Pinker Pinker won here. Who takes the 2023 Matron Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday?

2023 MATRON STAKES - RACE HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

The Matron Stakes is a Group 3 race for fillies and mares conducted at Flemington by the Victoria Racing Club.

The Matron Stakes has been run over 1600m under set weight and penalty conditions since its inception in 1994.

The race was run at Sandown in 2007 and has carried sponsor names since 2009. Between 1994 and 1999 there were slight variations in the race distance from 1600m to 1635m.

The Matron Stakes was run as a Listed Race from 1994 until 2005 and was upgraded to Group 3 in 2006.

The G3 Mannerism Stakes at Caulfield and G3 Frances Tressady Stakes at Flemington are feature mares races that precede the Matron Stakes.

Spirit Song and won the Matron Stakes/Sunline Stakes double in 2012 (Spanish Reef did same in 2018) and Bonaria won the Mannerism Stakes/Matron Stakes double in 2014 as did Flying Mascot in 2022.

Ill-fated mare Pinker Pinker won the Matron Stakes in the autumn of 2011 before winning the G1 WS Cox Plate the following spring.

In 2023 the Matron Stakes was worth $200,000.

Notable winners of the Matron Stakes include Excited Angel, Aunty Mary, Miss Tessla, Noircir, Lady Marion, Translate, Response, Pinker Pinker, Spirit Song, Noble Protector, Flying Mascot and dual winners Bonaria and Spanish Reef.

The 2022 Matron Stakes was won by Flying Mascot from Groovy Kinda Love and Rocha Clock.