Bill Ritchie Handicap 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: The Bill Ritchie Handicap serves as a key lead-up into the Group 1 Epsom Handicap

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The Bill Ritchie Handicap is a Group 3 race for horses aged three and above held at Royal Randwick Racecourse in September on The Shorts Day during the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival.

2022 Bill Ritchie Handicap winner Top Ranked. Photo: Steve Hart.

The day’s racing is headlined by the Group 2 $1 million The Shorts (1100m) for the spring sprint stars heading towards the $20 million The Everest.

Added to the card for the first time in 2023 is the unlisted $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) which replaces the George Main Stakes as the mile feature on the card and offers the winner an Epsom Handicap ballot exemption.

Other events on the program including the Flight Stakes-bound fillies facing off in the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) and the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) offering a ballot exemption to the winner into the Group 1 The Metropolitan.

There is also plenty of interest in the Bill Ritchie Handicap, a quality handicap race run over 1400m and offering $250,000 in prize money as of 2023. The Billi Ritchie Handicap winner also earns a ballot exemption for that season’s Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) run at Royal Randwick a fortnight later.

Kolding (2019) – subsequent winner of the inaugural Golden Eagle – followed the next year by smart New Zealand-trained mare Probabeel (2020), Top Ranked (2022), and Rediener (2023) are the latest horses to complete the Bill Ritchie Handicap – Epsom Handicap double.

The next edition of the Bill Ritchie Handicap runs on Saturday, September 21, 2024 with an Epsom Handicap ballot exemption on offer to the winner at Randwick.

2024 Bill Ritchie Handicap Odds

The season’s best Bill Ritchie Handicap 2024 betting odds and links to our markets will be made available to punters right here the week of the race so stay tuned for the top Group 3 Randwick racing markets.

Bill Ritchie Handicap Race Info

• Date: Saturday, September 21, 2024
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1400m
• Conditions: 3YOs & upwards – Quality Handicap
• Status: Group 3
• Prize Money: $250,000
• First Run: 1867

2024 Bill Ritchie Handicap Results

The official Bill Ritchie Handicap 2024 race results and full finishing order will be available below once the Group 3 Randwick race is run on Saturday, September 21, 2024.

• 1st: TBD
• 2nd: TBD
• 3rd: TBD

Bill Ritchie Handicap Betting

Bill Ritchie Handicap odds are led by the in-form middle-distance performers of the spring coming off good lead-up runs in Sydney races against similar company.

A good lead-up into the event that impacts Bill Ritchie Handicap betting is August’s Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) and Probabeel (2nd in 2020) was the last Bill Ritchie Handicap winner to come out of that event.

Probabeel ($2.45 in 2020) followed by Atishu ($3.50 in 2021) were the latest favourites in Bill Ritchie Handicap betting to win.

Bill Ritchie Handicap Field

The Bill Ritchie Handicap race field attracts the season’s best middle-distance gallopers heading towards a run in the Epsom Handicap over a mile back at the track a fortnight later. The runners that line-up in the Bill Ritchie Handicap field each spring can come off a number of earlier races including the previous month’s Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m).

The Group 2 Tramway Stakes (1400m) held at the same track and distance two weeks prior also serves as a solid Bill Ritchie Handicap lead-up race with Kolding (5th in 2019) the last to improve and win the Bill Ritchie. The 2017 Bill Ritchie Handicap winner Comin’ Through won the following year’s Tramway in 2018.

2024 Bill Ritchie Handicap Field

The official Bill Ritchie Handicap 2024 final field and barrier draw will be available below once announced on the Wednesday of The Shorts Day.

The 2024 Bill Ritchie Handicap field features a quality line-up of potential Epsom hopefuls led in betting by the James Cummings-trained Tom Kitten with a wide gate 15 draw to overcome.

2024 Bill Ritchie Handicap Nominations

The early Bill Ritchie Handicap 2024 nominations are announced on the Monday of race week and will be published below once released. 

Bill Ritchie Handicap Form Guide

The Bill Ritchie Handicap form guide features all the crucial information for punters like the jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up runs.

Bill Ritchie Handicap form has held up more often than not in the Epsom Handicap the following month as well as Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival Group 1s later in the season.

Along with Kolding completing that year’s Bill Ritchie – Epsom double, the Bill Ritchie Handicap form in 2019 was further franked with the runner-up Fierce Impact heading to Melbourne to win both the Group 1 Toorak Handicap and Group 1 Cantala Stakes that spring.

The 2021 Bill Ritchie form was franked with the third placed Aramayo finishing second next-up in the Epsom Handicap quinella.

In 2023 Rediener franked the form becoming the latest horse to complete the Bill Ritchie – Epsom double.

2024 Bill Ritchie Handicap Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Bill Ritchie Handicap 2024 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Bill Ritchie Handicap Tips

Good Bill Ritchie Handicap tips include looking for runners coming off a top three run in Sydney last time out, proven Randwick performers and those suited to at least 1400m.

Any Chris Waller-trained runners also make a good bet in Bill Ritchie Handicap tipping with the star Sydney horseman preparing five winners from 2012-21.

2024 Bill Ritchie Handicap Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Bill Ritchie Handicap 2024 betting tips and exotic selections will be detailed below leading up to the race so stay tuned for the horses to get behind in The Shorts Day support act this September.

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

Intriguing edition of the Bill Ritchie but have Gringotts as the form horse on top for a touch of value in the Epsom Handicap lead-up. This resuming Ciaron Maher-trained son of Per Incanto was on fire last time in winning three on the trot including a Black-Type in Brisbane over the winter. This is a notable rise in grade but he presents as a mature five-year-old now with previous winning form first-up and a great strike-rate at the distance (8:5-1-1). Winning Wyong trial has him ready to fire, favourable draw and a good hoop in Tommy Berry riding on a manageable 55kg. 

Bill Ritchie Handicap Results

Notable horses to dominate the Bill Ritchie Handicap race results in recent years include dual champion Zabarra (2002-03), Steps In Time (2012), Boban (2013), Manawanui (2014), Kolding (2019, and Probabeel (2020).

Atishu (2021) was the last Bill Ritchie Handicap winning mare.

Flaming holds the current Bill Ritchie Handicap record winning in 2005 in a time of 1 minute 21:27 seconds.

Past Bill Ritchie Handicap Winners

Recent Bill Ritchie Handicap winners and placegetters dating back to the year 1978 are detailed in the below table.

FAQ

When is the Bill Ritchie Handicap 2024?

What is the prize money for the Bill Ritchie Handicap 2024?

$250,000

Where is the Bill Ritchie Handicap 2024?

Randwick Racecourse, Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031.