The Group 2 Australia stakes is a Weight-For-Age contest run over 1200 metres at The Valley with prizemoney of $200,000. This year the race will be contested on Australia Day under lights on Friday night.
The race, formally known as the Carlyon Stakes until 2010, will yet again attract a field of quality sprinters, most of which will be having their first run of the summer / autumn carnival.
Last year boom sprinter Malaguerra, ridden by Ben Melham, took out the event in a track record equalling time of 1.09.29. Multiple Group 1 winner Black Heart Bart finished second before going on to claim the CF Orr Stakes at Group 1 level over 1400 metres a fortnight later.
The list of previous winners is not short of star sprinters with champion mare Black Caviar saluting in 2010 and 2012 under the guidance of Luke Nolan. Other notable winners include Mourinho, Holler, Sea Lord, El Segundo, Schillaci and Hareeba.
Leading trainers Team Hawkes have won the race on four occasions, whilst jockey Damian Oliver has won the race 3 times as has Darren Gauci.
3 year old’s have a strong record in the race with them winning the Australia Stakes on eight occasions. The most recent of them was Holler in 2016 and then Black Caviar in 2010.
The race has not been too kind to punters with only four favourites having success in the last 20 years. Notably two of those were Black Caviar at $1.70 and $1.02.
The attraction of this race being the first run of a campaign is shown in the results with nine winners being first up from a spell since 2000.