Lexus Stakes

The Lexus Archer Stakes is a Group 3 staying event held on Victoria Derby Day offering a ballot exemption to the winner into the Melbourne Cup Field a few days later.

2023 Lexus Archer Stakes Results

  • 1st: #2 Kalapour
  • 2nd: #3 Athabascan
  • 3rd: #6 Gan Teorainn



The Group 3 2023 Lexus Stakes – currently known as the Lexus Archer Stakes – is a 2500m staying event held at the illustrious Flemington Racecourse on Victoria Derby Day, the Saturday prior to the Melbourne Cup.

Open to horses aged three years and older, the Lexus Stakes is run under quality handicap conditions. With total prize money of $300,000, the Lexus Stakes is quite a lucrative Group 3 event and key race on the Melbourne Cup Carnival schedule.

The Lexus Stakes winner gains a ballot exemption for the Group 1 $8.41 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) back at the track just three days later and Shocking (2009) was the last to complete the double.

More recently the 2018 Lexus Stakes winner Prince Of Arran ran third in the Melbourne Cup trifecta next start.

Victoria Derby Day is a massive race meeting, and the Lexus Stakes shares a race program with eight other Group status races. These include the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m), Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m), Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m), Group 2 Linlithgow Stakes (1200m), and Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m).

There are a variety of paths that horses take to the Lexus Stakes. As it runs at the culmination of the spring carnival, those horses which target the Lexus Stakes may have been racing in Victoria, NSW or may even have just come out of quarantine following their trip to Australia. In the past, the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) has been a fairly popular lead-up event as has the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m).

A number of horses use the Lexus Stakes as a lead up event to the Melbourne Cup, held just four days later on the first Tuesday of November. This has been a common course for international horses who are seeking ballot exemption, which the Lexus Stakes provides.

The Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) is another popular target following a Lexus Stakes run held the Saturday after on Champions Stakes Day and offers a bonus to any horse that was balloted out of that year’s Melbourne Cup field should they salute.

The 2023 Lexus Archer Stakes was run on Saturday November 4, 2023 as a final lead-up into the Melbourne Cup and saw the Kris Lees-trained Kalapour ($4.80) from Sydney lead all-the-way off a gun ride by Damien Oliver to earn his spot in the 24-horse Melbourne Cup field on November 7. 

Lexus Stakes 2023
Date: Saturday November 4, 2023
Racecourse: Flemington Racecourse
Distance: 2500m
Conditions: 3YO&UP Quality Hcp
Status: Group 3
Prize Money: $300,000
Inaugurated: 1869

2023 Lexus Archer Handicap Results

  • 1st: #2 Kalapour ($4.80)
  • 2nd: #3 Athabascan
  • 3rd: #6 Gan Teorainn

Trainer Kris Lees is likely to have two Melbourne Cup 2023 runners with Kalapour joining Cleveland inside the Top 24 on the order of entry for Tuesday’s $8.41 million feature after leading from barrier to box to score an impressive victory in the 2023 Lexus Archer Stakes results off a perfectly-timed ride by Damien Oliver.

Click here to read more on the good Lexus Stakes 2023 win by likely Melbourne Cup runner Kalapour.

2023 Lexus Archer Stakes Results & Finishing Order

Finish No. Horse Trainer Jockey Margin Bar. Weight Penalty Starting Price
1 2 KALAPOUR (IRE) Kris Lees Damien Oliver 1 56kg $4.80
2 3 ATHABASCAN (FR) John O’Shea James McDonald 0.3L 3 55.5kg $2.80F
3 6 GAN TEORAINN (IRE) Chris Waller Jye McNeil 1.8L 7 54kg $26
4 5 UNITED NATIONS (IRE) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Jamie Spencer 3.8L 4 54kg $5
5 4 MOSTLY CLOUDY (IRE) Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young Tim Clark 4.55L 6 54kg $5
6 1 LADIES MAN (NZ) Allan Sharrock Dean Yendall 5.55L 5 59kg $9
7 7 SPEAK (GB) Michael Moroney Billy Egan 12.55L 2 54kg $16

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2023 Lexus Stakes Betting Odds

The latest Lexus Archer Stakes 2023 odds provided by Ladbrokes.com.au will be listed below on the stayers and potential Melbourne Cup horses.

Downdraft ($5.50 in 2019) followed by Surefire ($1.90 in 2022) are the last favourites in Lexus Stakes betting to salute for the punters.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2023 LEXUS ARCHER STAKES ODDS (Final Field)

2023 Lexus Stakes Form Guide

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2023 LEXUS ARCHER STAKES FORM GUIDE

2023 Lexus Stakes Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Lexus Archer Stakes 2023 Tips on the final official Melbourne Cup lead-up race this spring.

  • To Win: #4 Mostly Cloudy ($5.50 at time of publish) – BET NOW

A ballot exemption into the Melbourne Cup field goes on the line in the Lexus Archer Stakes and it is a small seven-horse field and a wide-open market. Have landed on Mostly Cloudy to salute from the Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young team. The stable are in excellent form this spring and this six-time winning gelding looks to be on the up. Flemington winner by two lengths over 2500m a couple of starts back before finishing a credible fourth in the Group 3 The Bart Cummings at the same track and trip on October 7. Two lengths off the winner Future History there and the form out of the race is holding well. Right track, right distance, same weight, can return to winning form and make it into the big one.

2023 Lexus Stakes Field

The Lexus Stakes field attracts a quality line-up of spring stayers, the majority of which are chasing the Melbourne Cup ballot exemption on offer to the winner of the Victoria Derby Day race.

Good lead-up races into the Lexus Stakes field each season including Caulfield’s Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) or even the Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) the Saturday prior on Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day that produced the 2017 Lexus Stakes winner Cismontane (3rd) and the 2019 champion Downdraft (3rd) for Melbourne Cup winning trainer Joseph O’Brien.

The official 2023 Lexus Archer Stakes Final Field & Barriers are announced the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below.

The Lexus Archer Stakes 2023 field features a small but in-form line-up of seven potential Melbourne Cup-bound stayers led in betting by the John O’Shea-trained Athabascan

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Probable Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 31413×3221 LADIES MAN (NZ) Allan Sharrock Dean Yendall 5 59kg 106
2 1213x3L733 KALAPOUR (IRE) Kris Lees Damien Oliver 1 56kg 100
3 37Px991187 ATHABASCAN (FR) John O’Shea James McDonald 3 55.5kg 99
4 5×03323614 MOSTLY CLOUDY (IRE) Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young Tim Clark 6 54kg 93
5 x41x952320 UNITED NATIONS (IRE) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Jamie Spencer 4 54kg 89
6 7224×75353 GAN TEORAINN (IRE) Chris Waller Jye McNeil 7 54kg 83
7 5x42x22x62 SPEAK (GB) Michael Moroney Billy Egan 2 54kg 71

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2023 Lexus Archer Stakes Nominations

Early nominations for the Lexus Archer Stakes in 2023 will be published below once confirmed by Racing Victoria on the Monday ahead of VRC Derby Day.

The 2023 Lexus Archer Stakes nominations attracted 25 stayers with a number already assured of a run in the 24-horse Melbourne Cup field three days later on November 7.

Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Hcp Rating
1 37Px991187 ATHABASCAN (FR) G 5 John O’Shea 99
2 6x50x49621 CLEVELAND (IRE) H 6 Kris Lees 105
3 x858x58610 FANCY MAN (IRE) G 6 Annabel Neasham 99
4 7224×75353 GAN TEORAINN (IRE) M 4 Chris Waller 83
5 6536Px3259 INTERPRETATION (IRE) G 6 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 95
6 1213x3L733 KALAPOUR (IRE) G 7 Kris Lees 100
7 x1430x0039 KING FRANKEL (IRE) G 6 Annabel Neasham 100
8 x05314x709 KUKERACHA (NZ) G 6 Chris Waller 98
9 31413×3221 LADIES MAN (NZ) G 6 Allan Sharrock 106
10 2x22418x98 LUNCIES (GB) G 7 Kris Lees 104
11 5x0x06x906 MAGICAL LAGOON (IRE) M 5 Chris Waller 104
12 319×920141 MILITARY MISSION (IRE) G 6 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 103
13 1265x728x5 MORE FELONS (IRE) G 5 Chris Waller 100
14 5×03323614 MOSTLY CLOUDY (IRE) G 5 Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young 93
15 12x18x7404 MR WATERVILLE (IRE) G 5 Chris Waller 89
16 725x900x11 MURAMASA G 4 Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young 97
17 905926×461 PESTO (GB) G 8 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 84
18 20x129x243 SERPENTINE (IRE) G 7 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 101
19 1390×70403 SIR LUCAN (IRE) G 6 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 98
20 820200×705 SO DAZZLING (NZ) M 4 John Sargent 92
21 5x42x22x62 SPEAK (GB) M 5 Michael Moroney 71
22 02330×8541 SUIZURO G 4 Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young 95
23 19x64x069x THIRD REALM (GB) G 6 Anthony & Sam Freedman 97
24 7043100×00 TIMOUR (FR) G 6 Chris Waller 94
25 x41x952320 UNITED NATIONS (IRE) H 5 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 89

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Lexus Stakes History

The Lexus Stakes was inaugurated in 1969 as the Hotham Handicap, it’s current registered name. One of the oldest races in Australia, the Lexus Stakes has a very prestigious history to match its age.

The Lexus Stakes is renowned for a very rare triple dead heat in 1956. Fighting Force, Ark Royal and Pandie Sun crossed together to win one of the only races ever to record three winners.

Besides its current name, the Lexus Stakes has been known by a variety of sponsor titles. For ten years prior to 2009 (when Lexus started sponsorship) it was known as the Saab Quality. Prior to that, it was the Lean Cuisine Quality, Ten News Quality, Crown Quality and The Dalgety.

Notable Lexus Stakes winners include Miss Carbine (1899), Spear Chief (1938), Foxzami (1949), Think Big (1974), Brew (2000), and Shocking (2009) who was the last Lexus Stakes winner to back-up and dominate that year’s Melbourne Cup results doing the double.

Lexus Stakes results, winners and place-getters since 2000 are listed below, along with winning times.

The 2018 Lexus Stakes winner Prince Of Arran would go on to run placings in three straight editions of the Melbourne Cup finishing 3rd in 2018, 2nd in 2029 and 3rd again in 2020.

The event was renamed the Lexus Archer Stakes ahead of the 2022 edition.

Lexus Stakes Results

Year First Second Third Time
2023 Kalapour Athabascan Gan Teorainn 2:38.11
2022 Surefire Serpentine Crystal Pegasus 2:39.11
2021 Great House Mankayan Emissary 2:34.56
2020 Ashrun Sound Brimham Rocks / Future Score (Dead Heat) 2:37.94
2019 Downdraft Carif Azuro 2:38.85
2018 Prince Of Arran Brimham Rocks Jaameh 2:37.46
2017 Cismontane Vengeur Masque Pentathlon 2:35.41
2016 Oceanographer Tom Melbourne Tally 2.35.68
2015 Excess Knowledge Zanteca Havana Cooler 2:36.8
2014 Signoff Big Memory La Amistad 2:37.9
2013 Ruscello Let’s Make Adeal Araldo 2:39.8
2012 Kelinni Dare To Dream Exceptionally 2:37.6
2011 Niwot Macedonian Anudjawun 2:37.5
2010 Maluckyday Linton Once Were Wild 2:35.1
2009 Shocking Hume Irazu 2:38.3
2008 Moatise Light Vision Cape Cover 2:37.7
2007 Sculptor The Fuzz Desert Master 2:35.4
2006 Maybe Better Irazu Vanquished 2:35.8
2005 Strasbourg Bush Honey Mr Celebrity 2:40.3
2004 Don Raphael Catchmeifyoucan Winning Belle 2:36.6
2003 Big Pat Fawaz Dance On Wood 2:39.4
2002 Requiem Miss Meliss Piachay 2:35.3
2001 Maythehorsebewithu Spirit Of Westbury Touch The Groom 2:35.8
2000 Brew Mr Nelson Yammer 2:37.1

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