Caulfield Stakes to be renamed in honour of Might And Power

Might And Power is one of the greatest horses to ever grace an Australian racecourse, and this year the Melbourne Racing Club is set to honour him during the Spring Carnival.

The MRC revealed to its members through an email that the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes will be renamed to the Might And Power Stakes.

The race will be run on October 9 – the same day as the Caulfield Guineas – to kickstart a three-day Group 1 racing extravaganza.

It means there is a major restructure to the Caulfield Cup Carnival, with the Group 1 Thousand Guineas now scheduled to be run on Wednesday, October 13 alongside the Coongy Cup. The Caulfield Cup on Saturday, October 16 will round out the action.

“Having the Thousand Guineas headline the day will reinvigorate proceedings on and off the track and we’re hopeful of seeing continued engagement and excitement with increased field sizes and attendance trackside,” said Jake Norton, MRC Executive Director of Racing and Operations.

The comment regarding increased fields appear to stem from the featured event on the middle day of the Caulfield Cup Carnival, as the Blue Sapphire Stakes only attracted three sprinters in 2020.

“It was only befitting we add Might And Power to the honour roll and immortalise the horse in the carnival’s future,” Norton added.

Might And Power was named the Australian Horse of the Year in 1998 and 1999, but he will long be known as the second-ever horse to win both the Cox Plate and the Caulfield Cup.

He won seven Group 1 races, but his 7.5-length victory in the Caulfield Stakes will go down as one of the most dominant top-flight wins of the era.

“Might And Power had a great affiliation with Caulfield. It’s a nice touch from the club to rename the [Caulfield] Stakes,” said Nick Moraitis, the great horse’s owner.

Might And Power passed away in April 2020 at 26 years of age.