The race is often used as a lead-up race by good horses preparing for the longer feature races such as the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup. Such horses typically compete against less glamorous, and usually fitter, sprinter-milers who have been trained specifically for this race. Speed and fitness seem to prevail over class about half the time, as can be seen in the list of recent winners.[1]
As the race comes early in the Spring, it will often indicate how well a horse has come back after its customary winter spell. There is sometimes just as much interest in the horses running on well from the back of the field, as there is in the actual winner. A good run by a staying horse in this race is often a good indicator of a successful Spring Carnival to come.[1]
The Memsie Stakes is a virtually identical race to the P B Lawrence Stakes, another 1,400 metre weight-for-age race run at Caulfield usually earlier in August except that this is the first Group 1 in the racing season in Victoria.[1]
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