Top 5 Kennedy Champions Mile Winners

The Kennedy Champions Mile (1600m) is the feature mile race at the Melbourne spring carnival and has been won by some champion gallopers over the years. See who made our list of top 5 Kennedy Champions Mile winners since 2000.

In modern times, the feature race has been taken out by some outstanding gallopers.

Top 5 Kennedy Cantala winners.

1. DIVINE MADONNA (2006)

Divine Madonna captivated crowds in 2006/2007 with some barnstorming wins, often coming from the back of the field, reeling off some sizzling late sectionals to score. She burst on to the scene in 2006 and won the Kennedy Champions Mile when it was then known as the Emirates Stakes. In 2007 she won three more Group 1 races and they were the Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) against the mares, as well as the Toorak Handicap (1600m) and the Empire Rose Stakes (1600m).

2. TESTA ROSSA (2000)

Well remembered for his rivalry with Redoute’s Choice, Testa Rossa was a Group 1 winner at the ages of two, three and four and he won the Kennedy Cantala with top weight of 59kg in 2000, edging out Camarena. While he missed out behind Redoute’s Choice in the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in 1999, he picked up the VRC Sires Produce (1400m) when it was Group 1 race, as well as the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) that year.

3. BOBAN (2013)

Boban was a topliner and the stable star for Chris Waller just prior to the days of Winx. He won the Kennedy Cantala in 2013, one of five Group 1 wins that also included the Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) and Epsom Handicap (1600m). He won 11 of his 37 starts and yielded more than $2.8 million in prize money for connections.

4. HAPPY TRAILS (2012)

The popular Happy Trails was a bit of a warhouse on the Australian racing scene, starting 65 times from his debut in 2010 until his last start in the 2016 Champions Stakes (2000m). He won seven of his 65 races but three of those were at Group 1 level, while he was narrowly beaten by Shamus Award in the 2013 Cox Plate (2040m).

5. LE ROMAIN (2016)

Le Romain was the 2016 winner of the Kennedy Cantala, capturing the Group 1 as a four-year-old. At three, he caused a big upset by taking out the Randwick Guineas (1600m) ahead of Press Statement, while he also defeated another big name in the Canterbury Stakes (1300m) the next autumn, holding off Chautauqua. He was placed behind Winx in the George Ryder Stakes (1500m) in 2017 and at the time of writing, he is still in action and all set for a 2020 spring campaign.

FREE FLEMINGTON BETTING TIPS

Follow the link to find our free Flemington tips for cup day and best bets for each and every meeting. Our Flemington tipster previews each meeting and highlights a Best Bet, Next Best & Best Value.