners in the Moonga Stakes field are quite experienced and have already had several black type runs in their career.
The 2017 Moonga Stakes field will be provided below.
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x6226216x3 | ALL OUR ROADS (NZ) | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 11 | 58.5kg | 97 |
| 2 | 1114119×07 | BURNING FRONT | Darren Weir | Brad Rawiller | 1 | 57.5kg | 104 |
| 3 | 500x71120x | OBSERVATIONAL (GB) | John Sadler | Thomas Sadler | 2 | 57.5kg | 100 |
| 4 | 4943×19806 | TASHBEEH | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Chad Schofield | 5 | 56.5kg | 98 |
| 5 | 2136x130x6 | ULMANN | Darren Weir | Damian Lane | 4 | 56.5kg | 102 |
| 6 | 121175×319 | GRANDE ROSSO | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Craig Williams | 3 | 56.5kg | 102 |
| 7 | 6321220×09 | SAVILE ROW (NZ) | Michael Moroney | Blake Shinn | 8 | 56kg | 98 |
| 8 | 17x2325x06 | ECHO EFFECT | Kristen Buchanan | Damien Oliver | 6 | 56kg | 80 |
| 9 | 7x4x519953 | SAINT VALOREM | Cameron Templeton | Brian Higgins | 7 | 56kg | 80 |
| 10 | 113x410x97 | ECKSTEIN | Kurt Goldman | Hugh Bowman | 10 | 55.5kg | 96 |
| 11 | 4735070×74 | DANISH TWIST | Kris Lees | Joao Moreira | 9 | 54kg | 102 |
Moonga Stakes Results
Moonga Stakes winners and placegetters since 2000, along with winning times, are displayed below.
| Year | Results | Winning Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 Voodoo Lad | 2 Takedown | 3 Turnitaround | 1:24.5 |
| 2015 | 1 Vashka | 2 Under The Louvre | 3 Coronation Shallan | 1:23.2 |
| 2014 | 1 Lucky Hussler | 2 Under The Louvre | 3 Generalife | 1:23.5 |
| 2013 | 1 Boban | 2 Strawberry Boy | 3 Galah | 1:23.8 |
| 2012 | 1 Whateverwhenever | 2 King’s Rose | 3 McClintock | 1:23.7 |
| 2011 | 1 Love Conquers All | 2 Albert The Fat | 3 Pinwheel | 1:21.9 |
| 2010 | 1 Rothera | 2 Sniper’s Bullet | 3 Jungle Ruler | 1:25.8 |
| 2009 | 1 McClintock | 2 Rightfully Yours | 3 Kiloton | 1:22.7 |
| 2008 | 1 Royal Discretion | 2 Turffontein | 3 Stickpin | 1.23.6 |
| 2007 | 1 Lord Of The Dance | 2 Polish Clown | 3 Solar Secret | 1:22.6 |
| 2006 | 1 Perfectly Ready | 2 Live In Vain | 3 Caprizzi Strip | 1:22.3 |
| 2005 | 1 Volitant | 2 Yell | 3 Shadow | 1:21.3 |
| 2004 | 1 Amtrak | 2 Pink Fit | 3 Monahan Tweed | 1:24.6 |
| 2003 | 1 Thorn Park | 2 Lord Volksraad | 3 Regal Roller | 1:22.5 |
| 2002 | 1 Assertive Lad | 2 El Nino | 3 Prince Rubiton | 1:22.9 |
| 2001 | 1 Flavour | 2 Inspire | 3 Make Mine Magic | 1:24.8 |
| 2000 | 1 Cellar | 2 Hire | 3 Weasel Will | 1:21.8 |
