Colin Stephen Quality 2023

Ladbrokes Tip: The Colin Stephen Quality serves as an early lead-up into The Metropolitan,

The Colin Stephen Quality is a Group 3 handicap race for stayers aged three-year-old and above run at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse on a Saturday in late September during the annual Sydney Spring Racing Carnival.

2022 Colin Stephen Quality winner Grove Ferry. Photo: Steve Hart.

Contested at the same meeting as the $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) and the $400,000 Group 2 Golden Pendant (1400m),  the race is contested over 2400m and offers $250,000 in total prize money.

Graduates may go on to run in tougher Sydney and Melbourne races over the spring carnival and the Colin Stephen Quality winner is exempt from ballot for the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) held at Royal Randwick on Epsom Handicap Day.

Railings (2005) however was the last horse to complete the Colin Stephen Quality – The Metropolitan double, along with that spring’s Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) in Melbourne.

The Colin Stephen Quality was first run in 1870 as the Spring Stakes and has held Group 3 status since 1987.

Many excellent horses have won the race over the years including Carbine (1890), Wakeful (1902), Poseidon (1907), triple champion Poitrel (1918-20), Phar Lap (1930-31), Peter Pan (1935), Flight (1944), Hydrogen (1953), and Gunsynd (1972).

The latest edition of the Colin Stephen Quality took place on Saturday September 23, 2023 and was won the closing stages by John O’Shea’s Melbourne Cup-bound stayer Athabascan ($4.20).

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Results

The full Colin Stephen Quality 2023 race results and finishing order will be provided below as soon as the race is run and won on Saturday September 23, 2023.

2023 Colin Stephen Quality winner Athabascan has the Melbourne Cup race in his sight this November. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 1st: #6 Athabascan
• 2nd: #7 Al Aabir
• 3rd: #2 Desert Icon

A lovely ride by Tom Sherry got John O’Shea’s in-form French import Athabascan ($4.20) home late with a flashing finish down the outside to swamp the field and nail the favourite Al Aabir right on the line in the 2023 Colin Stephen Quality results ahead of the Melbourne Cup-bound runner’s next-up run on October 7 in the Group 3 The Bart Cummings at Flemington.

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Odds

The season’s top Colin Stephen Quality 2023 odds and Group 3 betting links to our Golden Rose Day markets will be provided below as soon as open.

Colin Stephen Quality Race Info

• Date: Saturday September 23, 2023
• Track: Rosehill Gardens
• Distance: 2400m
• Conditions: Quality Handicap
• Status: Group 3
• Prize Money: $250,000
• First Run: 1870

Colin Stephen Quality Betting

Colin Stephen Quality betting favours local Sydney-trained stayers coming off good lead-up runs in the early spring distance races including the Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) or the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) run at Randwick.

Any in-form horses prepared by Gai Waterhouse are also usually kept safe in Colin Stephen Quality betting as she has won the race six times since 1999 most recently with Stampede (2019) – who went on to run a next-up fourth in that year’s The Metropolitan results – and Entente (2021).

Waterhouse also prepared the two most recent Colin Stephen Quality favourites to salute for the punters with Julienas ($2.60 in 2013) and Entente ($4.60 in 2021).

Waterhouse celebrated her incredible 10th overall Colin Stephen Quality victory co-training Grove Ferry in 2022.

Julienas ($2.60 in 2013) and Entente ($4.60 in 2021) are the latest favourites in Colin Stephen Quality betting to win.

Colin Stephen Quality Field

The Colin Stephen Quality race field attracts a quality line-up of mainly Sydney-trained stayers types with Group 1 ambitions over the spring carnival.

Some horses out of the Colin Stephen Quality field may choose to head to Brisbane for the Listed Queensland Cup (2400m), a race the 2020 Colin Stephen Quality third place-getter Grey Lion went on to win.

Colin Stephen Quality nominations close the Monday before the race runs on the Saturday with the field and barrier draw announced on the Wednesday.

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Field

The official Colin Stephen Quality 2023 Final Field & Barrier Draw will be published in full below the Wednesday leading-up to Golden Rose Stakes Day so stay tuned to see what gallopers line-up in the Group 3 feature.

The Colin Stephen Quality 2023 field features a smart line-up of spring stayers led in betting by the John O’Shea-trained Athabascan coming off a Listed Tatt’s Cup win over 2400m at Randwick.

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Nominations

The Colin Stephen Quality 2023 Nominations are announced by Racing NSW the Monday of race week and will be published below once announced.

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Colin Stephen Quality Tips

Good Colin Stephen Quality betting tips include backing Sydney-trained stayers with previous winning form over the mile and a half distance and those at single-figures in the markets.

While Entente (2021) was the first favourite to win since Julienas (2013), backing horses under $10 in the markets is a top Colin Stephen Quality tip as no horse has won at double-figures since Get Up Jude ($12 in 2008).

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Colin Stephen Quality 2023 betting tips and exotic Rosehill selections on The Metropolitan ballot exemption-offering event will be detailed below the week of the race.

• To Win: #9 Verona ($4.60 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Open edition of The Metrop lead-up but Verona looks a standout at a decent price coming into the Group 3 off some strong form. The Kiwi-bred mare is from the powerhouse Ciaron Maher & David Eustace stable and has previous winning form at the track and trip. She is rock hard fit and was huge two back here saluting over the 1400m with 59kg by four lengths in a Benchmark 78. Listed Tatt’s Cup (2400m) third at Randwick last time out. Comes back in weight and returns to Rosehill here so can turn the tables on her last start conqueror.

Colin Stephen Quality Form Guide

The Colin Stephen Quality form guide details to punters all the facts and stats from the jockeys, trainers and barriers, to the horse’s records over the track / distance and their lead-up runs.

The Colin Stephen Quality form has stacked-up in bigger staying features over the spring including the Victorian features with a number of Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup winners coming off the Sydney lead-up.

In 2021 the Colin Stephen Quality form was franked with the winner Entente running a next-up second in the Group 1 The Metropolitan results.

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Form Guide

A link to our detailed Colin Stephen Quality 2023 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Colin Stephen Quality Results

The Colin Stephen Quality race results have been dominated by single-figure runners over the past decade.

Some of the most noteworthy Colin Stephen Quality winners throughout history include No Wine No Song (2010), Railings (2005), Gunsynd (1972), Roman Consul (1968), Redcraze (1956), Hydrogen (1953), Delta (1950/1951), Russia (1945), Flight (1944), Peter Pan (1935), Phar Lap (1930/1931), Windbag (1925), Gloaming (1924), Poitrel (1918/1919/1920), Poseidon (1907), Wakeful (1902), and Carbine (1890).

Miss Admiration (2018) was the last Colin Stephen Quality winning mare.

Past Colin Stephen Quality Winners

Recent Colin Stephen Quality winners, trainers, jockeys, weights and times dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.