Arrowfield Sprint 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: In-form Chris Waller trained three-year-olds have a gun record in the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint.

Formerly known as the Royal Sovereign Stakes, the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint is a lucrative Group 2 feature race for three-year-old sprinters held at Royal Randwick Racecourse during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

2022 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint winner Mazu. Photo: Steve Hart.

It is a key support act on the Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day meeting on the second Saturday in April, which is also Day 2 of ‘The Championships’. Four Group 1 races headline the card with the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m), the Sydney Cup (3200m), the Australian Oaks (2400m), and the Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m).

The Arrowfield 3YO Sprint meanwhile is contested over 1200m, offers a juicy $1 million in total prize money and is run at set weights.

The 2020 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint race was worth a reduced $500,000 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Australian racing before being boosted back to a million in stakes for 2021.

Since the earlier increase in prize money the race has attracted the best three-year-old sprinters getting around during the carnival and many Group 1 winners have won the event including Japonisme (2016) who took out the previous year’s Coolmore Stud Stakes in Melbourne and the 2017 Blue Diamond Stakes winning filly Catchy (2018).

The latest edition of the $1 million Arrowfield 3YO Sprint ran on Saturday April 13, 2024 as part of ‘The Championships’ Day 2 in Sydney and was won first-up by Chris Waller’s returning Thousand Guineas winner Joliestar ($5). 

2024 Arrowfield Sprint Results

The Arrowfield 3YO Sprint 2024 Results & Finishing Order will be known on Saturday April 13, 2024 and updated right here so stay tuned.

Arrowfield Sprint 2024 winner Joliestar was good winning fresh in her first run since claiming the Thousand Guineas last November. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 1st: #11 Joliestar 
• 2nd: #9 Hedged
• 3rd: #3 Libertad

Trainer Chris Waller continued his good record in the 2024 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint results with his Thousand Guineas winning filly from the spring, Joliestar ($5), returning a first-up winner over the boys with a narrow but impressive victory at Randwick fresh.

2024 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint Odds

The updated Arrowfield 3YO Sprint 2024 odds will be available below as soon as markets on the lucrative autumn Group 2 race are open.

Arrowfield 3YO Sprint Race Info

• Date: Saturday April 13, 2024
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: 3YO – Set Weights
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $1,000,000
• First Run: 1979

Arrowfield Sprint Betting

Arrowfield 3YO Sprint betting odds are dominated by in-form three-year-old sprinters with proven ability over 1200m in Sydney and Melbourne.

Those youngsters that ran well in the previous November’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) over the distance in Melbourne often feature high up the Arrowfield markets.

Recently the 2021 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint winner Wild Ruler had run third in the previous spring’s Coolmore Stud Stakes, while in 2018 the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint winner Catchy improved on her unplaced Coolmore Stud Stakes (18th) run from the spring prior. The 2017 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint winner Derryn improved on a seventh in the Coolmore Stud Stakes the year before. In 2015-16 Japonisme completed the double while stablemate Counterattack ran third in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (2015) before his second in the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (2016).

The previous season another Chris Waller-trained three-year-old, Delectation, ran second in the 2014 Coolmore Stud Stakes before winning the 2015 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint. Group 1 performers then sit high up the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint odds as do those with winning form over the track / distance and those that come off tougher runs in Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.

Waller took out the 2024 Arrowfield Sprint with his filly Joliestar who claimed the race fresh in her first run since winning the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) in Melbourne the November prior.

Arrowfield 3YO Sprint Field

The Arrowfield 3YO Sprint race field attracts the autumn’s best short-distance performing three-year-olds. Many contested the biggest sprint races of the previous spring including Flemington’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) for the same age group held down the famous straight the November before.

The Coolmore Stud Stakes – Arrowfield 3YO Sprint double was achieved by Japonisme in 2015-2016 who came off a string of Melbourne Group 1 runs in the autumn as well.

If not top-level company, three-year-olds in the Arrowfield Sprint field may come off a lead-up run in races like the Listed Darby Munro Stakes (1200m) the previous month – that double last completed by Sidestep (2014), Derryn (2017) and Mazu (2022).

The fillies lining-up in the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint field may be on the quick back-up off a run in the previous Saturday’s Group 3 PJ Bell Stakes (1200m) held at the same track / distance on Day 1 of ‘The Championships’.

The Arrowfield 3YO Sprint nominations are released two months out from the race in February when Group 1 feature nominations for ‘The Championships’ races are taken by Racing NSW. The final field and barriers are released the week of the race, which is also when all-in Arrowfield 3YO Sprint betting closes and the Fixed Win odds are out.

Japonisme won the Coolmore Stud Stakes in the spring before coming back to take out the 2016 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint the next autumn. Photo Credit: Ultimate Racing Photos.

2024 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint Field

The Arrowfield 3YO Sprint 2024 field and barrier draw are set for release on Tuesday April 9, 2024 and will be available in full below.

The Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner from the spring, Ozzmosis, is favourite to atone for his dead last fresh in The Galaxy heading the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint 2024 final field at Randwick this weekend.

2024 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint Nominations

The 2024 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint nominations are now out featuring a bumper 160 hopeful three-year-olds including the spring’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winning colt Ozzmosis and Chris Waller’s Golden Slipper champion Shinzo.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2024 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint First Acceptances

The official Arrowfield 3YO Sprint 2024 First Acceptances will be posted below once taken a month out from the race, four weeks after the nominations close in early February.

Group 1 Newmarket Handicap winner Cylinder from the Godolphin stable heads the eighty first acceptances taken for the 2024 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint in Sydney this April.

Arrowfield 3YO Sprint Tips

Good Arrowfield 3YO Sprint betting tips include looking at Chris Waller-trained three-year-olds coming out of Group 1 races during the autumn in Melbourne.

Horses proven at Randwick and with a good 1200m strike-rate also make nice Arrowfield Sprint tips, as do the best performers out of the Listed Darby Munro Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens the month before.

Mazu (2022) was the last horse to complete the Darby Munro Stakes – Arrowfield Sprint double.

Favourites also have a solid strike-rate so taking the top fancy in Arrowfield Sprint betting can prove lucrative.

2024 Arrowfield Sprint Tips

The week of the race the Ladbrokes’ team of tipsters will detail our insider Arrowfield 3YO Sprint 2024 betting tips so stay tuned for the three-year-olds to back and sack in the Randwick sprint showdown this autumn.

• To Win: #11 Joliestar ($8 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Strong edition of the Arrowfield, but going for a touch of value in a returning runner who gives the fitness edge away but was going great guns last time in. This Chris Waller-trained Zoustar filly has a good first-up record (2:1-1-0) and was last seen in Melbourne winning the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) during the spring. Has run well in Sydney before and comes off two local trials showing promise of a good return. Good gate and has claims at a nice price.

Arrowfield 3YO Sprint Form Guide

The Arrowfield 3YO Sprint form guide features crucial information for punters like the saddlecloth numbers, jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up form of the horses in the field.

Sydney’s leading trainer Chris Waller has a strong recent record in the race so looking for in-form three-year-olds from his stable in the Arrowfield Sprint form guide is a good tip, as is looking out for youngsters coming off a top three finish in the Darby Munro Stakes the month before over the same distance.

Joliestar (2024) was the last Waller-trained Arrowfield Sprint winner.

The Arrowfield 3YO Sprint form in 2021 stacked-up that spring with the winner Wild Ruler claiming the Group 1 Moir Stakes at The Valley.

In 2022 the winner Mazu went on to salute in Brisbane’s Group 1 Doomben 10,000, run third in the spring’s $15 million The Everest (now worth $20 million) and place second in the $3 million Winners Stakes that year. In The Congo also franked the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint form that year with seconds in the Doomben 10,000 and Kingsford-Smith Cup in Brisbane that winter before a Perth Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes victory in the spring.

2023 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint winner Aft Cabin was too good for his rivals back in distance. Photo: Steve Hart.

2024 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Arrowfield 3YO Sprint 2024 Form Guide will be provided below the week of the race.

Arrowfield 3YO Sprint Results

Arrowfield 3YO Sprint race results have been dominated by single-figure fancies and the favourites in recent years with no roughie shot having scored an upset in over 15 years.

Plenty of turf stars have taken out the race and some of the most notable Arrowfield 3YO Sprint and Royal Sovereign Stakes winners include Lonhro (2002), Exceed And Excel (2004), Dance Hero (2005), Shoot Out (2010), Rebel Dane (2013), Japonisme (2016), class filly Catchy (2018), Classique Legend (2019), Wild Ruler (2021), and Mazu (2022).

Catchy (2018) and Joliestar (2024) are the latest Arrowfield 3YO Sprint winning fillies.

Royal Sovereign Stakes / Arrowfield Sprint Winners

Past Arrowfield 3YO Sprint winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.