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.

The meeting is headlined by the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) and also features the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) and recently upgraded Group 2 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m). Contested over 1400m at set weights plus penalties, the Let’s Elope Stakes offers $200,000 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).

The latest edition of the Let’s Elope Stakes took place on Saturday September 12, 2020 and was won by the Tony & Calvin McEvoy-trained Pretty Brazen in an upset.

2020 Let’s Elope Stakes Results

The official Let’s Elope Stakes 2020 results and finishing order will be available below once the race takes place on Makybe Diva Stakes Day, held on Saturday September 12, 2020.

• 1st: #3 Pretty Brazen
• 2nd: #1 Arcadia Queen
• 3rd: #7 Bonvicini 

Last November’s Sandown Guineas winner Pretty Brazen ($20) was back in winning form second-up at a big price defeating the classy Arcadia Queen ($3.80) in the 2020 Let’s Elope Stakes results. 

Colour	Finish	No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Bar.	Weight	Penalty	Starting Price
	1	3	PRETTY BRAZEN	Tony & Calvin McEvoy	Luke Currie		9	58kg		$20
	2	1	ARCADIA QUEEN	Grant & Alana Williams	William Pike	0.2L	12	58kg		$3.80
	3	7	BONVICINI	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Jye McNeil	0.95L	3	57kg		$21
	4	9	SHE SHAO FLY	Kevin Corstens	Ben Melham	1.05L	1	55kg		$16
	5	11	SOUTHBANK	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Billy Egan	2.55L	5	55kg		$31
	6	12	LADY LOFT	Julius Sandhu	Beau Mertens	2.75L	7	55kg		$101
	7	10	STREET ICON	Kevin Corstens	Craig Williams	3.25L	2	55kg		$26
	8	2	SAVATIANO	James Cummings	Mark Zahra	3.35L	4	58kg		$2.70F
	9	6	SPANISH REEF	Ken & Kasey Keys	Craig Newitt	3.55L	11	57kg		$31
	10	13	AFFAIR TO REMEMBER	Dan O’Sullivan	Michael Dee	4.3L	13	55kg		$21
	11	5	MY GOLD BRACELET (NZ)	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	Damien Oliver	6.8L	6	58kg		$7
	12	8	FIDELIA	Robbie Griffiths	Dean Yendall	8.05L	10	55kg		$21
	13	4	SHROUDED IN MIST	Tony & Calvin McEvoy	John Allen	8.35L	8	58kg		$101

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Let’s Elope Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday September 12, 2020
• Track: Flemington Racecourse
• Distance: 1400m
• Conditions: Mares – Set Weights + Penalties
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $200,000
• First Run: 1987

Let’s Elope Stakes Betting & Odds

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.

Pretty Brazen (7th in 2020) 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. 

2020 Let’s Elope Stakes Odds

The updated Let’s Elope Stakes 2020 betting odds and links to our Flemington Makybe Diva Stakes Day markets will be available right here the week of the race.

The Let’s Elope Stakes 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. Commanding Jewel came off a third in the Cockram Stakes before her 2014 Let’s Elope win, successfully defending her title in the latter. In 2017 Sword Of Light improved off a lead-up fifth in the Cockram Stakes to win the Let’s Elope Stakes.

Most recently the 2019 Let’s Elope Stakes winner Spanish Whisper improved on a Cockram Stakes second in the lead-up, while the following year Pretty Brazen won the 2020 Let’s Elope off her seventh in the Cockram.

Pinker Pinker completed the 2011 Let’s Elope Stakes – Cox Plate double. Photo Credit: Taron Clarke.

In 2013 A Time For Julia ran second in the Cockram Stakes and third in the Let’s Elope. 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 2015 May’s Dream ran third in the Let’s Elope and second in the Stocks Stakes. The previous year Commanding Jewel won the Let’s Elope Stakes for a second time in 2014 before a Stocks Stakes third.

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).

2020 Let’s Elope Stakes Field

The official Let’s Elope Stakes 2020 Final Field & Barriers are out the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below.

The 2020 Let’s Elope Stakes field features 13 mares led in betting by Godolphin’s Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes winner Savatiano in her delayed second-up run and the widely-drawn Perth galloper Arcadia Queen (12).

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2020 Let’s Elope Stakes Nominations

Let’s Elope Stakes nominations for 2020 close on the Monday of race week and will be provided in full below.

The 2020 Let’s Elope Stakes nominations feature 21 mares including Group 1 winner Arcadia Queen who also holds an entry for the Makybe Diva, Savatiano racing second-up off her Group 2 P.B. Lawrence win and Perfect Jewel who is another in-form Perth raider that could race in this or the Group 1 on the card.

   Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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.

2020 Let’s Elope Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Let’s Elope Stakes 2020 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.

2020 Let’s Elope Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Let’s Elope Stakes 2020 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.

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 Commanding Jewel (2013-14), Pinker Pinker (2011) and Mannerism (1992).

Notable recent McEwen Stakes winners include Chautauqua (2015), Buffering (2011), Hay List (2010) and Miss Andretti (2006).

Let’s Elope Stakes Winners