Facts and figures on the C F Orr Stakes

C F ORR STAKES

1400m, $500,000, weight-for-age at Caulfield

HISTORY

* First run in 1925 when won by The Patrol

* Run at Group One level from 1993

* Weight-for-age with penalties from 1925-1942. Handicap 1943-45. Weight-for-age since

* Run at Williamstown until 1940. Also run at Moonee Valley and Flemington. Sandown from 1966-1996. Caulfield 1997 onwards

NOTABLE WINNERS

* Heroic (1927); Flight (1946); Rising Fast (1956); Lord (1959-60); Tobin Bronze (1967); All Shot (1974); Leilani (1975); Hyperno (1978); Manikato (1979-80-81); Vo Rogue (1988-89-90); Saintly (1997); Redoute’s Choice (2000); Lonhro (2004); Typhoon Tracy (2010-2011); Black Caviar (2012); All Too Hard (2013), Hartnell (2018)

TALKING POINTS

* Six individual Group One winners among the field of 12

* The first Group One race of 2020 in Australia

* Alabama Express is the only three-year-old in the field. The colt is striving to become the first of his age to win since All Too Hard in 2013

* Scales Of Justice is the early favourite and has already won the Group One Memsie Stakes over the course and distance this season

* Luke Nolen with be out to equal Michael Clarke’s riding record of five wins when he rides So Si Bon. Nolen last won the Orr on Moment Of Change in 2014

* The Orr Stakes was once an autumn starting point for Melbourne Cup winners from the previous spring with those successful including Comic Court (1951), Rising Fast (1956), At Talaq (1987), Let’s Elope (1992), Jeune (1995) and Saintly (1997)

WHAT THE KEY PLAYERS ARE SAYING:

“If he can’t be highly competitive on Saturday at weight-for-age then he’s just not a weight-for-age horse” – Begood Toya Mother’s trainer Daniel Bowman

“I think he is up to the better three-year-olds, it’s just a matter of whether he’s going to be up to the better weight-for-age horses” – Alabama Express’ trainer Mike Moroney

“That run in the Australia Stakes has improved him. It’s tightened him up a bit and I’m looking forward to seeing him back at 1400 metres and seeing what he can do for us” Hey Doc’s co-trainer Tony McEvoy.

“He trialled up really nicely last week, he’s run around Caulfield before, he’s been in big fields at his past two starts, so I think he’ll run a really nice race fresh up” – Mirage Dancer’s co-trainer Natalie Young