The Empire Rose 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 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 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 ...

held 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, for fillies and mares aged three-years-old and upwards, over a distance of 1600 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 ...

during the VRC Spring Carnival on

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

History

The registered race is named after

Empire Rose Empire Rose (1982–2002) was one of the most popular Thoroughbred mares to race in New Zealand and Australia. She was a gigantic chestnut, only just fitting into the barrier stalls in Melbourne. Trained by Laurie Laxon, one of New Zealand's ...

, the champion

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

who won the 1988

LKS MacKinnon Stakes The VRC Champions Stakes, registered as the ''LKS Mackinnon Stakes'', is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions over a distance of 2000 metres at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia o ...

–

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

double.

Name

* 1988–1992 - The Honda Legend * 1993 - Hong Kong Bank Stakes *1994–2001 - Hardy Brothers Classic *2002–2004 - Nestle Peters Classic *2005–2017 - Myer Classic *2018 onwards - Empire Rose Stakes

Distance

*1988 onwards - 1,600 metres

Grade

* 1988–1994 - Listed Race * 1995–1996 - Group 3 * 1997–2003 - Group 2 * 2004 onwards - Group 1

Winners

* 2022 - Icebath * 2021 -

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...

* 2020 - Shout The Bar * 2019 - Melody Belle * 2018 - Shillelagh * 2017 -

Shoals In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It o ...

* 2016 - I Am A Star * 2015 - Politeness * 2014 - Bonaria * 2013 - Red Tracer * 2012 - Appearance * 2011 - Hurtle Myrtle * 2010 - Sacred Choice * 2009 -

Typhoon Tracy Typhoon Tracy (5 September 2005 – 13 August 2012) was an outstanding Australian Thoroughbred racemare who won six group one (G1) races and was crowned Australian Racehorse of the Year for 2009/10. Breeding She was bred and is raced by Hutchi ...

* 2008 - Forensics * 2007 -

Divine Madonna Divine Madonna (foaled 8 October 2002) is an Australian Thoroughbred racemare. She won four group one (G1) races, the 2006 Emirates Stakes, 2007 Queen of the Turf Stakes, 2007 Toorak Handicap and the 2007 Myer Classic. Divine Madonna had 26 ra ...

* 2006 - Lyrical Bid * 2005 - Lotteria * 2004 -

Miss Potential Miss Potential was a champion mare who raced in New Zealand & Australia in the early 2000s. She was sired by the 1993 Prix de la Forêt winner Dolphin Street. Her comeback from a spiral fracture of her near-side cannon bone, resulting in 15 w ...

* 2003 - Zanna * 2002 - Miss Zoe * 2001 - Market Price * 2000 - Super Sequel * 1999 - Noircir * 1998 - Bonanova * 1997 - Prairie * 1996 - Rose of Portland * 1995 - Aunty Mary * 1994 - Sedately * 1993 - Mingling Glances * 1992 - Excited Angel * 1991 - Western Chorus * 1990 - Natural Wonder * 1989 - Echo Lass * 1988 - Concordance

References