Moonga Stakes 2023

Ladbrokes Tip: The Moonga Stakes serves as a nice lead-up into the Group 1 Champions Stakes field

The Moonga Stakes is a Group 3 support race on the Caulfield Cup Day card at Caulfield Racecourse in mid-late October each Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

2022 Moonga Stakes winner Aegon. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The meeting is headlined by the Group 1 $5 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) and features a host of other Group status support races including the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude, Group 2 Tristarc Stakes, Group 2 Caulfield Sprint, Group 3 Caulfield Classic, Group 3 Ethereal Stakes, and the Moonga Stakes.

Run over 1400m under set weights plus penalties, the Moonga Stakes is open to horses aged four-years-old and above and offers $200,000 in prize money.

The Moonga Stakes serves as a potential lead-up into the Group 1 Kennedy Champions Mile (1600m) held at Flemington on Victoria Derby Day. Boban (2013) was the last galloper to complete the Moonga Stakes – Champions Mile (then Cantala Stakes) double.

The latest edition of the Moonga Stakes ran on Saturday October 21, 2023 as part of Melbourne’s 2023 Caulfield Cup Day program and was won by the front-running eight-year-old Buffalo River ($3.50).

2023 Moonga Stakes Results

The full Moonga Stakes 2023 Results & Finishing Order will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday October 21, 2023.

2023 Moonga Stakes winner Buffalo River was strong in a lovely return to Group 3 winning form. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

• 1st: #3 Buffalo River
• 2nd: #11 Climbing Star
• 3rd: #7 Cause For Concern

Michael Moroney’s evergreen veteran Buffalo River ($3.50) was excellent off a front-running ride giving a lovely kick at the 200m to stick to the task with a dominant Group 3 victory in the 2023 Moonga Stakes results on Caulfield Cup Day.

2023 Moonga Stakes Odds

The season’s latest Moonga Stakes 2023 odds and links to our Moonga Stakes betting markets will be available below the week of the race so stay tuned for the best prices on the Champions Mile-bound horses this Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

Moonga Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday October 21, 2023
• Track: Caulfield Racecourse
• Distance: 1400m
• Conditions: 4YOs & Upwards – Set Weights + Penalties
• Status: Group 3
• Prize Money: $200,000
• First Run: 1982

Moonga Stakes Betting

Moonga Stakes betting markets favour in-form spring gallopers with good lead-up form in races like the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m). Streets Of Avalon (4th in 2019) was the last Moonga Stakes winner to come via the Sir Rupert having also run an 11th in the Toorak Handicap in between.

From 2023 however the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes runs after the Moonga Stakes in November.

Buffalo River ($2.70 in 2021) was the last Moonga Stakes betting favourite to get the job done.

Moonga Stakes Tips

Good Moonga Stakes tips include looking for horses coming off a top three run in Group company especially any Group 1 graduates down in grade, runners with winning form over the 1400m distance and those getting in well in the weights.

2023 Moonga Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Moonga Stakes 2023 betting tips will be detailed below the week of the race so bookmark this page for the runners to back and sack in the Caulfield Cup Day showdown this spring.

• To Win: #10 Nunthorpe ($2.60 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Happy to tip the favourite here who is firming fast to make it three wins on the trot when the Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman-trained Playing God mare lines-up against the boys. This progressive four-year-old is rock-hard fit, is a past Group 2 place-getter, and has the confidence of back-to-back victories behind her. Both were against her own kind in easier grade, but they were at Caulfield where she now has an undefeated record. Drops back two kilos from her last victory. It is a tough field, but with Blake Shinn aboard think she can handle the test.

Moonga Stakes Field

The Moonga Stakes race field attracts a collection of the season’s exciting miler types that may be eyeing a Derby Day run in the Champions Mile (formerly the Kennedy Cantala).

The Moonga Stakes final field is announced the Wednesday of race week following the nominations taken the Monday leading-up to Caulfield Cup Day.

2023 Moonga Stakes Field

The official Moonga Stakes 2023 Final Field & Barriers will be released on the Wednesday of race week and detailed in full below so stay tuned to see what older horses make the starting line-up.

The Moonga Stakes 2023 final field features a smart line-up of spring hopefuls led in betting by the in-form mare Nunthorpe from the Moody/Coleman stable.

2023 Moonga Stakes Nominations

The Moonga Stakes 2023 Nominations are first taken on the Monday leading-up to Caulfield Cup week and the full list of early entries will be available below once released.

The 2023 Moonga Stakes nominations are extended until 10:00am (AEDT) Tuesday 17/10/2023.

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Moonga Stakes Form Guide

The Moonga Stakes form guide gives punters all the crucial information from trainers, jockeys and barriers to the lead-up runs and track / distance records of the horses in the race.

The 2021 Moonga Stakes form was franked with the third place-getter Justacanta winning the Group 2 Linlithgow Stakes(1200m) next start.

2023 Moonga Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Moonga Stakes 2023 Form Guide will be available for punters the week of the race.

Moonga Stakes Results

The Moonga Stakes race results are confirmed on Caulfield Cup Day and detail the Moonga Stakes winner, winning margin and time along with the place-getters in the Moonga Stakes trifecta.

Notable Moonga Stakes winners include the Vo Rogue (1988), the heaviest-weighted Moonga Stakes winner Rough Habit (1992) who carted 62.5kg to victory, Boban (2013), Voodoo Lad (2016), and Streets Of Avalon (2019).

Whateverwhenever (2012) was the last Moonga Stakes winning mare.

Volitant holds the current Moonga Stakes race record winning in 2005 in a time of 1 minute 21:37 seconds.

Past Moonga Stakes Winners

Recent Moonga Stakes winners and place-getters dating back to the year 1988 are detailed in the below table.