Wakeful Stakes

The Wakeful Stakes is held at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival and is a Group 2 race specifically designed for three-year-old fillies, with it worth $300,000.

Covering a distance of 2000m, the Wakeful Stakes was inaugurated in 1932 and won by Protea. The Wakeful Stakes pays homage to the legendary mare, Wakeful, who achieved remarkable success in numerous principal races during the early years of the 1900s.

Initially contested over a mile, the Wakeful Stakes transitioned to its current 2000m format in 1953 and has since served as the traditional lead-up race to the VRC Oaks, held on the following Thursday.

Elevated to Group 2 status in 1979, the Wakeful Stakes holds great significance in the racing community. An astounding 38 fillies have accomplished the rare feat of winning both the Wakeful Stakes and the VRC Oaks, with the most recent triumph achieved by Willowy in 2021.

Additionally, 13 fillies have triumphed in the Thousand Guineas/Wakeful Stakes combination, with Atlantic Jewel being the last to achieve this remarkable feat in 2011.

Furthermore, 10 fillies have accomplished the remarkable treble of winning the Thousand Guineas, Wakeful Stakes, and VRC Oaks, with Arborea being the last to do so in 1993.

Wakeful Stakes odds 2023

Wakeful Stakes odds are currently unavailable at the top horse betting sites. Horsebetting.com.au will update this page when online bookmakers release Wakeful Stakes betting odds.

Best Wakeful Stakes bookmakers

All of our recommended horse betting sites and apps have markets for the Wakeful Stakes.

Most of the Melbourne Cup Carnival races have markets opened well in advance and the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes is no exception.

The top Wakeful Stakes bookmakers will vary dramatically outside of Australia, although with this being a feature race, it is unlikely any racing betting sites will not have markets available.

Sport Table

Latest Wakeful Stakes News

2023 Wakeful Stakes Final Field

Horsebetting.com.au will update this page when the 2023 Wakeful Stakes field is released.

Previous Wakeful Stakes Field

• 2022 Wakeful Stakes field

  No.	Silks	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight
  1		Jenny Jerome	Patrick Payne	Damian Lane	14	55kg
  2		Pavitra	Richard & Will Freedman	Joshua Parr	2	55kg
  3		So Dazzling	John Sargent	Damien Oliver	6	55kg
  4		Let’sbefrankbaby	Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock	Lachlan King	8	55kg
  5		Whakamana	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	Jye McNeil	12	55kg
  6		Zennzella	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	James McDonald	15	55kg
  7		Thinking Rain	Gary Portelli	John Allen	16	55kg
  8		As Time Goes By	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Ben Melham	1	55kg
  9		La Gioia	Jason Warren	Daniel Stackhouse	11	55kg
  10		Queen Air	Lindsey Smith	Blaike McDougall	7	55kg
  11		Makrana	Mark & Levi Kavanagh	Michael Dee	9	55kg
  12		Grey Northern	Simon Zahra	Damien Thornton	5	55kg
  13		Whispering Lady	Mark & Levi Kavanagh	Craig Williams	10	55kg
  14		Uptick	John O’Shea	Chad Schofield	13	55kg
  15		Barbwire Baby	Shayne Fisher	Teo Nugent	3	55kg
  16		Artocracy	Peter Lafferty	Laura Lafferty	4	55kg

2022 Wakeful Stakes result

Recent Wakeful Stakes results

• 2022: Zennzella goes from synthetic to Group 2 winner
  Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, the talented filly Zennzella demonstrated her prowess by securing a Group 2 victory in the Wakeful Stakes. Under the guidance of jockey James McDonald, Zennzella showcased her potential after triumphing in a previous race on the All Weather track at Pakenham. As the gates opened, Thinking Rain and jockey John Allen, claimed the front position with 1200m remaining after a fierce battle for the lead. McDonald positioned Zennzella perfectly in second place, patiently waiting for the pace to develop as they followed the leader down the backstretch. The tempo eased around the bottom turn, causing the field to bunch up in preparation for the home straight. Approaching the 400m mark, Thinking Rain began to fade, allowing Zennzella and McDonald to seize control of the race. Despite Pavitra’s valiant pursuit, she was unable to overtake Zennzella, who maintained a strong and determined gallop all the way to the finish line, securing victory by a long neck.
• 2021: Willowy continues Godolphin’s strong run in Wakeful
  In a stunning upset at Flemington, Godolphin emerged victorious in the Wakeful Stakes (2000m) for the third time in a decade. The triumph came courtesy of Willowy, a surprise contender who defied the odds. Priced at $11, Willowy entered the race as a last-start maiden winner over a mile at Newcastle. The additional 400m of the Wakeful Stakes proved to be her saving grace, as she showcased her remarkable stamina. In a thrilling finish, Willowy managed to overhaul Daisies ($7), the winner of the Group 3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m), within the final 50m, securing victory by half a length. This triumph marked a significant milestone for trainer James Cummings, as it was his first win in the Wakeful Stakes. The race holds a special place in the Cummings family legacy, as James’ grandfather, the legendary Bart Cummings, emerged victorious a remarkable 14 times.
• 2020: Kah guides Victoria Quay to Wakeful success
  Guided by the skilled partnership of trainer Tony & Calvin McEvoy and jockey Jamie Kah, Victoria Quay showcased a remarkable burst of speed in the final moments to secure a well-deserved Wakeful Stakes triumph. It appeared as though race favourite Personal might gain the upper hand and seize the victory, however, Kah summoned an extraordinary effort from Victoria Quay, urging her forward on the outside to grab the lead to secure a neck-length victory.
• 2019: Miami Bound shows VRC Oaks potential
  Miami Bound and Vegas Jewel look set for a rematch in the Group One VRC Oaks after fighting out the finish of the Wakeful Stakes at Flemington. The Danny O’Brien-trained Miami Bound ($8) edged out the Mark Kavanagh-trained Vegas Jewel ($3.70) by a neck in the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) for three-year-old fillies and the pair would go on to share favouritism at $3.50 for the Oaks (2500m) five days laters. They gapped their rivals in the Wakeful on a soft track, with Palumbo ($26) six lengths away in third while $2.90 favourite Flit was fourth. The VRC Oaks had been a long-range target for O’Brien with Miami Bound who would try to emulate her dam Arapaho Miss who won the VRC Oaks in 2007.

Wakeful Stakes winners

Wakeful Stakes winners pre-2000