Peter Young Stakes 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: The Peter Young Stakes winner traditionally backs-up in the Australian Cup later in the autumn.

The Peter Young Stakes, formerly the St George Stakes, is one of a host of Group 2 support races on the Blue Diamond Stakes Day program at Caulfield Racecourse* in late February each Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.

2022 Peter Young Stakes winner Cascadian. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

*Note: The 2023 Peter Young Stakes and entire Blue Diamond Stakes race card took place at Sandown with renovations happening at Caulfield. 

Racing at the Saturday meeting is headlined by the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m), the premier race for juveniles at the carnival, as well as the other two top level races – the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m).

Contested over 1800m and run under weight-for-age conditions the Peter Young Stakes offers $300,000 in total prize money and attracts a field of top class middle distance staying types.

The race is a traditional lead-up to the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington in March and the last horse to complete the double was Fiorente (2014).

More recently, Homesman improved on a Peter Young Stakes third to win the 2021 Australian Cup.

The latest edition of the Peter Young Stakes took place on Saturday February 24, 2024 at Caulfield as part of Blue Diamond Stakes Day 2024 and was won in a close finish by Mark Walker’s Kiwi mare Campionessa ($2.70F) who beat Vow And Declare home by a head bob. 

2024 Peter Young Stakes Results

The official Peter Young Stakes 2024 results will be published in full below when the race is run and won on Saturday February 24, 2024.

2024 Peter Young Stakes winner Campionessa got her head down right on the line to salute in the Group 2 on Blue Diamond Day. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

• 1st: #7 Campionessa
• 2nd: #2 Vow And Declare
• 3rd: #1 Gold Trip

A Group 1 winner back across the Tasman, Mark Walker’s classy six-year-old mare Campionessa ($2.70F) fended off two previous Melbourne Cup winners to score a narrow victory for the punters in the 2024 Peter Young Stakes at Caulfield with Sydney’s Group 1 Queen Of Turf Stakes (1600m) her long term goal this autumn down under.

2024 Peter Young Stakes Odds

The updated Peter Young Stakes 2024 odds on the Group 2 event in Melbourne will be available the week of the race so stay tuned.

Peter Young Stakes Race Facts

• Date: Saturday February 24, 2024
• Track: Caulfield Racecourse
• Distance: 1800m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1900

Peter Young Stakes Betting

Peter Young Stakes odds and betting markets favour the older horses with proven weight-for-age form and that have Group 1 experience.

Upsets are not uncommon in the race but typically the favourite in Peter Young Stakes betting finishes in the money including in 2018 when the Peter Young Stakes favourite Gailo Chop saluted. The following year Avilius ($1.95 in 2019) saluted as the odds-on favourite in Peter Young Stakes betting.

Looking at the form of hopefuls coming out of the CF Orr Stakes at the track earlier in the month is key and if they are resuming how they run fresh is important.

Cascadian ($2.05 in 2022) and Campionessa ($2.70 in 2024) are the latest favourites in Peter Young Stakes betting to salute.

Peter Young Stakes Field

The Peter Young Stakes race field runs at a 16-starter capacity and features plenty of Group 1 performers and winners each year.

Proven weight-for-age gallopers heading towards the Australian Cup on are in the mix every autumn and have often run in the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival majors including the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.

In 2014 Fiorente completed the Melbourne Cup – Australian Cup double.

In 2023 the returning 2022 Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip ran second to his stablemate Steinem fresh in the Peter Young Stakes results, while he returned in 2024 and rounded out the Peter Young Stakes trifecta that year when third first-up.

In 2015 Mourinho came off a third in the Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at the track to win the Peter Young Stakes, the season’s first Group 1 race a key lead-up to the Blue Diamond Day clash. The following year Bow Creek (2016) took out the Peter Young Stakes off an unplaced CF Orr (13th) performance.

2023 Peter Young Stakes winning mare Steinem was good fresh in the Group 2 at Sandown. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Another good lead-up into the Peter Young Stakes field is the Group 3 T.S. Carlyon Cup (1600m) held at Caulfield a fortnight earlier on CF Orr Stakes Day. Miss Siska (2020) and Avilius (2019) both completed the Carlyon Cup – Peter Young Stakes double.

In 2022 Cascadian improved on a first-up third in the C.F. Orr Stakes to salute for the punters in the Peter Young Stakes.

Peter Young Stakes nominations close the Monday before the race with the final field of acceptances and barrier draw released on the Wednesday.

2024 Peter Young Stakes Field

The official Peter Young Stakes 2024 field and barriers will be announced below on Wednesday February 21, 2024 so bookmark this page to see the Australian Cup hopefuls lining-up in the Blue Diamond Stakes Day Group 2.

Mark Walker’s Group 1 winning Contributer mare from New Zealand, Campionessa, and the Ciaron Maher-trained Melbourne Cup champ from two years back, Gold Trip, headline the Peter Young Stakes 2024 final field at Caulfield this weekend.

2024 Peter Young Stakes Nominations

The official Peter Young Stakes 2024 nominations are open until the Monday of race week.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Peter Young Stakes Tips

The Peter Young Stakes is the first weight-for-age race of the autumn contested over further than 1400m so always attracts plenty of talent making tipping in the feature a tough task.

The CF Orr Stakes has been a good guide in recent years so looking for top runs in that from horses looking for extra metres can prove good Peter Young Stakes tips. The last galloper to complete the CF Orr Stakes – Peter Young Stakes double however was Elvstroem (2005).

2024 Peter Young Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Peter Young Stakes 2024 tips and betting selections will be available for punters below the week of the race sorting the best from the rest in the Australian Cup lead-up.

• To Win: #7 Campionessa ($2.90 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Value in the Peter Young has diminished with a couple of notable scratchings, so now leaning towards this impressive New Zealander. The six-year-old Mark Walker-trained daughter of Contributer won a host of good races back home across the Tasman in the summer including the Group 1 Zabeel Classic back on Boxing Day. She was beaten first-up by a big margin, but quickly atoned last time out with an improved second at elite level ahead of her trip down under. She’ll be better over further later in the prep, but the 1800m looks alright for her from the inside alley and she’s got class.

Peter Young Stakes Form Guide

The CF Orr Stakes has been a key indicator on the Peter Young Stakes form guide in recent years as has the Melbourne Spring features like the Cox Plate the previous year.

The Peter Young Stakes form guide lists barriers, jockeys, trainers and lead-up runs for all the hopefuls in the field. Older horses have a better record in the race so looking at the galloper’s age on the form as well as their record at the track and distance is important.

The Peter Young Stakes has provided a host of subsequent Australian Cup winners over the years, so taking the double is a popular betting option, with Homesman (3rd in 2021) the latest Australian Cup champion to come out of the event.

The 2022 Peter Young Stakes winner Cascadian franked the form winning that year’s All Aged Stakes in Sydney, while the third place-getter Emissary returned in the spring to finish runner-up in the Melbourne Cup results.

The Peter Young Stakes 2023 form was franked with Gold Trip, winner of the Melbourne Cup the year prior, improving on his second to win the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) that spring before a Caulfield Cup third.

2024 Peter Young Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Peter Young Stakes 2024 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Peter Young Stakes Results

The Peter Young Stakes race results are traditionally dominated by older gallopers with Group 1 and WFA form that are tracking towards the Australian Cup as well as Sydney autumn features like the Ranvet Stakes.

Notable recent Peter Young Stakes winners include Cascadian (2022) who won the last year’s Doncaster Mile in Sydney, the previous year’s Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente (2014), Theseo (2009), and Pompeii Ruler (2007).

Campionessa (2024) was the last Peter Young Stakes winning mare.

Recent Peter Young Stakes Winners

Past Peter Young Stakes winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.