
Kennedy Cantala Tips, Best Bets, Field & Odds
The Group 1 Kennedy Cantala (1600m) will be held at Flemington on Saturday, October 30 and Bettingpro.com.au provides you with a comprehensive guide to the race.
The Group 1 Kennedy Cantala (1600m) will be held at Flemington on Saturday, October 30 and Bettingpro.com.au provides you with a comprehensive guide to the race.
Date | Saturday, November 2, 2019 |
Track | Flemington Racecourse |
Distance | 1600m |
Class | Group 1 |
Race Type | Handicap |
Prizemoney | $2 million |
Age | 3YO and Upwards |
Our experts will have their pre-race predictions and Kennedy Cantala betting selections available for the Group 1 race.
Some key Kennedy Cantala pointers are:
Australia’s leading bookmakers offer you the chance to watch the Kennedy Cantala (and all other races from Victorian tracks) free of charge. You can watch all Flemington races including the Kennedy Cantala streamed live online at:
Become a member of any of the bookmakers and enjoy the coverage free. To find out how to stream the Kennedy Cantala live, click on the dedicated link.
Bookmakers Ladbrokes, BetEasy, Sportsbet and Neds are the best places to bet on the Kennedy Cantala and all Flemington races. They offer some of the best odds and promotions on the big race and also stream the race live online. Or take advantage of the top 5 bookmakers below.
The Group 1 Kennedy Cantala (1600m) was formerly known as the Emirates Stakes and is now a feature of the opening Saturday of the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington Racecourse.
The race is a handicap race is held on the Saturday before Australia’s most iconic race, the Melbourne Cup, after a switch in schedule with the Mackinnon Stakes, which is now known as the Emirates Stakes!
The race was first known as the Cantala Stakes until in 1961 it was renamed the George Adams Handicap and held that name until 1988.
The prestigious 1600m event endured four more sponsored name changes until in 1998 when it became the Emirates Stakes. However, for 2016 it was renamed again and is now known as the Kennedy Cantala .
Since its inception, only two horses have managed to go back-to-back, with Aquanita (1960-61) and Seascay (1994-95) achieving the rare feat.
Amounis managed to win the race twice (1926 and 1929) and so did Heroic Stone (1965 and 1967), but not in consecutive years.
The race has been won by some outstanding gallopers with Matrice (1956), Wenona Girl (1963), Vain (1969), Gunsynd (1971), Taj Rossi (1973), Family of Man (1978), Better Loosen Up (1989) and Testa Rossa (2000) being the most famous.
The Kennedy Cantala is generally a good pointer for the following year’s Group 1 races with many winners going on to be successful in the following season.
2000 | Testa Rossa |
2001 | Desert Eagle |
2002 | Scenic Peak |
2003 | Titanic Jack |
2004 | Sky Cuddle |
2005 | Valedictum |
2006 | Divine Madonna |
2007 | Tears I Cry |
2008 | All Silent |
2009 | All American |
2010 | Wall Street |
2011 | Albert The Fat |
2012 | Happy Trails |
2013 | Boban |
2014 | Hucklebuck |
2015 | Turn Me Loose |
2016 | Le Romain |
2017 | Shillelagh |
2018 | Best Of Days |
2019 | Fierce Impact |
Flemington is a spacious track with one of the longest straights in Australia at 450m which gives all horses an equal chance with luck in running.
Flemington also has a 1200 metre straight track for racing which is commonly referred to as “The Straight Six” course.
The run to first turn in the Melbourne Cup is 888m, ensuring that no horse has their chances hampered during the opening half-a-mile.
Steeped in tradition and home of Australia’s most iconic race, the Melbourne Cup, Flemington is arguably Australia’s most famous racecourse.
Crowds in excess of 100,000 people are a common occurrence during Flemington’s biggest race days where the Victorian Racing Club provides an entertaining environment for all.
The racecourse was first built in the 1850s and made its way onto the National Heritage List in 2006.
Flemington was originally named the Melbourne Racecourse on Crown Land after the Governor of New South Wales in 1848 formally declared 352 acres as a public racecourse and set up a six-member trust to oversee the racecourse.
The Victoria Racing Club Act passed by the government in 1871, made the club the trustees of the racecourse.
The Gold Rush era brought great wealth to Melbourne and Flemington soon grew in popularity, attracting vibrant crowds by the thousands.
Races were initially run in autumn, however, in 1854 the Victoria Turf Club decided to hold spring meetings due to favourable weather conditions – this eventually led to the hosting of the Melbourne Cup.