The Northerly Stakes is the last of three Group 1 races run and won at Ascot Racecourse in WA each Perth Summer Racing Carnival.

2024 Northerly Stakes Results

• 1st: #5 Light Infantry Man ($12)
• 2nd: #13 Admiration Express
• 3rd: #15 Socks Nation

The Ciaron Maher-trained Light Infantry Man ($12) enjoyed a stellar upset in the final Group 1 of the year with ace Victorian hoop Ethan Brown hitting the front 200m out from the line to storm into the clear and race away to claim the Northerly Stakes 2024 ahead of 100/1 outsider Admiration Express.

Formerly known as the Kingston Town Classic, the race was previously named after the Australian Racing Hall of Fame horse Kingston Town.

It was renamed in 2022 as the Northerly Stakes in honour of the 2000 Railway Stakes champion Northerly, one of the country’s best ever middle-distance racehorses. Northerly won a host of Group 1 races in Australia including dual wins in the Australian Cup (2001, 2003) and Cox Plate (2001, 2002), as well as the 2002 Caulfield Cup during his illustrious career.

Run in either late November or early December annually, the weight-for-age race is worth $1.5 million dollars in prize money as of 2022 and is contested over 1800m.

The best lead-up race to the event is the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) run a fortnight earlier. Horses out of the Northerly Stakes field may go on to contest the Group 1 Perth Cup (2400m).

In 2020 the ill-fated Truly Great scored an upset win in the Kingston Town Classic before winning the Group 2 Ted Van Heemst Stakes next-up ahead of a second in the Perth Cup results.

Regal Power (2021) was the last horse to complete the Kingston Town Classic –  Ted Van Heemst Stakes double.

Four horses have completed the Railway Stakes – Kingston Town Classic (Northerly Stakes) double in the same year with the latest to do so being Sniper’s Bullet (2009).

The brand new Group 3 $1.5 million The Gold Rush (1400m), held for the first time in 2022, run at Ascot in mid-December is also a potential target for horses out of the Northerly Stakes field each summer.

Horses that contest the summer’s Northerly Stakes are also now likely to target a slot in Perth’s richest race, the $4 million The Quokka (1200m), taking place for the first time in April of 2023.

The 2022 Northerly Stakes form was franked with the winner Amelia’s Jewel running second in the following year’s The Quokka results before heading to Melbourne where she won both the Group 2 Let’s Elope Stakes and Group 2 Stocks Stakes in 2023.

The 2024 Northerly Stakes ran on Saturday December 7, 2024 at Ascot Racecourse in Perth and was won in an impressive upset by the Ciaron Maher-trained Light Infantry Man ($12). 

2024 Northerly Stakes Finishing Order

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2024 Northerly Stakes Betting

The top 2024 Northerly Stakes betting markets will be open at Ladbrokes.com.au for you to back your insider Northerly Stakes betting tips at the right price this summer and also available here at Races.com.au.

Amelia’s Jewel ($2.90 in 2022) was the last favourite in Northerly Stakes betting to salute for the punters.

There was a notable upset in 2023 with Dom To Shoot saluting at Northerly Stakes odds of $21, and again in 2024 with Light Infantry Man ($12) beating Admiration Express ($101).

2024 Northerly Stakes Form Guide

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2024 NORTHERLY STAKES FORM GUIDE

2024 Northerly Stakes Tips

Stay tuned for our exclusive Northerly Stakes 2024 Tips on the Group 1 Perth showdown this summer.

• To Win: TBD

2024 Northerly Stakes Field

The Northerly Stakes field – formerly known as the Kingston Town Classic field – is usually filled out with some of the better Perth thoroughbreds as well as visiting stayers from the eastern states.

Horses traditionally run in the Railway Stakes a fortnight earlier leading-up to the race and Sniper’s Bullet (2009) was the last to do the double in a single season.

Three-year-old runners in the field may have their final lead-up in the Group 2 W.A. Guineas and Arcadia Queen (2018) and fellow filly Amelia’s Jewel (2022) are the last WA Guineas winners to back-up and beat the older horses in the then Kingston Town Classic field next start.

In 2019 the Neville Parnham-trained filly Kay Cee improved on a lead-up second in the WA Guineas to take out that year’s Kingston Town Classic results.

The 2024 Northerly Stakes field is announced on the Monday of race week and will be published in full below once released by Perth Racing.

2024 Northerly Stakes Nominations

More and more interstate raiders trained outside of W.A. are featuring in the Northerly Stakes nominations that close about a month out from the Group 1.

The 2024 Northerly Stakes nominations attracted a bumper 143 horses, up from 106 hopefuls last year, led in all-in betting by Mitchell Freedman’s recent Hill Stakes winning stallion Attrition and the Ciaron Maher-trained Light Infantry Man looking to atone for his 12th in the Group 1 Railway Stakes.

Kingston Town Classic / Northerly Stakes History

First raced in 1976 and won by Family Of Man, the Kingston Town Classic has undergone plenty of name changes. Starting with the Marlboro 50,000, the event then went on to be named the Western Mail Classic, Rothwells Stakes, Winfield Stakes, Beat Diabetes 2 Stakes and Fruit ‘N’ Veg Stakes. In 2007 it was officially named the Kingston Town Classic after the great horse’s victory in 1982.

Summer Beau won the race in two consecutive years in 1996 and 1997 and Old Comrade followed in 2000 and 2001. Niconero managed to win the Classic twice in 2006 and 2008 as did the race’s first winner Family Of Man in 1976 and 1978.

More recently Playing God (2010-11) went back-to-back in the race as a three-year-old and four-year-old, while in 2015 Perfect Reflection became the first three-year-old filly to win the Kingston Town Classic.

Three years later and another filly was in the mix, Arcadia Queen dominating the 2018 Kingston Town Classic results with a 4.5 length win. The following summer, a daughter of two-time champion Playing God – Kay Cee – became the third filly to win the Kingston Town Classic.

The fillies were back on top again with the favourite Amelia’s Jewel winning the 2022 Northerly Stakes.

The event was renamed the Northerly Stakes ahead of the 2022 edition.

Kingston Town Classic / Northerly Stakes Winners

The table below shows the winners and placegetters of the Kingston Town Classic since 2000. From 2022 onwards the winners are known as the Northerly Stakes winners.