The George Main Stakes, is an

Australian Turf Club Australian Turf Club (ATC) owns and operates thoroughbred racing, events and hospitality venues across Sydney, Australia. The ATC came into being on 7 February 2011 when the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and the Sydney Turf Club (STC) merged. The ...

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse race run under

Weight for Age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English Jockey Club. Rous ...

conditions, over a distance of 1600 metres at

Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing located in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse is Crown Land leased to the Australian Turf Club and known to many Sydney ra ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in September. Total prize money for the race is A$1,000,000.

History

The race is named after

George Main George Main may refer to: * George Washington Main (1807–1836), Alamo defender * George Main (horse racing) George Main (9 July 1879 – 31 August 1948) was an Australian pastoralist and horse breeder, chairman of the Australian Jockey Club ( ...

, a former chairman of the

Australian Jockey Club Australian Turf Club (ATC) owns and operates thoroughbred racing, events and hospitality venues across Sydney, Australia. The ATC came into being on 7 February 2011 when the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and the Sydney Turf Club (STC) merged. The ...

. Main lived with his wife Mary on ''Retreat'', a grazing property at

Illabo Illabo (pron. ILL a boh) is a locality in the South West Slopes part of the Riverina in New South Wales, Australia. It is situated about southwest of Bethungra and northeast of Junee. At the 2016 census, Illabo had a population of 144. Hi ...

, west of

Cootamundra Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. ...

on the southwest slopes of New South Wales. He bred racehorses and ran sheep.
The winner of the George Main is exempt from a ballot on the

Epsom Handicap The Epsom Handicap is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older, under handicap conditions over a distance of 1,600 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in early October. Prize money i ...

, and horses who run well often head for the Epsom.

Name

* 2015–2019 Colgate Optic White Stakes

Grade

* 1945–1978 - Principal Race * 1979 onwards - Group 1

Distance

* 1945–1971 – 1 mile * 1972 onwards - 1600 metres

Records

* Winx (2017) – 1:33.65 * Legendary trainer T.J. Smith won this event eleven times.

Winners

* 2022 -

Anamoe Anamoe (foaled 16 November 2018) is a nine-time Group 1 winning Australian thoroughbred racehorse. Background A homebred for Godolphin, Anamoe is a half-brother to Irish stakes-winner Anamba and is out of the 2007 Australasian Oaks winner An ...

* 2021 -

Verry Elleegant Verry Elleegant (foaled 12 October 2015) is a New Zealand-bred Australian-trained Thoroughbred racehorse that has won 11 Group One races. She was crowned the 2020/2021 Australian Racehorse of the Year, and was the winner of the 2021 Melbourne ...

* 2020 -

Kolding Kolding () is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companies, ...

*2019 - Avilius * 2018 - Winx * 2017 - Winx * 2016 - Winx * 2015 - Kermadec * 2014 - Sacred Falls * 2013 - Streama * 2012 - Shoot Out * 2011 - Sincero * 2010 -

More Joyous More Joyous (foaled 20 August 2006) is an Australian trained and New Zealand bred Thoroughbred racemare, trained by Gai Waterhouse, who has won eight Group 1 races. Pedigree More Joyous is by the leading Southern Halo sire More Than Ready, an ...

* 2009 - Road To Rock * 2008 - Mentality * 2007 - †''race not held'' * 2006 - Racing to Win * 2005 - Mr Celebrity * 2004 -

Grand Armee Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...

* 2003 -

Lonhro Lonhro (foaled 10 December 1998) was a champion Australian racehorse who is now standing at stud. Nicknamed "The Black Flash", he was from the first crop of the champion Octagonal out of the Group One-placed Shadea (by Straight Strike), who a ...

* 2002 - Defier * 2001 - Viscount * 2000 - Adam * 1999 -

Shogun Lodge Shogun Lodge (25 September 1996 – 8 November 2003) was an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse by American sire Grand Lodge. Shogun Lodge won three Group One races, and remarkably ran 2nd in a further 12 Group 1 races. On 8 November 2003, Shogu ...

* 1998 - Dracula * 1997 - Encounter * 1996 - Juggler * 1995 - Turridu * 1994 - Durbridge * 1993 - March Hare * 1992 - Coronation Day * 1991 - Planet Ruler * 1990 -

Shaftesbury Avenue Shaftesbury Avenue is a major road in the West End of London, named after The 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. It runs north-easterly from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus. From Piccadilly Cir ...

* 1989 -

Vo Rogue Vo Rogue (12 Nov 1983 - 7 May 2012) was an Australian Racing Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by American-bred Ivor Prince whose racing career ended from injury after just two starts. Ivor Prince was a son of the British champi ...

* 1988 - Gennaker * 1987 - Campaign King * 1986 - Ma Chiquita * 1985 - Roman Artist * 1984 - Inspired * 1983 -

Emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfranchis ...

* 1982 - Kingston Town * 1981 - Kingston Town * 1980 - Tullmax * 1979 -

Imposing Imposing was a notable Australian thoroughbred racehorse. He was a chestnut son of Todman from the Arctic Explorer mare Hialeah. Some of his major race victories included the 1979 AJC Epsom Handicap, AJC George Main Stakes and the STC Hill S ...

* 1978 - Party's Pride * 1977 - Blockbuster * 1976 - Purple Patch * 1975 - Hartshill * 1974 - Itchy Feet * 1973 - All Shot * 1972 - Nippon * 1971 -

Baguette A baguette (; ) is a long, thin type of bread of French origin that is commonly made from basic lean dough (the dough, though not the shape, is defined by French law). It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust. A baguette has a di ...

* 1970 - Ricochet * 1969 - Zephyrus * 1968 - Regal Rhythm * 1967 - Regal Rhythm * 1966 - Chantal * 1965 - Count Radiant * 1964 - Count Radiant * 1963 -

Wenona Girl Wenona Girl (foaled 1957) was a leading Australian Thoroughbred horse racemare that had 27 wins over distances ranging from 4½ furlongs to 1½ miles. She won 22 principal races, 15 of which were later designated group one (G1) races. Wenona Girl ...

* 1962 - New Statesman * 1961 - Martello Towers * 1960 - Second Earl * 1959 - Amanullah * 1958 - Lindbergh * 1957 - Landy * 1956 - Kingster * 1955 - Prince Morvi * 1954 - Gendarme * 1953 - Tarien * 1952 - Montana * 1951 - Oversight * 1950 - San Domenico * 1949 - The Groom * 1948 - De La Salle * 1947 - Shannon * 1946 - Shannon * 1945 - Modulation † Not held because of outbreak of

equine influenza Equine influenza (horse flu) is the disease caused by strains of influenza A that are enzootic in horse species. Equine influenza occurs globally, previously caused by two main strains of virus: equine-1 (H7N7) and equine-2 (H3N8). The OIE now cons ...

References

{{Reflist, 2 Open mile category horse races Group 1 stakes races in Australia Randwick Racecourse