Kingston Town Stakes

Winners and Past Results for the Kingston Town Stakes.

Established in 1948 as the STC Cup and renamed the Kingston Town Stakes from 1983. The event hosted by Australian Turf Club is a Group 3 2000 meter race run under handicap conditions for horses aged three years and above.

The event is held in Sydney annually at Randwick Racecourse in September with prize money worth A$150,000 for the taking.

Usually run on the same day as the Group 1 Golden Rose, Group 2 Theo Mark Stakes and the Group 3 Sheraco Stakes, the Kingston Town Stakes is a perfect follow up race to the 1800 meter Listed Premiers Cup held at Rosehill the previous month.  Many horses in the past have finished in the top three at the Premiere Stakes and gone on to achieve victory in the Kingston Town Stakes.

It is the first group race of the Sydney Spring Carnival at this distance and is a test for the contenders who usually come via some of the shorter distance events.

Successful horses here usually head for the Randwick carnival and races such as the Metropolitan Handicap, a Group one race, the Group one Caulfield Cup and the Group three Colin Stephen Quality, events that are held under similar handicap conditions and a step up in distance.

The Kingston Town Stakes is a reasonable guide to the other staying races later during the Randwick Carnival, and is known to attract handy stayers.

Some horses may also compete in the 1600 M Group 1 Epsom Handicap which is held at Randwick Racecourse in early October. Some trainers may also tackle the Metropolitan as a lead up to the Melbourne Cup in November, which is why contenders in the Kingston Town Stakes need to be tracked closely for the rest of the season.

Lamasery who won this event in 2011, ran fourth in a BM90 event over 1500 meters at Rosehill before winning the Kingston Town Stakes. The 2010 winner, Herculian Prince, went on to win the Metropolitan Handicap at Randwick. Stormhill and Mr. Matini, winners in 2005 and 2006 respectively, both placed in the Premiere Stakes before winning the Kingston Town Stakes. While the runner up in 2005, Railings went on to win the Colin Stephen Quality, the Metropolitan Handicap and the Caulfield Cup.

The Kingston Town Stakes has been a great platform for a number of horses that have gone on to win significant races, with many being inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.