B.J. McLachlan Stakes 2023

The B.J. McLachlan Stakes is a Group 3 event for two-year-olds held at either Doomben or Eagle Farm Racecourse in late December over the Brisbane Summer Racing Carnival.

A 1200m sprint offering $300,000 in prize money as of 2023, the event is traditionally held on either Christmas Eve or as part of Brisbane’s Boxing Day races at the end of the calendar year in Queensland.

In 2023 the B.J. McLachlan Stakes ran slightly earlier on the 23rd of December.

The B.J. McLachlan Stakes was first held in 1982 and serves as a key lead-up to the next month’s $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast.

Coolangatta (2021-2022) was the last two-year-old to complete the B.J. McLachlan Stakes – Magic Millions 2YO Classic summer racing double.

The event is named in honour of 16-time Brisbane Metropolitan Training Premiership winning horseman Bruce McLachlan.

It gained Group 3 status in 2011 and has been held at both Eagle Farm and Doomben Racecourse over the years.

The latest edition of the B.J. McLachlan Stakes ran on Saturday December 23rd, 2023 as part of Brisbane’s summer racing program and was won in runaway fashion by the odds-on elect Storm Boy ($1.45F) from the Waterhouse/Bott stable.

2023 B.J. McLachlan Stakes Results

The full B.J. McLachlan Stakes 2023 Results & Finishing Order will be provided below once the race is run and won on Saturday December 23rd, 2023.

• 1st: #1 Storm Boy
• 2nd: #7 Poster Girl
• 3rd: #4 Customised

Storm Boy ($1.45F), the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Justify colt, lived up to his billing with a dominant 2.4-length win in the 2023 BJ McLachlan Stakes results in Brisbane. Having won his opening two starts by big margins, he’s now hot favourite for the $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic on January 13th at the Gold Coast.

2023 B.J. McLachlan Stakes Odds

The season’s top PB.J. McLachlan Stakes 2023 odds and betting market links will be available below the week of the race.

B.J. McLachlan Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday December 23rd, 2023
• Track: Eagle Farm Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: 2YOs – Set Weights
• Status: Group 3
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1982

B.J. McLachlan Stakes Betting

B.J. McLachlan Stakes betting is open at the start of race week and markets are led by proven young sprinters, any previous Brisbane winners and those with winning form over at least 1000m.

Two-year-olds with any past experience at Group level and in-form locals are traditionally installed at shorter B.J. McLachlan Stakes odds.

Coolangatta ($1.30 in 2021) and Storm Boy ($1.45 in 2023) are the latest B.J. McLachlan Stakes favourites to win.

B.J. McLachlan Stakes Tips

Good B.J. McLachlan Stakes tips include backing non-maidens, Group performed juveniles and those drawn well in the field.

Any youngsters coming off a potential interstate spring lead-up campaign also make a strong B.J. McLachlan Stakes betting tip.

2023 B.J. McLachlan Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive B.J. McLachlan Stakes 2023 betting tips and exotic Brisbane racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so bookmark this page for the runners to back and sack in the $300,000 feature.

• To Win: #6 Mishani Aloha ($18 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Sticking our necks out in the BJ McLachlan. Forget the Sydney hotshot at short odds, we’re backing the local Brisbane filly from Les Ross’ Hendra stables. This gutsy girl may be near $20, but we think she’s way undervalued. Two perfect runs at this 1200m trip, both wins at Doomben, tell you she loves this dance. Now she wants a hat-trick. Her last win on heavy going with 58kg was no fluke – she left ’em for dead. Dropping the weight for Eagle Farm and her Group 3 debut, this underdog could steal the show. So, if you fancy a bit of Queensland magic at juicy odds, jump on this filly’s back and hold on tight!

B.J. McLachlan Stakes Field

The B.J. McLachlan Stakes race field attracts a quality line-up of two-year-olds that may be coming off a tougher lead-up runs interstate or be kicking off a summer campaign in Queensland.

A potential early lead-up into the B.J. McLachlan Stakes field for the fillies is Sydney’s Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) run Randwick in October. Coolangatta (2021) was the last filly to complete the Gimcrack Stakes – BJ McLachlan Stakes interstate double.

The Listed Phelan Ready Stakes and Calaway Gal Stakes are other key lead-ups into the BJ McLachlan Stakes field. Ours To Keep (2016) and Alpine Edge (2020) are the latest horses to complete the Phelan Ready – BJ McLachlan Stakes double.

Following a run in the B.J. McLachlan Stakes field eligible two-year-olds are likely to head to the Gold Coast for the Restricted Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m).

A trip south for the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival and a shot at the world’s richest race for two-year-olds – the $5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill in March – is also likely for the best out of the B.J. McLachlan.

After completing the 2021 B.J. McLachlan – 2022 Golden Slipper double, class filly Coolangatta ran third in the Golden Slipper results.

B.J. McLachlan Stakes nominations are taken the Monday before the race runs on the Saturday with final acceptances and the barrier draw released on the Wednesday.

2023 B.J. McLachlan Stakes Field

The official B.J. McLachlan Stakes 2023 Field & Barriers will be published in full below once announced on the Wednesday of race week so stay tuned to see what young Magic Millions-bound types make the starting line-up.

The BJ McLachlan Stakes 2023 is primed for an electrifying showdown, with a tightly packed field of talented youngsters eager to leave their mark. Leading the charge in the betting is the odds-on favourite, Justify colt Storm Boy, hailing from the prestigious Sydney stables of Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott.

2023 B.J. McLachlan Stakes Nominations

The official B.J. McLachlan Stakes 2023 Nominations close the Monday leading-up to early summer showdown in Brisbane, and the full list of early entries will be available below.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

B.J. McLachlan Stakes Form Guide

The B.J. McLachlan Stakes form guide details all the need-to-know facts and stats including the jockeys, trainers, barriers, weights and lead-up runs of the horses in the field.

The B.J. McLachlan Stakes form has gone on to stack-up in tougher grade races many times over the years most recently with the 2021 winning filly Coolangatta winning the following year’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic, running third in the 2022 Golden Slipper and subsequently winning the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) as a three-year-old in Melbourne during the spring of 2022.

A couple of years prior, the 2019 B.J. McLachlan Stakes winner King’s Legacy went on to win the 2020 Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) – Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) double in Sydney.

2023 B.J. McLachlan Stakes Form Guide

A link to the comprehensive B.J. McLachlan Stakes 2023 Form Guide will be provided below the week of the race.

B.J. McLachlan Stakes Results

Notable recent B.J. McLachlan Stakes winners include Lady Lustre (1984), St. Jude (1989), Snitzel (2004), Military Rose (2009), Driefontein (2011), King’s Legacy (2019), and star filly Coolangatta (2021).

Past B.J. McLachlan Stakes Winners

See below for a list of B. J. McLachlan Stakes winners and place-getters going back to 1992.