Zeditave Stakes Winners, Past Results & Latest News

The Group 3 Zeditave Stakes is a 3yo Colts & Geldings Stakes race run at set weights and penalties. It is hosted by the Melbourne Racing Club and is run at the Flemington Racecourse over 1200 metres.

The Zeditave Stakes was elevated from a Listed Race to a Group 3 race in August 2013. Prize money for the event is worth $160,000.

Likely lead up races to the Zeditave Stakes could include the Group 3 Manfred Stakes and or the Group 2 Autumn Stakes at Caulfield. Another lead up race to this race is the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes run at Flemington over 1400 metres.

History of the Zeditave Stakes

The Zeditave Stakes started in 1989 as The Peter Jackson Stakes. The name was changed to the Zeditave Stakes in 1990 in honour of the horse by that name that won the 1988 Blue Diamond Stakes and the 1989 Futurity Stakes.

That seemed to us, rather slim credentials to warrant a race name, but when we learned that Peter Jackson had won zero races and was not one of the original Jackson 5, we decided to investigate Zeditave further.

It turns out that Zeditave was a mighty racer, winner of 14 races from 17 starts. He was a win only horse. If he did not win, he did not place.

Foaled in 1985, Zeditave was taken from the track to stand stud, a common practice with young stallions that have upside potential as a stud.

Other major wins include the Group 1 QTC Channel Nine Stakes at Eagle Farm while he was still aged two years, The Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes and the Group 3 VATC Flue Diamond Prelude Stakes.

The following season, he won three Group 1 races, those being the Lightning Stakes, the previously mentioned Futurity Stakes and the William Reid Stakes.

After winning the Futurity Stakes, it was off to the barn with him.

We conclude that he was worthy of a race name, even if there are others more deserving in one way or another, but there are only so many races and not all that deserve a namesake receive one.

The Zeditave Stakes was originally a Listed race from its inception until 2014, when it was elevated to Group 3.

It was initially run at Caulfield, but has been run at Sandown on four occasions, the last of those being 2006, when it shifted to Caulfield in 2007 and has remained ever since.

From 1989 through 2004, the race was open to three-year-olds of either gender. It was switched to colts and geldings in 2005.

Race Venue

The Zeditave Stakes has resided at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne since 2007. Caulfield is known to the locals as “The Heath,” and it also serves as a recreational area with a public park. Caulfield serves as the home base for the Melbourne Racing Club. It is used about 25 days each season, with some major races, the Caulfield Cup being the most famous.

Racing History of the Zeditave Stakes

We found the gender shift we mentioned earlier very intriguing, so we had a look at the winners prior to 2005.

Several fillies won the race from its inception to when it switched to boys only.

Those were Paklani (1991), My Saturn Star (1992), Superact (1994), Street Talk (1996), Blaze The Turf (1998) and Invitation Girl (2003).

Blaze The Turf can be seen winning the 1998 Zeditave Stakes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5j6fv0kaHE

The winners of the Zeditave Stakes have been mostly the obscure type; very few of the elite have taken part in the race over the course of its history.

Pins, the winner in 2000, was a male that reached his zenith in winning the Group 1 Australian Guineas.

Desert Eagle took the post in 2001 and would win the Group 1 VRC Emirates Classic as well.

Bakada won in 2002 and etched his name in racing history by winning the Group 1 C. F. Orr Stakes, beating Northerly in the bargain.

The first truly significant horse we found was 2005 winner Not A Single Doubt. He only raced 10 times. His contribution to the sport consisted of having Redoute’s Choice for a sire and Not A Single Doubt actually sired 14 Group 1 race winners. One of his progeny was Scales Of Justice that won the Railway Stakes and the Memsie Stakes. Two others that eclipsed their dad’s record were Extreme Choice (Blue Diamond Stakes, A J Moir Stakes) and Farnan, winner of the 2020 Golden Slipper Stakes.

One of Not A Single Doubt’s offspring was Terbium, the Zeditave Stakes winner in 2019.

Haradasun was the 2007 winner that added the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot in England in 2008 to go along with the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap and the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes in 2007, with a third in the Cox Plate that same year.

The most familiar name on the list was that of 2016 winner Santa Ana Lane.

Santa Ana Lane was easily the head of the list of Zeditave Stakes winners. He won over $8.2 million dollars as a classy sprinter. He was second in The Everest in 2019 by half a length to Yes Yes Yes, which would account for his hefty prizemoney haul. Group 1 wins by Santa Ana Lane include the T J Smith Stakes in 2019, where he beat Osborne Bulls by 3.5 lengths with Sunline in third.

In 2018, he won the Group 1 VRC Classic from In Her Time and Pierata.

Racing at Doomben in June of 2018, he beat Super Cash and Champagne Cuddles in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap. In his prior start, the Group 1 Goodwood, he beat Missrock by over a length despite spotting her six kilograms. The other big win by Santa Ana Lane came in October of 2017, when he took out the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, sneaking past Mr. Sneaky and So Si Bon.

Conclusion

The Zeditave Stakes, being a newer race, has not had the most distinguished winner’s list, but there were some good horses.

Some went on to greater accomplishments, but for the most part were horses of the second rank.

Most of the notable horse racing tips winners came along after the race was restricted to colts and geldings, so it would appear on the surface at least that the race is gaining some better fields as it evolves.