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The 2023 Begonia Belle Stakes – known as the Furphy Sprint in 2023 for sponsorship purposes – is a Group 3 race held on Victoria Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne named in honour of the 1969 Newmarket Handicap winner.

Raced over 1100m, the Begonia Belle Stakes is a mares-only event run under set weights plus penalties conditions. With $200,000 prize money on offer, the Begonia Belle Stakes is quite a lucrative race for the better class of mares.

The Begonia Belle Stakes was previously held on VRC Oaks Day on the Thursday following the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November.  From 2016 it was moved to the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Victoria Derby Day.

It now runs as part of an all-Group race card at the meeting including three Group 1 races with the running of the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m), Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) and the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m).

Mares typically target the Begonia Belle Stakes following a range of other starts. Some mares step well down in distance to content the Begonia Belle Stakes. The Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m) at Randwick in Sydney has in recent years provided a moderate guide to the horses who do well in the Begonia Belle Stakes. Look also to the Group 3 Northwood Plume Stakes (1200m), the Group 3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m) or the Group 3 Ladies Day Vase (1600m) at Caulfield.

Tofane (2019) followed by Fiesta (2020) are the latest mares to complete the Northwood Plume Stakes – Begonia Belle Stakes double when the latter ran as the Furphy Sprint. Tofane  also went on to win the following year’s Group 1 All Aged Stakes in Sydney.

In 2022 the Begonia Belle / Furphy Sprint winner Asfoora came off a Group 2 Caulfield Sprint (1000m) on Caulfield Cup Day.

Asfoora would go on to frank the form from the 2022 race with a big autumn in 2023 finishing third in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate, fourth in the Group 1 The Galaxy, and fourth in the inaugural $4 million The Quokka in Perth. She also won the Group 3 The Heath 1100 and Group 2 Schillaci Stakes in the spring of 2023 with a Group 1 Moir Stakes second at The Valley in between.

The 2023 Begonia Belle Stakes was held on Saturday November 4, 2023 as the Furphy Sprint and was won by now three-time Group 3 winner Queen Of The Ball ($7.50) who was impressive down the famous straight at Flemington. 

Begonia Belle Stakes 2023 (Furphy Sprint)
Date:	Saturday November 4, 2023
Track:	Flemington Racecourse
Distance:	1100m
Race Type:	Mares – SW+P
Status:	Group 3
Prize money:	$200,000

2023 Begonia Belle Stakes Results

• 1st: #2 Queen Of The Ball ($7.50)
• 2nd: #8 Hypothetical
• 3rd: #10 Dancing Alone

Michael Freedman’s consistent I Am Invincible mare Queen Of The Ball ($7.50) charged down the Flemington straight in the third on Derby Day to post her third career Group 3 success in the 2023 Furphy Sprint results to hand Damien Oliver back-to-back victories on the card after his Lexus Stakes success aboard Kris Lees’ likely Melbourne Cup contender Kalapour.

	Finish	No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Bar.	Weight	Penalty	Starting Price
	1	2	QUEEN OF THE BALL	Michael Freedman	Damien Oliver		11	57kg		$7.50
	2	8	HYPOTHETICAL	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Ms Jamie Kah	1L	7	55kg		$10
	3	10	DANCING ALONE	Bryce Heys	Billy Egan	2.75L	9	55kg		$4.40
	4	6	ROSE QUARTZ	Grahame Begg	Blake Shinn	3.75L	1	55kg		$3.50F
	5	7	WILLINGA BEAST	Kris Lees	Jamie Spencer	3.95L	8	55kg		$21
	6	4	RED CARD	James Cummings	Tim Clark	4.7L	10	56kg		$7.50
	7	5	LEMPICKA	Ken & Kasey Keys	Blaike McDougall	5.2L	6	56kg		$12
	8	11	GHAANATI	Peter & Paul Snowden	John Allen	5.3L	2	55kg		$12
	9	9	STARLIGHT SCOPE	Pat Carey & Harris Walker	Daniel Stackhouse	6.05L	3	55kg		$81
	10	3	AITCH TWO OH	Richard & Chantelle Jolly	Ms Linda Meech	8.05L	5	57kg		$21
	11	12	SOUTH OF HOUSTON	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	Jye McNeil	9.55L	4	55kg		$26
		1	ZAPATEO	James Cummings	James McDonald		0

Table Credit: Racing Australia.