Notable Winners
Past St Leger Stakes winners include Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductees Grand Flaneur (1881), Phar Lap (1930), Tulloch (1958), Poseidon (1907), plus Hall of Fame nominee Tranquil Star (1941). Several winners also captured Australia's most prestigious race, the Melbourne Cup. They are: Grand Flaneur (1881), Comic Court (1949), Delta (1950), and Gurner's Lane (1982). In 1956, Sailor's Guide won the race and in 1958 raced in North America where he defeated a top international field in the forerunner to the Breeders' Cup Turf, the then very prestigious Washington, D.C. International Stakes.
Run annually in late April, the St. Leger Stakeswas hosted by Moonee Valley Racecourse in 2001 and again in 2005 due to track refurbishments being carried out at the Flemington racecourse. The race was competed over a distance of 14 furlongs, 132 yards until 1973 when it was modified to the metric distance of 2800 metres (app. 1.74 miles). In 2007, it was modified to 2500 metres when the race was run at Moonee Valley Racecourse while Flemington was under redevelopment.
In an effort to promote the Australian Thoroughbred breeding industry, from 1932 to 1956 geldings were banned from competing in the St. Leger Stakes.
Previously tied with T.J. Smith at six wins, in 2005 Bart Cummings set the record for most victories by a trainer when he won the race for the seventh time.
Read more about this topic: VRC St Leger
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