The Kingston Town Classic in early December is the final Group One race of the calendar year. Run over 1,800 metres at Ascot racecourse, it is also the highlight of the final day of the Perth summer carnival.

As well as being a great race in its own right, the Kingston Town Classic forms the second part of the highly coveted Railway Stakes/Kingston Town double. The Railway Stakes is run a fortnight earlier over a mile and handicap conditions. Therefore, in order to claim the double, horses must not only step up in distance, but step up to WFA conditions.

Only four horses have completed the double since the Kingston Town Classic's inception in 1976. They were Better Loosen Up, Old Comrade, Modem and Sniper's Bullet. 

Despite being introduced in 1976, the race wasn't given its current moniker until 2007. It is named after Australian racing hall-of-famer Kingston Town, who won this race in 1982, which was the same year the King won his third consecutive Cox Plate.

With the infamous uphill home straight of Ascot to contend with, the 1,800 metres probably feels closer to a mile and a quarter for all the competing horses. And with most horses lumping 59 kilos, it really becomes a test of stamina in the final furlong. 

A Group One race with a million dollars in prize money up for grabs, the Kingston Town Classic is a highly desirable race to win for local horses and interstate raiders alike. It is a fitting race to conclude the Group One racing for another year.