Turnbull Stakes 2023

Ladbrokes Tip: The Underwood Stakes – Turnbull Stakes is a popular spring betting double

The Turnbull Stakes is a 2000m Group 1 classic held at Flemington Racecourse at the start of October during the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival each year.

2022 Turnbull Stakes winner Smokin’ Romans. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The headline race on the card and only event holding elite level status, the set weights plus penalties clash is open to horses aged four and above and is worth $750,000 in prize money after being reduced in stakes from $1 million ahead of the 2023 edition.

On the same day as the Turnbull Stakes, Western Australia hosts the Listed Kalgoorlie Cup (2300m).

Many Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup bound horses go into those majors via the Turnbull Stakes, which has been a Group 1 race since 2010.

Named in honour of Richard Turnbull in 1948 who was the current Victoria Racing Club chairman, the event first ran in 1865 and has been won by many turf greats.

Notable Turnbull Stakes winners over the years include Wakeful (1903), dual champ Ajax (1938 & 1940) who won on non-consecutive years, Bernborough (1946), Rising Fast (1954), Dulcify (1979), Vo Rogue (1987 & 1988), Let’s Elope (1991), Sunline (2001), Makybe Diva (2005), Zipping (2010), Green Moon (2012), and Winx (2017) who saluted by six and a half lengths in her Flemington debut. Winx also returned enjoying back-to-back Turnbull Stakes wins in 2018.

Trainer Chris Waller enjoyed his fourth consecutive Turnbull Stakes victory in 2020 with Verry Elleegant saluting ahead of her next-up victory in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m). Verry Elleegant would also go on to make history winning the 2022 Melbourne Cup.

In 2021 Incentivise became the latest galloper to complete the Turnbull Stakes – Caulfield Cup double before his second to Verry Elleegant in that year’s Melbourne Cup results.

The 2023 Turnbull Stakes results saw the previous year’s Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip return to winning form with a dominant upset.

This season the Turnbull Stakes ran on Saturday October 7, 2023 and was won in dominant fashion by the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip ($19). 

2023 Turnbull Stakes Results

The official Turnbull Stakes 2023 results and Flemington finishing order will be available below once the race is run and won on Saturday October 7, 2023.

2023 Turnbull Stakes winner Gold Trip was huge in a big return to winning form. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

• 1st: #2 Gold Trip
• 2nd: #5 West Wind Blows
• 3rd: #11 Soulcombe

Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip ($19) demolished his rivals with a powerhouse performance in the 2023 Turnbull Stakes results after storming down the outside to return to winning form in an impressive bolt home at big odds on way to a title defence in the world’s richest handicap on the first Tuesday of November.

2023 Turnbull Stakes Odds

The season’s top Turnbull Stakes 2023 betting odds and links to our markets on the Group 1 spring feature at Flemington will be available below once open so stay tuned to back your early Turnbull Stakes tips at the right price.

Turnbull Stakes Race Facts

• Date: Saturday October 7, 2023
• Track: Flemington Racecourse
• Distance: 2000m
• Conditions: Set Weights + Penalties
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $750,000
• First Run: 1865

Turnbull Stakes Betting

Turnbull Stakes betting odds traditionally favour horses with previous Group 1 form and six-year-olds as this older age group has dominated the recent results with seven winners from 2011 – 2023 including most famously Winx (2017) and two years later the fellow Chris Waller-trained Kings Will Dream (2019). Winx also won again the following year (2018) as a seven-year-old. Smokin’ Romans (2022) was the last six-year-old Turnbull Stakes winner, before Gold Trip won as a seven-year-old in 2023.

Horses drawn in double digit barriers are found further down the Turnbull Stakes markets with the only horses to jump from wider than gate eight since Makybe Diva (16 of 16 in 2005) being Preferment (9 of 15 in 2015), Verry Elleegant (9 of 15 in 2020) and Gold Trip (16 of 16 in 2023).

Favourites in the Turnbull Stakes odds only have a mediocre recent record in the race in the past decade with six winning from 2006 – 2023 including Hartnell (2016), super star mare Winx (2017-18) back-to-back and most recently Verry Elleegant ($5 in 2020).

Verry Elleegant returned as the the $2.10 favourite in the 2021 Turnbull Stakes but ran fourth to Incentivise ($2.70).

There was a notable upset in Turnbull Stakes betting in 2022 with Smokin’ Romans saluting at $21 and again in 2023 with Gold Trip winning at Turnbull Stakes odds of $19.

Turnbull Stakes Field

The Turnbull Stakes race field has a capacity of 16 starters and most recently ran at its capacity in 2023 when the previous year’s Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip won from the outside barrier.

The race had not featured under 12 starters since 1999 when Sky Heights beat home just five rivals in a diminutive six starter field until 2017 when Winx scared off her rivals. The super mare beat home only six other runners in 2017 and then in 2018 Winx defeated nine others in a slightly larger Turnbull Stakes field. The 2021 Turnbull Stakes field ran with just nine starters.

The Turnbull Stakes final acceptances close the week of the race and usually feature a host of previous Group 1 winners looking for more elite level glory with proven performers dominating the markets.

Hartnell (2016) saluted for the Flemington punters as the favourite in Turnbull Stakes betting. Photo Credit: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Good lead-up races for horses heading into the Turnbull Stakes field including the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield – a double last completed by Elvstroem (2004) – and Sydney’s Group 2 Hill Stakes (1800m) held at Randwick.

The Hill Stakes – Turnbull Stakes double was completed on back-to-back years by Preferment (2015) and Hartnell (2016) in recent years.

From 2020 the Hill Stakes has run on the same day in Sydney as the Turnbull Stakes after a change to the spring line-up.

2023 Turnbull Stakes Field

The official Turnbull Stakes 2023 Final Field & Barriers are announced by Racing Victoria on the Wednesday of race week and will be listed below as soon as announced.

The 2023 Turnbull Stakes field features a star-studded line-up of potential Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup hopefuls led in betting by the Danny Shum-trained Hong Kong raider Romantic Warrior racing down under for the first time from gate 11 with James McDonald booked for the prized ride.

2023 Turnbull Stakes Nominations

The early Turnbull Stakes 2023 Nominations on the Spring Cups’ lead-up are taken the Monday ahead of race day and will be published below once confirmed.

The Turnbull Stakes 2023 nominations attracted 29 spring hopefuls including all-in Cox Plate favourite Romantic Warrior from Hong Kong in his Australian race debut.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Turnbull Stakes Tips

Turnbull Stakes tips favour horses coming out of a race like the Group 1 Underwood Stakes, which has produced three winners since 2008 including Happy Trails (4th in 2013).

The last horse to complete the Underwood Stakes – Turnbull Stakes double meanwhile was Elvstoem (2004).

Betting tips also rate six-year-olds highly because of their good record in the race and those drawn an inside alley, while mares aren’t shied away from with five winning female gallopers since 2007 including Lucia Valentina (2014), the brilliant Winx (2017, 2018) and the fellow Chris Waller-trained Verry Elleegant (2020).

2023 Turnbull Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Turnbull Stakes 2023 betting tips and exotic Flemington racing selections will be detailed for punters below so bookmark this page for the hopeful spring horses to back for the win this season.

• To Win: #11 Soulcombe ($6.50 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Taking on the Hong Kong galloper at the short odds preferring to see them down under first and have the Chris Waller-trained Melbourne Cup-bound import Soulcombe on top third-up and fit. This progressive five-year-old won the Listed Heatherlie fresh with a big weight. Franked that form with an eye-catching fourth last time out up in grade when only 1.4 lengths off Alligator Blood at WFA in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m). Will appreciate the drop back to 56kg here, the extra furlong and a gun barrier two draw with Craig Williams coming aboard. Good horse at a good price going the right way.

Turnbull Stakes Form Guide

The Turnbull Stakes form guide shows punters the saddlecloth number, jockey, trainer, weight and barrier for each horse in the field along with other important information like the galloper’s record at the track and distance and their lead-up form. All of this is crucial when placing bets, including looking for graduates out of the Underwood Stakes.

Turnbull Stakes Form Facts

• The only horses to win the Turnbull Stakes from a double-digit barrier draw since Makybe Diva (16 of 16 in 2005) are Preferment (9 of 15 in 2015), Verry Elleegant (9 of 15 in 2020) and Gold Trip (16 of 16 in 2023).
• Since the Turnbull Stakes win by Makybe Diva five other Turnbull Stakes winners have been mares with Devil Moon (2007), Lucia Valentina (2014), dual champion Winx (2017, 2018) and Verry Elleegant (2020).
• From 2011 – 2023 six favourites in Turnbull Stakes betting saluted for the punters including Winx (2017, 2018) who was the odds-on favourite for both of her wins at Flemington and the also Waller-trained Verry Elleegant ($5 in 2020).

2023 Turnbull Stakes Form

A link to our comprehensive Turnbull Stakes 2023 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Turnbull Stakes Results

The Turnbull Stakes results and finishing order are known when the event jumps at Caulfield at the early October meeting and shows the winner, the margin by which they won by and the time they did it in as well as any horses scratched from the original field.

In recent years Turnbull Stakes results have been dominated by six-year-olds and those coming off a Sydney lead-up run.

All the Turnbull Stakes winners from 2014-18 had their final run in Sydney including Preferment (2015) and Hartnell (2016) who won the Hill Stakes at Randwick before success in the Flemington Group 1.

Winx (2017) meanwhile came off a George Main Stakes win before her runaway effort for her 21st straight victory in the Turnbull Stakes. Winx also took out the Turnbull Stakes results in 2018 to complete the George Main – Turnbull interstate double for the second straight year.

In 2019 Kings Will Dream changed that proven lead-up form into the Turnbull Stakes winning the race on the back of an unplaced run in Flemington’s Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m). In 2021 Incentivise became the latest horse to complete the Makybe Diva Stakes – Turnbull Stakes double.

Notable Turnbull Stakes winners include Vo Rouge (1987-88), Super Impose (1989), Let’s Elope (1991), Northerly (2002), Makybe Diva (2005), Zipping (2010), Green Moon (2012), Hartnell (2016), the world’s best mare Winx (2017, 2018), next-up Caulfield Cup winner Verry Elleegant (2020), the Peter Moody-trained Incentivise (2021), and the reigning Melbourne Cup champion from the previous spring Gold Trip (2023).

Verry Elleegant (2020) was the last Turnbull Stakes winning mare.

Elvstroem holds the current Turnbull Stakes race record winning in 2004 in a time of 2 minutes 00:40 seconds.

Past Turnbull Stakes Winners

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