| Location | Flemington Racecourse Melbourne, Australia |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1857 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | Victoria Racing Club |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2800 meters (1.75 miles) |
| Track | Grass, left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds |
| Weight | Set weights with penalties |
| Purse | $200,000 |
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 2800m (app. 1.75 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.
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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 when the race was run at Moonee Valley Racecourse while Flemington was under redevelopment.
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.
| Year |
Winner |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Time |
| 2008 | Moment In Time (Dead Heat) | Damien Oliver | Mick Huxtable | 3:01.12 | |
| 2008 | Inkster (Dead Heat) | Matthew Gatt | Mick Price | 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 |