The Matron Stakes is a Group 3 race for mares held annually each March at Flemington racecourse in Melbourne during the Melbourne autumn racing carnival. The race is run over a distance of 1600 metres and run under set weight & penalty conditions with prizemoney of $150,000. The 2011 Matron Stakes was won by Pinker Pinker from Platinum Scissors with Gail third.
Taking place on Super Saturday of racing, the major race day of the Victoria Racing Club, the Matron Stakes is run alongside the $1,000,000 Group 1 Australian Cup & $1,000,000 Gr1 Newmarket Handicap.
The Matron Stakes is a handy group race for mares over the mile that tends to attract improving types or emerging mares on the up, and the set weight & penalty conditions of the race suits the better females entered for the event.
Races such as the Gr3 Mannerism Stakes at Caulfield in February or the the Gr3 Frances Tressady Stakes at Flemington earlier in the month are good lead up races to this event as they are both run under the same set weight and penalty conditions, except the Matron Stakes is an extra 200 metres.
Divine Rebel (2nd in 2009) went on to win the Gr2 Chairman's Handicap during the Sydney autumn racing carnival before running second in the Gr1 Sydney Cup, while Pinker Pinker (2011) went on to win the Gr1 WS Cox Plate at Caulfield the following spring.
Pinker Pinker (2011) won the Gr2 Angus Armanasco Stakes over 1400m at Caulfield on her way to winning this event and recent Matron Stakes winners include Response (2010) and Fifth Avenue Lady (2009).
2011 Matron Stakes result
1. $3.30 Pinker Pinker 55.5 D Dunn
2. $10.00 Platinum Passion 54.0 M Zahra
3. $7.50 Gail 54.0 N Hall
Then followed:
4. $31.00 Stole 54.0 G Schofield
5. $4.60 Lady Lynette 58.5 C Newitt
6. $26.00 Storm Burst 52.0 J Maskiell
7. $31.00 Exceptionally 57.5 D Nikolic
8. $14.00 Well Rounded 57.5 B Melham
9. $18.00 My Emotion 58.5 C Williams
10. $17.00 Hold For Applause 54.0 L Nolen
11. $71.00 Mayneda Strategy 54.0 J Winks
12. $9.00 Culminate 58.5 M Walker
