Begonia Belle Stakes

The Begonia Belle Stakes (Furphy Sprint) is a Group 3 1100m sprint held at Flemington Racecourse on Victoria Derby Day each Melbourne Cup Carnival.

2023 Begonia Belle Stakes Results

  • 1st: #2 Queen Of The Ball
  • 2nd: #8 Hypothetical
  • 3rd: #10 Dancing Alone



The 2023 Begonia Belle Stakes – known as the Furphy Sprint in 2023 for sponsorship purposes – is a Group 3 race held on Victoria Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne named in honour of the 1969 Newmarket Handicap winner.

Raced over 1100m, the Begonia Belle Stakes is a mares-only event run under set weights plus penalties conditions. With $200,000 prize money on offer, the Begonia Belle Stakes is quite a lucrative race for the better class of mares.

The Begonia Belle Stakes was previously held on VRC Oaks Day on the Thursday following the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November.  From 2016 it was moved to the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Victoria Derby Day.

It now runs as part of an all-Group race card at the meeting including three Group 1 races with the running of the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m), Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) and the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m).

Mares typically target the Begonia Belle Stakes following a range of other starts. Some mares step well down in distance to content the Begonia Belle Stakes. The Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m) at Randwick in Sydney has in recent years provided a moderate guide to the horses who do well in the Begonia Belle Stakes. Look also to the Group 3 Northwood Plume Stakes (1200m), the Group 3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m) or the Group 3 Ladies Day Vase (1600m) at Caulfield.

Tofane (2019) followed by Fiesta (2020) are the latest mares to complete the Northwood Plume Stakes – Begonia Belle Stakes double when the latter ran as the Furphy Sprint. Tofane  also went on to win the following year’s Group 1 All Aged Stakes in Sydney.

In 2022 the Begonia Belle / Furphy Sprint winner Asfoora came off a Group 2 Caulfield Sprint (1000m) on Caulfield Cup Day.

Asfoora would go on to frank the form from the 2022 race with a big autumn in 2023 finishing third in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate, fourth in the Group 1 The Galaxy, and fourth in the inaugural $4 million The Quokka in Perth. She also won the Group 3 The Heath 1100 and Group 2 Schillaci Stakes in the spring of 2023 with a Group 1 Moir Stakes second at The Valley in between.

The 2023 Begonia Belle Stakes was held on Saturday November 4, 2023 as the Furphy Sprint and was won by now three-time Group 3 winner Queen Of The Ball ($7.50) who was impressive down the famous straight at Flemington. 

Begonia Belle Stakes 2023 (Furphy Sprint)
Date: Saturday November 4, 2023
Track: Flemington Racecourse
Distance: 1100m
Race Type: Mares – SW+P
Status: Group 3
Prize money: $200,000

2023 Begonia Belle Stakes Results

  • 1st: #2 Queen Of The Ball ($7.50)
  • 2nd: #8 Hypothetical
  • 3rd: #10 Dancing Alone

Michael Freedman’s consistent I Am Invincible mare Queen Of The Ball ($7.50) charged down the Flemington straight in the third on Derby Day to post her third career Group 3 success in the 2023 Furphy Sprint results to hand Damien Oliver back-to-back victories on the card after his Lexus Stakes success aboard Kris Lees’ likely Melbourne Cup contender Kalapour.

Finish No. Horse Trainer Jockey Margin Bar. Weight Penalty Starting Price
1 2 QUEEN OF THE BALL Michael Freedman Damien Oliver 11 57kg $7.50
2 8 HYPOTHETICAL Anthony & Sam Freedman Ms Jamie Kah 1L 7 55kg $10
3 10 DANCING ALONE Bryce Heys Billy Egan 2.75L 9 55kg $4.40
4 6 ROSE QUARTZ Grahame Begg Blake Shinn 3.75L 1 55kg $3.50F
5 7 WILLINGA BEAST Kris Lees Jamie Spencer 3.95L 8 55kg $21
6 4 RED CARD James Cummings Tim Clark 4.7L 10 56kg $7.50
7 5 LEMPICKA Ken & Kasey Keys Blaike McDougall 5.2L 6 56kg $12
8 11 GHAANATI Peter & Paul Snowden John Allen 5.3L 2 55kg $12
9 9 STARLIGHT SCOPE Pat Carey & Harris Walker Daniel Stackhouse 6.05L 3 55kg $81
10 3 AITCH TWO OH Richard & Chantelle Jolly Ms Linda Meech 8.05L 5 57kg $21
11 12 SOUTH OF HOUSTON Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) Jye McNeil 9.55L 4 55kg $26
1 ZAPATEO James Cummings James McDonald 0

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2023 Begonia Belle Stakes Betting Odds

The latest Begonia Belle Stakes 2023 betting odds will be listed below on the hopeful sprinting mares below with links for you to back your Begonia Belle Stakes Tips at the right price this Victoria Derby Day.

Minhaaj ($3.70 in 2021) and Asfoora ($3.20 in 2022) are the last favourites in Begonia Belle Stakes betting to win.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2023 BEGONIA BELLE STAKES ODDS (Final Field)

2023 Begonia Belle Stakes Form Guide

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2023 BEGONIA BELLE STAKES FORM GUIDE

2023 Begonia Belle Stakes Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Begonia Belle Stakes 2023 Tips on the race run as the Furphy Sprint on VRC Derby Day.

  • To Win: #6 Rose Quartz ($6 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Intriguing edition of the race currently known as the Furphy Sprint and have the rails-drawn Rose Quartz on top at a nice price for trainer Grahame Begg who deserves a bit of luck after having to retire his Melbourne Cup hope Lunar Flare due to injury. This perennial runner-up is out to shrug her place-getter status with the Written Tycoon six-year-old having finished second in her latest three starts. Two of those were in Group 3 grade. Second to She Dances at Caulfield last time out with improvement to come back at Flemington where she has a lovely record (6:2-2-0).

2023 Begonia Belle Stakes Field

The Begonia Belle Stakes field attracts a quality line-up of short-distance mares coming out of lead-up runs in events like Caulfield’s Group 2 Schillaci Stakes (1100m) or the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes (1400m) held on Caulfield Cup Day.

The best mares out of the Begonia Belle Stakes field may return to the Flemington track a week later and line-up in the Group 1 VRC Sprint Classic (1200m) – now run as the Champions Sprint, or return in the autumn for the sprints like the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) that the 2016 Begonia Belle Stakes winner Sheidel won the following year.

The official 2023 Begonia Belle Stakes Field & Barriers are released on the Wednesday leading-up to Derby Day and will be published in full below.

The 2023 Furphy Sprint final field features a quality line-up of in-form mares led in betting by the James Cummings-trained multiple Group 1 place-getter Zapateo

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Probable Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 x01133x350 ZAPATEO James Cummings James McDonald 3 58kg 108
2 158x28x274 QUEEN OF THE BALL Michael Freedman Damien Oliver 12 57kg 90
3 13x91x0x25 AITCH TWO OH Richard & Chantelle Jolly Ms Linda Meech 6 57kg 90
4 15x211x147 RED CARD James Cummings Tim Clark 11 56kg 94
5 69x497x111 LEMPICKA Ken & Kasey Keys Blaike McDougall 7 56kg 93
6 x502432x22 ROSE QUARTZ Grahame Begg Blake Shinn 1 55kg 93
7 52535x5x46 WILLINGA BEAST Kris Lees Jamie Spencer 9 55kg 83
8 x41373x242 HYPOTHETICAL Anthony & Sam Freedman Ms Jamie Kah 8 55kg 91
9 45×6181717 STARLIGHT SCOPE Pat Carey & Harris Walker Daniel Stackhouse (late alt) 4 55kg 83
10 11×11611 DANCING ALONE Bryce Heys Billy Egan 10 55kg 86
11 2x0x992x14 GHAANATI Peter & Paul Snowden John Allen 2 55kg 78
12 2x2121x SOUTH OF HOUSTON Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) Jye McNeil 5 55kg 72

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2023 Furphy Sprint (Begonia Belle Stakes) Nominations

Early nominations for the Furphy Sprint in 2023 will be published below following the release of entries by Racing Victoria on the Monday of race week.

Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Hcp Rating
1 13x91x0x25 AITCH TWO OH M 4 Richard & Chantelle Jolly 90
2 11x344x121 ASFOORA M 5 Henry Dwyer 111
3 11×11611 DANCING ALONE M 4 Bryce Heys 86
4 9520x1256x FIRST DIVISION M 5 Maddie Raymond 69
5 2x0x992x14 GHAANATI M 4 Peter & Paul Snowden 78
6 x41373x242 HYPOTHETICAL M 5 Anthony & Sam Freedman 91
7 23x1660x25 LADY DI DI M 4 Cliff Brown 65
8 69x497x111 LEMPICKA M 5 Ken & Kasey Keys 93
9 218x75110x NIJIKO M 5 Maddie Raymond 69
10 158x28x274 QUEEN OF THE BALL M 4 Michael Freedman 90
11 15x211x147 RED CARD M 4 James Cummings 94
12 2x1135x RICH FORTUNE M 4 Jerome Hunter 84
13 x502432x22 ROSE QUARTZ M 6 Grahame Begg 93
14 2x2121x SOUTH OF HOUSTON M 4 Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) 72
15 45×6181717 STARLIGHT SCOPE M 6 Pat Carey & Harris Walker 83
16 52535x5x46 WILLINGA BEAST M 4 Kris Lees 83
17 x01133x350 ZAPATEO M 5 James Cummings 108

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Begonia Belle Stakes History

The Begonia Belle Stakes was previously known as the GH Mumm Stakes, but was renamed prior to the 2014 edition. For two years until 2011, it was known as the Crown Promenade Stakes. The Begonia Belle Stakes did not exist under any name prior to 2009.

Once a listed race, the Begonia Belle Stakes was upgraded to Group 3 status prior to running in 2013.

Although it hasn’t been running for a particularly long time, the Begonia Belle Stakes has rapidly amassed a decent following due to top quality racing. It has developed a reputation for producing winners, rather than being contested by them. However, the improved status and prize money will no doubt continue to draw in top flight horses.

Notable Begonia Belle Stakes winners include Ortensia (2011), Vain Queen (2014), and subsequent Group 1 winner Sheidel (2016).

Begonia Belle Stakes results and winning times for the race now run as the Furphy Sprint going back to 2009 are listed below.

Begonia Belle Stakes Results

Year Place Horse Time
2023
Begonia Belle Stakes
(Furphy Sprint)
1st Queen Of The Ball 1 minute 02.97 seconds
2nd Hypothetical
3rd Dancing Alone
2022
Begonia Belle Stakes
(Furphy Sprint)
1st Asfoora 1 minute 04.71 seconds
2nd Veranskova
3rd Sneaky Price
2021
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Minhaaj 1 minute 02.81 seconds
2nd Ballistic Lover
3rd Mileva
2020
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Fiesta 1 minute 3.71 seconds
2nd Too Good Too Hard
3rd Zaniah
2019
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Tofane 1 minute 4.21 seconds
2nd Pippie
3rd Miss Iano
2018
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Divine Quality 1 minute 2.82 seconds
2nd Booker
3rd I Am Excited
2017
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Lyuba 1 minute 3.29 seconds
2nd Savanna Amour
3rd Concealer
2016
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Sheidel 1 minute 2.98
2nd Wild Rain
3rd Private Secretary
2015
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Pittsburgh Flyer 1 minute 4.4 seconds
2nd Dublin Lass
3rd Brook Road
2014
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Vain Queen 1 minute 2.7 seconds
2nd Bounding
3rd Lilliburlero
2013
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Dystopia 1 minute 3.7 seconds
2nd Shamal Wind
3rd She Can Skate
2012
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Honey Flower 1 minute 3.2 seconds
2nd Dystopia
3rd Anise
2011
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Ortensia 1 minute 3.2 seconds
2nd Balmont Miss
3rd Octopussy
2010
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Status Symbol 1 minute 4.9 seconds
2nd Jerezana
3rd Zingaling
2009
Begonia Belle Stakes
1st Very Discreet 1 minute 3.6 seconds
2nd Seeking Attention
3rd Serenissima

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