Horse Racing

The JJ Liston Stakes is the first Group 2 race during the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. Held at Caulfield racecourse in August, the 1400m event is held on the same day as the Group Three Cockram Stakes which is a 1200m race for mares. Worth $200,000 in prize money, the weight-for-age race is open to all horses aged three years and over.

Preceded by the Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) two weeks earlier, the JJ Liston Stakes is the lead up race to the Group Two Memsie Stakes (1400m) held in a fortnight at Caulfield. The only horse to manage the JJ Liston/Memsie Stakes double was Regal Roller in 2004. As the country’s best horses are busy preparing for the bigger events held in October, the JJ Liston Stakes generally attracts an above average group of sprinters.

JJ Liston Stakes History

First won by One Up in 1949, the JJ Liston Stakes was a 10 furlong race until 1968 when it became a 7 furlong race until 1972. After it became a 1400m race, it was quickly elevated to Group Two status. Since its inauguration, Tauto has been the only horse to successfully win two races in 1971 and 1972. The 2007 winner Apache Cat ran a successful campaign after his JJ Liston Stakes win as he ran second in the Makybe Diva Stakes and then won several Group One races. Apache Cat also holds the race’s fastest winning time record with 1 minute 22.1 seconds.

Recent JJ Liston Stakes Winners