The Memsie Stakes, first run in 1899, was elevated to Group 1 status in 2013. It’s a race that has been won by many champions over the years, from Phar Lap and Rising Fast to Galilee and Manikato going back four decades and more, to more recent stars like Sunline, Makybe Diva, Weekend Hussler, So You Think and Atlantic Jewel.

This race is now the first Victorian Group 1 of the racing season, and similar to the Winx Stakes at Randwick two weeks earlier, the 1400m distance can attract fit off-season sprinters looking to pinch a win at the highest level, as well as classier proven gallopers first-up into a spring campaign. More often than not, it’s the elite horses that take it out.