Ajax Stakes 2024

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.

2022 Ajax Stakes winner Just Folk. Photo: Steve Hart.

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 $300,000 in prize money including $170,000 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 16, 2024 as part of Rosehill’s Coolmore Classic Day and was won in a devastatingly close finish by Chris Waller’s improver Democracy Manifest ($6).

2024 Ajax Stakes Results

The full Ajax Stakes Results & Finishing Order 2024 will be available below when the race is run and won on Saturday March 16, 2024.

2024 Ajax Stakes winner Democracy Manifest narrowly took out the final Group race on Coolmore Classic Day. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 1st: #5 Democracy Manifest
• 2nd: #14 Territory Express
• 3rd: #2 Detonator Jack

Chris Waller’s improving Flying Artie five-year-old Democracy Manifest ($6) charged home late down the outside to hold off a final stride lunge by Territory Express to salute in a thrilling Ajax Stakes 2024 result at Rosehill.

2024 Ajax Stakes Odds

The updated Ajax Stakes 2024 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 Race Info

• Date: Saturday March 16, 2024
• Track: Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
• Distance: 1500m
• Conditions: Quality Handicap
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1974

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 Verry Elleegant Stakes (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 winners were Brilliant Light ($14 in 2011) followed by Cepheus ($15 in 2023).

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 race 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 Verry Elleegant Stakes (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.

2024 Ajax Stakes Field

The official Ajax Stakes 2024 field of potential Doncaster Mile horses will be released by Racing NSW and will be published right here so stay tuned.

The Bjorn Baker-trained four-year-old Amor Victorious coming off back-to-back Randwick wins heads betting on the final 2024 Ajax Stakes field in Sydney this weekend.

2024 Ajax Stakes Nominations

The official Ajax Stakes 2024 nominations are taken on the Monday leading-up to Coolmore Classic Day and the full list of early entries will be available below.

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.

2024 Ajax Stakes Tips 

Our insider 2024 Ajax Stakes betting tip will be published below following final acceptances on the Doncaster lead-up.

• To Win: #6 Just Folk ($41 at time of publish) – BET NOW 

Going for an absolute blow-out fresh in the Ajax with a far from vintage edition of the Group 2 and have Just Folk in the mix at 40/1. This Cranbourne-based seven-year-old returns first-up as an outsider despite his good spring – summer form last time in. Great record at the Ajax distance (3:2-0-0) and has won his only other Rosehill assignment. Hasn’t been in Sydney for some time, but was good in Victoria last prep with performances including a Cranbourne Cup third over the mile, Group 3 Eclipse Stakes victory, and last start Ballarat Cup third on a mud track with 59kg. Can surprise here at a big price.

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.

Democracy Manifest (6th in 2024) was the last Ajax Stakes winner to come via a lead-up run in the Liverpool City Cup.

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 Rosehill Gold Cup.

The 2022 Ajax Stakes form was franked with the runner-up Ellsberg winning a trio of big races that spring including the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) and the $2 million The Five Diamonds (1800m).

The Ajax 2023 form held up that spring with the winner Cepheus taking out both the Group 2 Shannon Stakes and $1.5 million Alan Brown before a Melbourne Cup Day second in Sydney’s The Big Dance race.

2023 Ajax Stakes winner Cepheus enjoyed a Group 2 upset at 14/1 in the Coolmore Classic Day support act. Photo: Steve Hart.

2024 Ajax Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Ajax Stakes 2024 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Ajax Stakes Results

Single figure hopes have dominated the Ajax Stakes race 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).

Sea Pictures (1986) was the last Ajax Stakes winning mare.

Niagara (2012) was the last three-year-old Ajax Stakes winner.

Recent Ajax Stakes Winners

Past Ajax Stakes winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.