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The mares have their chance at black type in the Belle Of The Turf Stakes run at Gosford on Friday week.

The 2019 Belle Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) at Gosford on Friday shapes as a very competitive race.

2019 Belle Of The Turf Stakes: Nominations

2019 BELLE OF THE TURF STAKES - RACE HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

The Belle Of The Turf Stakes is a Group 3 race for fillies and mares conducted by the Gosford Race Club at Gosford.

The Belle Of The Turf Stakes was first run in 1988 and was won by St Klaire. It wasn't held in 2007 due to the Equine Influenza outbreak and switched dates in 2012.

The Belle Of The Turf Stakes is run over 1600m under quality handicap conditions. Prior to 2014 it was a Listed race but is now a Group 3.

The Gosford Race Club moved all their feature races to be run on one day in January along with the Gosford Cup and Takeover Target Stakes but have split them up the last couple of years.

Skyerush won in 2011 and subsequently won two Emancipation Stakes and placed in a G1 Tatts Tiara.

The race is worth $160,000 in 2019.

Notable winners of the Belle Of The Turf Stakes include Happy Sailing (1990), Rubitoff (1999), Dandify (2001), Pekalan (2006), Skyerush (2011) and Pecans (Dec-2017).

The 2018 Belle Of The Turf Stakes was won by Sexy Eyes from Irithea and Zumbelina.