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The Group 3 2018 Lexus Stakes is a 2500m staying event held at the illustrious Flemington Racecourse on Victoria Derby Day, the Saturday prior to the Melbourne Cup.

Open to horses aged three years and older, the Lexus Stakes is run under quality handicap conditions. With total prize money of $300,000, the Lexus Stakes is quite a lucrative Group 3 event and key race on the Melbourne Cup Carnival schedule.

The Lexus Stakes winner gains a ballot exemption for the Group 1 $6.25 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) back at the track just three days later and Shocking (2009) was the last to complete the double.

Victoria Derby Day is a massive race meeting, and the Lexus Stakes shares a race program with nine other Group status races. These include the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m), Group 1 Kennedy Mile (1600m), Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m), Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m), Group 2 Salinger Stakes (1200m) and Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m).

There are a variety of paths that horses take to the Lexus Stakes. As it runs at the culmination of the spring carnival, those horses which target the Lexus Stakes may have been racing in Victoria, NSW or may even have just come out of quarantine following their trip to Australia. In the past, the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) has been a fairly popular lead-up event.

A number of horses use the Lexus Stakes as a lead up event to the Melbourne Cup, held just four days later on the first Tuesday of November. This has been a common course for international horses who are seeking ballot exemption, which the Lexus Stakes provides.

The Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) is another popular target following a Lexus Stakes run held the Saturday after on Emirates Stakes Day and offers a bonus to any horse that was balloted out of that year’s Melbourne Cup field should they salute.

The 2018 Lexus Stakes was held on Saturday November 3, 2018 .

Lexus Stakes 2018
Date:	Saturday November 3, 2018
Racecourse:	Flemington Racecourse
Distance:	2500m
Conditions:	3YO&UP Quality Hcp
Status:	Group 3
Prize Money:	$300,000
Inaugurated:	1869

• 1st: #4 Sixties Groove
• 2nd: #10 Jaameh
• 3rd: #3 Patrick Erin

Follow the link for our full Lexus Stakes 2017 Betting Tips & Preview, the team tipping five-time Melbourne Cup winning owner Lloyd Williams to add another runner to his contingent in this year’s field with ALOFT ($5.50) set to bounce back from the Herbert Power flop returning to Flemington. KELLSTORM ($7.50) was good two back finishing third in The Bart Cummings and was under two lengths beaten in the unplaced Geelong Cup run last time out. VENGEUR MASQUE ($7) won that and is a genuine hope again.

Lexus Stakes Betting Odds

The latest Lexus Stakes odds provided by Ladbrokes.com.au will be listed below on the stayers and potential Melbourne Cup horses.

2018 Lexus Stakes Field

The Lexus Stakes field attracts a quality line-up of spring stayers, the majority of which are chasing the Melbourne Cup ballot exemption on offer to the winner of the Victoria Derby Day race.

Good lead-up races into the Lexus Stakes field each season including Caulfield’s Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) or even the Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) the Saturday prior on Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day that produced the 2017 Lexus Stakes winner Cismontane (3rd).

The official 2018 Lexus Stakes Final Field & Barriers are announced the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below.

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	32x03705x0	SOLE IMPACT (JPN)	Hirofumi Toda	Hugh Bowman	1	58kg	–	105
2	x2188632x3	A PRINCE OF ARRAN (GB)	Charlie Fellowes	Michael Walker	7	57.5kg	–	104
3	114656×641	PATRICK ERIN (NZ)	Chris Waller	Corey Brown	8	57.5kg	–	104
4	0x55211x31	SIXTIES GROOVE (IRE)	Darren Weir	Craig Williams	4	57kg	–	103
5	0x0551x586	TALLY	James Cummings	Tim Clark	9	57kg	–	103
6	1x22x33222	BRIMHAM ROCKS (GB)	Chris Waller	James McDonald	3	56.5kg	–	102
7	31105×0248	GALLIC CHIEFTAIN (FR)	Darren Weir	Damian Lane	5	56.5kg	–	102
8	231130×341	RUNAWAY	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Stephen Baster	13	56.5kg	–	102
9	x04331x220	RISING RED (NZ)	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	Regan Bayliss	6	56kg	–	101
10	33x1x61812	JAAMEH (IRE)	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Mark Zahra	2	55.5kg	–	100
11	1119×45842	NORTHWEST PASSAGE	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Dwayne Dunn	11	55.5kg	–	100
12	4421×22630	YOGI (NZ)	Darren Weir	Dean Yendall	10	54.5kg	–	98
13	1211×78728	LADIES FIRST (NZ)	Allan Sharrock	–	12	54kg	–	101

2018 Lexus Stakes Nominations

The 2018 Lexus Stakes nominations are taken by Racing Victoria on the Monday leading-up to Victoria Derby Day, the full list of early entries to be published below as soon as announced.

No.	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	2×11	DIPLOMATICO	C	3	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	79
2	25166×8512	ENCRYPTION	C	3	James Cummings	95
3	213×1223	GYTRASH	G	3	Gordon Richards	71
4	13310×15	LEAN MEAN MACHINE	C	3	Chris Waller	96
5	x4342x8662	LEGEND OF CONDOR	C	3	Gerald Ryan	78
6	x10649x283	LONG LEAF	C	3	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	82
7	323x81x80	PAQUIRRI	C	3	Gary Moore	80
8	6x225x435	REALLY SWISH	C	3	Leon & Troy Corstens	62
9	860×592183	RINGERDINGDING	C	3	Darren Weir	73
10	72154×1	SESAR	C	3	Steven O’Dea	92
11	11113×2117	SUNLIGHT	F	3	Tony McEvoy	100
12	1214267	THORONDOR	C	3	Robbie Laing	76
13	26×2151	VOILA	F	3	Chris Waller	69
14	1x1114x11	WRITTEN BY	C	3	Grahame Begg	104
15	146122×42	ZOUSAIN	C	3	Chris Waller	99

Lexus Stakes History

The Lexus Stakes was inaugurated in 1969 as the Hotham Handicap, it’s current registered name. One of the oldest races in Australia, the Lexus Stakes has a very prestigious history to match its age.

The Lexus Stakes is renowned for a very rare triple dead heat in 1956. Fighting Force, Ark Royal and Pandie Sun crossed together to win one of the only races ever to record three winners.

Besides its current name, the Lexus Stakes has been known by a variety of sponsor titles. For ten years prior to 2009 (when Lexus started sponsorship) it was known as the Saab Quality. Prior to that, it was the Lean Cuisine Quality, Ten News Quality, Crown Quality, and The Dalgety.

Notable Lexus Stakes winners include Miss Carbine (1899), Spear Chief (1938), Foxzami (1949), Think Big (1974), Brew (2000) and Shocking (2009) who was the last Lexus Stakes winner to back-up and dominate that year’s Melbourne Cup results doing the double. Lexus Stakes results, winners and placegetters since 2000 are listed below, along with winning times.

Lexus Stakes Results

Year	First	Second	Third	Time
2018	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
2017	Cismontane	Vengeur Masque	Pentathlon	2:35.41
2016	Oceanographer	Tom Melbourne	Tally	2.35.68
2015	Excess Knowledge	Zanteca	Havana Cooler	2:36.8
2014	Signoff	Big Memory	La Amistad	2:37.9
2013	Ruscello	Let’s Make Adeal	Araldo	2:39.8
2012	Kelinni	Dare To Dream	Exceptionally	2:37.6
2011	Niwot	Macedonian	Anudjawun	2:37.5
2010	Maluckyday	Linton	Once Were Wild	2:35.1
2009	Shocking	Hume	Irazu	2:38.3
2008	Moatise	Light Vision	Cape Cover	2:37.7
2007	Sculptor	The Fuzz	Desert Master	2:35.4
2006	Maybe Better	Irazu	Vanquished	2:35.8
2005	Strasbourg	Bush Honey	Mr Celebrity	2:40.3
2004	Don Raphael	Catchmeifyoucan	Winning Belle	2:36.6
2003	Big Pat	Fawaz	Dance On Wood	2:39.4
2002	Requiem	Miss Meliss	Piachay	2:35.3
2001	Maythehorsebewithu	Spirit Of Westbury	Touch The Groom	2:35.8
2000	Brew	Mr Nelson	Yammer	2:37.1