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Nothing rarely stays the same in racing, so it’s heartening for those who take solace in its traditions to see a time-honoured race revert to its original title at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

For the first time since 2004, the John F. Feehan Stakes – first run in 1949 and named after the original land owner of the Moonee Valley racecourse site – will be run under its registered name.

Since 2005 the Group 2 event, an important preliminary to Moonee Valley's flagship WS Cox Plate in October, has been named the Dato' Tan Chin Nam Stakes as part of a sponsorship agreement with Think Big Stud.

No exception was taken to the naming of the race in honour of the late Malaysian entrepreneur due to his great contribution to Australian racing and breeding and his close connections to Moonee Valley as a three-time winning Cox Plate owner.

Dato Tan Chin Nam owned Think Big Stud in the southern highlands of NSW and had a lasting impact on the Cox Plate as the owner of the champions Saintly, the 1996 winner, and So You Think, a dual winner in 2009 and 2010.

Moonee Valley Race Club chief executive Michael Browell said the club was looking forward to an on-going association with Think Big Stud.

"We would like to thank Think Big Stud for their contribution to the Feehan Stakes over the past 14 years and look forward to working with them closely on other projects moving forward," Browell said.

"The MVRC will certainly be looking at new ways to honour John F. Feehan as the original landowner of where the racecourse precinct sits today."

The Feehan Stakes attained Group 2 status after the Colin Hayes-trained So Called won the 1600m event in 1978 before going on to win the WS Cox Plate that year.

Another eight horses have completed the double in the same year, most recently El Segundo in 2007.

It's a statistic that all but demands that the Feehan Stakes is worthy of Group 1 status, far more than some fillies and mares races that have been elevated purely to satisfy the demands of thoroughbred breeders.

"The Feehan Stakes has traditionally provided a great platform to the Cox Plate and with a quality field this year looking likely I would expect the winner to add an interesting element to what is shaping as a legendary 2019 Ladbrokes Cox Plate," said Browell.

"Being a ballot exempt race adds further intrigue to the Feehan Stakes and it also forms part of the Ladbrokes Cox Plate Boost series, meaning the winner will be racing for an additional $1 million bonus and therefore a $4 million first prize cheque if ultimately successful in the Cox Plate".

There are 15 Cox Plate entries among the 19 nominations for Saturday's Feehan Stakes.