AJ Moir Stakes 2021

Ladbrokes Tip: Single-figure fancies have dominated the AJ Moir Stakes in recent history

The AJ Moir Stakes is the feature race of one of Moonee Valley’s spring night racing meetings in late September or early October each season and is a 1200m sprint run under weight-for-age conditions. Worth $1 million in prize money having recently had its stakes doubled by the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC), the race is a nice lead-up for sprinters looking for a Melbourne Cup Carnival win in something like the VRC Classic at Flemington in November.

First run in 1976 it is one of the season’s younger features and has only held Group 1 status since 2013. The Moir is named in honour of former Moonee Valley Racing Club chairman AJ Moir.

Many top sprinters feature in the Moir Stakes honours list including Manikato (1982), Placid Ark (1987), Schillaci (1992), Apache Cat (2009) and dual winner Black Caviar (2010 & 2011). Another notable Moir Stakes winner is triple champion Buffering who won in 2012 before going back-to-back in 2014-15, while in 2017 returning Golden Slipper winning filly She Will Reign stole the show.

The AJ Moir Stakes also now serves as a lead-up into Sydney’s $15 million The Everest – the richest turf race in the world!

Moir Stakes Night features a number of other good support races including the Group 2 Stutt Stakes, Group 2 Stocks Stakes, the Group 3 Scarborough Stakes for three-year-old fillies and the Group 3 JRA Cup (2040m) for potential Caulfield Cup types. 

The latest edition of the AJ Moir Stakes run on Friday September 24, 2021 and was won narrowly by exciting Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Wild Ruler at $10.  

2021 AJ Moir Stakes Results

The official Moir Stakes 2021 Results & Finishing Order will be available below once the race runs under the lights at Moonee Valley Racecourse on Friday September 24, 2021.

• 1st: #2 Wild Ruler
• 2nd: #3 The Inferno
• 3rd: #1 Trekking

Wild Ruler ($10) was brave late lifting off a great ride by now two-time Group 1 winning hoop Daniel Moor to hold off Cliff Brown’s subsequently confirmed The Everest horse The Inferno in the Moir Stakes 2021 results; the trifecta rounded out by the James Cummings-trained Trekking. 

AJ Moir Stakes Race Facts

• Date: Friday September 24, 2021
• Track: Moonee Valley Racecourse
• Distance: 1000m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $1 million
• First Run: 1976

MOIR STAKES PREVIEW

AJ Moir Stakes Betting

AJ Moir Stakes betting favours sprinters coming off a good lead-up run with four winners since 2010 having won their previous starts including She Will Reign (2017). Inside alleys are favourable and those drawn in barriers two or three are usually short in the markets with these two gates producing four winners between 2010 and 2014. The 2019 Moir Stakes winner Nature Strip won from barrier one.

Plenty of horses run first-up in the race, so the Moir Stakes betting odds often favour resuming sprinters with good first-up form and previous Melbourne racing experience. Favourites in Moir Stakes markets have a dominant recent record in the race with Nature Strip ($3.30 in 2019) the latest Moir Stakes favourite to salute.

2021 Moir Stakes Odds

The season’s best AJ Moir Stakes 2021 betting odds will be available below complete with links for you to back your sprint selections at the right price once markets open.

AJ Moir Stakes Field

The AJ Moir Stakes field hardly ever runs at capacity and in recent years has attracted under 10 starters more often than not. In 2014 Buffering beat home just four rivals, while Black Caviar scared off her rivals in the 2011 edition with a final field of just four facing off in the sprint showdown. Despite the diminutive numbers the Moir Stakes acceptances always feature a high class of competitors usually with a short-price favourite dominating the line-up.

The 2019 AJ Moir Stakes field drew one of the largest line-ups in recent times with Nature Strip defeating 14 rivals.

Sprints often kick off their spring racing campaigns first-up in the Moir Stakes field on the back of an earlier autumn – winter start. Alternatively, a lead-up Moonee Valley race like the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) held at the same track and distance a fortnight prior can make a good lead-up into the AJ Moir Stakes field. In 2021 the McEwen Stakes winner The Inferno ran a next-up second in the Moir Stakes results to secure his slot in that spring’s The Everest field. 

Caulfield’s Group 3 The Heath 1100 Stakes (1100m) run at Caulfield in August is also a nice Moir Stakes lead-up race and Samaready (2013) was the last to do the double. 

Buffering won his third Moir Stakes in 2015 after success in 2014 and 2012. Photo Credit: Ultimate Racing Photos.

2021 Moir Stakes Field

The official A.J. Moir Stakes 2021 Final Field & Barriers will be released by the Moonee Valley Racing Club on the Wednesday of race week and published in full below so stay tuned to see what sprinters are heading to the night feature.

The 2021 Moir Stakes field features 11 runners including McEwen Stakes winner The Inferno, the autumn’s co-Oakleigh Plate winner Portland Sky and the Chris Waller-trained September Run. 

2021 Moir Stakes Nominations

The Moir Stakes 2021 nominations are drawn on the Monday of race week with the full list of early entries to be listed below as soon as released. 

The 2021 Moir Stakes nominations feature 14 hopefuls including Oakleigh Plate winner Portland Sky and his last start conqueror in the McEwen Stakes The Inferno. 

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

AJ Moir Stakes Tips

AJ Moir Stakes tips are commonly led by the favourite with the short-priced runners boasting a strong record in the race. Since 2007, six favourites have saluted for the punters, most recently Nature Strip ($3.30 in 2019), and Buffering (2012) who also won again in 2014 when Lankan Rupee (2nd) jumped favourite and 2015 at $7 odds.

Proven short-distance specialists, previous Moonee Valley performers, resuming runners with solid form first-up and those horses drawn in barriers two – four also make good Moir Stakes betting tips each spring.

2021 Moir Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive AJ Moir Stakes 2021 betting tips will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for the sprint sprinters to get behind in the Moonee Valley Group 1 this season.

• To Win: #2 Wild Ruler ($7 at time of publish) 

Typically wide-open edition of the Moir with plenty of stars in the mix and form lines to consider. The price on Wild Ruler is attractive with connections opting to save him for this race second-up. He presents fit off the resuming second to superstar Nature Strip in the Concorde, the form of which looks good out of Sydney. Runs at The Valley for the first time so how he handles the turn is key, but has Melbourne form including the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes third at HQ last year. 

AJ Moir Stakes Form Guide

The AJ Moir Stakes form guide details all the basic information like barriers, jockeys and trainers as well as track statistics and win / place rates on the starting line-up. Going over the form guide before placing a bet is a must and things to look out for are classy mares with an inside alley who ran well last time out as well as horses with previous winning form at the tight Moonee Valley circuit.

Moir Stakes Form Facts

• Favourites in Moir Stakes betting won four editions on the trot from 2009 – 2012, before the 2019 success of Nature Strip
• The latest Moir Stakes winners to jump at double-figures are Viddora ($12 in 2018) and Wild Ruler ($10 in 2021)
• Extreme Choice (2016) was the first three-year-old to win the Moir Stakes since 2005 and She Will Reign (2017) saluted as a 3YO the following year
• Buffering (2015) for his third win in the race became the first eight-year-old winner in the past 30 plus years

2021 AJ Moir Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive AJ Moir Stakes 2021 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

AJ Moir Stakes Results

The AJ Moir Stakes results reveal the winner and finishing order of the other horses in the field as well as the margin between each place, the winning time and sometimes the payouts for the successful quinella, trifecta and first four in the race.

Moir Stakes race results from the past two decades have been dominated by single-figure hopes in betting. Plenty of trainers have enjoyed recent back-to-back Moir Stakes victories including Robert Heathcote with Buffering (2014-15) and Peter Moody with Black Caviar (2010-11).

Other notable Moir Stakes winners include Apache Cat (2009) and Miss Andretti (2007).

Moir Stakes Winners