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The Begonia Belle Stakes (Furphy Sprint) is a Group 3 1100m sprint held at Flemington Racecourse on Victoria Derby Day each Melbourne Cup Carnival.
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 |
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.
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.
Stay tuned for our insider Begonia Belle Stakes 2023 Tips on the race run as the Furphy Sprint on VRC Derby Day.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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 |