JJ ATKINS News Stories

The J. J. Atkins is one of the three Group Ones races held on Stradbroke Day, the highlight meet of the Brisbane Winter Carnival.

The race itself is for two-year-olds, with some of the boom colts and fillies from around the country contesting what is always a quality race. 

The race has long been considered the feature event for two-year-olds during the Winter Carnival. It was first run back in 1893 as the Claret Stakes, and despite a plethora of name and distance changes since then, remains a genuine highlight for the fillies and colts.

The current race name honours legendary Queensland horse trainer Jim Atkins. Atkins won the Brisbane trainers' premiership on no less than four occasions.

The J.J. Atkins has also seen some high-quality horses salute over the years. While the likes of Luskin Star, Mahogany and Freemason would all lay their claim to be the best horse ever to win the J. J. Atkins, The Autumn Sun might have something to say about that. He got the win in the 2018 edition.

While the colts have to carry an extra 2kg under the weight conditions, they have still dominated this race in recent times. Indeed, only four fillies have triumphed in the last quarter of a century.

The J. J. Atkins has also been a race for the favourites and short-priced horses of late. Since 2010, just one horse has triumphed in double-figure odds. That was Capital Gain, who produced a minor boilover in 2017.