Champions Mile: Flemington 1600m

Race Overview

date Sat 11 Nov 2023
track Flemington
distance 1600m
conditions WFA
status Group 1
prizemoney $3,000,000

The Champions Mile, registered as the Cantala Stakes and first run in 1881, has been known as many names over the years, depending on the sponsor of the time. For most of its life, it was a handicap, and the feature race of the last day of the Melbourne Cup carnival. It was known to produce many an upset, with plenty of long odds horses saluting.

With the renaming to the Champions Mile, came a change to the conditions of the race. Rather than being a handicap, it is now a WFA race, forming one point of the triumvirate of Champions races on the day – the Champions Mile over 1600m, the Champions Stakes over 2000m, and the Champions Sprint at 1200m.

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2023 CHAMPIONS MILE PREVIEW

Fangirl, Mr Brightside and Alligator Blood have a stranglehold on the market, and well they might as surely the three best 1600m horses in the country. While Mr Brightside and Alligator Blood have met each other 10 times in the last 14 months, Fangirl has spent most of her time chasing Anamoe. All three previously raced against each other over 1600m in this year’s Doncaster Mile, but it was on a heavy track which didn’t suit Fangirl or Alligator Blood.

Mr Brightside leads Alligator Blood 6-4 in their head-to-head clashes, but the important note is that Mr Brightside has now finished in front of him the last five times in a row. It seems he has improved to become the better horse this spring.

Pride of Jenni will certainly lead this race along, after her exploits in the Myer Classic on Derby Day, but Alligator Blood will certainly be leading the chasing pack behind her, with Mr Brightside next in line. At this point, you have to say the latter will be beating the former home, but can they beat Fangirl?

When Fangirl and Mr Brightside met on a good track in the King Charles two starts back, which both horses used as their lead-in to the Cox Plate, Fangirl obliterated him. That was at Randwick and this is at Flemington, two big tracks that should favour the mare. Mr Brightside beat her home in the Cox Plate, but some judges think Fangirl would have won the race if she wasn’t trapped away for most of the last 600m.

The Inevitable has had three runs this prep carrying decent weights in handicaps, all of them excellent, but he’s been getting too far back in his races. The small field and WFA conditions will help him.

Selections: 1.Fangirl 2.Mr Brightside 3.Alligator Blood 4.The Inevitable

Author
Cameron rose's Tip

FANGIRL

WIN

Kennedy Champions Mile 11 November 16:30
6. Fangirl
Win 3.00
Place 1.55

* Odds Correct At Time Of Posting. Check Playup Website For Latest Odds

Past Winners Of The Champions Mile

YEAR HORSE JOCKEY TRAINERS
2022 Alligator Blood Tim Clark Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
2021 Superstorm Damien Oliver Danny O'Brien
2020 Yulong Prince Damian Lane Chris Waller
2019 Fierce Impact Craig Williams Matthew Smith
2018 Best Of Days Craig Williams James Cummings
2017 Shillelagh Michael Dee Chris Waller
2016 Le Romain Hugh Bowman Kris Lees
2015 Turn Me Loose Kerrin McEvoy Murray Baker
2014 Hucklebuck Dominic Tourneur Phillip Stokes
2013 Boban Glyn Schofield Chris Waller
2012 Happy Trails Damien Oliver Paul Beshara
2011 Albert The Fat Mark Zahra Chris Waller
2010 Wall Street Hugh Bowman Jeff Lynds

2022 CHAMPIONS MILE REPLAY