Underwood Stakes Past Winners & Results History

The Underwood Stakes is a big Group 1 race in Melbourne, and we look at the past results and history of the middle-distance race.

Some of Australia’s best thoroughbreds have won the Underwood Stakes, so we’re excited to see who will etch their name in Underwood Stakes history.

Recent Underwood Stakes Winners

The Underwood Stakes has produced some champion winners over the last 20 years, including Sir Delius, Alligator Blood, Zaaki, Black Heart Bart, and So You Think.

Here are the last 20 Underwood Stakes winners:

• 2025 – Sir Delius
• 2024 – Buckaroo
• 2023 – Alligator Blood
• 2022 – Alligator Blood
• 2021 – Zaaki
• 2020 – Russian Camelot
• 2019 – Black Heart Bart
• 2018 – Homesman
• 2017 – Bonneval
• 2016 – Black Heart Bart
• 2015 – Mourinho
• 2014 – Foreteller
• 2013 – It’s a Dundeel
• 2012 – Ocean Park
• 2011 – Lion Tamer
• 2010 – So You Think
• 2009 – Heart of Dreams
• 2008 – Weekend Hustler
• 2007 – Rubiscent
• 2006 – El Segundo
• 2005 – Perlin

The Underwood Stakes has a long and impressive history, which is a big reason it holds Group 1 status. Some of the biggest names in Australian racing have won the race, including Northerly, Octagonal, Tie the Knot, Jeune, and Phar Lap. Ajax was also a standout, winning the Underwood Stakes three years in a row around the late 1930s and early 1940s.

The race has continued to attract quality horses over the years, with recent winners such as Buckaroo and Sir Delius showing just how good a horse needs to be to get the job done. It’s also an important race on the spring calendar, often giving punters a good idea of which horses could be competitive in major races such as the Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup.

Notable Underwood Stakes Winners

The Underwood Stakes has had plenty of high-quality winners since the race was first run in 1924. One of the most famous was Phar Lap, widely regarded as one of the greatest racehorses ever, who took out the race in 1931. The race has continued to attract some of the best middle-distance horses from Australia and New Zealand, including Lord, Rain Lover, and Bonecrusher.

Winning the Underwood Stakes takes a tough horse, which makes the race so popular with racing fans. Black Heart Bart was a great example, winning in 2016 and then showing his class again by returning to win three years later.

Alligator Blood also made his mark on the race by winning back-to-back editions in 2022 and 2023. He was the first horse since Northerly in 2001 and 2002 to win the Underwood Stakes in consecutive years, and he was a popular runner for punters due to his controversial career.

Underwood Stakes History

The Underwood Stakes is one of Australia’s well-known Group 1 races and has been a part of the racing calendar for more than 100 years. First run in 1924, the race was named after John Underwood, a well-known figure in Victorian racing.

The race is traditionally held at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne and is run over 1800 metres. Over the years, it has become an important part of the spring carnival, attracting some of the best middle-distance horses in Australia.

The Underwood Stakes is an important stepping-stone towards bigger races later in the spring, particularly the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup.

What age group has the best Underwood Stakes record?

Four-year-olds have dominated the Underwood Stakes winners list in recent years with 10 saluting between 2000 and 2025, most recently Homesman in 2018.

The oldest recent Underwood Stakes winner was Black Heart Bart in 2019 who saluted as a nine-year-old. Black Heart Bart also won the race three years earlier in 2016 as a six-year-old.

The youngest recent Underwood Stakes winner was Russian Camelot in 2020 who beat home the older horses as a three-year-old.

In the past decade the older horses have had the best Underwood Stakes record. From 2014-2025, eight of the 12 Underwood Stakes winners were aged at least six-years-old.

Between 2000 and 2025 the breakdown of Underwood Stakes winners by age is as follows:

• 3YOS – 1 (latest Russian Camelot in 2020)
• 4YOs – 10 (latest Homesman in 2018)
• 5YOs – 4 (latest Sir Delius in 2025)
• 6YOs – 7 (latest Buckaroo in 2024)
• 7YOs – 2 (latest Alligator Blood in 2023)
• 8YOs – 1 (latest Mourinho in 2015)
• 9YOs – 1 (latest Black Heart Bart in 2019)

Latest Underwood Stakes 2026 Odds