Latest News

A stellar field of sprinters and two important races on the pathway to the iconic Longines Golden Slipper come together this Saturday as Expressway Stakes Day heads to Royal Randwick.

The Group 2 $200,000 TAB Expressway Stakes features one of Australia’s best mares in Alizee, reigning Longines Golden Slipper winner Kiamichi, inaugural Iron Jack Golden Eagle champion and Epsom winner Kolding, and two star three-year-olds in Kubrick and Standout.

Saturday’s meeting – transferred from Rosehill Gardens as a safeguard against expected high temperatures – also begins seven consecutive weeks of key two-year-old races ahead of the world’s richest race for two-year-olds at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday 21 March.

Alizee ($2.20 on TAB fixed odds) for the James Cummings Godolphin team and jockey Hugh Bowman is a warm favourite in the TAB Expressway Stakes as she aims to be only the second horse in more than 50 years to win the race back-to-back.

Sydney’s champion trainer Chris Waller and jockey Glen Boss team up again with Kolding ($4.20), a winner of seven of his past eight starts including his most recent victory in the $7.5 million Iron Jack Golden Eagle.

Crack three-year-old Standout for trainer Gerald Ryan and jockey Tommy Berry is on the third line of TAB betting at $5.50.

The Group 3 $160,000 Iron Jack Canonbury Stakes for colts and geldings and Group 3 $160,000 Widden Stakes for fillies features two select fields of two-year-olds.

Global Quest – a Breeders' Plate winner at Royal Randwick on debut – returns in the Iron Jack Canonbury Stakes as a $2.30 favourite for Chris Waller and Hugh Bowman, ahead of the highly promising Prague ($4) for the powerful Maher and Eustace stable, to be ridden by in-form jockey Tom Marquand.

In the Widden Stakes, Magic Millions winner Away Game for the Maher/Eustace/Marquand combination is a $2.25 favourite as she aims to boost her qualifying prizemoney for the Longines Golden Slipper.

Philizzy ($3.30) for trainer Anthony Cummings and jockey Christian Reith, Chris Waller stablemates Centimental ($4.80) and September Run ($8.50) and Godolphin’s In Flanders ($10) are also looking to move up the Order of Entry for the Longines Golden Slipper.

Order Of Entry for the Group 1 $3.5 million Longines Golden Slipper

Australian Turf Club Executive General Manager Racing Services, James Heddo, said Saturday was an early taste of world-class racing in Sydney over the coming months.

“We are still several weeks from the official start of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival but some of the stars are on show already this Saturday,” Mr Heddo said.

“Each week will also see the Longines Golden Slipper field and TAB market continue to take shape for what this year already looks to be one of the most highly promising crops of two-year-olds for many years.”

The Royal Randwick track was rated a Good 4 on Thursday morning, with a track report recorded this morning with Racecourse Manager, Michael Wood, available here:

Royal Randwick and all ATC racecourses provide free public parking and free high capacity WiFi. Light rail services run regularly to and from Central to Royal Randwick station directly opposite the main gates in Alison Road.

Tickets and hospitality for all upcoming meetings including Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival are now on sale online. For all ticketing, racing and general information go to theraces.com.au