Northerly Stakes 2022

The Kingston Town Classic has been renamed the Northerly Stakes ahead of the 2022 edition

The Kingston Town Classic – currently run as the Northerly Stakes – is the third and final Group 1 race contested at Western Australia’s Ascot Racecourse during the annual Perth Summer Racing Carnival.

Run two weeks after the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) and a week following the sprinters doing battle in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m), the weight-for-age Kingston Town Classic takes place on a Saturday in early December and is contested over 1800m.

Offering $1.5 million in prize money as of 2022, it is the traditional target for graduates of the Railway Stakes and the last horse to complete the double in the same season was Sniper’s Bullet (2009).

In 2012 the previous year’s Railway Stakes winner Luckgray (2011) won the Kingston Town Classic. More recently, the 2018 Railway Stakes champ Galaxy Star backed-up with a third in the Kingston Town Classic trifecta next start. In 2021 the Railway Stakes winner Western Empire started odds-on at $1.20 in the Kingston Town Classic only to run second to his stablemate Regal Power in a shock loss.

When run as the Kingston Town Classic, the race was named after Australian Racing Hall of Fame racehorse Kingston Town who was a triple Cox Plate winner (1980-82) among other accolades.

In 2022 it was renamed the Northerly Stakes in honour of Australia’s premiere middle-distance racehorse in the early 2000s, Northerly, who won the 2000 Railway Stakes in Perth. Northerly would go on to win a plethora of other Group 1 features in Australia over his star career including the: Australian Cup (2001, 2003), Cox Plate (2001, 2002), and Caulfield Cup (2002).

The next edition of the Kingston Town Classic runs as the Northerly Stakes on Saturday December 3, 2022 offering $1.5 million in stakes for the first time. 

2022 Northerly Stakes Results

The full Northerly Stakes 2022 Results & Finishing Order – formerly known as the Kingston Town Classic Stakes up until 2022 – will be available below after the Group 1 is run and won on Saturday December 3, 2022.

• 1st: TBD
• 2nd: TBD
• 3rd: TBD

Northerly Stakes Race Info

• Former Race Name: Kingston Town Classic
• Date: Saturday December 3, 2022
• Track: Ascot Racecourse
• Distance: 1800m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $1.5 million
• First Run: 1976

Northerly Stakes Betting

Kingston Town Classic odds – now known as the Northerly Stakes odds – are led by the best performing horses coming out of the Railway Stakes run over 200m shorter under handicap conditions a fortnight before. Proven weight-for-age horses with winning form over the 1800m at Ascot also feature highly in the Northerly Stakes betting markets each summer.

Last start winners have an excellent record in the race over the past decade, and a lead-up win in Perth in a race like the Railway Stakes usually ensures favouritism in the Northerly Stakes odds.

Favourites have a strong winning strike rate over the past decade or so with seven winners from 2007 – 2021. The two most recent Kingston Town Classic favourites to salute for the punters were both fillies: Perfect Reflection (2015) and Arcadia Queen (2018). A third filly won the Kingston Town Classic in 2019 with Kay Cee saluting at $11.

After Perfect Reflection however there were two roughies in Kingston Town Classic betting that won with Stratum Star (2016) and Pounamu (2017) both at double-figures.

There was also an upset in 2020 when $18 shot Truly Great beat home his short-priced stablemate Inspirational Girl ($2.10F), and again in 2021 with Regal Power ($14) beating the fellow Grant & Alana Williams-trained Western Empire ($1.20F).

2022 Northerly Stakes Betting

The season’s top Northerly Stakes 2022 odds and Perth Group 1 betting market links will be provided below so stay tuned for access to the best summer prices.

Northerly Stakes Tips

Kingston Town Classic tips – now known as the Northerly Stakes tips – include taking last start winners at the Ascot track, the in-form three-year-old gallopers of the season as the youngsters have a good record in the race and opting for form over barriers.

Other tips include following the favourite as the top fancies have plenty of recent wins, and avoiding any interstate visitors that haven’t had a previous Perth run as Stratum Star (2016) was the first Kingston Town Classic winner to come off a non-WA lead-up since Credit Account back in 1993.

2022 Northerly Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Northerly Stakes 2022 betting tips and exotic summer racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for the Perth locals and interstate raiders to get behind this season.

• To Win: TBD

Northerly Stakes Field

The Northerly Stakes field – formerly known as the Kingston Town Classic field – attracts the season’s best milers – stayers with the line-up mainly attracting locally trained Perth gallopers. The Railway Stakes over the mile at the same track two weeks earlier is the key lead-up race into the Northerly Stakes field and provides the majority of runners in the latter.

Upset Kingston Town Classic winner Stratum Star (2016) was the first champ of the Perth Group 1 to come off a non-Ascot lead-up race since 1993. Photo Credit: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The latest interstate raiders to beat the locals home for the Kingston Town Classic win were the Chris Waller-trained Moriarty (2014) and the Darren Weir-trained Stratum Star (2016).

The Northerly Stakes field has a capacity of 16 starters and was run at capacity in 2015 when Perfect Reflection became the first three-year-old filly in history to win.

Three years later Arcadia Queen became the second Kingston Town Classic winning filly to salute beating 13 rivals in the million dollar feature.

In 2019 the Kingston Town Classic field again ran at the full 16 starters when Playing God filly Kay Cee became the third filly in history to win.

The smallest field for the race in the past 30 plus years was 10 starters when Old Nick overcame the outside barrier to win in 1998.

Northerly Stakes nominations close over a month before the race in late October before the final field of acceptances is released the Monday of race week.

2022 Northerly Stakes Field

The official Northerly Stakes 2022 Final Field is announced by Perth Racing the Monday leading-up to the race and will be available in full below as soon as released so stay tuned to see what gallopers make the starting line-up in the final Group 1 race of the year in Australia.

2022 Northerly Stakes Nominations

The early Northerly Stakes 2022 nominations are taken around a month before Northerly Stakes Day in early December, the full entries to be released below.

Northerly Stakes Form Guide

The Kingston Town Classic form guide – now known as the Northerly Stakes form guide – details all the crucial information for punters like the jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up runs of the horses in the field.

History shows an even spread of winners from both inside and wider barrier draws, so doing the Northerly Stakes form on the lead-up runs and track / distance records of the horses over their gate is important.

Three-year-olds have a good record in the race with six wins in the past decade, including three fillies with Perfect Reflection (2015), Arcadia Queen (2018) and Kay Cee (2019).

The Railway Stakes is the best guide and so looking for horses coming off a run in this mile lead-up is also important.

Northerly Stakes Form Facts

• The Railway Stakes has produced more Kingston Town Classic / Northerly Stakes winners than any other lead-ups
• A final run at Ascot is the key to picking the Northerly Stakes winner with just one horse since 1993 having come off a lead-up outside of WA
• Three-year-olds boast five wins – including three by fillies – in the Kingston Town Classic results from 2010 – 2021 (before the race was renamed in 2022) so in-form youngsters make a good tip
• Favourites in Kingston Town Classic betting saluted six times from 2008 – 2021

2022 Northerly Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Northerly Stakes 2022 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Kingston Town Classic / Northerly Stakes Results

The Kingston Town Classic results have seen plenty of recent upsets including: Playing God ($21 in 2011) who also saluted as the punters’ pick the previous year, Stratum Star ($12 in 2016), the shock local winner Pounamu ($21 in 2017), the filly Kay Cee ($11 in 2019), Truly Great ($18 in 2020) and former All-Star Mile champion Regal Power ($14 in 2021).

Other notable recent Kingston Town Classic winners include: Luckygray (2012), Niconero (2006 and 2008) and Old Comrade (2000-01).

From 2022 onwards the winning horses in this race will be known as the Northerly Stakes winners.

Kingston Town Classic / Northerly Stakes Winners