2022 Turnbull Stakes: Race History

The Turnbull Stakes run at Flemington on Saturday is always a fork in the road race.

Winx winning the Turnbull Stakes
Winx winning the Turnbull Stakes Picture: Racing and Sports

The champ Winx won it twice in the streak so the 2022 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday is a great race.

2022 Turnbull Stakes: Nominations

2022 TURNBULL STAKES - RACE HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

The Turnbull Stakes is a Group 1 race run under Set Weights and Penalty conditions for open class horses at Flemington conducted by the Victoria Racing Club.

The Turnbull Stakes is run over 2000m. It was first run in 1865 and was won by The Sign.

The Turnbull Stakes was known under various names until 1948 then was renamed after the Chairman of the VRC.

2021 Turnbull Stakes - Incentivise

It was as much as a two mile race in the 1800s and as short as one mile between the wars. From 1971 onwards it was at the 2000m.

The Turnbull Stakes was a Principal Race until graded at Group 2 then is now rated a Group 1.

There was a delay to that because of the issue of Set Weights and Penalty conditions however that was overlooked from 2010 onwards.

Hartnell beat the subsequent Caulfield Cup winner Jameka by over three lengths and then himself was beaten eight lengths to Winx in the Cox Plate.

It wasn't a race for northern trained horses until recently. Verry Elleegant ('20), Kings Will Dream ('19), Winx ('18 & '17), Hartnell ('16), Preferment ('15), Lucia Valentina ('14) joined Studebaker ('03), Fairway ('00) & All Our Mob ('95) as the only NSW trained winners in 30 years.

Kings Will Dream broke his pelvis in Winx last Cox Plate win and less than 12 months later he won the Turnbull. Chris Waller then trained the trifecta in 2020.

Feature Cups form has a very good record here, especially the Caulfield Cup. Verry Elleegant would win a classic Caulfield Cup in 2020 after winning at Flemington.

Incentivise was in the middle of a great Spring winning the Makybe Diva, Turnbull and Caulfield Cup before running into a champ in the Melbourne Cup.

The Turnbull Stakes was worth $1,000,000 in 2022.

Notable winners of the Turnbull Stakes include Incentivise (2021), Verry Elleegant (2020), Winx (2017/2018), Hartnell (2016), Preferment (2015), Green Moon (2012), Zipping (2010), Efficient (2009), Makybe Diva (2005), Elvstroem (2004), Northerly (2002), Sunline (2001), Doriemus (1996), Naturalism (1992), Let's Elope (1991), Better Loosen Up (1990), Super Impose (1989), Vo Rogue (1987/1988), Dulcify (1979), Leilani (1974), Galilee (1968), Tobin Bronze (1966), Aquanita (1962), Redcraze (1955), Rising Fast (1954), Comic Court (1949/1950), Bernborough (1946), Ajax (1938/1940), Hall Mark (1934), Amounis (1930), Manfred (1926), Wakeful (1903)  and The Barb (1868).

The 2021 Turnbull Stakes was won by Incentivise from Young Werther and Chapada.


Racing and Sports