The Underwood Stakes is a well known Group 1 horse race held each year at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne. Taking place each year during late September, the Underwood Stakes is one of the first Group 1 races in the new Spring season.
The Underwood Stakes has a long and distinguished history in Australian thoroughbred racing, first held in 1924 at the Werribee Racing Club.
[include file=”inpost_adrotator.php”]
The Underwood Stakes was originally held over a distance of 8 furlongs, a distance roughly equal to 1600 metres. It was changed to an 8 furlong event in 1943 and grew again to a 9 furlong race when it first moved to Caulfield Racecourse in 1948.
The Underwood Stakes grew once again to a 10 furlong event in 1954, once stabilising in distance as an 1800 metre race in 1994.
As mentioned, for the first couple of decades the Underwood Stakes was hosted at Werribee Racing Club, only moving to its present day home in 1948. Since then, however, the Underwood Stakes has been closely associated with Caulfield Racecourse, where it is held to this day.
The Underwood Stakes is now part of Carnival Preview Day, a great day of racing and fashion that hosts four Group events and the Chadstone Fashion Stakes.
Some of Australia’s most famous thoroughbreds have won the Underwood Stakes over the year, including names like Heroic, Phar Lap, Ajax, Tobin Bronze, Octagonal and Northerly.
Recent years have seen winners like Ocean Park in 2012, So You Think in 2010, Weekend Hussler in 2008, Elvstroem in 2004, and Northerly in 2001-02.
