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The William Reid Stakes
Moonee Valley Racecourse
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The 1200-metre, Group 1 William Reid Stakes is an Australian horse race that is annually held every February at the Mooney Valley races in Melbourne. This sprint race is set under weight-for-age rules and has prize money of $500,000.
This race was first held in 1925. Since 1996, it was known as the Australia Stakes but it reverted to its original name in 2010. The Group 2 Carlyon Stakes which is held every January at Mooney Valley will carry the name Australia Stakes from then on. In 1994 and 1995, the race was known as the Australia Made Stakes.
This race is named after Victorian banker and race horse owner William Reid. Reid is the owner of some of the best race horses during the early 1900s which includes Uncle Sam that won the Caulfield Cup in 1912 and 1914 and finished third in the 1912 Melbourne Cup.
This distance of the race has gone through changes as well. From 1925 to 1972, it had a distance of six furlongs or 1207 metres. In 1973, the race distance was fixed at 1200 metres. From 1925-1979, it was tagged as a principal race. From 1980-1986, it was classified as a Group 2 race and in 1987, it was given Group 1 status.
From 2005 to 2007, the William Reid Stakes is also the second leg of the Global Sprint Challenge and it follows the Lightning Stakes and precedes the King’s Stand Stakes. Since 2007, The Age Classic replaced this race as one of the Australian legs of the Global Sprint Challenge, the other being the Lightning Stakes. In 2005, British race horse Cape of Good Hope became the first overseas winner of the race.
Some of the ideal prelude races for the William Reid Stakes are the 1000-metre, Group 1 Lightning Stakes. Some of the top sprinters have won the Lightning Stakes-William Reid Stakes double including Miss Andretti in 2007 and Apache Cat in 2008.
Competitors can also compete at the 1400-metre, Group 1 CF Orr Stakes which happens the previous week at the Caulfield races. Â Also, the quality sprinters who ran at the William Reid Stakes often go on to compete at the 1100-metre, Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at the Caulfield racecourse in a week or the 1200-metre, Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at the Flemington racecourse three weeks after.
Some of the top sprinters that have won the William Reid Stakes are Zeditave in 1989, Redelva in 1991 and Hareeba in 1995. In 2010, Turffontein was originally at the third spot and close to the fence but he surged coming into the straight to run side-by-side with Wanted before eventually taking the race. Wanted ran out of steam to finish second while Sniper’s Bullet finished third.
William Reid Stakes Recent History:
| Year | Winner | 2nd | 3rd | Time |
| 2010 | Turffontein | Wanted | Sniper’s Bullet | 1:11.6 |
| 2009 | Apache Cat | Vormista | Time Thief | 1:09.6 |
| 2008 | Apache Cat | Stanzout | Monet Rules | 1:09.6 |
| 2007 | Miss Andretti | Any Suggestion | Rewaaya | 1:10.2 |
| 2006 | Virage De Fortune | Rewaaya | Undue | 1:10.0 |
| 2005 | Cape Of Good Hope | Super Elegant | Spark Of Life | 1:10.3 |
| 2004 | Regimental Gal | Our Egyptian Raine | Legally Bay | 1:10.3 |
| 2003 | Yell | Dash For Cash | Spinning Hill | 1:10.5 |
| 2002 | Toledo | Show A Heart | North Boy | 1:11.8 |
| 2001 | Bomber Bill | Scenic Warrior | Nina Haraka | 1:11.4 |
| 2000 | Miss Pennymoney | Redoutes Choice | St Chrisoph | 1:10.7 |
| 1999 | Grand Archway | Theatre | Flavour | 1:10.9 |
| 1998 | Stella Cadente | Al Mansour | Spartacus | 1:11.7 |
| 1997 | Spartacus | Mahogany | Khaptingly | 1:10.3 |
| 1996 | Strategic | Ranchos Coup | Brawny Spirit | 1:11.0 |
| 1995 | Hareeba | Spanish Mix | Schillaci | 1:07.9 |
| 1994 | Lady Jakeo | Hareeba | Primacy | 1:09.1 |
| 1993 | Spanish Mix | Schillaci | Tanjian Prince | 1:08.8 |
| 1992 | Wrap Around | Storaia | Jakpil | 1:09.2 |
| 1991 | Redelva | Mister Till | With Me | 1:09.6 |
| 1990 | Lightning Bend | Strawberry Ranch | Stylish Century | 1:09.0 |
| 1989 | Zeditave | Vo Rogue | Special | 1:09.5 |
| 1988 | Vo Rogue | Military Plume | Groucho | 1:09.9 |
