The Herbert Power Stakes is a Group 2 open handicap race held at Caulfield racecourse each year during the 2010 Melbourne spring racing carnival each October. The race is run over a distance of 2400 metres and worth $200,000 in prizemoney. The 2011 Herbert Power Stakes was won by Shewan from Tanby with Moyenne Corniche third.
The race has been run as the 'Presentation Stakes' in recent years and takes place on the first day of the three-day Caulfield racing carnival alongside the Gr1 Caulfield Guineas, Gr1 Toorak Handicap and Gr1 Yalumba Stakes.
The Herbert Power Stakes is a handicap event over a distance of 2400 metres and should be the ideal lead up to the Gr1 Caulfield Cup, which takes place a week later over the same track and distance and is run under much the same conditions, however in recent times that has not been the case, except for 2007 when Master O'Reilly won this race and then went on to win the Caulfield Cup a week later.
The race tends to attract handy staying types rather than the upper echelon and is typically won by a more than handy galloper. There are however exceptions, Shocking (2nd in 2009) ran second in this race before going on to a magnificent Flemington carnival with wins in the Gr3 The Lexus Stakes on Derby day and the Melbourne Cup the following Tuesday.
Shewan (2011) ran second in a 2000m race at Caulfield prior to winning this event and recent Herbert Power Stakes winners have been Linton (2010) and Alcopop (2009).
Spring Carnival Guide
The race does not provide an overly strong guide to who might win the Caulfield Cup as only Master O'Reilly (2007) has managed to win both events in the past twenty years. Placegetters don't fare much better either with only Grey Song (2nd in 2004) managing to run a place in consecutive years in the 2003-04 Caulfield Cup.
This race has provided two Melbourne Cup winners in recent times with the Bart Cumming's trained Rogan Josh (1999) scoring the Herbert Power Stakes & Melbourne Cup double in 1999 and Shocking (2009) winning the 2009 Melbourne Cup.
The JRA Cup at Moonee Valley has provided two winners in recent years with Alcopop (2009) winning the JRA Cup on his way to victory in this event while Linton (2010) ran third in the JRA Cup before tasting success in this race at his next start. Linton also ran second in the Gr2 The Lexus Stakes on Derby Day at Flemington.
2011 Herbert Power Stakes result
1. $3.50 Shewan 54.5 C Symons
2. $5.00 Tanby 54.5 N Hall
3. $26.00 Moyenne Corniche 57.0 M Zahra
then followed
4. $13.00 Midnight Martini 54.5 G Schofield
5. $13.00 Anudjawun 54.5 C Brown
6. $10.00 Bauer 57.0 D Oliver
7. $11.00 Macedonian 54.5 L Nolen
8. $19.00 Saptapadi 57.0 K McEvoy
9. $7.50 Lucky Eighty Eight 55.0 Ms M Payne
10. $151.00 Prussian Officer 54.5 S King
11. $21.00 Lopov 54.5 D Dunn
12. $14.00 My Scotsgrey 54.5 Ms L Cropp
13. $26.00 Two For Tea 54.5 C Newitt
14. $61.00 Exceptionally 54.5 D Nikolic
15. $101.00 Master O’Reilly 56.0 S Baster
Margins: Sht neck, len Time: 2:30.75
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