Avantage won for the kiwis before taking bigger success. Which mare stands up in the 2023 Birthday Card Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday?

2023 BIRTHDAY CARD STAKES - RACE HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

The Birthday Card Stakes is a Group 3 race for fillies and mares conducted by the Australian Turf Club at Rosehill Gardens.

The Birthday Card Stakes was first run in 1986 and is named after the filly who won the 1962 Golden Slipper.

The Birthday Card Stakes is run over 1200m under quality handicap conditions with a maximum topweight of 61kg.

The Birthday Card Stakes was first run at Canterbury on the Canterbury Guineas program from 1986 to 1996. Since 1997 the Birthday Card Stakes has been run at Rosehill apart from the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 when it returned to Canterbury.

The Birthday Card Stakes, run as the Birthday Card Quality from 1986-1998, was run over 1280m in its first two years at Canterbury.  From 1987-1993 the Birthday Card Stakes was run over 1100m and has been run over 1200m since 1994.

The Birthday Card Stakes was a Listed Race from 1986 to 2005 and has been a Group 3 race since 2006.

Avantage won as a filly in 2019 and then 12 months on won three Autumn NZ G1 races (The Telegraph, Otaki-Maori and New Zealand Stakes).

The race was worth $200,000 in 2023.

Notable winners of the Birthday Card Stakes include Special, River Love, Unison, Light Up The World, Miss Kariba, Verdict Declared, Spinning Hill, Patronyme, Arinosa, Avoid Lightning and Avantage.

The 2022 Birthday Card Stakes was won by Emanate from Marboosha and Steinem.