The Mackinnon Stakes
The Mackinnon Stakes is run on Victoria Derby Day and is part of the Melbourne Spring Carnival. Many Melbourne Cup trainers have used the Mackinnon stakes as a warm up for the Melbourne Cup the following Tuesday, especially if they are high ranking enough to avoid the ballot.
The Mackinnon Stakes is the second highest richest race on the Victoria Derby racecard with over three quarters of a million Australian dollars on offer in prize-money. It's also one of four Group 1 races on the card.
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There are three Mackinnon Stakes runners going to post for the 2009 renewal with an entry into the Melbourne Cup three days later, with a smattering of other runners trying to get into the race with a top three finish.
Viewed is the market leader for the Melbourne Cup with Master O'Reilly and Zipping also with an entry in the big race. European raider Cima De Tripmphe is unlikely to get a run in the Melbourne Cup but a win in the Mackinnon will at least ask the question of the trainer and owners.
2009 Mackinnon Stakes Result
| Horse/SP | Draw | Age | Weight | Jockey | Trainer | |
| 1st | Scenic Shot 15/2 | 8 | 7 | 9-4 | S Scriven | D Morton |
| 2nd | Miss Maren 30/1 | 2 | 5 | 9-0 | C Newitt | M Price |
| 3rd | Viewed 7/1 | 9 | 6 | 9-4 | B Rawiller | B Cummings |
There was drama even before the off in the 2009 Mackinnon Stakes as Melbourne Cup hopeful Zipping was caught underneath the stalls. Some excellent work from the barrier stall handlers meant that the horse escaped uninjured but took no part in the race. The vets later decided that Zipping should also not run in the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday so bad news all round for trainer John Sadler.
The race itself went to Scenic Shot who took it on at the turn from a fading Cima De Triomphe. Miss Maren ran a big race in second whilst Melbourne Cup hopefuls Viewed and Master O'Reilly stayed on strong at the end to finish third and fifth respectively. Both have recieved support in the betting since the Melbourne Cup entry was made.
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2009 Mackinnon Stakes Card
| No. | Form | Horse (draw) | Weight | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1 | 4071 | Viewed (9) | 59.0 | B Rawiller | B Cummings |
| 2 | 4190 | Racing To Win (6) | 59.0 | H Bowman | J O'Shea |
| 3 | 3746 | Master O'Reilly (13) | 59.0 | V Duric | D O'Brien |
| 4 | 083 | Zipping (5) | 59.0 | S Arnold | J Sadler |
| 5 | 6035 | Scenic Shot (8) | 59.0 | S Scriven | D Morton |
| 6 | 2856 | Sir Slick (1) | 59.0 | M Payne | G Nicholson |
| 7 | 0778 | Newport (11) | 59.0 | P Wells | P Perry |
| 8 | 61440 | Cima De Triomphe (10) | 59.0 | D Oliver | L Cumani |
| 9 | 1 | Mandela (12) | 59.0 | M Zahra | R Yuill |
| 10 | 31603 | Vigor (7) | 59.0 | D Nikolic | D O'Brien |
| 11 | 3211221 | Rangirangdoo (4) | 59.0 | C Brown | C Waller |
| 12 | 2155 | Drumbeats (3) | 58.0 | K McEvoy | P Snowden |
| 13 | 1983 | Miss Maren (2) | 57.0 | C Newitt | M Price |
Runners highlighted hold entries into the Melbourne Cup. This race will be screened live on ATR.
Betting Forecast - Rangirangdoo 5/2, Zipping 5/1, Viewed 6/1, Vigor 7/1, Scenic Shot 8/1, Cima De Triomphe 12/1, Drumbeats 12/1, Master O'Reilly 12/1, BAR 16/1 - Have a bet on the Mackinnon Stakes with Centrebet.
In terms of Melbourne Cup trends this race usued to be used a lot more as preparation for the Melbourne Cup three days later but it's ten years since Rogan Josh managed to win both.
Mackinnon Stakes Winners Melbourne Cup Form
Here is a list of winners from the Mackinnon Stakes over the last ten years and what they went on to achieve in the Melbourne Cup.
| Year | Mackinnon Stakes Winners | Melbourne Cup Form |
| 2008 | Theseo | DNR |
| 2007 | Sirmione | 12/1 finished 12th |
| 2006 | Desert War | DNR |
| 2005 | Lad of the Manor | DNR |
| 2004 | Grand Armee | DNR |
| 2003 | Casual Pass | DNR |
| 2002 | Lonhro | DNR |
| 2001 | La Bella Dama | DNR |
| 2000 | Oliver Twist | DNR |
| 1999 | Rogan Josh | 5/1 finished 1st |
Because the Mackinnon Stakes and Melbourne Cup are so close together the winner of the Mackinnon Stakes can quite often find themselves on a good weight for the big race, but as you can see from the table above, less and less winners go on to race in the Melbourne Cup the same year.
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