Turnbull Stakes

The Turnbull Stakes is a Group 1 race for 4yo & upwards horses that takes place each year in early October at Flemington racecourse during the Melbourne spring racing carnival. The race is run over a distance of 2000 metres under set weight & penalty conditions with $500,000 in prizemoney. The 2011 Turnbull Stakes was won by December Draw from Glass Harmonium with Playing God third.

In 2005 the Turnbull Stakes was upgraded from Group 2 to Group 1 status and is one of the pivotal distance events of the spring.

Turnbull Stakes info
Date:	Saturday 6th October 2012
Track:	Flemington racecourse, Melbourne
Distance:	2000 metres
Race Type:	4yo&Up - Set Weights + Penalty
Status:	Group 1
Prizemoney:	$500,000
2011 Winner:	December Draw

The Turnbull Stakes is rated below the major Group 1 spring races like the Melbourne Cup and WS Cox Plate, but it is held in high esteem and has become a prestigious event on the racing calendar each year.

The race is the first quality 2000 metre event of the spring and gives staying types a chance to race over a more suitable middle distance with the upcoming Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup in mind. The Turnbull Stakes also provides a more than handy lead up race to the Yalumba Stakes at Caulfield the following week and the Caulfield Cup two weeks later.

The race itself has been a tremendous guide to winners of major spring races and a number of high class gallopers have managed to win this race. In recent years the Turnbull Stakes has provided multiple winners of the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup and WS Cox Plate, and every year it continues to be a pivotal race for horses contesting the major Group 1 races to come.

The Turnbull Stakes always attracts top class gallopers and is one of the premier middle distance events of the spring carnival. History says to keep an eye on the Turnbull Stakes.

December Draw (2011) won the Gr3 Naturalism Stakes over 2000m at Caulfield on his way to scoring in this event and recent Turnbull Stakes winners include Zipping (2010) and Efficient (2009).

Spring Carnival Guide
Zipping (2010) went on to place in the WS Cox Plate for the third year in a row before going on to win the Group 2 Sandown Classic for the fourth consecutive year.

Scenic Shot (3rd in 2009) went on to win the Gr1 Mackinnon Stakes on Derby Day at Flemington while Viewed (7th in 2009) managed to go on and take out the Caulfield Cup at his next start with Roman Emperor (9th in 2009) finishing second to Viewed.

The 2008 Turnbull Stakes provided the first and second placegetters in the WS Cox Plate with Maldivian (6th in 2008) winning the time honoured event and Zipping (3rd in 2008) finishing runnerup.

Makybe Diva (2005) who went on to win three Melbourne Cups in a row from 2003-05 and also won the 2005 WS Cox Plate while Elvstroem (2004) won the Caulfield Cup the same year.

2011 Turnbull Stakes result
1. $2.15 December Draw 54.5 Michael Rodd
2. $8.00 Glass Harmonium 55.5 Kerrin McEvoy
3. $16.00 Playing God 56.5 Steven Parnham

then followed
4. $10.00 Southern Speed 52.5 Craig Williams
5. $10.00 Rekindled Interest 55.5 Dwayne Dunn
6. $19.00 Absolutely 54.5 Corey Brown
7. $26.00 Shamrocker 56.0 Luke Nolen
8. $41.00 Efficient 57.5 Steven King
9. $101.00 Raffaello 54.5 Dean Yendall
10. $20.00 Precedence 56.5 Steven Arnold
11. $51.00 Extra Zero 55.0 Hugh Bowman
12. $8.00 Linton 56.5 Nicholas Hall

Margins: Short head, 2 len
Time: 2:03.98

Turnbull Stakes recent winners & placegetters
Year	Winner	2nd	3rd	Time
2011	December Draw	Glass Harmonium	Playing God	2:03.9
2010	Zipping	Shocking	Shoot Out	2:03.2
2009	Efficient	Predatory Pricer	Scenic Shot	2:01.6
2008	Littorio	Master O'Reilly	Zipping	2:02.4
2007	Devil Moon	Scenic Shot	Haradasun	2:03.4
2006	Sphenophyta	Our Smoking Joe	Aqua D Amore	2:01.9
2005	Makybe Diva	Lad Of The Manor	Confectioner	2:01.5
2004	Elvstroem	Mummify	Confectioner	2:00.4
2003	Studebaker	Pentastic	Strasbourg	2:04.0
2002	Northerly	Dash For Cash	Fields Of Omagh	2:02.3
2001	Sunline	Universal Prince	Primrose Sands	2:03.9
2000	Fairway	Sunline	Diatribe	2:02.2
1999	Sky Heights	Ruy Lopez	Inaflury	2:04.6
1998	Aerosmith	Gold Guru	Our Unicorn	2:05.8
1997	Marble Halls	Always Aloof	Seascay	2:03.1
1996	Doriemus	Beaux Art	Cheviot	2:09.3
1995	All Our Mob	Doriemus	Sir Kingi	2:01.1
1994	Redding	Paris Lane	Tristalove	2:03.7
1993	The Phantom Chance	Naturalism	Kiwi Golfer	2:05.7
1992	Naturalism	London Bridge	Mr Eurostar	2:03.0
1991	Lets Elope	Prince Salieri	Renteeno	2:01.9
1990	Better Loosen Up	Royal Creation	Shuzohra	2:04.4
1989	Super Impose	Research	Sydeston	2:03.4
1988	Vo Rogue	Apollo Run	Ebeli Show	2:01.9
1987	Vo Rogue	Fair Sir	King Of Brooklyn	2:01.3
1986	Just Now	Pharostan	Cimarra	2:03.7
1985	Lacka Reason	Our Sophia	Glen Moriston	2:04.8
1984	Al Dwain	Alibhai	Beechcraft	2:04.9
1983	Chez Nous	La Cocotte	Malvita	2:02.0
1982	Birchwood	Fearless Pride	Prince Majestic	2:02.8
1981	No Peer	Deck The Halls	Saxon Slew	2:03.9
1980	Amarla	Polo Player	My Brown Jug	2:03.1