Moir Stakes 2023

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

The Moir Stakes is a Group One race over 1,000m and is run at Moonee Valley Racecourse. The race is for horses aged three or older and held under weight-for-age conditions with a total prizemoney pool of $1,000,000. The 2023 Moir Stakes will be held on Friday, September 29th and was won by Coolangatta in 2022.

The Melbourne Spring Carnival arrives at Moonee Valley Racecourse for the first time with the running of the Moir Stakes. Held under lights on the Friday a week after the AFL Grand Final, this is the first Group One sprint race of the season and can be the launching pad for a late bid to fill a slot for The Everest, or set horses up for the Manikato and VRC Sprint Classic later in the carnival.

The $1,000,000 prizemoney on offer is more than enough for horses to target this race after coming out of a Winter campaign, however we often see most horses come in first or second up, fine tuning things before the bigger races later in the season. An odd note of the great race is that from 2007-2014, the race was extended to 1,200m but brought back to the original 1,000m in 2015.

The Group One sprint has always brought in some extremely talented horses, with the likes of Manikato, Miss Andretti, Black Caviar, Buffering and Nature Strip taking out the crown. Last year saw Wild Ruler burst from mid-field to win the Moir Stakes and book a ticket to The Everest shortly after, finishing just ahead of a fast finishing The Inferno, who was also given a The Everest slot after the race.

Be sure to check back in closer to the race time for our top tips. In the mean time, check out our stats and information on the history of the Moir Stakes.

The Moir Stakes is an Australian Group One race that brings some of the best horses and it attracts the attention of many Aussies who like to have a casual punt on. Our expert tipsters will put together a short list of Moir Stakes tips to look out for in the leadup to the big race.

Given nominations are yet to be accepted for the 2023 Moir 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 Moir 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’ Moir 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!

Moir Stakes Tips From Experts

Our Moir Stakes tips for 2023 aren’t currently available, but check back in closer to the race for all your betting action.

If you are after the best tips for Group One racing this weekend, check out our racing hub page. Alternatively, if you want the best racing tips and roughies every day, you’ll have to chat to The Shark!

Given it is the first Group One sprint of the carnival, there are plenty of different aspects that influence Moir Stakes betting tips. When beginning to look at Moir Stakes betting, there are a lot of important factors to consider, so make sure you have a read on below before you place your bets:

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

Since 1976 there have been four horses that have won the Moir Stakes multiple times, all being in consecutive years. Buffering is the small outlier, winning first in 2012 before winning in both 2014 and 2015.

However looking more closely at the recent form, the last 22 years has seen six different horses finish in the top three on multiple occasions, with five of those winning in one of those years.

The 2002 edition of the Moir Stakes, which at the time was the Group Two Schweppes, saw Spinning Hill come 1st and Bomber Bill come 2nd. Spinning Hill then came out and ran second in 2003 while Bomber Bill came first in 2004.

Black Caviar won the race in back to back years in 2010-11 and then Buffering took over control of the race. The gelding won the first of his three in 2012, but finished 2nd by four lengths to Samaready in 2013.

He then came back and took out the next two Moir Stakes, being the most successful horse in the race’s history. Looking back as recently as the last four years, Viddora came 2nd in 2017 before doing one better in 2018, taking out the Moir Stakes. Trekking was the most recent, able to follow up his 2nd in 2020 with a third place finish in 2021.

These results show that previous success in the Moir Stakes can indicate future success in the race, seeing it as recently as three years ago. Six horses over the last 21 runnings of the Moir Stakes have been able to place on multiple occasions, with five of those having won at least once. That is pretty good compared to most other Group Ones and something to look for in this year’s edition of the race.

Should I Bet On The Favourite in the Moir Stakes?

Since 2010, the Moir Stakes has only been won by a horse priced under $3.00 on three occasions, Black Caviar at $1.40 and $1.10 in 2010-11 and Buffering at $2.00 in 2012. After that, Nature Strip, as $3.30 favourite in 2019, has had the shortest odds for a winner.

Over the last 13 years, since 2010, the horse who jumps as second favourite has been very fruitful for punters. Five of the 13 years have seen the second favourite win, with prices ranging from $4.40 to $7.00.

The three outliers are Samaready in 2013, Viddora in 2018, Wild Ruler in 2021, Coolangatta in 2022, who all won at reasonable odds, starting at $7.00, $12, $10 and $10 respectively. These statistics show that, more often than not, you want to be backing horses on the top two lines of betting.

Formlines or First Up?

Six of the last nine and seven of the last 11 winners of the Moir Stakes have contested the race first up from a spell. Coolangatta in 2022, Wild Ruler in 2021, Nature Strip in 2019 and Samaready in 2013 are the only horses to win over that time after having a run prior.

Coolangatta (2022) contested the Group 2 Mcewen Stakes, finishing third. While Wild Ruler finished second behind Nature Strip in the G3 1000m Concorde Stakes first up before going down to Melbourne and winning the Moir Stakes second up. Nature Strip came fourth in the Group 2 Concorde Stakes before heading down from Sydney to win the Moir. Finally, Samaready won the Group 3 The Heath before upsetting Buffering in the Moir.

Buffering, who ran in the Moir Stakes for five straight years from 2012-16, contested the race first up every time. The outlier is Black Caviar, who ran in the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes first up before going on to win the Moir Stakes in both 2010 and 2011.

When looking at the Moir Stakes best bets, it is common to see horses that are first up from a spell near the top of the list. Make sure you have a decent look at the Moir Stakes field to see which horses perform best when first up and they may be your ticket to success.

Age

While there has been a wide range of ages to win the Moir Stakes over the last 12 years, since 2010 there is one that sticks out more than others. Five-year-olds have won the event in four of the last 12 years while four-year-olds have each won three times and three-year-olds have won three times.

Nature Strip and Pippie, the winners in 2019 and 2020, joined Black Caviar and Buffering as five-year-olds to win the race and definitely show a trend. However, three-year-olds have won three of the last seven runnings of the Moir Stakes. Wild Ruler bucked the trend in 2021, winning as a four-year-old.

Here is a table indicating the ages of winners of the Moir Stakes since the 2010 edition:

Weight

Given that the Moir Stakes is run under weight-for-age conditions there are two main weights that stick out, carried by geldings and mares. Mares carrying 56.5kg have won five of the last 13 Moir Stakes while Geldings carrying 58.5kg have won four of them. Wild Ruler won in 2021 as a stallion carrying 58.5kg. It was somewhat of a different story in 2022, when Coolangatta won carrying just 50kg.

That doesn’t make it any easier when looking at filtering out horses, given the conditions, but it is definitely worth noting. Here is a table indicating the weights of winners of the Moir Stakes since the 2010 edition:

Gender

The two three-year-olds that won in 2016 and 2017 throw a spanner in the works once again, much like they did with the weights, but there are a clear two that stand out again. Five mares, four geldings, one stallion, one colt and two fillies have won each of the last 13 runnings of the Moir Stakes. Coolangatta, a filly, Wild Ruler, a stallion, Pippie, a mare, and Nature Strip, a gelding, have won the last four editions, providing further confusion in this category.

Based on our data that we have analysed so far, your Moir Stakes best bet is to look for a five-year-old that is first up from a spell. Whether they are a mare or gelding is up to you and it may be best to follow the money, given the favourite or second favourite has won nine of the last 13 runnings of the Moir.

Moir Stakes Best Bets

Our Moir Stakes tips aren’t currently available, but check back in closer to the race for all your betting action.

If you are after the best tips for Group One racing this weekend, check out our racing hub page. Alternatively, if you want the best racing tips and roughies every day, you’ll have to chat to The Shark!

Long before the Moir Stakes field is officially announced – online bookies will open early markets, or all-in markets, for Moir Stakes betting. This is prime time to bet on your favourite horse, as you might be able to bet on strong contenders for the 2023 Moir Stakes at double-digit odds.

Once the bookies release the 2023 Moir 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 if they have had a first up run prior to challenging the Group One sprint.

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 Moir 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 2023 Moir Stakes odds are not available just yet. Be sure to check back soon as we will have the odds listed below when available.

While details about the field for 2023 isn’t available yet, take a look at the key runners in the field from the race in 2022.

Twelve sprinters took their place in the 2022 Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley and the sparks were flying from the moment the gates opened. There were no scratchings to report and the track was rated a Soft5.

After a dominant win in the McEwen Stakes at the same track/distance first up, Queensland sprinter, Rothfire, was sent out race favourite at $3.10. Damian Lane, who rode him first up, was engaged again and from barrier 5, the pair looked primed for back-to-back victories.

Godolphin 4YO, Paulele, was also given a strong chance by punters, despite finishing midfield in the McEwen first up. His late sectionals were good on that occasion and many were expecting an improved performance second up.

Speedy 3YO filly, Coolangatta, was sent out a $6.50 chance, after leading them up in the McEwen and fighting on gamely to finish third. After drawing barrier 1, many astute judges had her as one of the main hopes, simply because she would hold the inside and be hard to catch around the tight turning Valley circuit.

With the 2023 Moir Stakes yet to be run and won, let’s have a look back at the 2022 Moir Stakes to see if there are any key performance indicators that can help us find the winner of this year’s Group 1 feature.

It was a case of first out first home in the 2022 Moir Stakes, with 3YO filly Coolangatta leading from go to whoa. With just 50kg on her back, under weight-for-age conditions, and the inside barrier to her advantage, she was simply too fast for her rivals and delivered jockey Jamie Kah her seventh Group 1 victory.

Despite jumping from barrier 11 and covering additional ground, Bella Nipotina showed plenty of tenacity under Craig Williams to finish second, beaten 0.2L, giving the Maher/Eustace stable a Group 1 quinella.

Queensland speedstar Zoustyle was a further 1.25L away in third, after sitting outside Coolangatta in the run, and Generation was gallant in fourth, beaten only 1.55L.

Race favourite Rothfire finished a respectable fifth, beaten 1.85L, and the other well fancied runner, Paulele, sixth beaten 2.6L, but was strong through the line.

You’ve read the words, now watch the video! Have a squiz below at the 2022 Moir Stakes race:

Moir Stakes Winners

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