The Champions Sprint, registered as the Victoria Racing Club Stakes, is a

Victoria Racing Club The Victoria Racing Club was founded in 1864. It was formed following the disbanding of the Victoria Turf Club and the Victoria Jockey Club. A legacy passed from the Victoria Turf Club was the annual "race that stops a nation", the Melbourne Cup, ...

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

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 Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

for horses aged three years old and over, 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. Rou ...

conditions, over a distance of 1200 metres held at

Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The racecou ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

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 ...

on the last day of the VRC Spring Carnival. Total prize money for the race is A$3,000,000.

History

The race is considered one of the major sprints of the spring racing calendar. Prior to 2006 the race was held on the first day of the VRC Spring Carnival,

Victoria Derby The Victoria Derby, also known as the Penfolds Victoria Derby, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held under Set Weights conditions over a distance of 2,500 metres at Flemington Racecourse, in Melbour ...

day, but was moved the following year to the last day of the carnival. In 2007 the sprint was also changed to weight-for-age conditions.

Name

*1960–1979 - Craven 'A' Stakes *1980–1984 - Pure-Pak Stakes *1985–1993 - Gadsden Stakes *1994–1995 - Southcorp Packaging Stakes *1996–2006 - Salinger Stakes *2007 - The Age Classic *2008–2012 - Patinack Farm Classic *2013 - VRC Sprint Classic *2014–2017 - Darley Classic *2018 - VRC Sprint Classic *2019–2021 - Darley Sprint Classic *2022– Darley Champions Sprint

Distance

*1960–1971 - 6

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s (~1200 metres) *1972 onwards - 1200 metres

Grade

*1960–1978 - Principal Race *1979 onwards - Group 1

Winners

*2022 - Roch 'n' Horse *2021 - Nature Strip *2020 - Bivouac *2019 - Nature Strip *2018 - Santa Ana Lane *2017 -

Redzel Redzel (foaled 19 September 2012) is an Australian thoroughbred racehorse. He races in the Triple Crown Syndicate silks for a group of owners who bought into the gelding as a yearling. Redzel is known around the stables as Richie after the New Ze ...

*2016 - Malaguerra *2015 - Delectation *2014 - Terravista *2013 - Buffering *2012 - Mental *2011 -

Black Caviar Black Caviar (foaled 18 August 2006) is a champion Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who was undefeated in 25 races, including 15 Group Ones, an Australian record. She was the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 WTRR World Champion Sprinter. Black C ...

*2010 -

*2009 - All Silent *2008 - Swick *2007 -

Miss Andretti Miss Andretti was the 2007 Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year and is the only Thoroughbred in racing history to simultaneously hold a total of five track records in Australia and England. Breeding She is a bay or brown mare that was foal ...

*2006 - Dance Hero *2005 -

Glamour Puss Glamour Puss (foaled 5 October 2000 – 2016) was a New Zealand thoroughbred racemare who also raced in Australia. She was trained by Paul O'Sullivan in New Zealand and Danny O'Brien in Australia. Sired by Tale of the Cat to dam Centaine, she ...

*2004 -

Takeover Target Takeover Target (27 September 1999 – 20 June 2015) was a much-travelled Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who won top sprinting races in each of the five major cities in Australia as well as in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Singapore. ...

*2003 - Ancient Song *2002 - Rubitano *2001 - Sudurka *2000 - Easy Rocking *1999 - Pharein *1998 - Flavour *1997 - Notoire *1996 - Gold Ace *1995 - Brawny Spirit *1994 -

Hareeba Hareeba (1990–1997) was an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who won six Black Type races including two Group One (G1) sprints in the 1990s. He was a bay gelding sired by Al Hareb (won GB William Hill Futurity Stakes) out of Headford Lass ( ...

*1993 - Alishan *1992 - Unspoken Word *1991 - Final Card *1990 - Planet Ruler *1989 - Planet Ruler *1988 - Special *1987 - Sky Filou *1986 - Taj Quillo *1985 - Lord Ballina *1984 - River Rough *1983 - River Rough *1982 - Forgone Conclusion *1981 - Zegna *1980 - Watney *1979 - Rooney *1978 - Always Welcome *1977 - Galway Bay *1976 - Maybe Mahal *1975 - Miss Lockleys *1974 - Scamanda *1973 - Century *1972 - Beaches *1971 - Welsh Prince *1970 - Dual Choice *1969 -

Vain Vain may refer to: * Vain (horse) (1966–1991), a champion Australian Thoroughbred racehorse * Vain Stakes, an Australian Thoroughbred horse race * Vain (band), a glam metal band formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1986 * Vaginal intraepithe ...

*1968 - Snub *1967 - Iga Ninja *1966 - Marmion *1965 - Picca *1964 - Star Of Heaven *1963 - Ripa *1962 - Samson *1961 - Bengal Tiger *1960 - Karina

References