Mackinnon (Champions) Stakes 2022

In a hurry? We’ve listed all the quick facts that you need to know about the Mackinnon Stakes:

The Mackinnon Stakes is a Group One race over 2,000m and is held at Flemington Racecourse. The race, which is for horses aged three or older, is the main event on the last Saturday of the Melbourne Spring Carnival and is run under weight-for-age conditions with a total prizemoney pool of $3,000,000. This year, the race will be held on Saturday, November 5th and was won by Zaaki in 2021.

Stakes Day rounds out the Melbourne Spring Carnival and is headlined by the Mackinnon Stakes (also known as Champions Stakes), a 2,000m Group One race for horses aged three years and older. Run under weight-for-age conditions, the Mackinnon Stakes holds a total prizemoney pool of $2M and attracts some of the best middle-distance runners from the country and the globe.

With some of the best horses in the world coming to Melbourne for the Spring Carnival, not all want to tackle the massive distance of two miles (3,200m) of the Melbourne Cup. That leaves the Mackinnon Stakes as one of the best middle distance staying races of the carnival and is always hotly contested.

The race first ran in 1869 and was won by Glencoe, however it was run under the name Melbourne Stakes until 1937. It has now been the Mackinnon Stakes since then, with the first winner of the newly named race being The Trump, who had already won the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in the same year. Other class horses like Ajax, Tranquil Star, Rising Fast, Leilani, Let’s Elope, Lonhro and So You Think have also won.

UK-raider Magic Wand won the race in 2019 before WA-raider Arcadia Queen won the Mackinnon Stakes in 2020, being the champion mare’s last win before being sold for a massive $3.2M at broodmare sales in 2021. Zaaki won in 2021 after being a late scratching from the Cox Plate two weeks earlier, making up for lost time with a 1.25L victory.

The Mackinnon Stakes is an Australian Group One race held at the famous Flemington Racecourse, rounding out the Melbourne Spring Carnival and brings some of the best horses from the country and the globe, whilst also attracting many Aussies who like to have a casual punt. Our expert tipsters will put together a short list of Mackinnon Stakes tips to look out for in the leadup to the big race.

Given nominations are yet to be accepted for the 2022 Mackinnon Stakes, it is hard to provide any updates at this time. However, as the Spring Carnival gets going, the horses that are targeting this race will become clearer and we will be able to provide you with updates. If you are after Mackinnon Stakes horse tips, then we will keep you informed with which horses are likely to be running, so you can place your futures bets with confidence!

We will list The Sharks’ Mackinnon Stakes best tips for the race this year closer to the time of the race. Make sure you check back on this page for updates!

Mackinnon Stakes Tips From Experts

Our tips are not out for the Mackinnon Stakes in 2022 as it is too far out from the event. But the good news is that when the final field for the Mackinnon Stakes is announced, we will provide guidance on each and every runner in the 2022 Mackinnon Stakes.

You will find all this information below, when it becomes available. Stay tuned, or alternatively you can chat to The Shark to get the best tips for every day!

Given how late it is in the Spring Carnival, there are so many different horses that contest the race and they bring many different formlines and tactics into the race. When looking for Mackinnon Stakes betting tips, the below indicators typically allow you to find a winner!

Is Previous Form in the Mackinnon Stakes a Good Indicator of Future Success?

Previous form in the race is definitely not needed when looking for your Mackinnon Stakes betting tips. Each of the last six winners had never raced in the Mackinnon Stakes before winning it in their respective year, while over the last 40 years, there hasn’t been a horse to win the race more than twice.

In fact, over the last 11 years, just two horses have been able to place in the race more than once. Glass Harmonium won in 2011 before coming second by 0.3 lengths in 2012, while Melody Belle came 2nd in 2019 and then 3rd in 2020, however has now retired.

Should I Bet On The Favourite in the Mackinnon Stakes?

You definitely don’t have to exclusively bet on the favourite in the Mackinnon Stakes. While eight of the last 11 winners have been priced under $10, just two of them has been the favourite.

However, those two favourites to win have been in the last two years. Arcadia Queen jumped as $2.45 favourite in 2020 and ended up winning by 1.75 lengths while Zaaki was $2.25 favourite in 2021, when he won by 1.25 lengths.

However, you don’t need to look too far when looking for your Mackinnon Stakes top bets, as second favourites & third favourites have each won three of the last 11 runnings of the race. Trap For Fools won with the biggest odds over this time, jumping at $26.

Formlines Heading into the Mackinnon Stakes

The Mackinnon Stakes has seen some interesting winners over its time and looking at the last six years, that is no different. Trap For Fools brought some Western Australian form into the race when winning in 2018, running through winter in Perth before coming over for a tilt at Melbourne’s Spring Carnival.

The UK-raider Magic Wand, who won in 2019, had a six week break when travelling down to Australia before racing in the Cox Plate then the Melbourne Cup and backing up just four days later to win the Mackinnon.

Three of the other four winners over the last six years have contested the race sixth up in their Spring preparation and each ran in the PB Lawrence first up. Between those three winners, the Toorak Handicap, Underwood Stakes and Toorak Handicap were each contested twice.

Zaaki had a slightly different preparation in 2021, originally planning to contest the Cox Plate before being scratched on the morning of the race, due to a high temperature. He then contested another 2000m WFA contest, the Mackinnon Stakes and won comfortably.

Age

While there has been some varying ages of winners over the last 11 years, five-year-olds have the slight edge winning four of them. Horses aged four, six and seven have each won twice over that span, with an eight-year-old, Alcopop in 2012.

When looking at more recent history, five-year-olds have definitely had superiority with three of the last six winners. Awesome Rock and Trap For Fools won in 2016 and 2018 respectively, while Arcadia Queen was the clear best horse in the race in 2020 and won easily.

Here is a table indicating the ages of winners of the Mackinnon Stakes since the 2011 edition:

Weight

Given the weight-for-age conditions of the Mackinnon Stakes, horses either carry 57kg, for mares and fillies, or 59kg, for geldings, entires or colts. While Magic Wand (2019) and Arcadia Queen (2020) both carried 57kg to victory, those carrying 59kg have dominated the race in the past with the previous eight winners before that, as well as Zaaki in 2021.

Gender

Based on the weights mentioned above, you can see that mares have not had the best run in the Mackinnon Stakes, however have won the last two. Male horses won eight of the last 10 runnings of the race but Magic Wand and Arcadia Queen have bucked that trend over the last 10 years.

Based on our data that we have analysed so far, your Mackinnon Stakes best bet is to look for a five-year-old male horse that is entering the race sixth up and not necessarily the favourite, but still in the top few in the odds. If they started in the PB Lawrence that is a massive bonus, and look for horses who have potentially contested the Underwood Stakes, Toorak Handicap and/or Cox Plate.

Mackinnon Stakes Best Bets

Our tips are not out for the Mackinnon Stakes in 2022 as it is too far out from the event. But the good news is that when the final field for the Mackinnon Stakes is announced, we will provide guidance on each and every runner in the 2022 Mackinnon Stakes.

You will find all this information below, when it becomes available. Stay tuned, or alternatively you can chat to The Shark to get the best tips for every day!

Long before the Mackinnon Stakes field is officially announced – online bookies will open early markets, or all-in markets, for Mackinnon Stakes betting. This is prime time to bet on your favourite horse, as you might be able to bet on strong contenders for the 2021 Mackinnon Stakes at double-digit odds.

Once the bookies release the 2021 Mackinnon Stakes odds, they will obviously fluctuate frequently in the lead up to the race, especially when we have a better idea of which horses will be targeting the race and their form leading into the race.

Punting early on these markets can find you a favourite at prices of $10 or more, which will retain you a much higher return on investment. However, there is increased risk with doing this and you should be well aware.

Depending on when you place a futures bet on the 2022 Mackinnon Stakes, your horse may not even run but you won’t get your money back, occurring when the market is ‘All-In’ or closer to the starting date. If you are betting when it says ‘Before Noms’, you have the security of receiving your money back if your horse doesn’t run.

The 2022 Mackinnon Stakes odds are out, with State Of Rest and Zaaki currently listed as equal favourites, at $4.50. Here are the current odds, courtesy of Neds, as of mid-August:

The Mackinnon Stakes is one of the last opportunities for middle distance stayers to taste some success during the Spring Carnival. Given the 2,000m race has a massive $2M on offer, the Mackinnon Stakes field attracts some of the best horses from around the world.

The final Mackinnon Stakes field will be determined at the barrier draw, which will be on Wednesday, November 2nd and is sure to have some of the best horses lining up in the event.

With the race yet to be run, we still don’t know what the Mackinnon Stakes results for 2022 will be! However, check back in after the race and we will have all of the information on how the big race went and what the results are.

Looking back at the 2021 race, Zaaki capped off a brilliant Spring campaign for James McDonald by comfortably winning the Mackinnon Stakes, 1.25 lengths ahead of Cascadian and 3 lengths ahead of Mo’unga.

McDonald was able to take Zaaki straight to the front and put a bit of work in entering the straight, allowing the seven-year-old gelding to skip away, multiple lengths in front of the pack. Cascadian, who settled fourth on the fence, was able to stay on the rails and burst home to chase Zaaki down, but ultimately it was too little too late.

You’ve read the words, now watch the video! Have a squiz below at the 2021 Mackinnon Stakes race:

Mackinnon Stakes Winners

The results for the upcoming Mackinnon Stakes are not yet available, but in the meantime, you can have a look below at all the recent past winners: