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The Autumn Stakes is a Group 2 event held in early February during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival for Australian Guineas types.
Autumn Stakes News
The Autumn Stakes is a Group 2 event worth over $300,000 hosted each year in February at Caulfield Racecourse.
2026 Autumn Stakes Results
Stay tuned for the official 2026 Autumn Stakes results and finishing order and to see what three-year-olds have the Australian Guineas in sights.
- 1st: No. 1 Observer ($4EF)
- 2nd: No. 3 Planet Red
- 3rd: No. 10 Victorious Spirit
Winning Margin: 1.25 lengths
Winning Time: 1:22.39
Ciaron Maher’s Vase – VRC Derby champ from the spring, Observer ($4EF), kicked off his autumn with a bang easily accounting for his rivals to salute as the equal favourite fresh in the 2026 Autumn Stakes results at Caulfield. Despite the 1400m being short of his best, the star three-year-old was emphatic with Ethan Brown in the saddle putting 1.25 lengths on the line over the Caulfield Guineas runner-up Planet Red to shoot to the top of all-in Australian Guineas betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.
| 1. Observer (7) J: Ethan Brown59.5kg 2311xT: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 3. Planet Red (10) J: Jamie Melham57kg 1432xT: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr | ||
| 10. Victorious Spirit (12) J: Zac Spain57kg 231xT: Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman | ||
| 7. Onavuitton (6) J: Thomas Stockdale57kg 63x1T: Simon Zahra | ||
| 6. Top Reward (2) J: Michael Dee57kg 13xT: Clayton Douglas | ||
| 2. Buccleuch (4) J: Jye Mcneil58kg 111x6T: Patrick & Michelle Payne | ||
| 8. Crocodile (1) J: Ben Allen57kg 519x1T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes | ||
| 5. Master Of The Air (9) J: Damian Lane57kg x116xT: Chris Waller | ||
| 4. Arcora (5) J: John Allen57kg 0052xT: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | ||
| 11. Top Conti (3) J: Lachlan King57kg T: Steven King | ||
| 12. Davida (8) J: Craig Williams55kg 1x711T: Danny O'brien | ||
| 9. Cyber Link (11) J: Beau Mertens57kg 1T: Greg Eurell |
Open to three-year-olds only and run under set weights plus penalties conditions, the Autumn Stakes presents an exciting early autumn challenge for the strongest three-year-old gallopers heading towards races like the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) the following month. Light Fantastic (2008) was the last three-year-old to complete the Autumn Stakes – Australian Guineas double.
The Autumn Stakes also now serves as an early lead-up into the recently upgraded Group 1 All-Star Mile (1600m) held in March.
Forming a central part of the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival, the Autumn Stakes is held on Rubiton Stakes Day and is one of a host of Group status races on the Caulfield card at the meeting.
The other key feature races on the card include the:
- Group 2 Rubiton Stakes (1100m),
- Group 2 Blue Diamond Prelude (F) (1100m),
- Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) (1100m),
- Group 3 TS Carlyon Cup (1600m), and the
- Group 3 Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m) which runs as the Senet Peter Le Grand Stakes in 2026.
Another potential target for the Autumn Stakes graduates is a trip to Sydney for the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m), a race the 2020 Autumn Stakes winner Microphone ran second in.
The 2024 Autumn Stakes form was franked with the runner-up, Southport Tycoon, going on to win the Australian Guineas at his next start.
In 2025 the Autumn Stakes was won first-up by the resuming Victoria Derby champ from the spring Observer.
The Autumn Stakes 2026 ran on Saturday February 7, 2026 at Caulfield Racecourse as a key Australian Guineas lead-up and was won in style by the first-up VRC Derby champ from the spring, Observer ($4EF).
| 2026 Autumn Stakes | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Saturday February 7, 2026 |
| Track: | Caulfield Racecourse |
| Distance: | 1400m |
| Race Type: | 3YO Set Weights + Penalties |
| Status: | Group 2 |
| Prize Money: | $300,000 |
2026 Autumn Stakes Betting
The latest Autumn Stakes 2026 betting odds will be provided by Ladbrokes.com.au and also made available here at Races.com.au the week of the race so stay tuned.
Microphone ($2.60 in 2020), Angel Capital ($2.70 in 2025) and Observer ($4EF in 2026) are the latest favourites in Autumn Stakes betting to salute for the punters.
2026 Autumn Stakes Form
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2026 AUTUMN STAKES FORM GUIDE
2026 Autumn Stakes Tips
Stay tuned for our exclusive Autumn Stakes 2026 Tips on the event this autumn.
Each Way: No. 12 Davida
DAVIDA (8) might not boast the headline credentials of some of her Autumn Stakes rivals — including a Derby winner and a Caulfield Guineas runner-up — but she brings something they don’t: rock-solid fitness and winning momentum. She steps up to a much stronger grade, yet her summer form says she’s right in this after putting together back-to-back victories. The well-bred Bivouac filly is two-from-three at 1400m and has earned her crack at Black-Type. She demolished a BM70 at Cranbourne in December, then proved her versatility by edging out the older mares at Geelong on January 3. Freshened since, she sharpened up with an impressive trial win at The Heath on January 29. She does rise in weight, but Craig Williams taking the reins is a major plus. With the right trip at her preferred distance and a forward running pattern, she’s capable of giving them something to chase and turning this into a genuine boilover.
|
12. Davida (8)
J: Craig Williams55kg
1×711T: Danny O’brien
|
2026 Autumn Stakes Field
The Autumn Stakes field is released each year on the Wednesday before the race along with all the other final acceptances for the day.
The 2026 Autumn Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw will be published below as soon as available on the Wednesday of race week.
The Autumn Stakes 2026 field features a quality line-up of potential Australian Guineas bound three-year-olds including Ciaron Maher’s resuming Victoria Derby champ Observer and the spring’s Caulfield Guineas runner-up Planet Red.
Click here to read more on the key runners in the 2026 Autumn Stakes field and betting markets.
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 215x2311x | OBSERVER | Ciaron Maher | Ethan Brown | 7 | 59.5kg | 107 | ||
| 2 | 62111×6 | BUCCLEUCH | Patrick & Michelle Payne | Jye McNeil | 4 | 58kg | 75 | ||
| 3 | 1x1432x | PLANET RED | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | Ms Jamie Melham | 10 | 57kg | 98 | ||
| 4 | 0x2310052x | ARCORA | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | John Allen | 5 | 57kg | 90 | ||
| 5 | 5x8x116x | MASTER OF THE AIR | Chris Waller | Damian Lane | 9 | 57kg | 67 | ||
| 6 | 13x | TOP REWARD | Clayton Douglas | Michael Dee | 2 | 57kg | 68 | ||
| 7 | 63×1 | ONAVUITTON | Simon Zahra | Thomas Stockdale | 6 | 57kg | 65 | ||
| 8 | 519×1 | CROCODILE | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | Ben Allen | 1 | 57kg | 66 | ||
| 9 | 1 | CYBER LINK | Greg Eurell | Beau Mertens | 11 | 57kg | 64 | ||
| 10 | 231x | VICTORIOUS SPIRIT | Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman | Zac Spain | 12 | 57kg | 62 | ||
| 11 | TOP CONTI (NZ) | Steven King | Lachlan King | 3 | 57kg | ||||
| 12 | 4x241x711 | DAVIDA | Danny O’Brien | Craig Williams | 8 | 55kg | 73 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
2026 Autumn Stakes Nominations
The early Autumn Stakes nominations for 2026 are released by Racing Victoria each autumn on the Monday before the race.
2026 Autumn Stakes nominations extended until 10:00am (AEDT) – 03/02/2026
| Last 10 | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0x2310052x | ARCORA | C | 3 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | 90 |
| 2 | 1 | BEYOND QUESTION | G | 3 | Patrick Kearney | 62 |
| 3 | 62111×6 | BUCCLEUCH | G | 3 | Patrick & Michelle Payne | 75 |
| 4 | 519×1 | CROCODILE | G | 3 | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | 66 |
| 5 | 7373x162x4 | CUSTOM | F | 3 | Ciaron Maher | |
| 6 | 1 | CYBER LINK | C | 3 | Greg Eurell | 64 |
| 7 | 4x241x711 | DAVIDA | F | 3 | Danny O’Brien | 73 |
| 8 | 5x8x116x | MASTER OF THE AIR | C | 3 | Chris Waller | 67 |
| 9 | 215x2311x | OBSERVER | C | 3 | Ciaron Maher | 107 |
| 10 | 63×1 | ONAVUITTON | G | 3 | Simon Zahra | 65 |
| 11 | 1x1432x | PLANET RED | G | 3 | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | 98 |
| 12 | TOP CONTI (NZ) | G | 3 | Steven King | ||
| 13 | 13x | TOP REWARD | C | 3 | Clayton Douglas | 68 |
| 14 | 231x | VICTORIOUS SPIRIT | G | 3 | Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman | 62 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
Autumn Stakes History
The Autumn Stakes was first inaugurated in 1968, with Anvil taking out the first edition. In 1980, the race was granted Group 3 status but was later downgraded to listed status in 1991. In 2005, the Autumn Stakes was again elevated to Group 3, and then to Group 2 in 2008. It has been known variously as the Schweppes Cup, Schweppervescence Cup and D’Urban Stakes.
Considered a good form guide for the Australian Guineas, Light Fantastic (2008) was the last Autumn Stakes winner to back-up and win the Group 1. The Autumn Stakes has also produced other recent Australian Guineas winners including Heart Of Dreams (2009). In 2019 the Autumn Stakes winner Hawkshot went on to run second next-up in the Australian Guineas results.
Notable Autumn Stakes winners include Blaze The Turf (1998), Apache Cat (2006), Light Fantastic (2008), Pied A Terre (2012), Microphone (2020), and the previous year’s Victoria Derby champ Observer (2026).
Autumn Stakes results since 2000 are listed below.
Autumn Stakes Results
| Year | Place | Horse | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Observer | 1 minute 22.39 seconds |
| 2nd | Planet Red | ||
| 3rd | Victorious Spirit | ||
| 2025 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Angel Capital | 1 minute 24.66 seconds |
| 2nd | Plymouth | ||
| 3rd | Evaporate | ||
| 2024 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Snow Patrol | 1 minute 23.54 seconds |
| 2nd | Southport Tycoon | ||
| 3rd | Zipaway | ||
| 2023 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Glint Of Silver | 1 minute 24.42 seconds |
| 2nd | Amenable | ||
| 3rd | The Fortune Teller | ||
| 2022 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Coastwatch | 1 minute 24.28 seconds |
| 2nd | Burning Power | ||
| 3rd | Lucky Decision | ||
| 2021 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Poland | 1 minute 23.00 seconds |
| 2nd | Amish Boy | ||
| 3rd | It’sourtime | ||
| 2020 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Microphone | 1 minute 22.88 seconds |
| 2nd | Banquo | ||
| 3rd | Adelaide Ace | ||
| 2019 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Hawkshot | 1 minute 23.47 seconds |
| 2nd | Dealmaker | ||
| 3rd | Ringerdingding | ||
| 2018 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Holy Snow | 1 minute 24.89 seconds |
| 2nd | Mr So And So | ||
| 3rd | Astoria | ||
| 2017 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Oak Door | 1 minute 23.54 seconds |
| 2nd | Attention | ||
| 3rd | Knowable | ||
| 2016 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Mahuta | 1 minute 23.4 seconds |
| 2nd | Sailing By | ||
| 3rd | Snoopy | ||
| 2015 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Nicasio | 1 minute 23.6 seconds |
| 2nd | Zebulon | ||
| 3rd | Firehouse Rock | ||
| 2014 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Thunder Fantasy | 1 minute 23.8 seconds |
| 2nd | Rock Hero | ||
| 3rd | Late Charge | ||
| 2013 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Mulaazem | 1 minute 23.7 seconds |
| 2nd | Fiveandahalfstar | ||
| 3rd | Super Cool | ||
| 2012 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Pied A Terre | 1 minute 24.7 seconds |
| 2nd | Proliferate | ||
| 3rd | Adamantium | ||
| 2011 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Dusty Star | 1 minute 22.5 seconds |
| 2nd | Under The Eiffel | ||
| 3rd | Eclair Mystic | ||
| 2010 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Denman | 1 minute 23.3 seconds |
| 2nd | Guru Bob | ||
| 3rd | Most Immediate | ||
| 2009 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Fravashi | 1 minute 22.8 seconds |
| 2nd | Nicconi | ||
| 3rd | Heart Of Dreams | ||
| 2008 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Light Fantastic | 1 minute 23.2 seconds |
| 2nd | Vivacious | ||
| 3rd | Viatorian | ||
| 2007 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Catechuchu | 1 minute 24.7 seconds |
| 2nd | Haradasun | ||
| 3rd | Eclair Passion | ||
| 2006 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Apache Cat | 1 minute 24.7 seconds |
| 2nd | God’s Own | ||
| 3rd | Empress Lily | ||
| 2005 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Shinzig | 1 minute 23.4 seconds |
| 2nd | Not A Single Doubt | ||
| 3rd | Danehill Express | ||
| 2004 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Special Harmony | 1 minute 23.5 seconds |
| 2nd | Youth | ||
| 3rd | Dane Fever | ||
| 2003 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Titanic Jack | 1 minute 25.1 seconds |
| 2nd | Storm Prince | ||
| 3rd | Step Ahead | ||
| 2002 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Dash For Cash | 1 minute 24.1 seconds |
| 2nd | Barkada | ||
| 3rd | Zonked | ||
| 2001 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Desert Sky | 1 minute 25.1 seconds |
| 2nd | Desert Eagle | ||
| 3rd | Crop | ||
| 2000 Autumn Stakes | 1st | Sudurka | 1 minute 24.0 seconds |
| 2nd | Skymaker | ||
| 3rd | Noble Sensation | ||
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