Apollo Stakes 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: The Apollo Stakes is a good lead-up to the Group 1 Verry Elleegant Stakes (Chipping Norton Stakes) each autumn.

The Apollo Stakes is a top Group 2 race held at Royal Randwick Racecourse on a Saturday in mid-February each year during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

2022 Apollo Stakes winner Think It Over. Photo: Steve Hart.

Run under weight-for-age conditions over 1400m and open to horses aged three-years-old and over, the Apollo Stakes is the headline event on the Sydney race card for the meeting and is supported by the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) and the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) for fillies.

The Group 3 Triscay Stakes (1200m) for the older mares also runs on Apollo Stakes Day.

The Apollo Stakes offers a total of $300,000 in prize money including $170,000 for the winning connections.

The Apollo Stakes is also a nice lead-up race for horses heading towards the Group 1 Verry Elleegant Stakes (formerly the Chipping Norton Stakes) over the mile back at the track a fortnight later, a double recently completed by Contributer (2015) and Winx (2016, 2017 & 2019).

Anamoe (2023) was the last horse to win the Apollo Stakes – Chipping Norton Stakes double before the Chipping Norton was renamed the Verry Elleegant Stakes in 2024.

In 2021 Verry Elleegant ran third in the Apollo before her Chipping Norton Stakes victory and went on to win a host more elite level races over the year including most famously the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on the first Tuesday of November.

Since retired, she is now the namesake of the Verry Elleegant Stakes (Chipping Norton Stakes).

In 2024 trainer Chris Waller celebrated his sixth Apollo Stakes victory with the previous year’s third placed mare, Fangirl, flying home for a big win for the punters.

The latest edition of the Apollo Stakes took place on Saturday February 17, 2024 at Randwick Racecourse and saw the well-backed favourite Fangirl ($2.10F) fly past her rivals fresh for a huge first-up performance from the $7.4 million earning mare.  

2024 Apollo Stakes Results

The Apollo Stakes 2024 Results & Finishing Order will be known on Saturday February 17, 2024 and published in full below.

Apollo Stakes 2024 winner Fangirl was enormous first-up saluting for the punters. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 1st: #8 Fangirl
• 2nd: #10 Militarize
• 3rd: #1 Think It Over

Fangirl ($2.10F) was huge taking her earnings up over $7.4 million with the King Charles III Stakes winning mare saluting for the punters first-up in a dominant Apollo Stakes 2024 victory for the race’s now six-time winning trainer Chris Waller.

2024 Apollo Stakes Odds

The latest Apollo Stakes odds for 2024 will be found below as soon as markets on the Group 2 autumn feature are released.

Apollo Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday February 17, 2024
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1400m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1977

Apollo Stakes Betting

Apollo Stakes odds are usually led by a previous Group 1 winner with top form the previous spring in either Melbourne or Sydney. At Randwick over the 1400m barrier draw isn’t the most important thing and wider-drawn runners can feature highly up the Apollo Stakes betting markets.

Proven weight-for-age performers and those with winning form over the distance are often popular bets. The conditions of the race favour the classier horses, but with many milers resuming those suited to the shorter distance can make a good value punt.

Winx ($1.10 in 2019) for her third Apollo Stakes victory followed by the returning Cox Plate champion from the spring Anamoe ($1.60 in 2023) and Waller’s sixth winner Fangirl ($2.10 in 2024) are the latest favourites to salute for the punters.

Apollo Stakes Field

The Apollo Stakes race field attracts a field of the season’s most promising weight-for-age runners that are looking to step out over more distance up to a mile over the autumn carnival. The field limit is 16 starters and many horses run first-up for the season in the Apollo Stakes.

Many top performers from the previous year’s Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival are included in the line-up each season and Group 1 winners often feature in the field.

Winx (2016, 2017, 2019) is the best Apollo Stakes winner in recent autumn racing history. Photo Credit: Steve Hart.

Previously, horses may have come via a run in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) run over 200m shorter at Rosehill a fortnight before. In 2024 however the Expressway Stakes was moved to the Apollo Stakes Day card.

Appearance (2014) was the last Expressway Stakes – Apollo Stakes double winner. She also went on to win the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at her next start.

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

2024 Apollo Stakes Field

The official Apollo Sakes field 2024 and barriers will be published here once it’s finalised on the Wednesday before the race.

The resuming Chris Waller-trained Fangirl is favourite to improve on her third in the race last year when kicking off her autumn in the Apollo Stakes 2024 final field in Sydney on Saturday.

2024 Apollo Stakes Nominations

The early Apollo Stakes 2024 nominations are taken on the Monday of race week and the full list of entries will be available below.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Apollo Stakes Tips

Apollo Stakes tips usually feature proven Group 1 horses and those running first-up off good trial form in Sydney.

Fangirl (2024) was the latest first-up Apollo Stakes winner.

Horses proven in weight-for-age company and those with a good record at the track / distance also make good Apollo Stakes tips. Both male and female gallopers have strong records in the race, so Apollo Stakes tipping doesn’t favour one or the other.

The Expressway Stakes has provided a good lead-up to the Apollo Stakes in recent years with both Appearance (2014) and Rain Affair (2012) completing the double, but now runs on the same day.

2024 Apollo Stakes Tips

Our exclusive Ladbrokes’ Apollo Stakes 2024 betting tips will be updated below the week of the race so stay tuned.

• To Win: #8 Fangirl ($2.35 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Top little edition of a race that always unearths a key autumn contender or two, and we’re happy to stick with the deserving Chris Waller-trained favourite Fangirl racing first-up. She was third to Anamoe last year and the now five-year-old daughter of Sebring has gone from strength to strength since. Group 1 Winx Stakes win at this track and trip fresh last August, and was huge in the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m) beating Mr Brightside by nearly three lengths in October. Noted first-up performer, right stable, right track, right race for her to kick things off with a win for the punters.

Apollo Stakes Form Guide

The Apollo Stakes form guide lists all of the important information punters need to consider before placing a bet including the jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up form of the runners.

Anamoe was excellent winning the 2023 Apollo Stakes first-up at short odds. Photo: Steve Hart.

Mares have an excellent recent record in the race over the past decade with Fangirl (2024), Colette (2021), Alizee (2020), Appearance (2014), Alma’s Fury (2013), Melito (2011), and Tuesday Joy (2009) all beating home the boys ahead along with the three Apollo Stakes wins by the world’s best mare Winx (2016-17, 2019).

First-up runners also have a good Apollo Stakes strike-rate so looking at those with good fresh form is important. Think It Over (2022) followed by Anamoe (2023) and Fangirl (2024) are the latest first-up Apollo Stakes winners.

The Apollo Stakes form guide traditionally holds well in the upcoming Group 1 autumn races including the Verry Elleegant Stakes (formerly Chipping Norton Stakes), Ranvet Stakes, and Tancred Stakes.

The 2022 Apollo Stakes winner Think It Over franked the form with a host of top four Group 1 runs including a second in Flemington’s Australian Cup and victory in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) in the wet over ‘The Championships’.

The Apollo Stakes form from 2023 proved huge with the winner Anamoe winning the Chipping Norton – George Ryder double at his next two starts before a third in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Fangirl meanwhile was third in the 2023 Apollo Stakes trifecta and went on to perform competitively in a host of races including her victories in the Group 1 Winx Stakes and Group 1 King Charles III Stakes in the spring that year.

Fangirl returned to win the Apollo Stakes in 2024 heading an all-Waller quinella with her big win fresh over stablemate Militarize.

2024 Apollo Stakes Form Guide

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

Apollo Stakes Results

Mares have dominated the Apollo Stakes results in the past 10 years.

The latest double-figure upsets were scored in 2013 when Alma’s Fury saluted at 40/1 odds and Colette at 13/1 in 2021.

Notable recent Apollo Stakes winners include Anamoe (2023), Think It Over (2022), Colette (2021), Alizee (2020), Winx (2016-17, 2019), Contributer (2015), Appearance (2014), Danleigh (2010), and Racing To Win (2008).

The filly Ha Ha (2002) was the last three-year-old Apollo Stakes winner.

Fangirl (2024) was the last Apollo Stakes winning mare.

Apollo Stakes Winners

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