The Q22 2024

The Q22 race has replaced the now defunct PJ O’Shea Stakes

The Q22 race is a new-look feature event contested at Eagle Farm Racecourse on Stradbroke Handicap Day during the annual Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.

2022 The Q22 winner Numerian
2022 The Q22 winner Numerian (pictured in Sydney). Photo: Steve Hart.

Conducted on a Saturday in early – mid June, the weight-for-age showdown has replaced the race previously known as the PJ O’Shea Stakes. For the history of that race please click here.

The Q22 is one of the key features at the Stradbroke Handicap Day meeting along with the lucrative $3 million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) and the $1 million Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) for two-year-olds.

A key end of carnival target for stayers out of lead-up events including the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) and the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) – the latter previously held on Stradbroke Day.

The Q22 offers a generous $1.2 million in prize money and was first won in 2021 by that year’s Doomben Cup champion Zaaki. In 2022 Zaaki’s trainer, Annabel Neasham, returned for back-to-back wins enjoying an upset with stablemate Numerian ($21).

Neasham made it three wins in four years in 2024 with Fawkner Park saluting for the punters.

There are a number of lead-up races that also offer a ballot exemption into The Q22 field including the Group 3 Lord Mayor’s Cup at Eagle Farm on Kingsford Smith Cup Day and the Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) run earlier during the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.

Most famously, Without A Fight won the 2023 The Q22 in the winter before claiming the spring’s Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup double.

The latest edition of the weight-for-age The Q22 ran on Saturday June 15th, 2024 at Eagle Farm Racecourse and saw the punters’ favourite, Fawkner Park ($4.20F), atone for his lead-up Doomben Cup third with a big win ahead of the spring cup races.

2024 The Q22 Results

  • 1st: #15 Fawkner Park
  • 2nd: #17 Knight’s Choice
  • 3rd: #4 Bois D’Argent

The official The Q22 2024 results & finishing order will be available below once the race is run and won on Saturday June 15th, 2024.

Trainer Annabel Neasham continued her great association with The Q22 race saluting for the third time in four years with the favourite, Fawkner Park ($4.20F), making a mess of his rivals with a nearly four length victory ahead of 90/1 outsider Knight’s Choice and his Doomben Cup winning stablemate Bois D’Argent.

2024 The Q22 Odds

The season’s best The Q22 2024 betting odds and Group 2 Brisbane racing markets will be available below so make sure you bookmark this page for access to the top prices on your The Q22 betting selections.

Early market betting odds on the 2024 The Q22 will be displayed below once available. Odds are subject to fluctuation. For current odds on all of our live markets, please visit ladbrokes.com.au.

The Q22 Race Info

  • Date: Saturday June 15th, 2024
  • Replaces: The now defunct PJ O’Shea Stakes
  • Track: Eagle Farm Racecourse
  • Distance: 2200m 
  • Conditions: 3YOs and above – Weight-For-Age
  • Status: Group 2
  • Prize Money: $1,200,000 
  • First Run: 2021 (as The Q22); 1947 (as the PJ O’Shea Stakes)
 

The Q22 Betting

Futures The Q22 betting odds on the likely runners open weeks in advance of the race offering generous ante-post or pre-field prices for the punters.

The markets firm once The Q22 final field is released and provides more security and betting options for the Stradbroke Handicap Day feature.

Horses coming off good lead-up runs in events like the Doomben Cup, Queensland Derby and Lord Mayor’s Cup lead The Q22 odds.

Without A Fight (2023) is the last horse to complete the Lord Mayor’s Cup – The Q22 double winning both events impressively to take his Australian race record up to two wins from three starts down under.

Kenedna (2019) was the last runner to complete the Doomben Cup – PJ O’Shea Stakes double before the latter was revamped. Zaaki (2021) then won the Doomben Cup – The Q22 double when the latter ran for the first time as The Q22.

In 2024 Annabel Neasham’s Doomben Cup winner Bois D’argent ran third in The Q22 results with his stablemate Fawkner Park winning the $1.2 million event after his lead-up Doomben Cup third.

Proven staying types, class horses suited to the WFA conditions and past Group 1 performers down in grade dominate The Q22 betting markets.

Zaaki ($1.26 in 2021), Without A Fight ($2.80 in 2023) and Fawkner Park ($4.20 in 2024) are the last The Q22 betting favourites to salute for the punters.

There was a notable upset the following year with Zaaki’s stablemate Numerian winning at $21 in The Q22 betting.

The Q22 Field

The Q22 race field attracts a line-up of the winter’s best stayers and middle-distance weight-for-age horses. The runners may come off a number of different runs including the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m), while three-year-olds that contested either the Queensland Derby or Queensland Oaks could take on the older horses in the end-of-carnival feature.

The final acceptances are set to feature a host of interstate-trained visitors chasing the spoils of the $1.2 million showdown.

The Q22 nominations are taken the Monday of race week before the final acceptances are released along with the barrier draw on the Wednesday before the race runs on the Saturday.

2024 The Q22 Field

The official The Q22 2024 Final Field & Barriers will be posted here once released on the Wednesday of Stradbroke Handicap Day week.

Annabel Neasham’s Doomben Cup winner Bois D’argent and third place-getter Fawkner Park head Saturday’s 2024 The Q22 field on Stradbroke Day over further.

2024 The Q22 Nominations

The early The Q22 2024 nominations close the Monday of race week with the full entries to be announced below once released by Racing Queensland.

The 2024 The Q22 nominations close on Monday the 10th of June, 2024.

  Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Hcp Rating
1 23x28221x9 ADELAIDE RIVER (IRE) H 4 Kris Lees 108
2 7111x03x09 AMOKURA M 4 Kris Lees 102
3 2674×27431 BOIS D’ARGENT (GB) G 7 Annabel Neasham 109
4 131728×766 BRAYDEN STAR (GB) G 5 Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young 93
5 50x49621x0 CLEVELAND (IRE) H 6 Kris Lees 104
6 27x4006x02 CONVERGE G 5 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 104
7 07x0090x00 EL BODEGON (IRE) G 5 Chris Waller 105
8 0x50x44113 FAWKNER PARK (IRE) G 5 Annabel Neasham 104
9 700×953171 HEZASHOCKA (NZ) G 6 Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) 104
10 x0666x0154 HUETOR (FR) G 7 Peter & Paul Snowden 111
11 x050413x24 KNIGHT’S CHOICE G 4 John Symons & Sheila Laxon 95
12 250×409536 KOVALICA (NZ) G 4 Chris Waller 108
13 54x10172x0 LE DON DE VIE (GB) G 8 Ciaron Maher 108
14 x3723320x7 LIGHT INFANTRY MAN (FR) H 5 Ciaron Maher 109
15 x984024x55 LUNCIES (GB) G 7 Kris Lees 104
16 7×16271616 MAGNASPIN G 4 Leon & Troy Corstens 91
17 32x8111x95 NAVAL COLLEGE (GB) G 5 Annabel Neasham 104
18 6x94714x10 NUMERIAN (IRE) G 8 Annabel Neasham 112
19 24305×1140 SERPENTINE (IRE) G 7 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 106
20 161605×483 SHAIYHAR (IRE) G 5 Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young 87
21 5233220×41 SPIRIT RIDGE (GB) G 9 Annabel Neasham 106
22 x02295x240 VOW AND DECLARE G 8 Danny O’Brien 107
23 11632×3170 YOUNG WERTHER (NZ) G 6 Danny O’Brien 106

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

The Q22 Form Guide

The Q22 form guide provides all the key information such as jockeys, trainers, barriers and the lead-up runs of the runners in the field.

Looking at the form on the old PJ O’Shea Stakes race that The Q22 now replaces, the form shows a good recent record by the mares with three saluting on the trot with Single Gaze (2017), Egg Tart (2018) and Kenedna (2019).

Interstate raiders dominate The Q22 form and results without a locally-trained winner in over 20 years.

The Q22 form from 2021 was franked with the winner Zaaki going on to take out Melbourne’s Group 1 Underwood Stakes – Mackinnon Stakes double in the spring. He also returned in 2022 and won the $5 million The All-Star Mile (1600m) at Flemington that autumn.

Without A Fight firmly franked the 2023 The Q22 form that spring making history as the latest stayer to complete the Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup racing double.

The Q22 Form Facts

  • The Doomben Cup is the key lead-up into the race with Kenedna (2019) the last to do the double. (when The Q22 ran as the PJ O’Shea Stakes) before Zaaki (2021).
  • Mares have a dominant recent record in the race.
  • There’s not been a locally-trained winner of the event in over 20 years.
  • Sydney-trained raiders have an outstanding record in the race in recent years.

2024 The Q22 Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive The Q22 2024 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

The Q22 Tips

The Q22 race tips include looking for the season’s best weight-for-age performers, in-form fillies / mares coming off lead-up races like the Queensland Oaks or Doomben Cup and backing the interstate visitors.

2024 The Q22 Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive The Q22 2024 betting tips and exotic Group 2 winter racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for the runners to back and sack.

  • To Win: #15 Fawkner Park ($4.20 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Another solid edition of The Q22 and happy to stick with the deserving Annabel Neasham-trained favourite Fawkner Park for the win. The talented Zoffany five-year-old is in terrific form having won the Wagga Cup two back before an eye-catching third only a quarter length off his stablemate and surprise champ Bois D’argent in the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) last time out. Extra distance suits this proven stayer now and good gate three draw. Can turn the tables. 

The Q22 Results

The Q22 race results for the weight-for-age feature now run in place of the PJ O’Shea Stakes are detailed below from the first running in 2021 won by star import Zaaki followed in 2022 by his stablemate Numerian (2022).

For past PJ O’Shea Stakes winners prior to 2020 see the table further down.

Past The Q22 Winners

Recent The Q22 winners and place-getters are detailed in the below table.

Year Winner 2nd 3rd Time
2024 Fawkner Park Knight’s Choice Bois D’Argent 2:14.41
2023 Without A Fight Nonconformist Duais 2:16.84
2022 Numerian Kolding Yonkers 2:16.98
2021 Zaaki Homesman Paths Of Glory 2:15.39

PJ O’Shea Stakes Winners

YearWinner2nd3rdTime
2019KenednaSixties GrooveRe Edit2:14.4
2018Egg TartTradesmanMegablast2:20.7
2017Single GazeRudyHigh Church2:19.2
2015WertherMoriartyEpingle2:17.2
2014MoriartyMr O’CeirinFloria2:16.3
2013QuintessentialManigharVoila Ici2:19.5
2012Lights Of HeavenScenic ShotGinga Dude2:19.0
2011Glass HarmoniumShoot OutScenic Shot2:15.1
2010Triple HonourRaffaelloNewport2:14.3
2009Scenic ShotMirkola LassFulmonti2:20.9
2008Scenic ShotRampant LionDougs Mate2:19.2
2007PentathonGazeGrand Zulu2:17.9
2006MahtoumArt SuccessGorgeous George2:30.7
2005Natural BlitzZumanityRegal Punch2:30.0
2004PentasticMazeAnother Warrior2:28.7
2003MaguireCounty TyroneGrey Song2:30.5
2002Hey ProntoFreemasonPrized Gem2:28.1
2001YippyioCiti HabitKing Keitel2:25.6
2000Kens JoyMake Mine MagicYippyio2:28.7