The Queen of the Turf Stakes is a Group 1 thoroughbred race held each year at Randwick Racecourse. This weight for age event is run over 1600 metres and worth $1,000,000 in prize money. Raced since 1972, the Queen of the Turf Stakes is a relatively new inclusion on the Australian racing calendar.
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This event has been included in the second day of the inaugural 2014 ‘Championships’ event, alongside the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Australian Oaks, and Sydney Cup. Inclusion in this prestigious racing series will raise the profile of this race, which has already grown from a $400,000 event in 2012 to a race now worth $1,000,000.
The Queen of the Turf Stakes was originally run over a distance of 1 mile, which is the equivalent of roughly 1600 metres. It became a 1500 metre race in 1973, a 1550 metre race in 2008, a 1500 metre race again in 2009, and a 1600 metre event in 2014. The Queen of the Turf Stakes was run at Canterbury Racecourse in 2008.
This event started its life as a humble Principal Race, before becoming a Listed Race in 1979, a Group 3 race in 1985, a Group 2 race in 1991, and a Group 1 race in 2005. The Queen of the Turf Stakes has been won by some great horses over the years, with both fillies and mares battling it out under weight-for-age conditions.
Some of the notable names to win this event include Divine Madonna in 2007, More Joyous in 2011 and 2012, and Appearance in 2013. Horses may come to this event from a range of other races, including the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Classic earlier in the carnival. 2013 winner Appearance was the last female to win the Queen of The Turf Stakes and Coolmore Stud Classic double in the same season.
In the news:
Victorian filly Solicit remains on track to contest Saturday’s Queen Of The Turf Stakes at Randwick despite undergoing treatment for a mystery skin condition.
Trainers Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra alerted stewards to the issue, discovered when Solicit had her rug removed on Wednesday.
The three-year-old was subsequently inspected by Racing NSW vet Craig Suann with chief steward Ray Murrihy confirming Solicit was being treated with an anti-bacterial cream.
However, he didn’t expect it to impact on her race-day performance.
“It’s a condition they are able to manage,” Murrihy said.
“We’re going to stay in touch with them but it won’t be any problem.
“It’s not ideal but it’s not something that is going to affect the horse’s fitness.”
Solicit is on the third line of betting at $6.50 for the Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) which is expected to be a showdown between Chris Waller’s two best mares Red Tracer and Catkins.
A dual Group One winner, Red Tracer is the established star but she is coming off an uncharacteristic performance in the George Ryder Stakes when she was unplaced as favourite.
Catkins finished a narrow second to her stablemate in the Myer Classic last spring and was game in defeat when third under a big weight in the Coolmore Classic two starts ago.
Punters are warming to her chances of a maiden Group One victory and she holds sway in early markets at $2.90, ahead of Red Tracer at $3.80.
Meanwhile, Streama is set to take her place after connections had a rethink about their plans.
Trainer Guy Walter said they had been leaning towards sending her straight to Brisbane but decided to give her another shot at The Championships.
The mare is in her final racing campaign and will be sent to stud this spring.
“We had a bit of a change of heart. We were thinking about Brisbane but it’s a long way off and we’re not a hundred per cent sure how many starts are left in her career,” Walter said.
“It could even be that Saturday will be her last.”
Streama didn’t handle the heavy Randwick track and finished among the tailenders Saturday’s Doncaster Mile but Walter said she had come through the race in good order.
