Bondi Stakes

The $1 million Group 2 Callander-Presnell (1600m) – formerly the Stan Fox Stakes – has replaced the now defunct Bondi Stakes.

The Bondi Stakes was one of the more lucrative Sydney Spring Racing Carnival feature races as Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club (ATC) continued to try and rival Melbourne for the punters’ attention during the late September – November period.

Offering $1 million in prize money, the Bondi Stakes was a mile event run over 1600m under set weights conditions and was open to three-year-old horses. It was one of Sydney’s seven-figure spring races. Many of these, including the range of Special Conditions races like The Everest and The Golden Eagle, all form part of the colossal The Everest Carnival giving away over $50 million in prize money as of 2022.

In 2021 Bondi Stakes Day hosted the inaugural $2 million The Invitation race for fillies and mares open exclusively to 12 horses invited to contest the event.

The following year, the Bondi Stakes was made defunct and replaced by the new-look Stan Fox Stakes, which runs on the same date as the Cox Plate Day card in Melbourne and is now the key three-year-old’s race in Sydney of the spring contested over a mile for $1 million in prize money.

Three-year-olds out of the previous month’s Golden Rose Stakes and any fillies that contested the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) over the same track  and distance as the Bondi Stakes made-up the bulk of the field for the million dollar showdown. In 2020 the Bondi Stakes winner Peltzer improved off a fifth in the Golden Rose to salute for the punters. The 2021 Bondi Stakes winner Hilal was 11th in the Golden Rose before his $1 million victory two runs later and became the last official Bondi Stakes winner.

Peltzer (2020) followed by Hilal (2021) both completed the Stan Fox Stakes – Bondi Stakes double.

The final edition of the Bondi Stakes took place at Randwick in 2021 and was won by the $2.35 favourite Hilal.

2021 Bondi Stakes Results

The Bondi Stakes 2021 race results and finishing order were the race’s last before it became defunct ahead of 2022.

• 1st: #1 Hilal
• 2nd: #8 Keefy
• 3rd: #9 Lease

The classy Hawkes Racing-trained Fastnet Rock colt Hilal ($2.35) franked the Stan Fox Stakes form backing up from a win there to take out the $1 million Bondi Stakes 2021 results and further adding to his future value at stud.

Bondi Stakes Info

• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1600m
• Conditions: 3YOs – Set Weights
• Status: Special Condition
• Prize Money: $1 million
• First Run: 2019
• Last Run: 2021

Bondi Stakes Betting

The Bondi Stakes betting markets were led in the spring by quality three-year-old horses coming off a good lead-up campaign in other high class events.

A key lead-up race that impacted the Bondi Stakes odds was the Group 1 $1 million Golden Rose (1400m) at Randwick in September. The Golden Rose – Bondi Stakes betting double was a popular punt in the spring before the Bondi Stakes was made defunct in 2022.

The first favourite in Bondi Stakes betting was Kubrick ($3.70 in 2019) who won for the punters improving on a 14th place in the Group 1 Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in Melbourne the start before.

In 2020 the favourites retained their flawless record in the Bondi Stakes results with a win by Peltzer ($2.80), before Hilal ($2.35 in 2021) made it three on the trot for the punters’ pick.

Bondi Stakes Field

The Bondi Stakes field attracted the season’s top three-year-old middle-distance runners out of lead-up races including the Golden Rose Stakes and the Stan Fox Stakes (now the Callander-Presnell).

Three-year-old horses targeting a run in the Bondi Stakes field were likely to have run in the Group 1 Golden Rose over 1400m a month before and or the Stan Fox, which was a 1500m event taking place a fortnight ahead of Bondi Stakes Day before being re-vamped in 2022 to run over a mile as a replacement race for the Bondi Stakes. Fillies also got a chance at a Group 1 double with the Golden Rose – Flight Stakes before a possible run in the $1 million Bondi Stakes field.

Sydney’s Bondi Stakes field attracted a similar line-up to Melbourne’s $2 million Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) held over the same distance at Caulfield Racecourse two weeks prior.

The first Bondi Stakes field ran with nine hopefuls and saw Caulfield Guineas graduate Kubrick (14th) win as the $3.70 equal favourite.

There was also just nine horses in the 2020 Bondi Stakes field when the favourites went back-to-back with a big win by Peltzer.

The final Bondi Stakes field in 2021  ran with nine starters and was won by the favourite, last start Stan Fox Stakes winner Hilal.

Bondi Stakes Form Guide

The Bondi Stakes form guide provided punters with key race facts and statistics on the three-year-old horses in the field to help with betting. In the Bondi Stakes form guide the full field, barrier draw, jockeys / trainers / owners, distance record, track record and lead-up form was all provided.

Looking at the Bondi Stakes form guide for three-year-olds that performed well in the Golden Rose, looking at the mile form of the horses for the standout 1600m chances and backing any fillies that ran top three in the Flight Stakes over the 1600m at Randwick all proved profitable when the event ran from 2019-21.

Bondi Stakes Tips

Good Bondi Stakes betting tips included looking for the proven Group 1 three-year-olds in the race out of spring lead-ups including the Golden Rose Stakes and the Flight Stakes.

Caulfield Guineas graduates over the same distance in Melbourne a fortnight earlier also made a good Bondi Stakes betting tip after the success of Kubrick in 2019 who improved on a luckless 14th in the Caulfield Guineas.

Taking a horse to complete the Golden Rose – Bondi Stakes spring double was another top tip for the season.

Bondi Stakes Results

The official Bondi Stakes results listed the full finishing order of all the gallopers in the field, the winning margin / time, the Trifecta and First Four results plus the starting prices of the runners.

Using the Bondi Stakes results to guide betting on other upcoming spring features for three-year-olds was a good tip with the form stacking up in later events over its short three-year history.

Bondi Stakes Winners