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The Group 2 WH Stocks Stakes is early on during the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. Taking place in late September at Moonee Valley on Moir Stakes Night, the WH Stocks is a 1600m middle distance event. Worth $200,000 in prize money it is for mares aged four-years-old and above, and is run under weight-for-age conditions.

Other races solely for mares held earlier in the carnival are the Group 3 Cockram Stakes (1200m) and the Group 2 Lets Elope Stakes (1400m), and a few runners may have previously contested these shorter distanced events.

The Stocks Stakes is an excellent lead up to events like the Group 2 Blazer Stakes (1400m) at Flemington and the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes (1400m) on Caulfield Cup day in October. The race usually attracts a field of handy mares and quality winners include Tuesday Joy (2008), Atlantic Jewel (2013) who ran second in that year’s Underwood Stakes before success in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m) and Dear Demi (2014).

The WH Stocks Stakes 2017 took place under the lights at Moonee Valley on Friday September 29, 2017.

2017 Stocks Stakes
Date:	Friday September 29, 2017
Track:	Moonee Valley Racecourse
Distance:	1600m
Conditions:	4YO & Up Mares – Weight-for-age
Status:	Group 2
Prize Money:	$200,000
Inaugurated:	1973

2017 Stocks Stakes Results

• 1st: #7 I Am A Star
• 2nd: #6 Flying Jess
• 3rd: #1 Hell Or Highwater

Check out the official Stocks Stakes 2017 Results & Finishing Order below, following the link to read more on the comeback win by race favourite I Am A Star who is now on way to a Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) title defence during Flemington’s Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Place	#	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Br.	Wgt.	SP
1	7	I AM A STAR (NZ)	Shane Nichols	Ben Melham	–	7	56.5kg	$3.50F
2	6	FLYING JESS	John Moloney	Tye Angland	0.4L	8	56.5kg	$18
3	1	HELL OR HIGHWATER	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Dean Yendall	0.9L	9	57kg	$4.20
4	11	SMART AS YOU THINK	John McArdle	Jamie Mott	2.4L	11	56.5kg	$18
5	5	CONSOMMATEUR (NZ)	Michael Kent	Beau Mertens (a)	2.7L	10	57kg	$41
6	3	LIZZIE L’AMOUR (NZ)	Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman	Hugh Bowman	2.8L	1	57kg	$7
7	9	JENNIFER LYNN	Darren Weir	Blake Shinn	3.1L	4	56.5kg	$11
8	10	EXOCET	Anthony Freedman	Mark Zahra	3.2L	6	56.5kg	$20
9	4	HAPPY HANNAH	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Kerrin McEvoy	5.2L	2	57kg	$26
10	8	MONTOYA’S SECRET	Leon & Troy Corstens	Joao Moreira	5.7L	12	56.5kg	$12
11	12	HEAVENLY DESCENT	Mick Price	Jake Noonan	5.8L	5	56.5kg	$17
12	2	RISQUE (NZ)	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Regan Bayliss	7.05L	3	57kg	$51

2017 Stocks Stakes Tips

• 1st: #3 Lizzie L’Amour
• 2nd: #11 Smart As You Think
• 3rd: #7 I Am A Star

Happy to forgive and forget the first-up run from Kiwi Group 1 winner Lizzie L’Amour who had health issues. She’ll be better second-up after recovering and returns to her own kind in this. Gets the rails run and Hugh Bowman aboard are two other plusses for the mare who has class and is out to atone. Out wider is So You Think four-year-old Smart As You Think and it is a generous price on offer for the proven Moonee Valley performer. The Group 2 Let’s Elope fifth was brave and she was only two lengths beaten as a $31 roughie. Will relish getting up to a mile and has form around some nice types. I Am A Star is a Group 1 mile winner from last Cup Carnival, comes off back-to-back sevenths but will be the improver over this distance from the gate at weight-for-age after carrying 59kg last time out to finish three lengths off the Let’s Elope winner.

W.H. Stocks Stakes Betting

The updated W.H. Stocks Stakes odds provided by Ladbrokes.com.au are detailed below, so follow the links on your Stocks Stakes tips now.

2017 Stocks Stakes Field

The WH Stocks Stakes field attracts a quality line-up of mares each spring that may have had a lead-up in a race like the Let’s Elope Stakes, the double achieved in 2016 by Don’t Doubt Mamma. In 2013 Atlantic Jewel won the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) before her success in the Stocks Stakes, a feat also achieved in 2011 by King’s Rose.

The official 2017 WH Stocks Stakes Final Field & Barriers will be available below once acceptances are taken the Wednesday of race week.

The WH Stocks Stakes 2017 Field drew a line-up of a dozen gallopers including a number among the 2017 Caulfield Cup first acceptances this week such as the Kiwi-trained Lizzie L’Amour who gets the rails run on Friday night from barrier one with regular rider of Winx, Hugh Bowman, booked for the ride.

#	Form (Last 10)	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Hcp. Rating
1	23×0653111	HELL OR HIGHWATER	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Dean Yendall	9	57kg	101
2	1x1380x000	RISQUE (NZ)	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Regan Bayliss	3	57kg	92
3	16151021×7	LIZZIE L’AMOUR (NZ)	Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman	Hugh Bowman	1	57kg	105
4	333x6759x0	HAPPY HANNAH	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Kerrin McEvoy	2	57kg	92
5	213x3116x	CONSOMMATEUR (NZ)	Michael Kent	TBA	10	57kg	94
6	0471x67x20	FLYING JESS	John Moloney	Tye Angland	8	56.5kg	93
7	271183×477	I AM A STAR (NZ)	Shane Nichols	Ben Melham	7	56.5kg	107
8	35x2111x08	MONTOYA’S SECRET	Leon & Troy Corstens	Joao Moreira	12	56.5kg	98
9	113x256x68	JENNIFER LYNN	Darren Weir	Blake Shinn	4	56.5kg	77
10	49x30411x0	EXOCET	Anthony Freedman	Mark Zahra	6	56.5kg	85
11	x577683x55	SMART AS YOU THINK	John McArdle	Jamie Mott	11	56.5kg	80
12	3x6111x02	HEAVENLY DESCENT	Mick Price	Jake Noonan	5	56.5kg	74

2017 Stocks Stakes Nominations

The Stocks Stakes nominations are released on the Monday leading-up to Moir Stakes Night and the full list of early entries will be available here once announced.

WH Stocks Stakes History

The inaugural race in 1973 was won by Mellition. It began as a principal race run over 1600m and then became a listed event in 1979. Over a decade later it was elevated to Group 3 status before finally becoming a Group 2 event in 2005. For the first seven years, the race was known as the Dallas Handicap. Then from 1980 onwards it became the W H Stocks Stakes.

Notable winners of the Stocks Stakes include Mellition (1973), Digger’s Lass (1985), Gold Lottey (2002), Atlantic Jewel (2013) and I Am A Star (2017). Stocks Stakes results and winning times since 2000 are provided below.

Stocks Stakes Results

Year	Place	Horse	Time
2018 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	TBD	TBD
	2nd	TBD
	3rd	TBD
2017 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	I Am A Star	1 minute 37.31 seconds
	2nd	Flying Jess
	3rd	Hell Or Highwater
2016 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Don’t Doubt Mamma	1 minute 38.74 seconds
	2nd	Kaniana
	3rd	Miss Rose De Lago
2015 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Fenway	1 minute 34.98 seconds
	2nd	May’s Dream
	3rd	Scratchy Bottom
2014 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Dear Demi	1 minute 37.82 seconds
	2nd	Solicit
	3rd	Commanding Jewel
2013 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Atlantic Jewel	1 minute 36.88 seconds
	2nd	Oasis Bloom
	3rd	Oriental Ruby
2012 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Oasis Bloom	1 minute 36.9 seconds
	2nd	Spirit Song
	3rd	Chateau Margaux
2011 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	King’s Rose	1 minute 37.0 seconds
	2nd	Pinker Pinker
	3rd	Lady Lynette
2010 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Avienus	1 minute 38.3 seconds
	2nd	Belscenica
	3rd	Lady Lynette
2009 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Zarita	1 minute 37 seconds
	2nd	Cats Whisker
	3rd	Soul Diva
2008 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Tuesday Joy	1 minute 36.3 seconds
	2nd	Devil Moon
	3rd	Bird Of Fire
2007 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Devil Moon	1 minute 36.4 seconds
	2nd	Brom Felinity
	3rd	Hidden Strings
2006 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Astrodame	1 minute 36.1 seconds
	2nd	Brockman’s Lass
	3rd	Belle Bizaare
2005 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Flowerdrum	1 minute 38.5 seconds
	2nd	Honest Politician
	3rd	Taken
2004 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	She’s Archie	1 minute 41.9 seconds
	2nd	Annie La Vie
	3rd	Zumanity
2003 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Sunday Joy	1 minute 36.8 seconds
	2nd	Liberty Rose
	3rd	Monde Special
2002 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Gold Lottey	1 minute 38.7 seconds
	2nd	Tyrolean
	3rd	Visage
2001 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Lady Marion	1 minute 38.7 seconds
	2nd	Tickle My
	3rd	Tyrolean
2000 W H Stocks Stakes	1st	Hula Wonder	1 minute 38.4 seconds
	2nd	Camarena
	3rd	Mrs Bentley