The AJ Moir Stakes is one of the first Group 1 races held in Spring, hosted at Moonee Valley as part of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. This event has been known by a couple of different names and will still be known to many as the Schweppes Stakes. Originally run in 1976, the AJ Moir Stakes was run as the Schweppes Stakes between 1997 and 2011 before reverting back to its original title.
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The AJ Moir Stakes is run under weight for age conditions over a distance of 1200 metres, and regularly attracts a selection of talented runners. While this event has attracted quality horses for many years now, it was only recently elevated to Group 1 status during the 2012/13 racing season. Many of the horses who have performed well in the AJ Moir Stakes over its history have gone on to big success in later seasons.
The inaugural AJ Moir Stakes was won by Scamanda in 1976, back when this event was run over a distance of 1000 metres on WS Cox Plate day. It was only recently moved to its present day September date during the 2012/13 racing season, in order to make way for the Group 1 Manikato Stakes on the eve of the Cox Plate. The AJ Moir Stakes was upgraded to Group 2 status in 1979, the same year The Judge and Grey Sapphire battled it out in a race that ended in a dead heat.
Some of the most notable names to have won this event include Schillaci in 1992, Falvelon in 2002, Apache Cat in 2009, and Black Caviar in 2010 and 2011. Black Caviar won by 5 1/2 lengths in 2010, with the famous Manikato also victorious in this race in 1982. With Me managed to win the AJ Moir Stakes two years running in 1990 and 1991.
