Horse Racing

The CS Hayes, formally The Debonair, is a Group 3 race held in late January or early February annually at the esteemed Flemington racecourse in Melbourne. One of three feature group races held on Lightning Stakes Day, the event takes place along with the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) and the Group 3 The Vanity (1200m).
Run over the middle-sprint distance of 1400m, the CS Hayes Stakes is an event for three-year-old colts and geldings at set weights plus penalties and is worth $200 000. The handy runners that contest the CS Hayes Stakes will often progress on to the group 2 Alistair Clarke Stakes (1600m) a fortnight later or the prestigious Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) in early March on Flemington?s Super Saturday of Racing.

CS Hayes Stakes History:

The CS Hayes Stakes was inaugurated in 1987 and the first race was won by Raveneaux. It began as a Listed race run over 1400m and was originally known as The Debonair. For one year in 1990 the race distance was decreased to 1200m before reverting back to 1400m. In 1994 the race was called the Vanuatu stakes and was run over 1420m. The following year in 1995 the race name went back to The Debonair but the race distance was 1432m. In 1996 the race distance was 1433m and then in 1997 went back to the original 1400m length. In 2001 the race reached Group 3 status. A couple of years later in 2003 the distance was 1420m and the next year the length was 1410m. In 2006 the distance went back to 1400m but in 2007 a shorter race was held over 1200m. In 2008 the distance was again 1400m.

Last 10 Years of CS Hayes Stakes Winners: