Chelmsford Stakes 2026 Betting Odds & Race Preview

The next edition of the Chelmsford Stakes takes place on Saturday, September 5, 2026 as a lead-up to the spring Group 1 races in Sydney and Melbourne. 

The Chelmsford Stakes is one of the Sydney spring’s most influential early weight‑for‑age mile contests, and punters know it’s a key race for spotting future stars before they explode into Group 1 company. Run over the Randwick 1600m, the Chelmsford regularly launches Cox Plate, Epsom Handicap, and The Metropolitan contenders, bringing together proven WFA performers, rising middle‑distance types and tough stayers building fitness at the right time. With strong tempo patterns, deep form lines and big‑name stables targeting the race every year, it’s a prime opportunity for punters chasing early fixed‑odds value, sharp movers and spring improvers. Our Chelmsford Stakes tips, speed maps, trends and runner insights give punters the edge when it comes to predicting this year’s Chelmsford champion.

2026 Chelmsford Stakes Odds

The best Chelmsford Stakes 2026 betting odds and market links to the milers contesting the Group 2 spring event at Royal Randwick will be provided below as soon as released followed by the official finishing order after the event.

Chelmsford Stakes Tips

Good Chelmsford Stakes betting tips include looking at the form coming out of the Winx Stakes, runners that have good records over the mile, proven weight-for-age performers, and horses with a liking for the Randwick track.

Backing in-form Chris Waller-trained mares and any Group 1 performers dropping in grade are other top Chelmsford Stakes betting tips to take to the bookies this spring.

Ladbrokes Tip: Chris Waller trained runners often dominate the Chelmsford Stakes odds! 

2026 Chelmsford Stakes Predictions & Best Bets

Our exclusive Ladbrokes’ Chelmsford Stakes 2026 tips with the runners to back and sack in the feature race on Chelmsford Stakes Day will be detailed below following final acceptances the week of the race.

The Chelmsford Stakes is a Group 2 race conducted at Royal Randwick Racecourse in early September during the annual Sydney Spring Racing Carnival the day after the Listed Wyong Gold Cup (2100m) takes place on the Friday.

It is one of three Group 2 races on the card along with the Furious Stakes for three-year-old fillies and the Tramway Handicap. The other key support act on the program is the $1 million Group 2 Concorde Stakes (1000m) for potential The Everest horses. 

Offering $300,000 in total prize money the Chelmsford Stakes is run over 1600m, and the weight-for-age clash is open to gallopers aged three-years-old and over.

The race is a nice lead-up to tougher events in both Sydney and Melbourne during the spring including the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m) – formerly the George Main Stakes – which now runs in mid-October on The Everest Day race card.

The last horse to complete the Chelmsford Stakes – George Main Stakes (now King Charles III Stakes) double was Winx in 2017. In 2015 Kermadec ran second in the Chelmsford Stakes before winning the George Main at his next start, while stablemate Royal Descent ran third and second in the same two races respectively that year.

Chelmsford Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1600m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1895

2026 Chelmsford Stakes Results

The official Chelmsford Stakes 2026 Results & Finishing Order will be announced below once the race is run and won on Saturday, September 5, 2026.

Chelmsford Stakes Betting

Chelmsford Stakes odds are dominated by proven Sydney milers coming off a good run in the Group 1 Winx Stakes at the same track two weeks before.

In-form horses from the stables of Chris Waller also feature prominently in Chelmsford Stakes betting as he has a strong recent record in the race with victories from the likes of two-time champion Hawkspur (2013-14), Winx (2017) and Unforgotten (2018). 

Upsets are not uncommon however and the last double-figure winners were Complacent ($31 in 2015), Navajo Peak ($41 in 2023) and Lindermann ($11 in 2025). 

In 2020 Waller celebrated his sixth win in nine years with Mister Sea Wolf ($5EF) becoming the latest Chelmsford Stakes favourite to salute leading an all-Waller trifecta in the event.

Waller won the Chelmsford for a seventh time in 2024 with Buckaroo who started at Chelmsford Stakes odds of $8 then secured his eighth success in 2025 with 10/1 winner Lindermann. 

Chelmsford Stakes Field

The Chelmsford Stakes race field attracts a line-up of the season’s exciting milers and middle-distance weight-for-age performers.

The traditional lead-up to the race is the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) run at Randwick a fortnight earlier.

Hartnell (2016) ran second in the then Group 2 Warwick Stakes before his Chelmsford success and would continue on to finish third in the Melbourne Cup trifecta that spring. The next spring the world’s best mare did the Warwick Stakes – Chelmsford Stakes double, before in 2018 her stablemate Unforgotten improved on a lead-up sixth in the Winx Stakes to take out the Group 2.

In 2019 Samadoubt became the latest horse to complete the Winx Stakes – Chelmsford Stakes double.

Other recent Chelmsford Stakes winners to come off a Winx Stakes run include dual champion Hawkspur (7th in 2013 and 5th in 2014), Danleigh (3rd in 2012), Trusting (5th in 2011), and Theseo (5th in 2010).

In 2018 the Warwick Stakes was renamed the Winx Stakes and elevated to a Group 1 event in honour of the race’s multiple champion Winx.

It remains an excellent lead-up into the Chelmsford Stakes field having produced the 2018 winner with another Chris Waller-trained mare, Unforgotten, improving on a lead-up sixth to her star stablemate in the Group 1 to win the Chelmsford for the stable.

More recently the 2021 Chelmsford Stakes winner Think It Over improved on a lead-up Winx Stakes sixth, while in 2023 Navajo Peak ran 13th in the Winx Stakes before a massive Chelmsford upset at $41 with Think It Over third that year.

Buckaroo (8th in 2024) and Lindermann (10th in 2025) are the latest Chelmsford Stakes winners to come via a lead-up Winx Stakes run. 

2026 Chelmsford Stakes Field

The official Chelmsford Stakes 2026 Final Field & Barriers will be announced by Racing NSW on the Wednesday of race week, the full list of runners to be published below.

The Chelmsford Stakes 2026 final field features a cracking line-up of 10 middle-distance gallopers including the well supported Chris Waller-trained Lindermann who defends his title second-up and multiple Group 1 champ Ceolwulf for Joe Pride.

Randwick R9 - Asahi Super Dry Chelmsford Stakes (G2)

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. Ceolwulf J: Chad Schofield T: Joseph Pride	1x66x5	G	7	59kg
	2. Lindermann J: Nash Rawiller T: Chris Waller	3922x9	G	8	59kg
	3. Campaldino J: Tim Clark T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	x5172x	G	9	59kg
	4. Soul Of Spain J: Zac Lloyd T: Chris Waller	4262x6	G	6	59kg
	5. The Euphrates J: Regan Bayliss T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	12417x	G	3	59kg
	6. Travolta J: Tommy Berry T: Chris Waller	4434x9	G	2	59kg
	7. Green Spaces J: Rachel King T: Bjorn Baker	6621x8	H	1	58.5kg
	8. Attica (3)  Scratched:
	9. Fangirl J: James McDonald T: Chris Waller	x834x0	M	5	57kg
	10. Piggyback J: Adam Hyeronimus T: Ciaron Maher	1456x5	M	4	57kg

View Results

2026 Chelmsford Stakes Nominations

The early Chelmsford Stakes 2026 nominations close the Monday of the race and will be announced below as soon as released.

The 2026 Chelmsford Stakes nominations attracted 13 classy milers led in all-in betting by the Joe Pride-trianed four-time Group 1 hero Ceolwulf.

Chelmsford Stakes Form Guide

The Chelmsford Stakes form guide gives punters all the information they need to place a well-informed wager on the race like the jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up runs of the horses in the field.

Over the years the Chelmsford Stakes winner has come off a Warwick Stakes – now the Winx Stakes – run more than any other lead-up race. Chris Waller has prepared more horses to finish in the Chelmsford Stakes trifecta in the past decade than any other trainer.

The Chelmsford Stakes form has stacked up in other bigger races during the Spring Carnival in Sydney in recent years.

The 2021 Chelmsford Stakes winner Think It Over ran a next-up third in the George Main Stakes trifecta before winning a host of other races that spring and the following autumn including the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) in 2022.

The Chelmsford Stakes 2022 form held with the winner Knights Order running third later that spring in Melbourne’s Caulfield Cup, while the third placed No Compromise went on to win The Metropolitan on Epsom Day at elite level.

Think It Over failed to defend his title running third in 2023 but still franked that year’s Chelmsford form with a next-up $1 million win in the new 7 Stakes race.

The 2024 Chelmsford Stakes winner Buckaroo franked the form winning Caulfield’s Group 1 Underwood Stakes at his next start. He also ran second in the Turnbull Stakes and that year’s Caulfield Cup trifecta.

Lindermann went on to frank the Chelmsford Stakes form in style, backing up with a runner‑up finish in the 7 Stakes before sweeping both the Hill Stakes and Craven Plate at Group 2 level. The 2025 Chelmsford runner‑up Sir Delius took an even bigger leap, heading south to complete the Underwood–Turnbull Stakes Group 1 double at his next two starts, then returning the following autumn to add a Queen Elizabeth Stakes triumph to his record — further underlining just how strong the Chelmsford form can be.

2026 Chelmsford Stakes Form

A link to our detailed Chelmsford Stakes 2026 form guide and betting preview will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Past Chelmsford Stakes Results

Local Sydney-trained gallopers under $10 for the win have dominated the Chelmsford Stakes race results in the past 10 years.

Notable recent Chelmsford Stakes winners include Think It Over (2021), Winx (2017), Hawkspur (2013-14), Danleigh (2012), Theseo (2010), and Lonhro (2002-03).

Unforgotten (2018) was the last Chelmsford Stakes winning mare.

Buckaroo holds the current Chelmsford Stakes race record winning in 2024 in a time of 1 minute 33.76 seconds. Winx previously held the record of 1 minute 34:11 seconds in 2017. 

Recent Chelmsford Stakes Winners

Recent Chelmsford Stakes winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.

Year	Winner	Runner-Up	Third	Time
2026	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
2025	Lindermann	Sir Delius	Vauban	1:34.46
2024	Buckaroo	Hinged	Nonconformist	1:33.76 (R)
2023	Navajo Peak	Major Beel	Think It Over	1:35.92
2022	Knights Order	Numerian	No Compromise	1:42.57
2021	Think It Over	Riodini	Montefilia	1:35.77
2020	Mister Sea Wolf	Yulong Prince	Finche	1:34.32
2019	Samadoubt	Avilius	Girl Tuesday	1:35.15
2018	Unforgotten	Ace High	Libran	1:35:1
2017	Winx	Red Excitement	Chocante	1:34.3
2016	Hartnell	Grand Marshal	Storm The Stars	1:39.1
2015	Complacent	Kermadec	Royal Descent	1:37.6
2014	Hawkspur	Royal Descent	Bagman	1:39.3
2013	Hawkspur	Beaten Up	Lightinthenite	1:34.7
2012	Danleigh	Secret Admirer	Lamasery	1:36.2
2011	Trusting	My Kingdom Of Fife	Strike The Stars	1:37.1
2010	Theseo	Metal Bender	Purple	1:39.6
2009	O’lonhro	Miss Marielle	Triple Honour	1:34.5
2008	Gallant Tess	Triple Honour	Kishkat	1:39.3
2007	Race not run	–	–	–
2006	Eremein	Newton’s Rings	Aqua d’ Amore	1:35.5
2005	Nevis	Sir Dex	Natural Blitz	1:35.7
2004	Unearthly	So Assertive	Niello	1:37.9
2003	Lonhro	Platinum Scissors	Excellerator	1:35.1
2002	Lonhro	Platinum Scissors	Republic Lass	1:36.3
2001	Brave Prince	Zabeels Angel	The Man	1:24.5
2000	Pasta Express	Celestial Choir	Al Mansour	1:30.3

FAQs

How do I bet on the 2026 Chelmsford Stakes?

Bet online or via the latest iOS/Android app with Ladbrokes.
The first step is to create an account at Ladbrokes. The process is quick and easy!
Once you’ve created your account you can make a deposit via credit card, or any other of our secure payment methods.
Next up, head to the racing page and find the runner that’s right for you.

Which horse will win the 2026 Chelmsford Stakes?

The best way to pick which horse will win the Chelmsford Stakes is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight the horse will carry (among other factors).
Check out Ladbrokes in the lead up to the race for full form information.

When is the Chelmsford Stakes 2026?

The 2026 Chelmsford Stakes is set to run in Sydney on Saturday September 5 as the namesake race on the Chelmsford Stakes Day card. It is scheduled to run as Randwick Race 9 at 4:35pm (AEST) as the penultimate event on the 10-race card.

What is the prize money for the Chelmsford Stakes 2026?

The 2026 Chelmsford Stakes prize money is set at $300,000 which is paid from 1st to 10th place including $170,000 going to the Chelmsford Stakes winner.

Where is the Chelmsford Stakes 2026?

The Chelmsford Stakes 2026 will be run at Royal Randwick, the home of Sydney’s premier short‑course sprinting features including the $20 million The Everest and mile classics like the Epsom Handicap in October, which is located at Alison Road, Randwick, NSW 2031.

What distance is the Chelmsford Stakes run over?

The Chelmsford Stakes is run over 1600 metres at Royal Randwick, making it one of the key early‑spring weight‑for‑age mile tests in Sydney. The Randwick mile is a genuine stamina‑and‑strength trip, so punters typically look for horses with proven 1600m form, strong second‑up or third‑up profiles, and runners capable of building momentum from the long home straight. The distance also plays a major role in Chelmsford Stakes betting, with many winners using the race as a launching pad toward major Group 1 targets later in the carnival.

How many horses run in the Chelmsford Stakes?

The Chelmsford Stakes typically draws a capacity field of around 14 runners, making it one of Randwick’s most competitive early‑spring weight‑for‑age miles. The race consistently fills, with big Sydney stables and emerging middle‑distance types targeting the event as a key stepping‑stone toward major Group 1 goals. Because the Chelmsford is run at WFA over 1600m, field size plays a major role in Chelmsford Stakes betting, often producing deep markets, strong tempo profiles and plenty of value for punters chasing both proven performers and second‑up improvers.

Who won the 2025 Chelmsford Stakes?

The 2025 Chelmsford Stakes was won by six-year-old Lonhro gelding Lindermann at $11 for the race's now eight-time winning trainer Chris Waller with jockey Brad Rawiller aboard on 59kg from barrier 9 to win on a Good (4) by 0.16 lengths in a time of 1:34.46.