Yalumba Stakes

The Yalumba Stakes is a Group 1 weight-for-age race that takes place at Caulfield racecourse during the Melbourne Spring racing carnival each October. The race is run over a distance of 2000 metres and worth $400,000 in prizemoney. The 2011 Yalumba Stakes was won by Descarado from Avienus with Lights of Heaven third.

The Yalumba Stakes takes place on Guineas Day at Caulfield race track on the first day of the three day Caulfield racing carnival alongside the Gr1 Caulfield Guineas and Gr1 Toorak Handicap and is one of the bigger race days of the spring.

The second day of the Caulfield carnival is held midweek the following Wednesday where the Gr1 Thousand Guineas for fillies takes place, while the third and final day on the following Saturday sees the the running of Caulfield's biggest race, the Gr1 Caulfield Cup.

Yalumba Stakes info
Date:	Saturday 13th October 2012
Track:	Caulfield racecourse, Brisbane
Distance:	2000 metres
Race Type:	Weight-for-age
Status:	Group 1
Prizemoney:	$400,000
2011 Winner:	Descarado

The Yalumba Stakes is a level weights race that generally attracts quality gallopers each year and has been taken out by some of Australia's best horses over the years. The race is held a week prior to the Caulfield Cup and two weeks before the WS Cox Plate and the Yalumba Stakes is a great lead up race to both of those races.

History shows the Yalumba always provides a great guide to big race winners. Some of the great horses to win this race include Lonhro (2002-03), Northerly (2001), Might And Power (1998), Bonecrusher (1986) and champion galloper Kingston Town twice in 1981 & 1982.

Descarado (2011) finished unplaced in the Gr2 Shannon Stakes over 1500m at Rosehill prior to leading all the way to win this race and recent Yalumba Stakes winners include So You Think (2010) and Whobegotyou (2009).

Spring Carnival Guide
Whobegotyou (2009) ran second in the Gr1 Doomben 10,000 during the 2010 Brisbane winter carnival and then returned in the spring of 2010 to run second in the Gr2 Memsie Stakes before winning the Gr2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes.

Heart Of Dreams (2nd in 2009) ran placings in the Gr1 CF Orr Stakes and Gr2 St George Stakes the following autumn of 2010 before running placings in the Gr2 Liston Stakes and Gr2 Makybe Diva Stakes in the spring of 2010.

Douro Valley (2008) finished runner-up in the Gr2 Sandown Classic later in the spring, while C'est La Guerre (4th in 2008) went on to run a mighty race to finish third in the Melbourne Cup.

El Segundo (2005) won the WS Cox Plate two years later in 2007, while Mummify (2004) took out the 2003 Caulfield Cup, and Northerly (2001) won the 2002 Caulfield Cup and 2001-02 WS Cox Plate.

2011 Yalumba Stakes result
1. $13.00 Descarado 59.0 N Rawiller
2. $51.00 Avienus 57.0 B Rawiller
3. $11.00 Lights Of Heaven 56.0 L Nolen

then followed
4. $8.50 Mighty High 59.0 D Beadman
5. $6.00 Sincero 58.0 C O’Brien
6. $10.00 Playing God 58.0 S Parnham
8. $2.60 Lion Tamer 58.0 M Rodd
9. $8.00 Alcopop 59.0 D Tourneur

Margins: 3/4 len, 1 1/2 len
Time: 2:02.50

Yalumba Stakes recent winners & placegetters
Year	Winner	2nd	3rd	Time
2011	Descarado	Avienus	Lights of Heaven	2:02.5
2010	So You Think	Alcopop	Whobegotyou	2:02.4
2009	Whobegotyou	Heart Of Dreams	Vision And Power	2:01.5
2008	Douro Valley	Pompeii Ruler	Guillotine	2:04.3
2007	Maldivian	Miss Finland	Anamato	2:01.9
2006	Casual Pass	Pompeii Ruler	El Segundo	2:02.6
2005	El Segundo	Fields Of Omagh	Confectioner	2:04.8
2004	Mummify	Grand Armee	Starcraft	2:03.2
2003	Lonhro	Mummify	Defier	2:02.3
2002	Lonhro	Sunline	Ustinov	2:00.6
2001	Northerly	Shogun Lodge	Ethereal	2:02.5
2000	Sky Heights	Shogun Lodge	Tie The Knot	2:03.6
1999	Northern Drake	Tie The Knot	Aerosmith	2:02.1
1998	Might and Power	Tycoon Lil	Gold Guru	2:03.5
1997	Filante	Alfa	Tampir Lane	2:02.7
1996	Juggler	Magnet Bay	Peep On The Sly	2:05.3
1995	Danewin	Its All In Fun	Mr Marconee	2;02.7
1994	Rough Habit	Jeune	Paris Lane	2:03.7
1993	Naturalism	The Phantom	The Phantom Chance	2:04.7
1992	Castletown	Heroicity	Ramyah	2:09.8
1991	Shaftsbury Avenue	Super Impose	Sydeston	1:59.3
1990	Sydeston	Super Impose	Mickeys Town	2:03.0
1989	Almaraad	Vitalic	Vo Rogue	2:02.1
1988	Sky Chase	Our Poetic Prince	Its Candide	2:06.0
1987	Drought	Fair Sir	Rubiton	2:00.1
1986	Bonecrusher	Black Knight	My Tristrams Belle	2:00.6
1985	Tristarc	Lacka Reason	The Filbert	2:02.1
1984	Alibhai	Prolific	Beechcraft	2:02.1
1983	Mr McGinty	Cossack Prince	Cool River	2:00.1
1982	Kingston Town	Debs Mate	Allez Bijou	2:02.3
1981	Kingston Town	Sovereign Red	Hyperno	2;02.9
1980	Hyperno	Kingston Town	Waitangirua	2:03.3
1979	Mighty Kingdom	Shivaree	Arbre Chene	2:04.6
1978	Lloyd Boy	Lefroy	Ming Dynasty	2:02.3
1977	Family Of Man	Unaware	Royal Cadenza	2:00.7
1976	How Now	Happy Union	Perhaps	2:04.8
1975	Zambari	Think Big	Zambari	2:08.3