Railway Stakes 2023

Ladbrokes Tip: The Lee Steere Stakes is the traditional Railway Stakes lead-up each season.

The Railway Stakes is one of the three Group 1 races run at Ascot Racecourse during the Perth Summer Racing Carnival each November in Western Australia.

Offering $1.5 million in prize money as of 2022, the Railway Stakes is a handicap race contested over 1600m and is the opening Group 1 Perth race of the season.

The weight-for-age Group 2 Lee Steere Stakes (1400m) held at Ascot a fortnight before is the key lead-up, but the double hasn’t been achieved since Belle Bizarre (2006).

The latest Railway Stakes winner to back-up off a Lee Steere Stakes run meanwhile are Great Shot (2nd in 2017) and Bustler (5th in 2023). 

Many graduates go on to run in the Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m) back at the track over 2000m further the next month, a race renamed the Northerly Stakes in 2022.

Sniper’s Bullet (2009) was the last horse to win both Perth Group 1s without another run in between completing the Railway Stakes – Kingston Town Stakes double.

In 2020 the Railway Stakes winner Inspirational Girl ran a next-up second in that summer’s Kingston Town Classic results, as did Western Empire in 2021.

The latest edition of the $1.5 million Railway Stakes ran at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday November 25, 2023 to kick off elite level racing in Perth for the summer season and was won in an impressive upset by the Neville Parnham-trained Bustler ($9).  

2023 Railway Stakes Results

The official Railway Stakes 2023 Results & Finishing Order will be published below once the $1.5 million dollar feature takes place on Saturday November 25, 2023.

• 1st: #8 Bustler
• 2nd: #7 Alsephina
• 3rd: #4 Dom To Shoot

Neville Parham’s progressive four-year-old son of Playing God, Bustler ($9), went to the outside at the top of the straight before racing clear over the final 100m to defeat the beaten favourite Alsephina by over a length in the 2023 Railway Stakes results in Perth.

2023 Railway Stakes Odds

The summer’s top Railway Stakes 2023 betting markets and links to the Railway Stakes odds will be provided below the week of the race so stay tuned for the best Perth racing markets on the hopeful milers.

Railway Stakes Race Facts

• Date: Saturday November 25, 2023
• Track: Ascot Racecourse
• Distance: 1600m
• Conditions: Quality Handicap
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $1.5 million
• First Run: 1887

Railway Stakes Betting

Futures betting on the Railway Stakes offers all-in prices on the probable runners a month before following the nominations, generous odds are on offer for punters at this stage. The markets firm once the Railway Stakes final field is released and offer more security for those placing a bet on the handicap classic.

RJ Peters Stakes and Lee Steere Stakes graduates from earlier during the Perth Festival of Racing traditionally dominate the Railway Stakes odds, and last start winners have a good strike rate in recent years.

Favourites have won six times between 2007 – 2023 most recently with Inspirational Girl ($2.60 in 2020), Western Empire ($1.60 in 2021), and Trix Of The Trade ($5 in 2022). Prior to that, Galaxy Star ($2.90 in 2018) was the first since Luckygray (2011) to salute for the punters.

Railway Stakes Tips

Railway Stakes tips favour locally-trained horses with previous winning form over a mile and at the firm Ascot track.

Runners coming off a top four finish in the Lee Steere Stakes usually make a good Railway Stakes bet, with lighter-weighted runners usually the way to go tipping-wise.

In 2022 Trix Of The Trade carried the 53kg light weight to victory as the favourite.

Bustler (2023) was the last Railway Stakes winner to carry 53kg to victory. 

Other Railway Stakes race tips include looking for the in-form four-year-olds in the race as they have the best strike-rate in recent years and for those at double-digits in betting with upsets not uncommon.

Regal Power ($10 in 2019), Western Empire ($1.60 in 2021), Trix Of The Trade ($5 in 2022), and Bustler ($9 in 2023) are the latest four-year-old Railway Stakes winners.

2023 Railway Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Railway Stakes 2023 betting tips and Perth Group 1 racing selections on the mile classic will be detailed below the week of the race so bookmark this page for the runners to back and sack this summer.

• To Win: #7 Alsephina ($4.80 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Open top-half of the markets but sticking with the local Grant & Alana Williams-trained Star Turn mare who was one of the winners in the barrier draw coming up trumps with gate seven for the ‘Wizard of the West’ Willie Pike. This classy chestnut has put together a lovely record to date (13-9:3:1) with the nine-time winner an absolute Ascot track specialist (8:6-2-0). She is unbeaten with a flawless three-from-three strike-rate over the mile but is up in grade here. Latest two runs saw her run second in both the Group 3 Asian Beau and RJ Peters Stakes here. Third-up she is fit and ready to fire getting back to her pet distance. Big chance to bag a Group 1 here.

Railway Stakes Field

The Railway Stakes race field attracts the season’s best milers and staying types, mainly from around Western Australia with the locals holding the advantage over the visitors. A number of interstate raiders have made the trip over to line-up in the Group 1 over the years including the Chris Waller-trained Good Project from Sydney who won the 2015 edition.

Good Project (pictured at Randwick) beat home the locals in the 2017 Railway Stakes for Sydney’s Chris Waller. Photo Credit: Steve Hart.

Most horses that contest the Railway Stakes come via an early Perth run in the Group 2 Lee Steere Stakes (1400m) that has produced more Railway winners than any other race in the past 20 years, most recently Bustler who improved on a lead-up fifth in 2023. 

Earlier the Group 3 Eurythmic Stakes (1400m) – formerly known as the Northerly Stakes – makes a good lead-up into the Railway Stakes field. In 2022 the Eurythmic Stakes winner Resortman went on to run fourth in that year’s Railway Stakes results.

Railway Stakes nominations close a month before the race before the final field is released the Monday before the event runs on the Saturday.

2023 Railway Stakes Field

The official Railway Stakes 2023 Field of Final Acceptors is set for release the Monday before the race followed by the Railway Stakes 2023 Barriers on the Tuesday, so stay tuned to see what gun gallopers make the line-up in the $1.5 million dollar feature.

The Railway Stakes 2023 barrier draw takes place on the Tuesday evening of race week, November 21st, 2023.

The 2023 Railway Stakes final field is now out with updated markets led by the likes of Chris Waller’s impressive Group 2 Hot Danish Stakes winning mare Roots, the Lindsey Smith-trained Tuvalu coming off a close third in the Group 2 Crystal Mile, and consistent local Star Turn mare Alsephina from the stables of Grant & Alana Williams who drew a treat in gate seven for William Pike. 

2023 Railway Stakes Nominations

The official Railway Stakes 2023 Nominations & Weights will be provided below once announced by Perth Racing a few weeks out from the season’s opening Group 1 Perth summer showdown.

The 2023 Railway Stakes nominations close on Monday the 16th of October, 2023. 

The Railway Stakes 2023 nominations attracted a bumper 94 summer milers led in all-in betting by the ultra-consistent Grant & Alana Williams-trained Group 3 winning Star Turn mare Alsephina and Lindsey Smith’s Group 1 champ Tuvalu who recently ran second to Alligator Blood in Melbourne’s Underwood Stakes.

Railway Stakes Form Guide

The Railway Stakes form guide shows punters all the must know info on the race pre-betting including the saddlecloth numbers, barriers, jockeys, trainers, weights and lead-up runs of the horses in the field.

Lee Steere Stakes graduates have an ace record so looking for this lead-up race on the form is important, as is checking the form on the horse drawn in barrier 12. Barrier 12 produced four of the Railway Stakes winners from 2009 – 2020 so is a coveted gate to draw.

The Railway Stakes 2021 form was franked with the winner Western Empire running second next-up in the Kingston Town, while the mare Kissonallforcheeks finished third in both Perth Group 1 summer events.

Railway Stakes Form Facts

• The Lee Steere Stakes is the key Railway Stakes form race to follow.
• Barrier 12 has produced the most Railway Stakes winners in the past decade.
• Favourites have a poor recent strike rate in the Railway Stakes results.
• Locally-trained horses have historically made the best Railway Stakes bet.

2023 Railway Stakes Form Guide

A link to the full Railway Stakes 2023 Form Guide will be provided below the week of the race.

Railway Stakes Results

Double-figure runners have dominated the Railway Stakes race results in the past decade with the most notable upsets achieved by $21 chances Mr Moet (2012) and Luckygray (2013), who also won the 2011 edition as the $3 favourite, while Great Shot ($31 in 2017) became the longest-priced Railway Stakes winner since Sanatate ($34 in 1983).

Other noteworthy Railway Stakes winners in recent years include Western Empire (2021), Elite Belle (2014), Sniper’s Bullet (2009), El Presidente (2007), and Northerly (2000).

Inspirational Girl (2020) was the last Railway Stakes winning mare.

The filly Jungle Dawn (1987) was the last Railway Stakes winning three-year-old.

Marwong holds the current Railway Stakes race record winning over 1600m in 1988 in a time of 1:33:7 seconds.

Past Railway Stakes Winners

Recent Railway Stakes winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.