Emirates Stakes

The Emirates Stakes is a Group 1 handicap race that takes place at Flemington racecourse each November during the Melbourne spring racing carnival. The race is run over a distance of 1600 metres and worth $1,000,000 in prizemoney. The 2012 Emirates Stakes was won by Happy Trails from Fawkner with Secret Admirer third.

Emirates Stakes day is held on the final Saturday of the four day Flemington spring racing carnival and ends Group 1 racing for the spring carnival in Melbourne. Emirates day is held 4 days after Melbourne Cup day, two days after Crown Oaks day and seven days after AAMI Victoria Derby day.

Emirates Stakes day signals the end of the week long spring racing carnival at Flemington and is known as 'family day' because there is plenty of racing and entertainment for both parents and children alike.

The weight-for-age 'Patinack Farm Classic' is another Gr1 event held on Emirates Stakes day while the Gr2 Matriarch Stakes and Gr3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes are also notable races which combine to make for a great days racing to end the Flemington spring racing carnival.

2013 Emirates Stakes
Date:	Saturday 9th November 2013
Track:	Flemington racecourse, Melbourne
Distance:	1600 metres
Race Type:	Quality Handicap
Status:	Group 1
Prizemoney:	$1,000,000
2012 Winner:	Happy Trails
2012 Crowd:	74,546

The Emirates Stakes is the premier 1600m race of the Flemington carnival and prizemoney has increased dramatically in recent times with the race now worth more than $Group 1 making it one of the richest mile events in the country. The race itself has been improved to make it more attractive to international trainers in the hope they might consider bringing along a quality miler with their Melbourne Cup hopefuls.

Strong milers are suited in the Emirates Stakes as the long Flemington straight will find out any horses who lack a bit of intestinal fortitude in the final stanza. Races like the Chatham Stakes on Derby day, Crystal Mile on Cox Plate day and the Toorak Handicap on Caulfield Guineas day are generally good guides to this race.

Some classy performers have saluted in this event including All Silent (2008), Better Loosen Up (1989), Shaftesbury Avenue(1990) and the classy Testa Rossa (2000).

Happy Trails (2012) finished unplaced in the Gr1 WS Cox Plate over 2040m prior to scoring in this event and recent Emirates Stakes winners have been Albert The Fat (2011) and Wall Street (2010).

2012 Emirates Stakes result
1. $13.00 Happy Trails 58.0 Damien Oliver
2. $4.80 Fawkner 56.5 Nicholas Hall
3. $14.00 Secret Admirer 57.0 Brenton Avdulla

then followed
4. $21.00 Yosei 56.0 Michael Rodd
5. $31.00 Wall Street 58.0 Steven Arnold
6. $10.00 Solzhenitsyn 58.0 Corey Brown
7. $11.00 Ambidexter 57.0 Kerrin McEvoy
8. $31.00 Rolling Pin 56.0 Hugh Bowman
9. $26.00 Smokin’ Joey 54.5 Jim Cassidy
10. $31.00 Happy Zero 56.5 Dwayne Dunn
11. $11.00 Free Wheeling 54.0 Christian Reith
12. $10.00 Fat Al 58.0 Vlad Duric
13. $12.00 He’S Remarkable 57.0 Glen Boss
14. $31.00 Playing God 58.0 Steven Parnham
15. $26.00 Pear Tart 55.0 Chris Munce
16. $13.00 Spirit Song 54.5 Craig Williams

Margins: Short 1/2 head, Short head
Time: 1:35.99

Emirates Stakes recent winners & placegetters
Year	Winner	2nd	3rd	Time
2012	Happy Trails	Fawkner	Secret Admirer	1:35.9
2011	Albert The Fat	King's Rose	Secret Admirer	1:36.0
2010	Wall Street	Dao Dao	Chasm	1:36.7
2009	All American	So You Think	Gold Salute	1:33.9
2008	All Silent	Sea Battle	Mimi Lebrock	1:35.8
2007	Tears I Cry	Bird Dancer	Shinzig	1:35.2
2006	Divine Madonna	Niconero	Valedictum	1:35.5
2005	Valedictum	Infinite Grace	Shania Dane	1:34.9
2004	Sky Cuddle	Lad Of The Manor	Skewiff	1:39.1
2003	Titanic Jack	True Glo	Crawl	1:34.7
2002	Scenic Peak	Crawl	Excellerator	1:33.4
2001	Desert Eagle	Emission	La Bella Dama	1:37.3
2000	Testa Rossa	Weasel Will	Crawl	1:35.5
1999	Bonanova	Umrum	Nina Haraka	1:38.2
1998	Bezeal Bay	Buster Jones	Pursuits	1:35.2
1997	Catalan Opening	Penghulu	Sweet Delight	1:34.9
1996	Miss Margaret	Scenic Royale	Headstrong	1:35.8
1995	Seascay	Tolanda	Juggler	1:36.0
1994	Seascay	Idea	Western Red	1:37.0
1993	Primacy	Excited Angel	Pharoah	1:37.2
1992	Planet Ruler	Soho Square = 2	Vows = 2	1:34.2
1991	Pontormo	Shaftesbury Avenue	Prince Salieri	1:35.1
1990	Shaftesbury Avenue	Spot The Rock	Pressmans Choice	1:36.8
1989	Better Loosen Up	Our Krona	Swiftsynd	1:35.4
1988	Our Westminster	Eastern Classic	True Dreams	1:38.0
1987	Warned	Groucho	Isomer	1:35.5
1986	Chanteclair	Eastern Classic	True Dreams	1:38.0
1985	Dazzling Duke	Mrs. Fitzherbet	Lord Ballina	1:38.7
1984	Riverdale	Exemplify	Keepers	1:37.0
1983	Honest Promise	French Current	Feeling Fit	1:35.1
1982	Magari	Getting Closer	Pride Of Century	1:37.3
1981	Tower Belle	Pride Of Century	Sovereign Red	1:35.4
1980	Silver Bounty	Blazing Bags	Western Bay	1:35.9
1979	Bit of a Skite	Consenting	Waitangirua	1:35.8
1978	Family of Man	Cool Minstrel	Arbre Chene	1:36.3
1977	Galway Bay	Raffindale	Romantic Dream	1:36.1
1976	Maybe Mahal	Bonfield	Visit	1:36.0