VRC St Leger

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Listed race
VRC St Leger Stakes

Location	Flemington Racecourse Melbourne, Australia
Inaugurated	1857
Race type	Thoroughbred - Flat racing
Website	Victoria Racing Club
Race information
Distance	2800 meters (1.553 miles)
Track	Grass, left-handed
Qualification	Three-year-olds
Weight	Set weights with penalties
Purse	$200,000

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The Victoria Racing Club's St Leger Stakes is one of Australia's oldest Thoroughbred horse races held on ANZAC Day at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. First run in 1857, the Listed race is open to three-year-olds and is run on turf over a distance of 2500m (app. 1.55 miles).

Once one of the most prestigious events on the Melbourne racing calendar, until 1980 the St. Leger Stakes carried Group 1 status. After being a Group 2 event for a quarter of a century, it was downgraded to Group 3 and since 2006 is a Listed race.

1 Notable winners
2 Winners of the VRC St Leger Stakes since 2001
3 Earlier winners
4 References

[edit] Notable winners

Past St Leger Stakes winners include Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductees Grand Flaneur (1881), Phar Lap (1930), Tulloch (1958), Poseidon (1907), plus Hall of Fame nominee Tranquil Star (1941). Several winners also captured Australia's most prestigious race, the Melbourne Cup. They are: Grand Flaneur (1881), Comic Court (1949), Delta (1950), and Gurner's Lane (1982). In 1956, Sailor's Guide won the race and in 1958 raced in North America where he defeated a top international field in the forerunner to the Breeders' Cup Turf, the then very prestigious Washington, D.C. International Stakes.

Run annually in late April, the St. Leger Stakeswas hosted by Moonee Valley Racecourse in 2001 and again in 2005 due to track refurbishments being carried out at the Flemington racecourse. The race was competed over a distance of 14 furlongs, 132 yards until 1973 when it was modified to the metric distance of 2800 metres (app. 1.74 miles). In 2007, it was modified to 2500 metres.

In an effort to promote the Australian Thoroughbred breeding industry, from 1932 to 1956 geldings were banned from competing in the St. Leger Stakes.

Previously tied with T.J. Smith at six wins, in 2005 Bart Cummings set the record for most victories by a trainer when he won the race for the seventh time.

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[edit] Winners of the VRC St Leger Stakes since 2001

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2008	Moment In Time / Inkster (DH)	Damien Oliver/Matthew Gatt	?	?	3:01.12
2007	Lazer Sharp	Vlad Duric	Jamie Edwards	Alan Walkerden	2:38.55
2006	Dolphin Jo	Nash Rawiller	Terry O'Sullivan	Glenys & Lois Herman	2:59.55
2005	Accumulate	Blake Shinn	Bart Cummings	Dato Tan Chin Nam	2:58.68
2004	Desert Clearance	Luke Nolen	Peter G. Moody	Lucky Racing Syndicate	3:00.42
2003	Sir Pentire	Nash Rawiller	Robbie Laing	Robbie Laing	NF
2002	Grey Song	Damien Oliver	Tommy Hughes, Jr.	Tommy Hughes, Sr.	NF
2001	Big Pat	Peter Mertens	Peter Tulloch	Pindanon Racing Syndicate	NF