The Railway Stakes is a Group 1 thoroughbred race held in Western Australia at Ascot Racecourse. The race is run over 1600m under handicap conditions and is eligible to horses aged three and above.
The Railway Stakes is staged in November each year and is the first of three Group 1s during the Perth Masters carnival.
Current prizemoney for the Railway Stakes is $1 million. In 2018, the winner Galaxy Star received $590,000 and the race paid down to 10th place. Horses that finished between sixth and 10th earned connections $10,000.
The Railway Stakes dates back to 1887 when first won by Nimrod over a distance of approximately 2000m. The race has also been held over 1500m in addition to the current 1600m distance. It has held Group 1 status since 1979 when captured by Asian Beau.
Only four horses have captured the Railway Stakes-Kingston Town Classic double in the same year and the first to do so was Better Loosen Up in 1989. He was a $2.75 favourite when defeating Marwong, Dual’s Brute and Carry A Smile. The first four horses all finished within a half-length of each other. Better Loosen Up was also a $2.75 favourite when capturing the Winfield Stakes (Kingston Town Stakes) by 1.3 lengths over Hard Act.
The other three horses to complete the double are Old Comrade (2001), Modem (2004) and Sniper’s Buller (2009).
A number of champion racehorses have won the Railway Stakes. We have already mentioned Better Loosen Up who won 17 from 45 starts, including the Cox Plate and Japan Cup in 1990.
Western Australia’s own, Northerly, captured the Railway Stakes in 2000. Trained by Fred Kersley and nicknamed “The Fighting Tiger,” Northerly won the Railway at only his sixth career start when sent out as a $7 chance. He would defeat Old Comrade by 2.75 lengths. Northerly is most famous for winning back-to-back Cox Plates in 2001 and 2002. He would capture the Caulfield Cup in 2002 before winning the Cox Plate one week later.
The 2003 edition of the Railway Stakes was held at Belmont Park and not Ascot. It was won by Hardrada who defeated Early Express by half a length.
Only two horses have captured the Railway Stakes on multiple occasions. The first occurred in 1966 and 1967 when Tudor Mak was victorious. The other is Luckygray who would win in 2011 and 2013. Trained by Gino Poletti, the popular grey captured the 2011 edition in the Stewards’ room after jockey Shaun O’Donnell lodged a protest against He’s Remarkable for interference at the 600m mark. The protest was upheld in what was one of the most controversial decisions in Australian racing history. Luckygray would then finish runner up in 2012 behind Mr Moet before returning to form in the 2013 edition with a win for trainer Trevor Andrews at $20.
