The Futurity Stakes is a $500 000 Group 1 weight for age race open to all horses. It is run at Caulfield over 1400m every February.
It was first run in 1898, when it was won by Resolute. Since then, it has accumulated an honour roll as good as any race on the Australian calendar. Some of the notable winners have included Gladsome (1905, 1906), Comedy King (1910), Eurythmic (1922), Gothic (1928), Amounis (1930), Phar Lap (1931), Ajax (1938, 1939, 1940), Bernborough (1946), Lord (1959), Todman (1960), Sky High (1961), Aquanita (1962), Wenona Girl (1963), Gunsynd (1972), Idolou (1973, 1974), Manikato (1979, 1970, 1981, 1983), Rubiton (1987), Vo Rogue (1988), Zeditave (1989), Mannerism (1992), Schillaci (1993, 1995), Testa Rossa (2000), Fields of Omagh (2006), Niconero (2008, 2009) and Typhoon Tracy (2010).
In 2011, More Joyous proved too strong for Whobegotyou and Dao Dao, while 2012 saw King Mufhasa defeat Pinker Pinker and Adamantium.
The race, which had consistently been run over 1400m for over a century, was extended to 1600m in 2006 in order to join a new race series, the Asian Mile Challenge. The hope was to encourage international participation in Melbourne’s autumn. However, there was no interest, and so the distance reverted to 1400m in 2011. It remains a part of the Asian Mile Challenge.
Horses that come into the Futurity Stakes tend to come through the Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) two weeks before. There are other formlines, like the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) in Sydney, the Group 1 Waikato Draught Sprint (1400m) in New Zealand and a number of 1200m races around Melbourne, but the Orr Stakes is logically linked with the Futurity Stakes. Both are run under the same conditions over the same course and distance.
From here, horses can head up to Sydney to tackle races like the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) and Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m), they can step quickly up in distance to the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) two weeks later, or they can step back in distance for the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) or the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m).