MEMSIE STAKES

The Memsie Stakes is most likely named after an area just outside of Melbourne that, in turn, was named for a region in Scotland. Primarily, Memsie was an estate that covered some 35,000 acres and raised sheep. The original buildings still exist but the estate has been broken up over the years. There was also a gold mining lease in the region that existed for many years. The race named after the region was first run in 1899 and was a rather subdued affair. The first running was won by Veneda who caused something of an upset by beating the odds on favourite Kobold who was ahead at the furlong mark. The second year saw a dead heat and connections of the winning horses chose not to compete in a run-off which was a common practice at the time. Rather they agreed to split the prize. There was a second dead heat in 1936 when Charles Fox and Valiant Chief could not be separated by the Judge.

The original race was run over a mile, but it changed