Ajax Stakes 2022

Ladbrokes Tip: The Ajax Stakes is a good lead-up to the Group 1 The Championship races in April

The Ajax Stakes is a Group 2 support race on Coolmore Classic Day held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in early March during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

The feature on the card is the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) for the fillies and mares, which is supported by two Group 2 events.

One of those is the Ajax Stakes run over 1500m under quality handicap conditions for horses aged three-years-old and above.

The race is named in honour of Australian Hall of Fame racehorse and 1938 Cox Plate champion Ajax who won 18 straight races during his career of 43 starts that produced a total of 36 victories.

The Ajax Stakes offers a total of $200,000 in prize money including $110,000 to the winner.

The Ajax Stakes winner is exempt from ballot for the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) held on Day 1 of Royal Randwick’s The Championships in April and the latest horses to complete the Ajax Stakes – Doncaster double were Grand Armee (2003) and It’s Somewhat (2017).

The latest edition of the Ajax Stakes took place on Saturday March 12, 2022 and saw the Josh Julius-trained Just Folk ($6.50) win his way into the Doncaster Mile 2022 field. 

Ajax Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday March 12, 2022
• Track: Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
• Distance: 1500m
• Conditions: Quality Handicap
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $200,000
• First Run: 1974

2022 Ajax Stakes Results

The full Ajax Stakes Results & Finishing Order 2022 will be available below when the race is run and won on Saturday March 12, 2022.

• 1st: #3 Just Folk ($6.50)
• 2nd: #1 Ellsberg
• 3rd: #5 Kiku

Just Folk ($6.50) won his way into the $3 million Doncaster Mile field on April 2 with an upset win over the beaten odds-on favourite Ellsberg in the 2022 Ajax Stakes results on Coolmore Classic Day.

Ajax Stakes Betting

Ajax Stakes odds are traditionally led by horses with proven form over 1500m – 1600m coming off nice lead-up runs.

Runners dropping back in class off a strong Group 1 run in a race like the Chipping Norton Stakes usually feature prominently in Ajax Stakes betting as do last start winners.

Messene (2014) was the last Ajax Stakes winner to come off a lead-up victory having taken out a black-type over 1400m in Canberra until 2019 when Fifty Stars won on the back of a Group 2 Blamey Stakes win at Flemington.

Single figure hopes have a good record in the race and the last double figure Ajax Stakes winner was Brilliant Light ($14 in 2011).

2022 Ajax Stakes Odds

The updated Ajax Stakes 2022 betting odds on the Group 2 Coolmore Classic Day race will be available below the week of the race so bookmark this page for access to the best autumn racing markets.

Ajax Stakes Field

It’s Somewhat returned to do the Ajax Stakes – Doncaster Mile double in 2017. Photo Credit: Steve Hart.

A field of middle distance gallopers looking to step out over a mile face off in the Ajax Stakes each autumn.

Horses come into the Ajax Stakes field via a variety of different lead-up races including the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick a month earlier and the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) in late February. The Apollo Stakes last produced an Ajax Stakes winner with Comin’ Through (3rd in 2018).

Following a run in the Ajax Stakes many gallopers may back-up at the same track / distance a fortnight later in the Group 3 Doncaster Prelude (1500m). Brilliant Light (2010) was the last to complete the Ajax Stakes – Doncaster Prelude double.

Ajax Stakes nominations close on the Monday before the race followed by the release of the final field and barrier draw on the Wednesday.

2022 Ajax Stakes Field

The official Ajax Stakes 2022 field of potential Doncaster Mile horses will be released by Racing NSW and will be published right here so stay tuned.

First-up Liverpool City Cup winner in the wet last time out, Ellsberg, dominates betting on the small eight-horse Ajax Stakes 2022 final field in Sydney this weekend.

• Scratched: #4 Atishu (7)

2022 Ajax Stakes Nominations

The official Ajax Stakes 2022 nominations are taken on the Monday leading-up to Coolmore Classic Day and the full list of early entries will be available below.

First-up Group 3 Liverpool City Cup winner Ellsberg is the headline entry in the 2022 Ajax Stakes nominations for this weekend at Rosehill.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Ajax Stakes Tips

Looking for gallopers coming off a top two black-type run last start and for those with good Sydney form are top Ajax Stakes tips.

Favourites have a good record in the race so sticking with the runners under $10 in betting is also a good Ajax Stakes tip. Another Ajax Stakes betting tip is to check the top runners in the markets for the following month’s Doncaster Mile over 1600m.

2022 Ajax Stakes Tips 

Our insider 2022 Ajax Stakes betting tip will be published below following final acceptances on the Doncaster lead-up.

• To Win: #1 Ellsberg ($1.95 at time of publish)

Impossible to bet against the odds-on favourite here who was very good in the mud first-up winning the Group 3 Liverpool City Cup. Goes up to 59kg here so the weight is the only query, but there’s just seven rivals (at time of publish) and he’ll be fitter second-up getting out over further. Ace record at the track (6:3-2-0), distance suits and his wet track form is outstanding. Hard to beat.

Ajax Stakes Form Guide

The lead-up form into the Ajax Stakes varies and it is hard to pinpoint the best to follow into the race.

Sydney runs dominate however and the Group 3 Liverpool City Cup (1300m) has produced a number of recent winners including Pureness (2011) who ran second in the Group 3 before a win in the Group 2 next start.

The Ajax Stakes form has stacked up in other autumn Group 1 races over the years including the Doncaster Mile (1600m) held the following month. In 2014 Weary ran second in the Ajax Stakes and went on to place third to Sacred Falls in the Doncaster Mile two starts later. More recently, back-to-back Ajax Stakes winner It’s Somewhat backed-up from his second in 2017 to take out the Doncaster Mile that autumn.

In 2021 the Ajax Stakes runner-up Think It Over franked the form winning the Group 1 George Ryder next-up before a Queen Elizabeth Stakes fourth. He also won a host of good races in the spring including the $750,000 Rosehill Gold Cup.

2022 Ajax Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Ajax Stakes 2022 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Ajax Stakes Results

Single figure hopes have dominated the Ajax Stakes results in recent years and favourites have a credible record. Notable recent Ajax Stakes winners include It’s Somewhat (2016-17), Messene (2014), All Silent (2008) and Grand Armee (2003).

Ajax Stakes Winners