HDF McNeil Stakes 2023

Ladbrokes Tip: The HDF McNeil Stakes can serve as an early Coolmore Stud Stakes lead-up.

The H.D.F. McNeil Stakes is run on the opening Group 1 race meeting of the annual Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival – Memsie Stakes Day – taking place at Caulfield Racecourse in late August or early September.

2022 HDF McNeil Stakes winner Jacquinot. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The headline race at the meeting is the weight-for-age Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m), while the H.D.F. McNeil Stakes is a key support act on the card along with the Group 1 The Heath 1100 Stakes (1100m) for potential The Everest horses and the Group 3 Cockram Stakes (1200m).

The HDF McNeil Stakes is a Group 3 race for three-year-olds run at set weights plus penalties over 1200m. Offering $200,000 in prize money the event serves as a nice early lead-up into some of the tougher three-year-old races of the spring.

The best HDF McNeil Stakes graduates may continue onto Flemington’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) held on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival with Merchant Navy (2017) the last to do the double.

First run in 1989 plenty of quality horses have won the race over the years including Danzero (1994),  Bel Esprit (2002), Golden Slipper winning filly Miss Finland (2006), Scenic Blast (2007) whose first Group victory was in the HDF McNeil Stakes, subsequent international superstar Starspangledbanner (2009), and Super Seth (2019).

The latest edition of the H.D.F. McNeil Stakes took place on Saturday September 2nd, 2023 and was won by the Tony & Calvin McEvoy-trained Group 2 winning colt Veight ($5.50) in a nice first-up performance.

HDF McNeil Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday September 2nd, 2023
• Track: Caulfield Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: Set Weights + Penalties – 3YOs
• Status: Group 3
• Prize Money: $200,000
• First Run: 1989

2023 HDF McNeil Stakes Results

The official HDF McNeil Stakes 2023 results & finishing order will be published in full right here once the Group 3 race is run and won on Saturday September 2nd, 2023 as part of the Memsie Stakes Day card in Melbourne.

2023 HDF McNeil Stakes winner Veight showed a nice turn of foot to post a first-up win for the spring. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

• 1st: #3 Veight
• 2nd: #12 Legacies
• 3rd: #1 Little Brose

Tony & Calvin McEvoy’s progressive Grunt colt Veight ($5.50), winner of the Group 2 VRC Sires’ last prep, kicked off his spring with an eye-catching victory displaying a lovely turn of foot to dominate the 2023 H.D.F. McNeil Stakes results on Memsie Stakes Day.

HDF McNeil Stakes Betting

HDF McNeil Stakes betting is led by quality three-year-olds kicking off their spring campaigns that have a strong first-up record.

Any youngsters that contested tougher grade races over the autumn that are starting out in easier company sit high up the HDF McNeil Stakes betting markets, as do proven Melbourne sprinters and Caulfield performers.

The star juveniles from the previous season may have contested events including the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) and the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m). In 2020 the Blue Diamond winner Tagaloa ran fourth in the Golden Slipper before a first-up third in the HDF McNeil Stakes trifecta that year. The next year returning Blue Diamond winner Artorius ran second fresh in the HDF McNeil Stakes 2021 quinella.

2023 HDF McNeil Stakes Odds

The season’s top HDF McNeil Stakes 2023 odds and betting market links will be available below as soon as open.

HDF McNeil Stakes Field

The HDF McNeil Stakes race field attracts a quality line-up of new-season three-year-olds each year, many of which are having their first spring assignment and first official start since the Horse’s Birthday (August 1).

The best horses out of the HDF McNeil Stakes field will continue on to target tougher races over the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival including the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at a mile in October. Super Seth (2019) was the last horse to complete the HDF McNeil Stakes – Caulfield Guineas double.

More recently the 2021 HDF McNeil Stakes runner-up Artorious franked the form with a third in that year’s Caulfield Guineas. He also ran third in the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington that spring.

As a lead-up into that feature runners may also contest the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) and Native Soldier (2018) was the last horse to do the HDF McNeil Stakes – Caulfield Guineas Prelude double.

The H.D.F. McNeil Stakes final acceptances are released on the Wednesday before the race runs on a Saturday and the nominations close that Monday.

2023 HDF McNeil Stakes Field

The official HDF McNeil Stakes 2023 field and barriers will be published in full below once final acceptances are taken by Racing Victoria on the Wednesday of race week.

2023 HDF McNeil Stakes Nominations

Punters get an early indication of the horses that will line-up in the Group 3 race when the HDF McNeil Stakes 2023 nominations are taken on the Monday leading-up to the race.

HDF McNeil Stakes Tips

HDF McNeil Stakes tips include looking for graduates out of the previous season’s top two-year-old races including the Blue Diamond Stakes held at the same track and distance, proven stakes horses and those with a strong 1200m record.

The colts and geldings also make the best bet in the HDF McNeil Stakes tips as no filly has won the race since Lady Of Harrods (2012).

2023 HDF McNeil Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider HDF McNeil Stakes 2023 betting tips and early spring Group race selections will be detailed below the week of the race so bookmark this page for the horses to back and sack in the event.

• To Win: TBD

HDF McNeil Stakes Form Guide

The HDF McNeil Stakes form guide has all the details you need to know before placing your bets on the Group 3 sprint for three-year-olds. Along with the saddlecloth numbers, trainers, jockeys and barriers the form guide shows the recent lead-up runs of all the runners and their starting price in the markets.

Looking for horses that have previous Group experience, run well fresh and are drawn well are all important things the form guide for the HDF McNeil Stakes will reveal.

The 2021 HDF McNeil Stakes form was franked with the Bruckner backing-up from his win to finish second two starts later in the Coolmore Stud Stakes. The runner-up in the 2021 McNeil Stakes, Artorious, meanwhile was fourth in Sydney’s Golden Rose before thirds in the Caulfield Guineas, Coolmore Stud Stakes, and the 2022 Group 1 Platinum Jubilee Stakes (1207m) at Royal Ascot in the UK.

The 2022 HDF McNeil Stakes winner Jacquinot headed to Sydney to take out the Golden Rose Stakes next start before a fifth in that year’s The Everest and a win in the 2023 CF Orr Stakes the following autumn.

2023 HDF McNeil Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive HDF McNeil Stakes 2023 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

HDF McNeil Stakes Results

The official HDF McNeil Stakes race results and finishing order are confirmed when the event runs at Caulfield on the first major meeting of the spring in Melbourne.

The results show the HDF McNeil Stakes winner, successful quinella and trifecta as well as the margin and time run to see if any records are broken.

Notable recent HDF McNeil Stakes winners include Danzero (1994), Bel Esprit (2002), Miss Finland (2006), Scenic Blast (2007), Starspangledbanner (2009), Merchant Navy (2017), Super Seth (2019), and Bruckner (2021).

Lady Of Harrods (2012) was the last HDF McNeil Stakes winning filly.

Golden Archer holds the current HDF McNeil Stakes race record winning in 2011 in a time of 1 minute 09:04 seconds.

Past HDF McNeil Stakes Winners

Recent HDF McNeil Stakes winners and place-getters dating back to the year 1989 are detailed in the below table.