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The Lexus Hotham Stakes is a Group 3 staying event held on Victoria Derby Day offering a ballot exemption to the winner into the Melbourne Cup Field a few days later.
2019 Lexus Hotham Stakes Results
- 1st: #1 Downdraft
- 2nd: #13 Carif
- 3rd: #10 Azuro
Lexus Stakes News
- 2019 Victoria Derby Day: Flemington Forecast, Scratchings & Track Report
- 2019 Hotham Stakes: Downdraft Favourite in Melbourne Cup Lead-Up
- Steel Prince Cleared for Melbourne Cup 2019 Bid
- Weir looking to add to 2018 Melbourne Cup numbers with Lexus Stakes runners
- Melbourne Cup Next for Lexus Stakes Winner Cismontane
The Group 3 2019 Lexus Stakes – now known as the Hotham 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 $8 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) back at the track just three days later and Shocking (2009) was the last to complete the double.
More recently the 2018 Lexus Stakes winner Prince Of Arran ran third in the Melbourne Cup trifecta next start.
Victoria Derby Day is a massive race meeting, and the Lexus Stakes shares a race program with eight other Group status races. These include the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m), Group 1 Kennedy Cantala (1600m), Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m), Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (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 Mackinnon Stakes Day and offers a bonus to any horse that was balloted out of that year’s Melbourne Cup field should they salute.
The 2019 Lexus Stakes was held on Saturday November 2, 2019 as the Hotham Stakes and won by the Joseph O’Brien-trained Irish stayer Downdraft.
| Lexus Stakes 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Saturday November 2, 2019 |
| Racecourse: | Flemington Racecourse |
| Distance: | 2500m |
| Conditions: | 3YO&UP Quality Hcp |
| Status: | Group 3 |
| Prize Money: | $300,000 |
| Inaugurated: | 1869 |
2019 Lexus Hotham Stakes Results
- 1st: #1 Downdraft
- 2nd: #13 Carif
- 3rd: #10 Azuro
The Lexus Hotham Stakes 2019 Results saw the Joseph O’Brien-trained Irish raider Downdraft power home in a dominant 1.5 length victory to secure his spot in next Tuesday’s $8 million Melbourne Cup field. O’Brien won the race in 2017 with Rekindling and has four potential runners as he chases his second ‘Loving Trophy’ in three years.
Read more on the impressive Hotham Stakes 2019 win by the Melbourne Cup-bound Downdraft.
| Place | # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Barrier | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | DOWNDRAFT (IRE) | Joseph O’Brien | John Allen | – | 1 | 59kg | $5.50F |
| 2 | 13 | CARIF | Peter & Paul Snowden | Jamie Kah | 1.5L | 4 | 54kg (cd 54.5kg) | $9.50 |
| 3 | 10 | AZURO (FR) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Dean Yendall | 5.5L | 5 | 54.5kg | $9.50 |
| 4 | 7 | SIR CHARLES ROAD | Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott | Dwayne Dunn | 6.75L | 8 | 57.5kg | $9.50 |
| 5 | 8 | THE CHOSEN ONE (NZ) | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Mark Zahra | 7.75L | 3 | 57.5kg | $6 |
| 6 | 4 | HUSH WRITER (JPN) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 9.75L | 10 | 57.5kg | $7 |
| 7 | 11 | WALL OF FIRE (IRE) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Jye McNeil | 10.5L | 2 | 54kg | $14 |
| 8 | 3 | HAKY (IRE) | John Hammond | Ms Linda Meech | 10.7L | 9 | 57.5kg | $8 |
| 9 | 12 | VALAC (IRE) | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Craig Williams | 22.7L | 7 | 54kg | $26 |
| 10 | 6 | PATRICK ERIN (NZ) | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | 28.7L | 6 | 57.5kg | $9.50 |
| – | 9 | YOUNGSTAR | Chris Waller | Damien Oliver | – | 0 | – | – |
| – | 2 | SOUND (GER) | Michael Moroney | James Winks | – | 0 | – | – |
| – | 5 | NEUFBOSC (FR) | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Luke Nolen | – | 0 | – | – |
2019 Lexus Stakes Betting Odds
The latest Lexus Stakes 2019 odds provided by Ladbrokes.com.au will be listed below on the stayers and potential Melbourne Cup horses.
2019 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) and the 2019 champion Downdraft (3rd) for Melbourne Cup winning trainer Joseph O’Brien.
The official 2019 Lexus Stakes Final Field & Barriers are announced the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below.
The Lexus Hotham Stakes 2019 Field features a dozen runners following the early scratching of Youngstar. The rails-drawn Downdraft heads betting on the Melbourne Cup lead-up for Irish horseman and former Melbourne Cup winning trainer Joseph O’Brien.
Read more on the 2019 Lexus Hotham Stakes Field of Melbourne Cup hopefuls.
Update: There are now three official scratchings from the Lexus Stakes field with #2 Sound (11) and #5 Neufbosc (10) joining #9 Youngstar (5) as the withdrawn runners already assured of a start in Tuesday’s 24-horse Melbourne Cup field.
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Hcp. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1x196112x3 | DOWNDRAFT (IRE) | Joseph O’Brien | John Allen | 1 | 59kg | 106 |
| 2 | 00x048x070 | SOUND (GER) | Michael Moroney | James Winks | 11 | 58.5kg | 105 |
| 3 | 112×513203 | HAKY (IRE) | John Hammond | Ms Linda Meech | 12 | 57.5kg | 103 |
| 4 | 39×1662181 | HUSH WRITER (JPN) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 13 | 57.5kg | 103 |
| 5 | 2x30x80709 | NEUFBOSC (FR) | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Luke Nolen | 10 | 57.5kg | 103 |
| 6 | 6797×90066 | PATRICK ERIN (NZ) | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | 7 | 57.5kg | 103 |
| 7 | 4740×70533 | SIR CHARLES ROAD | Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott | Dwayne Dunn | 9 | 57.5kg | 103 |
| 8 | 70141×5919 | THE CHOSEN ONE (NZ) | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Mark Zahra | 3 | 57.5kg | 103 |
| 9 | x059x87873 | YOUNGSTAR | Chris Waller | Damien Oliver | 5 | 56.5kg | 105 |
| 10 | 830611×055 | AZURO (FR) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Dean Yendall | 6 | 54.5kg | 97 |
| 11 | 20x0404x84 | WALL OF FIRE (IRE) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Jye McNeil | 2 | 54kg | 95 |
| 12 | 72231×6710 | VALAC (IRE) | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Craig Williams | 8 | 54kg | 93 |
| 13 | 7225×50152 | CARIF | Peter & Paul Snowden | Jamie Kah | 4 | 54kg | 84 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Downdraft | Carif | Azuro | 2:38.85 |
| 2018 | Prince Of Arran | Brimham Rocks | Jaameh | 2:37.46 |
| 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 |
