Champions Stakes (VRC)

The VRC Champions Stakes, registered as the LKS Mackinnon Stakes, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions over a distance of 2000 metres at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia on the last day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, the Saturday after the Melbourne Cup. Total prize money is A$3,000,000.

History
The race is named after a former chairman of the Victoria Racing Club, Lauchlan Kenneth Scobie ("L.K.S.") MacKinnon (1861–1935). It was originally held on the first day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Victoria Derby Day. In 2016, the VRC moved the race as the feature of the last day of the carnival, and moved the Cantala Stakes (the then feature of the last day of the carnival and at the time known as the Emirates Stakes) to the first day of the carnival. After the swap, the race would be known as simply the Emirates Stakes until 2017.

Prior to 2016, many horses with a ranking high enough to avoid the ballot for the Melbourne Cup used the race as a lead-in to the 3,200 metre Cup, run on the first Tuesday in November (otherwise they race in the longer Hotham Handicap). The VRC believed that placing the race on the last day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival would attract quality horses, that raced in the W. S. Cox Plate, to run at the distance, rather than using the race to prepare for the Melbourne Cup. In 2022, the race was renamed the VRC Champions Stakes in order to align with the branding of the entire race day, which is now called Champions Day instead of Stakes Day.

The attendance record for the race day was set in 2011, with 85,112 in attendance.

Name
In 1937 the VRC moved the Melbourne Stakes to earlier in the spring, running it in September, over a shorter distance of 1 mi. The race was the predecessor to the Turnbull Stakes.


 * 1869–1936 - Melbourne Stakes
 * 1937–1986 - LKS Mackinnon Stakes
 * 1987–1989 - Occidental Mackinnon Stakes
 * 1990 - LKS Mackinnon Stakes
 * 1991–2000 - Louis Vuitton Mackinnon Stakes
 * 2001–2004 - Thrifty Mackinnon Stakes
 * 2005–2006 - Motorola Mackinnon Stakes
 * 2007 - L'Oreal Paris Mackinnon Stakes
 * 2008 - Crown Mackinnon Stakes
 * 2009 - LKS Mackinnon Stakes
 * 2010–2015 - Longines Mackinnon Stakes
 * 2016–2017 - Emirates Stakes
 * 2018–2020 - Seppelt Mackinnon Stakes
 * 2021 - Paramount+ Mackinnon Stakes
 * 2022– - TAB Champions Stakes

Distance

 * 1869–1971 - 1$1/4$ miles (~2000 metres)
 * 1972 onwards - 2000 metres

Grade

 * 1869–1978 - Principal Race
 * 1979 onwards - Group 1

Doubles wins
The following thoroughbreds have won the LKS MacKinnon Stakes – Melbourne Cup in the same year.
 * Malua (1884), Carbine (1890), Phar Lap (1930), Peter Pan (1932, 1934), The Trump (1937), Comic Court (1950), Delta (1951), Dalray (1952), Rising Fast (1954), Rain Lover (1968), At Talaq (1986), Empire Rose (1988), Let's Elope (1991), Rogan Josh (1999)

Attendance
Source:


 * 1980 – 25,262
 * 1981 – 24,378
 * 1982 – 19,725
 * 1983 – 22,162
 * 1984 – 19,739
 * 1985 – 18,675
 * 1986 – 21,051
 * 1987 – 22,196
 * 1988 – 23,341
 * 1989 – 23,712
 * 1990 – 21,414
 * 1991 – 22,587
 * 1992 – 21,495
 * 1993 – 22,162
 * 1994 – 22,624
 * 1995 – 25,318
 * 1996 – 25,736
 * 1997 – 26,357
 * 1998 – 31,249
 * 1999 – 31,728
 * 2000 – 42,311
 * 2001 – 42,760
 * 2002 – 47,593
 * 2003 – 55,793
 * 2004 – 45,734
 * 2005 – 61,382
 * 2006 – 78,158
 * 2007 – 84,067
 * 2008 – 81,652
 * 2009 – 78,478
 * 2010 – 77,506
 * 2011 – 85,112
 * 2012 – 74,546
 * 2013 – 65,047
 * 2014 – 70,051
 * 2015 – 68,711
 * 2016 – 70,351
 * 2017 – 68,873
 * 2018 – 67,567
 * 2019 – 57,268
 * 2020 – 0 (no attendance due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions)
 * 2021 – 10,000 (restricted attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
 * 2022 – 54,019

Earlier winners



 * 1937 - The Trump
 * 1938 - Ajax
 * 1939 - Ortelle's Star
 * 1940 - Beau Vite
 * 1941 - Beau Vite
 * 1942 - Tranquil Star
 * 1943 - Amana
 * 1944 - Tranquil Star
 * 1945 - Tranquil Star
 * 1946 - Flight
 * 1947 - Don Pedro
 * 1948 - Snowstream
 * 1949 - Comic Court
 * 1950 - Comic Court
 * 1951 - Delta
 * 1952 - Dalray
 * 1953 - Hydrogen
 * 1954 - Rising Fast
 * 1955 - Rising Fast
 * 1956 - Sir William
 * 1957 - Sailor's Guide
 * 1958 - Monte Carlo
 * 1959 - Trellios
 * 1960 - Tulloch
 * 1961 - Sky High
 * 1962 - Aquanita
 * 1963 - Summer Fair
 * 1964 - Sir Dane
 * 1965 - Yangtze
 * 1966 - Tobin Bronze
 * 1967 - Winfreux
 * 1968 - Rain Lover
 * 1969 - Roman Consul
 * 1970 - Voleur
 * 1971 - Skint Dip
 * 1972 - Stormy Seas
 * 1973 - Australasia
 * 1974 - Leilani
 * 1975 - Kiwi Can
 * 1976 - Gold and Black
 * 1977 - Silver Lad
 * 1978 - Family Of Man
 * 1979 - Dulcify
 * 1980 - Belmura Lad
 * 1981 - Belmura Lad
 * 1982 - My Axeman
 * 1983 - Veloso
 * 1984 - Bounty Hawk
 * 1985 - Rising Prince
 * 1986 - At Talaq
 * 1987 - Rubiton
 * 1988 - Empire Rose
 * 1989 - Horlicks
 * 1990 - Better Loosen Up
 * 1991 - Let's Elope
 * 1992 - Veandercross
 * 1993 - The Phantom
 * 1994 - Paris Lane
 * 1995 - Danewin
 * 1996 - All Our Mob
 * 1997 - Ebony Grosve
 * 1998 - Champagne
 * 1999 - Rogan Josh

[[File:Poseidon 1906 VRC Melbourne Cup Owner Sir Hugh Denison Randwick Trainer Isaac Earnshaw.jpg|thumb|260px|right|1907 winner – [[Poseidon (horse)|Poseidon]]

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Melbourne Stakes (1869–1936)

 * 1869 - Glencoe
 * 1870 - Tim Whiffler
 * 1871 - Warrior
 * 1872 - Contessa
 * 1873 - Dagworth
 * 1874 - Dagworth
 * 1875 - Kingsborough
 * 1876 - Rapid Bay
 * 1877 - Robinson Crusoe
 * 1878 - Chester
 * 1879 - First King
 * 1880 - Chester
 * 1881 - Wheatear
 * 1882 - Darebin
 * 1883 - Commotion
 * 1884 - Malua
 * 1885 - Trenton
 * 1886 - Isonomy
 * 1887 - Silver Mine
 * 1888 - The Australian Peer
 * 1889 - Abercorn
 * 1890 - Carbine
 * 1891 - Marvel
 * 1892 - Autonomy
 * 1893 - Loyalty
 * 1894 - Ruenalf
 * 1895 - Hova
 * 1896 - Disfigured
 * 1897 - Battalion
 * 1898 - Battalion
 * 1899 - Mora
 * 1900 - Lancaster
 * 1901 - Wakeful
 * 1902 - Wakeful
 * 1903 - Wakeful
 * 1904 - Gladsome
 * 1905 - Tartan
 * 1906 - Solution
 * 1907 - Poseidon
 * 1908 - Peru
 * 1909 - Alawa
 * 1910 - Son Of The Marsh
 * 1911 - Trafalgar
 * 1912 - Duke Foote
 * 1913 - Anna Carlovna
 * 1914 - St. Carwyne
 * 1915 - Traquette
 * 1916 - Lavendo
 * 1917 - Cetigne
 * 1918 - Magpie
 * 1919 - Cetigne
 * 1920 - Eurythmic
 * 1921 - Eurythmic
 * 1922 - Harvest King
 * 1923 - Rivoli
 * 1924 - Gloaming
 * 1925 - Pilliewinkie
 * 1926 - Manfred
 * 1927 - Silvius
 * 1928 - Gothic
 * 1929 - High Syce
 * 1930 - Phar Lap
 * 1931 - Phar Lap
 * 1932 - Peter Pan
 * 1933 - Rogilla
 * 1934 - Peter Pan
 * 1935 - Sylvandale
 * 1936 - Gay Blonde

* The 1932 race was a dead-heat and has joint winners.