The George Main Stakes is a Group 1 thoroughbred horse race held in Sydney each year. Hosted at the famous Randwick Racecourse, this great event is run under weight for age conditions over a distance of 1600 metres.
The George Main Stakes has a long history in Australian racing, and has been run every year since 1945. As one of the first Group 1 races in Sydney each season, the George Main Stakes is well regarded as a good form event for both the Sydney and Melbourne Spring Racing Carnivals.
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The George Main Stakes is named after George Main, a much loved former chairman of the Australian Jockey Club. George Main lived in a grazing property west of Cootamundra in New South Wales, where he lived with his wife Mary and bred both racehorses and sheep.
The George Main Stakes has been run at Randwick since 1945, with Modulation winning the inaugural event.
A number of famous names have won and placed in this event over the years, including names like Shannon, Kingston Town, Lonhro, and More Joyous. This event has proven to be a great indicator race for some of the most prestigious Group 1 races in the country including the WS Cox Plate. Sunline came second in this event in 1999 before winning the Cox Plate, with Filante placing second in 1996 and 1997 before placing in the Cox Plate in the same years.
In recent times, winners of the George Main Stakes have included Adam in 2000, Viscount in 2001, Defier in 2002, Lonhro in 2003, Grand Armee in 2004, Mr Celebrity in 2005, Racing to Win in 2006, Mentality in 2008, Road to Rock in 2009, More Joyous in 2010, Sincero in 2011, and Shoot Out in 2012.
There was no George Main Stakes held in 2007 due to the Equine Influenza outbreak.
