Alister Clark Stakes

Winners and Past Results for the Alister Clark Stakes.

The Alister Clark Stakes is a Moonee Valley Racing Club Group 2 Australian horse race for three year-old colts and geldings competed under set-weight with penalties condition.

The event is held at the Moonee Valley Racecourse in mid-March on the same day as the Group 1 William Reid Stakes. The race is held in honour of Alister Clark, the founder chairman of the MVRC. He was also a master of Oaklands Hunt Club between 1901 and 1908 and an eminent rose breeder in the country.

The Alister Clark Stakes is held on a Friday night under lights with quality colts and geldings vying for the $200,000 prize money.

Between 1987 and 1997 horses covered a distance of 2040 meters after which it was shortened to 1600 meters. However, since 2010 it has reverted back to its previous distance of 2040 meters, the same as the Group 1 WS Cox Plate, the premier event of the year.

The race is an excellent form guide for the Group 1 William Reid Stakes run at the same track a week later. Zabeel, Durbridge, Naturalism, Blevic, and Titanic Jack are among the recent notable winners to become formidable champions.

The Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes at Flemington attracts runners for the Alister Clark Stakes in addition to the Group 2 Autumn Classic at Caulfield. Lieutenant, the 2005 champion scored a CS Hayes Stakes/Alister Clark Stakes double while Spinney, the winner in 2006 also picked up the Autumn Classic prior to the race.

Amiable won the first Alister Clark Stakes held in 1939. The event was a principal race that was upgraded to Group 2 in 1979. Domesky, the 2011 winner ran fourth in the Autumn Classic.

Over the years the race has been conducted over various distances between 1600 and 2040 meters. Sometime, winner of the 1963 Caulfield Cup also won the Alister Clark Stakes in 1963 and 1964. Family of Man was locked in a dead heat with Surround in 1977 and followed it up with a victory in 1979.

Like all other races on Victorian tracks, racing takes place in a counter clockwise direction. The Moonee Valley track is located 6 km from the Melbourne central business district. The track has the shortest finishing straight of 173 meters in Australia. The fastest recorded winning time in the Alister Clark Stakes was 1 minute 31 seconds, a distinction held by Mr. Murphy the 2001 winner