The Turnbull Stakes 2017 is a Group 1 race for staying types held in early October at Flemington Racecourse.
The Turnbull Stakes originally ran on the same Saturday as the Epsom Handicap at Randwick, but Victorian Racing Club (VRC) rescheduled the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival program to account for the AFL Grand Final in Victoria. Offering $500,000 in prize money, the Turnbull Stakes is the marquee race at the meeting.
There are four other Group status races on the Turnbull Stakes Day card with the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m), the Group 2 Blazer Stakes (1400m), Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) and the Group 3 The Bart Cummings (2500m) for Caulfield Cup types.
| 2017 Turnbull Stakes | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Saturday October 7 , 2017 |
| Track: | Flemington Racecourse |
| Distance: | 2000m |
| Conditions: | 4YO & Up – Set Weights + Penalties |
| Status: | Group 1 |
| Prize Money: | $500,000 |
| Inaugurated: | 1948 |
The Turnbull Stakes is for four-year-old entries and up run under set weight conditions plus penalties. Offering a generous prize purse of over $500 000, this 2000m middle-distance event always attracts an elite field of highly competitive runners, many of which use the race as a key lead-up to the carnival’s feature races including the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups. Since being awarded Group 1 status however, the Turnbull Stakes is now seen as a premier race in its own right and not simply a preparatory race. As the first quality middle-distance race at the carnival, the Turnbull Stakes provides stayers with a chance to run over the more suitable 2000m building up to the longer 2400m and 3200m races later in the spring.
In past years the Turnbull Stakes has proven a truly excellent guide to the spring feature races, with the Turnbull Stakes providing a number of Melbourne Cup , Caulfield Cup winners and Cox Plate winners. The Turnbull Stakes paired with any of these three later events makes for some great betting doubles throughout the carnival.
In 2017, the Turnbull Stakes will take place at Flemington on Saturday October 7 , 2017.
2017 Turnbull Stakes Odds
The Turnbull Stakes 2017 betting markets and updated odds from Ladbrokes.com.au will be available below as soon as released.
Futures 2017 Turnbull Stakes odds will be dominated by super mare Winx who is on track to have her first run at Flemington in the race on way to a shot at a third Ladbrokes Cox Plate win.
2017 Turnbull Stakes Field
The Turnbull Stakes field attracts a quality line-up of spring gallopers each year coming via a host of different lead-up races including the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) run the Sunday prior at Caulfield. Plenty of runners come into the Turnbull Stakes field off a Sydney campaign and in 2015 and 2016 both champions of the Flemington Group 1 won the Group 2 Hill Stakes at Randwick in the lead-up with Preferment and Hartnell respectively doing the double.
The official Turnbull Stakes 2017 Final Field & Barriers will be announced on Wednesday October 4, 2017 and published in full below.
2017 Turnbull Stakes Nominations
The 2017 Turnbull Stakes nominations are released by Racing Victoria on Monday October 2 and are tipped to feature Chris Waller’s dual Cox Plate champion Winx who will be after her 21st consecutive win and Group 1 success number 14.
Turnbull Stakes History
Named in honour of the incumbent VRC Chairman Mr. Richard Turnbull, the Turnbull Stakes was first run in 1948 when Beau Gem claimed victory. It was originally a 12 furlong (approx. 2400m) Principal race up until 1972 when the distance was changed to the shorter length of 2000m with Australia’s adoption of the metric system. The race was run as a handicap event through until 1963 when weight-for-age conditions were adopted until 1970 when eventually the Turnbull Stakes became a set weights plus penalties race. In 1979 the event was elevated to Group 2 status and remained the same until 2006 when it was installed as a Group 1 event following the win of the infamous Makybe Diva in 2005.
Notable winners of the Turnbull Stakes include Rising Fast (1954), Galilee (1968), Super Impose (1989), Let’s Elope (1991), Naturalism (1992), Sunline (2000), Northerly (2002) and Efficient (2009). In 2012 Green Moon won the Turnbull Stakes before taking out the ‘race that stops the nation’ with a Melbourne Cup victory two starts later on the first Tuesday of November.
| Turnbull Stakes Records | |
|---|---|
| Multiple Winners: | Comic Court (1949 & 1950), Vo Rogue (1987 & 1988). |
| Most Successful Jockeys: | Two jockeys have won four Turnbull Stakes. Harry White with Lefroy (1978), No Peer (1981), Birchwood (1982) and Just Now (1986). R. Higgins with Sir Dane (1964), Galilee (1968), Leilani (1974) and Denise’s Joy (1976). |
Recent Turnbull Stakes Winners
| Year | Place | Horse | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | TBD | TBD |
| 2nd | TBD | ||
| 3rd | TBD | ||
| 2016 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Hartnell | 2 minutes 1.03 seconds |
| 2nd | Jameka | ||
| 3rd | Tally | ||
| 2015 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Preferment | 2 minutes 1.34 seconds |
| 2nd | Royal Descent | ||
| 3rd | Set Square | ||
| 2014 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Lucia Valentina | 2 minutes 1.84 seconds |
| 2nd | Lidari | ||
| 3rd | Brambles | ||
| 2013 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Happy Trails | 2 minutes 2.94 seconds |
| 2nd | Puissance De Lune | ||
| 3rd | Fawkner | ||
| 2012 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Green Moon | 2 minutes 2.11 seconds |
| 2nd | Seville | ||
| 3rd | December Draw | ||
| 2011 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | December Draw | 2 minutes 3.98 seconds |
| 2nd | Glass Harmonium | ||
| 3rd | Playing God | ||
| 2010 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Zipping | 2 minutes 3.23 seconds |
| 2nd | Shocking | ||
| 3rd | Shoot Out | ||
| 2009 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Efficient | 2 minutes 1.6 seconds |
| 2nd | Predatory Pricer | ||
| 3rd | Scenic Shot | ||
| 2008 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Littorio | 2 minutes 2.4 seconds |
| 2nd | Master O’Reilly | ||
| 3rd | Zipping | ||
| 2007 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Devil Moon | 2 minutes 3.4 seconds |
| 2nd | Scenic Shot | ||
| 3rd | Haradasun | ||
| 2006 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Sphenophyta | 2 minutes 1.9 seconds |
| 2nd | Our Smoking Joe | ||
| 3rd | Aqua D Amore | ||
| 2005 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Makybe Diva | 2 minutes 1.5 seconds |
| 2nd | Lad Of The Manor | ||
| 3rd | Confectioner | ||
| 2004 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Elvstroem | 2 minutes 0.4 seconds |
| 2nd | Mummify | ||
| 3rd | Confectioner | ||
| 2003 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Studebaker | 2 minutes 4 seconds |
| 2nd | Pentastic | ||
| 3rd | Strasbourg | ||
| 2002 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Northerly | 2 minutes 2.3 seconds |
| 2nd | Dash For Cash | ||
| 3rd | Fields Of Omagh | ||
| 2001 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Sunline | 2 minutes 3.9 seconds |
| 2nd | Universal Prince | ||
| 3rd | Primrose Sands | ||
| 2000 Turnbull Stakes | 1st | Fairway | 2 minutes 2.2 seconds |
| 2nd | Sunline | ||
| 3rd | Diatribe | ||