Railway Stakes
The richest event in Perth’s Summer Carnival, the Railway Stakes pays enough to make it tempting for East Coast owners to send some of their best to Ascot each November.
If you’re looking for a good lead in race, then you can’t go past the Lee Steere Stakes, a Perth Racing Group 2 race which has fielded quite a few Railway Stakes winners. The Group 3 RJ Peters Stakes, also in Perth, has similarly produced many Railway Stakes winners.
One of the biggest honours in Western Australian racing is to win the Railway Stakes – Kingston Town Classic double, with both races sporting one million dollar prize purses.
Railway Stakes 2018 – Quick Information
- Race Day: Saturday, November 24th, 2018
- Race Starts: 8 PM (AEST)
- Track Location: Ascot Racecourse
- Track Surface: Turf
- Track Direction: Left-handed
- Race Distance: 1,600 metres
- Weight Conditions: Handicap
- Qualification: Three year olds and over
- Type: Thoroughbred
- Grade: Group 1
- Operator: Perth Racing
- Prize Purse: $1,000,000
- Inaugural Race: 1887
Railway Stakes Trifecta
In order to win the Railway Stakes trifecta bet, you will have to successfully choose the first three runners over the line, in the correct order. To know more about how you can carefully consider this high payout bet, please refer to our Railway Stakes Trifecta page.
Railway Stakes First 4
In order to win the Railway Stakes first four bet, you will have to successfully choose the first four horses over the line, in the correct order. To know more about how you can begin to consider this high payout bet, please refer to our Railway Stakes First Four page.
Railway Stakes Betting
There are many differents ways to bet on the Railway Stakes, we’ve included some of the most popular options below:
| Bet Type | How To Place This Type Of Bet In This Year’s Railway Stakes |
|---|---|
| Win Bet | Place your bet on the horse you think will take first place in this year’s Railway Stakes. |
| Place Bet | Place your bet on the horse you think will place in the top three finishers at this year’s Railway Stakes. Pays less than a win bet, but offers safer odds. |
| Each-Way Bet | If your runner finishes 1st in the Railway Stakes, you will collect both the Win and the Place dividend. If your horse finishes 2nd or 3rd you will collect the Place dividend. |
| Quinella Bet | You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in any order, within the Railway Stakes, in order to win the Quinella. |
| Exacta Bet | You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order, within the Railway Stakes to win the Exacta. |
| Trifecta Bet | You must select runners to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order, within the Railway Stakes to win the Trifecta. |
| First Four | You must select runners that finish 1st, 2nd ,3rd and 4th in the correct order, within the Railway Stakes to win the First 4. |
| Quadrella Bet (Quaddie) | You must select the winners of four nominated races to win the Quaddie. This means you would have to select three other races apart from the Railway Stakes, in order to be eligible to place a Quaddie. |
How To Bet On The Railway Stakes
- Join up at neds.com.au
- Make a deposit, using your credit card, PayPal or other safe electronic method
- Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
- Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on Railway Stakes Betting above).
- Select the horse(s) for the race.
Railway Stakes 2018 Odds
Early market odds for prospective runners are displayed below. If you would like to know the current odds, you can check our live market for the 2018 edition of the Railway Stakes here.
(Please note that the odds below are from 25/09/2018, after nominations, but prior to acceptances).
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Fifty Stars | 7 |
| Perfect Jewel | 10 |
| Pounamu | 12 |
| D’Argento | 12 |
| Galaxy Star | 12 |
| Enticing Star | 14 |
| Great Shot | 16 |
| Tom Melbourne | 16 |
| Suuply And Demand | 16 |
| Art Series | 16 |
| Achernar Star | 16 |
| Scales Of Justice | 16 |
| Man Booker | 18 |
| Action | 18 |
| Prize Catch | 21 |
| Ulmann | 21 |
| Fifty Stars | 7 |
| Perfect Jewel | 10 |
| Pounamu | 12 |
| D’Argento | 12 |
| Galaxy Star | 12 |
| Enticing Star | 14 |
| Great Shot | 16 |
| Tom Melbourne | 16 |
| Suuply And Demand | 16 |
| Art Series | 16 |
| Achernar Star | 16 |
| Scales Of Justice | 16 |
| Man Booker | 18 |
| Action | 18 |
| Prize Catch | 21 |
| Ulmann | 21 |
Railway Stakes 2017 Results
The top four finishers of 2017’s Railway Stakes are displayed in the table below:
| Finishing Order | Horse No. | Horse Name | Trainer Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Great Shot | Rhys Radford |
| 2 | 1 | Black Heart Bart | Aidan O’Brien |
| 3 | 3 | Tom Melbourne | Darren Weir |
| 4 | 16 | Variation | Stephen Miller |
Which Horse Will Win The Railway Stakes
The best way to pick who will win the Railway Stakes is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, consider the weight the horse will carry, among other factors.
Additional factors to take into considerations are as follows:
- Favourites – Have won this race less than a third of the time over the past 3 decades.
- Weight – Most winners have totalled less than 55 kg on race day.
- Barrier – Double digit barriers haven’t proven to be a disadvantage. Despite causing horses to draw wide around the sweeping bend, a lot of recent winners have had no problem with double digit gates.
Railway Stakes Favourites
Early favourites include Fifty Stars, Perfect Jewel, Pounamu and D’Argento.
Railway Stakes Form Guide
The form guide will become available in the days before the Railway Stakes takes place. Once finalised, you will be able to read our 2018 Form Guide here.
Railway Stakes 2018 Field
We show the 16 mostly likely to make the final field in the table below. you can view the full list of nominations here.
| Horse | Age | Sex | Past Winnings | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fifty Stars | 4 | Horse | $113,850 | Darren Weir |
| Perfect Jewel | 4 | Mare | $472,280 | Grant & Alana Williams |
| Pounamu | 7 | Gelding | $1,522,530 | Alan Mathews |
| D’Argento | 4 | Horse | $790,525 | Chris Waller |
| Galaxy Star | 6 | Mare | $257,300 | Grant & Alana Williams |
| Enticing Star | 5 | Mare | $233,700 | Adam Durrant |
| Great Shot | 6 | Gelding | $1,277,875 | Rhys Radford |
| Tom Melbourne | 8 | Gelding | $1,161,898 | Chris Waller |
| Supply And Demand | 6 | Gelding | $661,485 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott |
| Art Series | 4 | Mare | $436,800 | Darren McAuliffe |
| Achernar Star | 4 | Gelding | $574,746 | Simon A. Miller |
| Scales Of Justice | 6 | Gelding | $1,425,950 | Lindsey Smith |
| Man Booker | 6 | Gelding | $830,580 | Daniel Morton |
| Action | 4 | Gelding | $351,200 | Grant & Alana Williams |
| Prize Catch | 5 | Gelding | $279,225 | Lindsey Smith |
| Ulmann | 7 | Gelding | $597,700 | Darren Weir |
Railway Stakes 2018 Tips
Favourite: Fifty Stars. Irish born, this Darren Weir trained horse is a sprightly young thing. His first season and he’s gone 4 for 4, so far, winning every meet he has ever been entered into. If they take him over to Perth, he might just clean up.
Best Bet: Enticing Star. This 5 year old mare has had an unbroken string of 1st place finishes in 2018 so far after a 38 week spell and change of trainers. As far as WA sprinting distance meets are concerned, she’s almost unbeatable.
Best Roughie: Silver Stream. An entrant in last year’s Railway Stakes, this mare is a bit older at age 7. No stranger to Ascot Racecourse, she’s taken 1st place at the same racetrack as the Railway Stakes several times before.
Railway Stakes Race Day
Race day takes place on Saturday, the 24th of November, 2018.
Railway Stakes Race Time
The race is scheduled to start at 8 PM Western Australian Time. Railway Stakes start times for various states appear in the table below.
| State | Start Time |
|---|---|
| Western Australia | 8:00 PM |
| Queensland | 10:00 PM |
| Australian Capital Territory | 10:00 PM |
| Tasmania | 10:00 PM |
| Victoria | 10:00 PM |
| New South Wales | 10:00 PM |
| Northern Territory | 9:30 pm |
| South Australia | 10:30 pm |
Railway Stakes Weights
Handicap conditions apply to this race.
Railway Stakes Prize Money
The Railway Stakes prize purse is worth $1,000,000 in total.
Railway Stakes Jockeys
Some of the most memorable Railway Stakes jockeys of all time include amongst their ranks great riders such as:
- Craig Williams, who won in 2010 and 2015
- Shaun O’Donnell, who won in 2011 and 2013.
Railway Stakes Form Guide
The final form guide will be available the week of the race. You can check our full form guide closer to race day to see if the form guide for 2018’s Melbourne has been released.
Railway Stakes Tickets
The 2018 Railway Stakes Day is part of WA’s Ascot Racing Carnival, which runs from the 20th of October, 2018 right through to 5th of January, 2019. To purchase tickets to Railway Stakes day, head to Ticketek.
Railway Stakes Big Bets
2017’s edition of the Railway Stakes saw some pretty big bets, including someone who placed $8,000 on Tom Melbourne. There was also separate bets of $2,500 and $2,000 placed on Scales of Justice, as well as $2,000 placed on Black heart Bart.
Australian Horses In The Railway Stakes
Australian horses which are likely to make the final field of the Railway Stakes include Hamada, Unforgotten, Ace High and Sir Charles Road.
Grey Horses In The Railway Stakes
Grey horses which have won the Railway Stakes include Luckygray, who won on 2011 and 2013.
Railway Stakes Winners
Winners of the Railway Stakes for the past ten years are displayed in the table below. If you would like to view the full list of Railway Stakes winners, going all the way back to 1983, please visit our Railway Stakes Winners page.
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Jockey | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Great Shot | Rhys Radford | Craig Staples | 1:35.81 |
| 2016 | Scales of Justice | Lindsey Smith | Douglas Whyte | 1:36.13. |
| 2015 | Good Project | Chris Waller | Craig Williams | 1:34.52 |
| 2014 | Elite Belle | Grant Williams | William Pike | 1:35.59. |
| 2013 | Luckygray | Trevor Andrews | Shaun O’Donnell | 1:36.75. |
| 2012 | Mr Moet | Adam Durrant | Daniel Staeck | 1:35.89. |
| 2011 | Luckygray | Gino Poletti | Shaun O’Donnell | 1:34.88. |
| 2010 | Gathering | John P Thompson | Craig Williams | 1:35.11. |
| 2009 | Sniper’s Bullet | Tracey Bartley | Nash Rawiller | 1:34.25. |
| 2008 | Gilded Venom | Steve Wallace | Patrick Carbery | 1:34.50. |