The George Main Stakes is a Gr 1 Australian weight-for-age horserace contested over 1600m in late September each year at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse. The race boasts a purse of AUD$400,000, and is widely accepted to be the most important weight-for-age race in the annual Sydney spring racing carnival.

Inaugurated in 1945, the George Main Stakes was named after George Main, who at one time was the respected chairman of the Australian Jockey Club, and famous for breeding racehorses and running sheep. Since its inception, the George Main Stakes has been a popular event and always draws plenty spectators.

One of the biggest reasons that racehorse trainers from Sydney and further afield are attracted to the George Main Stakes, is that each year the winner is exempt from a ballot for the Epsom Handicap. So a victory guarantees them an automatic berth in the Epsom, one of the nation's most prestigious races.

Being that the George Main Stakes is contested over 1600m (1 mile), it is a race that attracts many of Australia's top 'milers', which is why its list of winners reads like a who's who of thoroughbreds. Notable winners include Shannon (1946,1947), Baguette (1971), Kingston Town (1981, 1982) and Shogun Lodge (1999).

The winner of the 2004 George Main Stakes, Grand Armee, went on to win a multitude of Gr 1 and Gr 2 races, including the 2004 and 2005 AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the 2004 VRC LKS MacKinnon Stakes, the 2005 AJC Chipping Norton Stakes and many more.

George Main Stakes - Past Winners

2004 Gran Armee
2005 Mr Celebrity
2006 Racing to Win
2007 Race cancelled due to Equine flu
2008 Mentality

George Main Stakes - Betting

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