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The HDF McNeil Stakes 2026 ran on Saturday, August 29, 2026 as part of Caulfield’s Memsie Stakes Day card and was won in a first-up photo thriller by the Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained favourite American Eagle ($3.20F).  

The HDF McNeil Stakes is one of Melbourne’s most important early-spring three-year-old sprinting features, and Races.com.au readers are already diving into the latest HDF McNeil Stakes odds and expert HDF McNeil Stakes betting predictions as the new season form begins to unfold. Run at Caulfield over 1200m, the Group 3 race is a proven launching pad for elite colts and fillies heading towards the big Group 1 sprints and Guineas targets later in the spring. With sharp tempo, tactical barriers, second-up improvers and boom youngsters all shaping the market, the HDF McNeil Stakes consistently delivers high-quality racing and strong betting interest from smart punters — giving punters a crucial early read on which rising stars are ready to explode and which are still building towards their peak.

2026 McNeil Stakes Results

• 1st: No. 9 American Eagle ($3.20F)
• 2nd: No. 2 Unit Five
• 3rd: No. 6 Seraphox

Winning Margin: 0.15 lengths

Winning Time: 1:11.88

American Eagle ($3.20F) announced himself as a serious spring player with a gritty first-up win in the 2026 HDF McNeil Stakes results at Caulfield, the lightly raced Too Darn Hot colt overcoming early greenness and a mid-race scare before lifting late under Mark Zahra to edge out Unit Five in a tight finish. Transferred to Anthony & Sam Freedman after a wet-track debut win at Sandown, the $3.20 favourite showed class and resilience to score by 0.15 lengths, immediately sparking Group 1 talk with the Caulfield Guineas firming sharply — slashed from triple-figures into $11 with Ladbrokes. Co-trainer Sam Freedman was buoyed by the colt’s professionalism and scope, noting he has options galore this spring, from the Guineas Prelude to the Coolmore Stud Stakes or even the Golden Rose, with early Coolmore odds cut from $34 to $15 and Golden Rose betting tightening from $101 to $26. With improvement to come and versatility across 1200–1600m, American Eagle’s narrow McNeil victory looks the launching pad for a genuine Group 1 campaign.

Click here for the full story.

2026 H.D.F. McNeil Stakes Odds & Finishing Order

See below for the latest HDF McNeil Stakes odds followed by the official finishing order after the event this spring.

2026 McNeil Stakes Tips

Stay tuned for our insider HDF McNeil Stakes 2026 Tips on the spring lead-up for 3YOs.

Hosted at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne the HDF McNeil Stakes forms an important part of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. Held on Memsie Stakes Day the McNeil Stakes shares its race program with a number of other black-type events. Other races held on the same day include:

• Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m),
• Group 3 The Heath 1100 (1100m), and the
• Group 3 WW Cockram Stakes (1200m) – run in 2026 as the Courtza Stakes.

Scheduled at the outset of the Spring Racing Carnival the McNeil Stakes play an important role in guiding form understanding for the remainder of the year.

Quite a few handy three years olds run in the McNeil Stakes. It’s a very competitive race and is well worth watching as it could lead to a run in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Merchant Navy (2017) was the last horse to do the HDF McNeil Stakes – Coolmore Stud Stakes double. The HDF McNeil Stakes also serves as a good lead-up race for three-year-olds looking to step-up in distance to a mile for the Thousand Guineas and Caulfield Guineas races at Caulfield later in the spring.

Super Seth (2019) was the last horse to complete the HDF McNeil Stakes – Caulfield Guineas double.

2026 HDF McNeil Stakes
Date:	Saturday, August 29, 2026
Track:	Caulfield Racecourse
Distance:	1200m
Race Type:	3YOs – SW+P
Status:	Group 3
Prize Money:	$200,000

2026 McNeil Stakes Betting

The best HDF McNeil Stakes 2026 betting odds will be provided at Races.com.au with market links to Ladbrokes.

Growing Empire ($2.50 in 2024) was the last favourite in McNeil Stakes betting to salute.

2026 McNeil Stakes Form

The HDF McNeil Stakes form guide is the key resource Races.com.au punters use to assess every runner heading into this important early-spring three-year-old sprint at Caulfield. Because the race regularly produces future Group 1 stars, the form guide helps you compare each colt and filly’s fitness, speed, map position, and progression from their juvenile campaigns — giving you a clear read on which emerging talents are ready to peak, and which may still be building.

What Punters Should Look for in the HDF McNeil Stakes Form Guide:

• Second-up improvement — Many runners spike here after a solid first-up return.
• Juvenile Group form — Performances in races like the Blue Diamond, Golden Slipper or JJ Atkins often translate strongly.
• 1200m credentials — Proven short-course speed is a major advantage at Caulfield.
• Barrier draws — Inside gates can be gold in a fast-run three-year-old sprint.
• Speed map — Identifying leaders, on-pacers and swoopers helps predict race shape and betting value.
• Trial and jump-out form — Sharp recent work often signals a horse ready to fire early in the prep.
• Stable patterns — Big yards like Maher, Godolphin and Moody frequently unveil top prospects here.
• Market movement — Early firmers can indicate strong stable confidence and peak readiness.

FULL 2026 HDF MCNEIL STAKES FORM GUIDE

2026 McNeil Stakes Field

The 2026 McNeil Stakes field of final acceptances will be published in full below once announced by Racing Victoria on the Wednesday leading up to Memsie Stakes Day.

The McNeil Stakes 2026 final field features a smart line-up of 11 three-year-old sprinters led in betting by Mark Walker’s Group 1 winner from across the Tasman, Seize The Day, in his Australian debut.

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Probable Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	311x	SEIZE THE DAY	Mark Walker	Blake Shinn	3	59.5kg			98
2	110x	UNIT FIVE	Ciaron Maher	Thomas Stockdale	6	58kg			85
3	0x1110x5	RICH ON BUBBLES	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	Nash Rawiller	11	58kg			74
4	611x	OBAMBULATE	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	Craig Williams	2	57kg			69
5	28×3	CONFEDERATION	Chris Waller	James McDonald	8	57kg			74
6	713x	SERAPHOX	Ciaron Maher	Ethan Brown	4	57kg			67
7	8×51	PHILLIP ISLAND	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	Jordan Childs	9	57kg			62
8	353	PUT TO THE SWORD (NZ)	Leon & Troy Corstens & Will Larkin	Ben Allen	10	57kg			64
9	1	AMERICAN EAGLE	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Mark Zahra	1	57kg			66
10	1x	AETHERA	Danny O’Brien	Damian Lane	5	55kg			67
11	534×1	AUTUMN LOVER	Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	Luke Nolen	7	55kg			62

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2026 HDF McNeil Stakes Nominations

Nominations for the HDF McNeil Stakes 2026 close the Monday of race week and will be published in full below.

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Ballot	Weight	True Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	311x	SEIZE THE DAY	C	3	Mark Walker	1	59.5kg			98
2	312268×7	TORNADO VALLEY	C	3	Ciaron Maher	2	58.5kg			79
3	110x	UNIT FIVE	C	3	Ciaron Maher	3	58kg			85
4	0x1110x5	RICH ON BUBBLES	G	3	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	4	58kg			74
5	119x	BLIND RAISE (NZ)	G	3	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	5	58kg			73
6	13x	WOLF GAP	C	3	Anthony & Sam Freedman	6	57kg			76
7	28×3	CONFEDERATION	C	3	Chris Waller	7	57kg			74
8	527×6431	KO PHANGAN	C	3	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	8	57kg			70
9	1206×62	MILSONS POINT	G	3	Ciaron Maher	9	57kg			69
10	611x	OBAMBULATE	C	3	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	10	57kg			69
11	1x	AETHERA	F	3	Danny O’Brien	11	55kg			67
12	713x	SERAPHOX	C	3	Ciaron Maher	12	57kg			67
13	1	AMERICAN EAGLE	C	3	Anthony & Sam Freedman	13	57kg			66
14	353	PUT TO THE SWORD (NZ)	C	3	Leon & Troy Corstens & Will Larkin	14	57kg			64
15	1x	MULL OF KINTYRE	F	3	Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	15	55kg			63
16	8×51	PHILLIP ISLAND	C	3	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	16	57kg			62
17	534×1	AUTUMN LOVER	F	3	Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	17	55kg			62
18		AEMOND	C	3	Anthony & Sam Freedman	18	57kg

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

HDF McNeil Stakes History

The HDF McNeil Stakes was inaugurated in 1989 and has continued to provide excellent racing action ever since.

Good Old Ted took out the first edition of the McNeil Stakes, and since then several renowned horses have seen success.

Originally called the HDF McNeil Quality, the race name was changed for the 2005 edition to its current form.

Up to and including 2005 the McNeil Stakes was raced over 1100 metres. Since 2006 it has remained at its current distance of 1200 metres. The McNeil Stakes was granted listed status in 1991, which it held until being upgraded to Group 3 in 1999. The race has remained a Group 2 event since then.

Notable McNeil Stakes winners include Danzero (1994), Miss Finland (2006), Scenic Blast (2007), Starspangledbanner (2009), Merchant Navy (2017), that year’s Caulfield Guineas champion Super Seth (2019), and Growing Empire (2024).

The form out of the 2021 HDF McNeil Stakes was franked with the winner Bruckner going on to run second in that year’s Coolmore Stud Stakes. The 2021 runner-up Artorious meanwhile ran fourth in Sydney’s Golden Rose, and third in both the Caulfield Guineas and Coolmore Stud Stakes. Artorious would further frank the form with a brilliant third overseas at Royal Ascot in 2022’s Group 1 Platinum Jubilee Stakes (1207m).

The HDF McNeil Stakes winner Jacquinot franked the form winning Sydney’s Golden Rose Stakes next start before a fifth in that year’s The Everest results. He also returned in the autumn to win the 2023 CF Orr Stakes.

In 2023 the HDF McNeil Stakes winner Veight went on to run second in the Caulfield Guineas quinella that spring before an autumn return to further frank the form with a Group 1 Australian Guineas second and then Group 1 George Ryder Stakes win in 2024 over the older horses.

The 2024 McNeil Stakes form was firmly franked by the winner Growing Empire who went on to place in a host of Group 1 spring majors including the Manikato Stakes (2nd), The Everest (3rd) and Coolmore Stud Stakes (3rd).

McNeil Stakes results since 2000 are listed below.

HDF McNeil Stakes Results

Year	Place	Horse	Time
2026 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	American Eagle	1 minute 11.88 seconds
	2nd	Unit Five
	3rd	Seraphox
2025 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Tycoon Star	1 minute 10.00 seconds
	2nd	McGaw
	3rd	Jimmy Recard
2024 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Growing Empire	1 minute 10.38 seconds
	2nd	Wonder Boy
	3rd	Stay Focused
2023 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Veight	1 minute 9.46 seconds
	2nd	Legacies
	3rd	Little Brose
2022 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Jacquinot	1 minute 11.09 seconds
	2nd	Aft Cabin
	3rd	Tijuana
2021 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Bruckner	1 minute 10.45 seconds
	2nd	Artorius
	3rd	Heresy
2020 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Immortal Love	1 minute 10.89 seconds
	2nd	Flying Award
	3rd	Tagaloa
2019 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Super Seth	1 minute 10.95 seconds
	2nd	King Of Hastings
	3rd	Sebrakate
2018 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Native Soldier	1 minute 9.7 seconds
	2nd	The August
	3rd	Seabrook
2017 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Merchant Navy	1 minute 10.8 seconds
	2nd	Booker
	3rd	Muraahib
2016 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Defcon	1 minute 11.4 seconds
	2nd	Highland Beat
	3rd	Wazzenme
2015 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Gold Symphony	1 minute 10.5 seconds
	2nd	Ready For Victory
	3rd	Demonstrate
2014 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Chivalry	1 minute 10.3 seconds
	2nd	Nordic Empire
	3rd	Awesome Rock
2013 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Fast ‘N’ Rocking	1 minute 10.8 seconds
	2nd	Prince Harada
	3rd	Thermal Current
2012 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Lady Of Harrods	1 minute 10.2 seconds
	2nd	Kabayan
	3rd	Shamexpress
2011 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Golden Archer	1 minute 09.0 seconds
	2nd	Cross Of Gold
	3rd	Vatican
2010 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Sistine Angel	1 minute 113.4 seconds
	2nd	Servant
	3rd	Intencion
2009 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Starspangledbanner	1 minute 10.2 seconds
	2nd	Tollesprit
	3rd	Eclair Fastpass
2008 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Sugar Babe	1 minute 10.4 seconds
	2nd	Whobegotyou
	3rd	Cardinal Virtue
2007 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Scenic Blast	1 minute 10.6 seconds
	2nd	Pins On Parade
	3rd	Marching
2006 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Miss Finland	1 minute 16.18 seconds
	2nd	Haradasun
	3rd	Due Sasso
2005 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Danerich	1 minute 06.7 seconds
	2nd	Line Account
	3rd	Izanami
2004 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Tahni Girl	1 minute 04.1 seconds
	2nd	Classiconi
	3rd	Oratorio
2003 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Cahula	1 minute 05.4 seconds
	2nd	Cross Current
	3rd	Abdullah
2002 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Bel Esprit	1 minute 01.9 seconds
	2nd	Yell
	3rd	Before Too Long
2001 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Tully Dane	1 minute 05.6 seconds
	2nd	Raja Lane
	3rd	King Of Prussia
2000 HDF McNeil Stakes	1st	Rapid Man	1 minute 06.1 seconds
	2nd	Little Dozer
	3rd	Homewrecker

HDF McNeil Stakes FAQs

What is the HDF McNeil Stakes?

The HDF McNeil Stakes is a Group 3 1200m sprint for three-year-olds held at Caulfield early in the spring. It’s a key form race that regularly produces future Group 1 stars heading towards the big Melbourne features.

When is the HDF McNeil Stakes run?

The race is held in late August as part of Melbourne’s early-spring racing calendar, giving punters an important first look at rising three-year-old talent.

What distance is the HDF McNeil Stakes run over?

The HDF McNeil Stakes is run over 1200 metres, favouring sharp, early-season sprinters with proven short-course speed.

Where is the HDF McNeil Stakes held?

The race is run at Caulfield Racecourse, a track known for rewarding tactical speed, good barriers and horses that can handle its tight turns.

Who typically wins the HDF McNeil Stakes?

Winners are often high-quality colts and fillies from major stables such as Maher, Godolphin and Moody, with strong juvenile form or sharp first-up runs.

How do I bet on the HDF McNeil Stakes?

Punters can follow the latest HDF McNeil Stakes odds, market movers, speed maps and expert analysis on Races.com.au to find value and build confident early-spring plays.