The 2026 Champions Sprint runs on Saturday, November 7, 2026 as part of the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
The Champions Sprint 2026 is where the fastest horses of the spring come together for one final Group 1 showdown, with a star-studded field of elite sprinters set to light up Flemington’s famous straight six on Champions Day. As one of the richest and most prestigious sprint races on the Australian calendar, the race regularly attracts winners and placegetters from major features including The Everest, the Manikato Stakes, and other top-level sprint contests from around the country. With proven Group 1 performers, emerging speed machines, and occasionally international challengers all targeting the 1200m weight-for-age feature, the Champions Sprint betting 2026 markets are often among the most competitive of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. Whether you’re looking for the latest Champions Sprint odds 2026, tracking market movers, or searching for the sprinter capable of ending the spring on a winning note, Ladbrokes has all the odds, betting updates, field information, and expert analysis you need for this premier sprinting spectacle.
2026 Champions Sprint Odds
The season’s updated Champions Sprint 2026 betting odds and links to our markets on the Flemington Group 1 sprint will be available here once available so stay tuned for the best prices on your Champions Sprint tips this spring followed by the official finishing order after the event.
| 1. Tempted | ||
| 2. Joliestar | ||
| 3. Point Barrow | ||
| 4. Angel Capital | ||
| 5. Extragalactic | ||
| 6. Skybird | ||
| 7. Smooth Chino | ||
| 8. Grafterburners | ||
| 9. Giga Kick | ||
| 10. My Gladiola | ||
| 11. Overpass | ||
| 12. Caballus | ||
| 13. Flying For Fun | ||
| 14. Jigsaw | ||
| 15. Mazu | ||
| 16. Natural Fling | ||
| 17. Napoleonic | ||
| 18. Beadman | ||
| 19. Charm Stone | ||
| 20. Gallant Son |
Champions Sprint Tips
Champions Sprint tips are led by in-form spring sprinters with previous form down the famous Flemington straight. Previous Group 1 winners and those coming off a good run in the Manikato Stakes in the lead-up also make good Champions Sprint betting tips.
Other smart tips on the Champions Sprint are to look for horses that won their lead-up race, come off a run in The Everest in Sydney, and have drawn an inside alley as just two horses since 2006 have won from a double-digit barrier with Mental (10 in 2012) and Malaguerra (11 in 2016).
The Everest has proved the best lead-up race into the VRC Sprint Classic / Champions Sprint in recent years producing all five winners from 2017-21 most recently in 2021 with Nature Strip completing the double for Chris Waller.
Ladbrokes Tip: Champions Sprint odds are often led by the best out of the Manikato Stakes race
2026 Champions Sprint Predictions & Best Bets
Our Ladbrokes’ insider Champions Sprint 2026 betting tips and Flemington racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for the short-distance specialists to back and sack this spring.
The Group 1 $3 million Champions Sprint is a 1200m sprint feature held on VRC Champions Stakes Day on the Saturday after Melbourne Cup Day in early November each Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
The marquee race for short distance stars during the carnival, the weight-for-age feature is one of the headline events on the final day of the four-day Cup Carnival and has held elite level status since 1979. It was recently run as the Darley Classic due to sponsorship.
In 2021 the event was renamed the Champions Sprint.
The inaugural winner in 1960 was Karina and since then top-line sprinters to win the race include: Hareeba (1994), Takeover Target (2004), Miss Andretti (2007), and the mighty mare Black Caviar (2010 & 2011).
The Champions Sprint takes place down the famous Flemington Racecourse ‘Straight Six’ and is the key support act at the meeting that is highlighted by the Group 1 VRC Champions Stakes (2000m) – formerly the Mackinnon Stakes.
The VRC Champions Stakes Day card also features the Group 1 $3 million Champions Mile (1600m).
The other standout race on the card is the Group 3 VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) offering a bonus to the winner if they had been balloted out of that year’s Melbourne Cup field.
The Champions Sprint now serves as a key follow-up for sprinters out of the world’s richest turf race, the $20 million The Everest (1200m) run at Royal Randwick in October.
In 2017 the inaugural The Everest winner Redzel continued on to take out the Darley Classic. The following three VRC Sprint Classic winners also came off a run in The Everest with Santa Ana Lane (6th in 2018), Nature Strip (4th in 2019) and Bivouac (2nd in 2020).
In 2021 Nature Strip became the latest horse to complete The Everest – Darley Sprint Classic double when winning the latter for a second time.
Nature Strip further franked the form heading to Royal Ascot in June of 2022 to win the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes (1200m) in the UK.
He returned in 2022 but only managed to run second in the Champions Sprint results behind the winning mare Roch ‘N’ Horse.
The 2024 The Everest winner Bella Nipotina ran third in the Champions Sprint trifecta with the Group 1 at Flemington won by Sunshine In Paris who improved off her fifth in The Everest earlier that spring.
Champions Sprint Race Info
- Former Race Names: VRC Sprint Classic, Darley Classic
- Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
- Track: Flemington Racecourse
- Distance: 1200m
- Conditions: Weight-for-age
- Status: Group 1
- Prize Money: $3 million
- First Run: 1960
2026 VRC Champions Sprint Results
The official Champions Sprint 2026 Results & Finishing Order for the Flemington sprint classic will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
Champions Sprint Betting
Champions Sprint betting markets first open with the early nominations a couple of months out from race day and offer juicy ante-post prices on the possible runners in the sprint classic.
Futures Champions Sprint odds are always generous but some punters prefer to wait until the field is out before getting behind their favourites.
Horses that ran well in their lead-up Group start usually dominate the odds as plenty of recent VRC Sprint Classic winners came off a lead-up win including Buffering (2013) and Redzel (2017) who did The Everest – Darley Classic double. Nature Strip became history’s second The Everest – Darley Sprint Classic champion in 2021.
Sprinters that ran well in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley a fortnight earlier usually sit high up the Champions Sprint odds online as the race produced three of the five winners from 2012-16 including Buffering (2013) who did the double.
Imperatriz (2023) is the last horse to complete the Manikato Stakes – Champions Sprint double.
Redzel ($4 in 2017), Bivouac ($3.20 in 2020), the very short-priced Nature Strip ($1.28 in 2021), and Imperatriz ($2.15 in 2023) are the latest favourites in Champions Sprint betting to salute for the punters.
There was a notable upset in 2022 with the Flemington specialist Roch ‘N’ Horse saluting at Champions Sprint odds of $20.
Champions Sprint Field
The Champions Sprint race field has attracted big numbers plenty of recent editions of the Group spring showdown, but Black Caviar scared off her rivals in 2010 and 2011 defeating just six other contenders for her back-to-back victories.
The Champions Sprint field is made of the season’s best sprinters and traditionally features Manikato Stakes graduates, with the last to complete the Manikato – Darley Classic double being Buffering (2013).
Final Champions Sprint acceptances close the Wednesday.
2026 Champions Sprint Field
The official Champions Sprint 2026 Final Field & Barriers are set for release on the Wednesday of race week at 9:30am (local time) and will be published below once out so bookmark this page to view the top sprinters set to do battle in the Flemington feature.
2026 Champions Sprint Nominations
The Champions Sprint Nominations for 2026 close the week of the race and the full list of early Champions Sprint entries will be available below once released by Racing Victoria.
Champions Sprint Form Guide
The VRC Sprint Classic form guide – now referred to as the Champions Sprint form guide – has all the basic information you need to know before placing your bets on the classic like the starting positions of all the runners, their jockeys and trainers.
A good form guide on the Champions Sprint also shows the lead-up form of the hopefuls, their win / place percentages and track / distance records so you can sort through who to back and who to sack on race day.
When doing the form on the Champions Sprint race it is key to look for graduates out of the Manikato Stakes, proven Flemington performers and sprinters with previous Group 1 wins on their record.
2023 Champions Sprint winner Imperatriz returned to frank the form in 2024 winning the Lightning Stakes – William Reid Stakes Group 1 autumn double.
Sunshine In Paris franked the 2024 Champions Sprint form returning the next year to run third in Sydney’s All Aged Stakes before a Group 1 Doomben 10,000 win in Brisbane.
The 2025 Champions Sprint third placegetter, Joliestar, would return the following season to dominate a host of Group 1 races in 2026 including the Canterbury Stakes, TJ Smith Stakes and run third in The Everest.
Champions Sprint Form Facts
- Favourites in betting had a poor record until Redzel (2017), Bivouac (2020), Nature Strip (2021), and Imperatriz (2023) all saluted for the punters in recent years.
- The Manikato Stakes is the key form race to follow into the Flemington Group 1 with Buffering (2013) and Imperatriz (2023) the latest to do the double.
- The Everest winner Redzel (2017) became the first horse to win the event off a non-Melbourne lead-up since Takeover Target (2004).
- Santa Ana Lane (2018), Nature Strip (2019 and 2021) and Bivouac (2020) also franked Sydney’s The Everest form winning off a lead-up in the world’s richest turf race; Nature Strip also completed The Everest – Darley Classic double in 2021.
- Swick (2008) and Nature Strip (2021) are the only seven-year-old VRC Sprint Classic winners from the past 30 years.
2026 Champions Sprint Form Guide
A link to the comprehensive Champions Sprint 2026 Form Guide on all Champions Sprint Horses will be available below the week of the race.
Past VRC Sprint Classic / Champions Sprint Results
The Champions Sprint race results show the exact finishing order of all the starters plus any horses scratched from the original field.
Along with the VRC Sprint Classic / Champions Sprint winner, winning time and margin you can also see the starting price of all the horses once the results are out when the event runs as part of the new look VRC Champions Stakes Day card.
There have been plenty of upset VRC Sprint Classic results in recent years including Roch ‘N’ Horse ($20 in 2022), Delectation ($13 in 2015), and Buffering ($11 in 2013).
Notable recent VRC Sprint Classic winners include the super speedy dual champion Nature Strip (2019, 2021); Santa Ana Lane (2018); subsequent two-time The Everest winner Redzel (2017); Terravista (2014) who also ran second in the 2017 edition three years later; Black Caviar (2010-11); Miss Andretti (2007); and Dance Hero (2006).
Sunshine In Paris (2024) was the last Champions Sprint winning mare.
The filly Pharein (1999) was the last three-year-old Champions Sprint winner.
Rubitano holds the current Champions Sprint race record winning in 2002 in a time of 1 minute 07:17 seconds.
Recent VRC Sprint Classic / Champions Sprint Winners
Recent Champions Sprint 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 | Giga Kick | Magic Time | Joliestar | 1:13.30 |
| 2024 | Sunshine In Paris | Right To Party | Bella Nipotina | 1:09.25 |
| 2023 | Imperatriz | Buenos Noches | In Secret | 1:09.08 |
| 2022 | Roch ‘N’ Horse | Nature Strip | Baller | 1:09.1 |
| 2021 | Nature Strip | Swats That | Bella Nipotina | 1:08.7 |
| 2020 | Bivouac | Nature Strip | Libertini | 1:08.6 |
| 2019 | Nature Strip | Loving Gaby | In Her Time | 1:09.2 |
| 2018 | Santa Ana Lane | In Her Time | DH: Pierata, Jungle Cat | 1:08.6 |
| 2017 | Redzel | Terravista | Impending | 1:08.7 |
| 2016 | Malaguerra | Spieth | Fell Swoop | 1:10.2 |
| 2015 | Delectation | Chautauqua | Terravista | 1:10.0 |
| 2014 | Terravista | Chautauqua | Lankan Rupee | 1:08.7 |
| 2013 | Buffering | Shamexpress | Moment Of Change | 1:10.3 |
| 2012 | Mental | Sea Siren | Hallowell Belle | 1:09.0 |
| 2011 | Black Caviar | Buffering | Mid Summer Music | 1:08.3 |
| 2010 | Black Caviar | Star Witness | Ortensia | 1:07.9 |
| 2009 | All Silent | Wanted | Bank Robber | 1:08.7 |
| 2008 | Swick | Turffontein | Sunburnt Land | 1:11.0 |
| 2007 | Miss Andretti | Gold Edition | Stanzout | 1:08.9 |
| 2006 | Dance Hero | Shadoways | Miss Andretti | 1:08.6 |
| 2005 | Glamour Puss | Barely A Moment | Cape Of Good Hope | 1:08.9 |
| 2004 | Takeover Target | Recurring | St Basil | 1:08.2 |
| 2003 | Ancient Song | Into The Night | Blessum | 1:11.0 |
| 2002 | Rubitano | Intelligent Star | Cosmic Strike | 1:07.1 |
| 2001 | Sudurka | Hire | Camena | 1:08.4 |
| 2000 | Easy Rocking | Umrum | Tilt The Scales | 1:10.0 |