Let’s Elope Stakes 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: Let’s Elope Stakes graduates often continue onto the Empire Rose Stakes.

The Let’s Elope Stakes is a Group 2 race for mares aged four-years-old and above run at Flemington Racecourse on Makybe Diva Stakes Day in September during the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

2022 Let’s Elope Stakes winner Kissonallforcheeks. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The meeting is headlined by the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) and also features the recently upgraded Group 2 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m). Contested over 1400m at set weights plus penalties, the Let’s Elope Stakes offers $300,000 in total prize money, was upgraded to a Group 2 race in 2009 and is named in honour of the 1991 Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup winner Let’s Elope.

Many mares in the Let’s Elope Stakes field head towards a run back at the track during the Melbourne Cup Carnival in the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m), now known as the Empire Rose Stakes. The Let’s Elope Stakes – Myer Classic double was last achieved by Rose Of Portland (2006).

In 2020 the Let’s Elope Stakes runner-up Arcadia Queen went on to complete the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes – Mackinnon Stakes double over 2000m in Melbourne that spring.

The next year, Mystic Journey finished runner-up in both the Let’s Elope Stakes and that year’s Empire Rose Stakes results.

The 2023 Let’s Elope Stakes winner Amelia’s Jewel won first-up after her second in the inaugural $4 million The Quokka race over the autumn in Perth. She went on to win the Stocks Stakes at her next start and run fourth in the following year’s The Quokka results in 2024.

The latest edition of the Let’s Elope Stakes took place on Saturday, September 14, 2024 at Flemington Racecourse and was won in runaway style by Danny O’Brien’s underrated mare Grinzinger Belle ($15).  

2024 Let’s Elope Stakes Results

The official Let’s Elope Stakes 2024 results and finishing order will be available below once the race takes place on Makybe Diva Stakes Day, held on Saturday, September 14, 2024.

2024 Let’s Elope Stakes winner Grinzinger Belle was far too strong in the wet scoring a notable upset. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

• 1st: #5 Grinzinger Belle
• 2nd: #3 See You In Heaven
• 3rd: #8 Alsephina 

Grinzinger Belle ($15) went out at big odds but was far too strong relishing the Heavy-rated track to defeat See You In Heaven by four lengths in the 2024 Let’s Elope Stakes results at Flemington. 

2024 Let’s Elope Stakes Odds

The updated Let’s Elope Stakes 2024 betting odds and links to our Flemington Makybe Diva Stakes Day markets will be available right here the week of the race.

Let’s Elope Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday, September 14, 2024
• Track: Flemington Racecourse
• Distance: 1400m
• Conditions: Mares – Set Weights + Penalties
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1987

Let’s Elope Stakes Betting

Let’s Elope Stakes betting markets are traditionally led by the class mares in the race with good lead-up form in a race like the Cockram Stakes.

Kissonallforcheeks (3rd in 2022) was the last Let’s Elope Stakes winner to come out of a lead-up run in the Cockram at Caulfield.

Proven Group 1 performers, those with a good Flemington track record and mares with winning form over 1400m – 1600m also dominate the Let’s Elope Stakes odds each year.

Upsets are not uncommon in the Let’s Elope Stakes and often laying the favourite can prove profitable, like in 2017 when Sword Of Light scored an upset at Let’s Elope Stakes odds of $18 and in 2020 when Pretty Brazen saluted at $20.

There was another upset in 2024 with Grinzinger Belle saluting by four lengths as a $15 outside in Let’s Elope Stakes betting. 

Kissonallforcheeks ($3.60 in 2022) and Amelia’s Jewel ($1.95 in 2023) are the latest Let’s Elope Stakes betting favourites to win.

Let’s Elope Stakes Field

The Let’s Elope Stakes race field attracts a line-up of the season’s best mares, many heading towards the Empire Rose Stakes back at Flemington over the mile in November. Runners from Sydney may come off an earlier spring run in the Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1300m) at Randwick, a double achieved by Amicus in 2015.

The main Melbourne lead-up into the Let’s Elope is the Group 3 Cockram Stakes (1200m) held the month before. The next traditional run for mares out of the Let’s Elope Stakes field is the Group 2 Stocks Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Moir Stakes Night.

In 2011 the Let’s Elope winner Pinker Pinker finished second in the Stocks Stakes before heading to Sydney where she was runner-up in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) and then won the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) back in Melbourne.

More recently in 2017 I Am A Star improved on a lead-up seventh in the Let’s Elope Stakes to win the Stocks Stakes. She then won the following year’s Let’s Elope – Stocks Stakes double (2018).

2024 Let’s Elope Stakes Field

The official Let’s Elope Stakes 2024 Final Field & Barriers are out the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below.

Mark Walker’s first-up Cockram Stakes winner Quintessa heads the 2024 Let’s Elope Stakes field and betting markets in Melbourne this weekend. 

2024 Let’s Elope Stakes Nominations

Let’s Elope Stakes nominations for 2024 close on the Monday of race week and will be provided in full below.

Let’s Elope Stakes Form Guide

The Let’s Elope Stakes form guide gives punters all the must know information on the race and its runners like the jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up runs. A Cockram Stakes run last time out and ability at Flemington are key pointers to look out for in the form guide.

Let’s Elope Stakes form has stacked up in better races plenty of times over the years. In 2013 Dear Demi (7th) went on to run third in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) and Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) as well as running second in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) that spring.

Also, in 2013 the Let’s Elope Stakes runner up Catkins went on to run second to stablemate Red Tracer in the Myer Classic later that campaign.

In 2020 the upset Let’s Elope Stakes winner Pretty Brazen ran a next-up third in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, while the runner-up Arcadia Queen further franked the form running third in the Underwood before winning both the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m) and Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) in the subsequent weeks.

The 2022 Let’s Elope Stakes form was franked with the winner Kissonallforcheeks travelling to Perth that summer to run third in both the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) and lucrative Group 3 $1.5 million The Gold Rush (1400m).

2024 Let’s Elope Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Let’s Elope Stakes 2024 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Let’s Elope Stakes Tips

Let’s Elope Stakes tips include looking for the best mares out of the Cockram Stakes with proven form at the Flemington track and over 1400m.

Mares that contested the previous year’s Let’s Elope Stakes race and ran well also make a good tip, as do those coming off winning form in other Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival lead-up races.

2024 Let’s Elope Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Let’s Elope Stakes 2024 betting tips and Group 2 predictions will be detailed in full below a day or two out from race day so stay tuned for the mares to back this spring.

• To Win: #3 See You In Heaven ($5.50 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Typically open edition of the Let’s Elope but have landed on See You In Heaven with the fitness edge now third-up and ready to fire. This South Australian-trained mare has been competitive at Flemington before including a previous win at the track and fourth to Amelia’s Jewel when far from disgraced in this race last year. Two runs back at home have shown promise with a Group 3 win fresh before running fourth only a length beaten last time out. Jamie Kah is a skilled rider and this mare has the potential to return to winning form taking out a Group 2. 

Let’s Elope Stakes Results

A mix of single and double-figure runners have won the Let’s Elope Stakes in the past decade and the most notable recent upset was by Pretty Brazen ($20 in 2020).

Noteworthy Let’s Elope Stakes winners include Amelia’s Jewel (2023), Commanding Jewel (2013-14), Pinker Pinker (2011), and Mannerism (1992).

Spanish Whisper holds the current Let’s Elope Stakes race record winning over 1400m in 2019 in a time of 1 minute 22.23 seconds.

Past Let’s Elope Stakes Winners

Recent Let’s Elope Stakes winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.

FAQ

When is the Let’s Elope Stakes 2024?

What is the prize money for the Let’s Elope Stakes 2024?

$300,000

Where is the Let’s Elope Stakes 2024?

Flemington Racecourse, 448 Epsom Rd, Flemington VIC 3031.