Victory Stakes takes on more importance

Wednesday 20 May 2020, 11:03am

Queensland's Group Two Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm on Saturday has a long and varied history, and this year it takes on an even more important role in winter racing.

The Victory Stakes (1200m) is usually one of only three weight-for-age races in Queensland and was originally named the Sir Byrne Hart Stakes.

Although won by some top horses including Rough Habit, for many years the race had the reputation of producing big priced winners.

However, since it was switched to the start of the winter carnival in 2010 it has become a race for genuine Group One horses with its winners including Buffering (three times), Temple of Boom, Srikandi, Music Magnate and Impending.

I Am Excited, who won last year, went on to take the Group One Galaxy at Randwick this autumn.

This year due to the winter carnival being drastically reduced the Victory Stakes has been switched to a set weights and penalties race, as the major lead up to the Group One Stradbroke Hcp on June 6.

It offers ballot free entry to the Stradbroke and a Victory Stakes win is vital for several horses to make the field.

Deep Impact, currently 34th on the Stradbroke ballot, Redouble (36th), Bandipur (39th) Sesar (41st), Freddie Fox Trot (44th) and Chapter and Verse (53rd) would need to win on Saturday to make the Stradbroke field.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »