There are many big sprints in Australian racing – think of the Newmarket Handicap, Lightning Stakes, VRC Classic, Oakleigh Plate and the Galaxy – but it’s hard to argue that the TJ Smith Stakes hasn’t gone past them all to be the big grand final.

The best of the best have won this race – Black Caviar twice, Chautauqua and Nature Strip three times each, and other sprinting hero’s like Takeover Target and Apache Cat who were both considered the people’s champion in their time.

Even though Racing Victoria and Racing New South Wales don’t work together like they should, the summer/autumn Group 1 sprint racing which kicks of with the Lightning at Flemington and concludes with the TJ Smith, never fails to disappoint.