Doncaster Mile 2022

Ladbrokes Tip: The George Ryder Stakes is the best lead-up form going into the Doncaster Mile

The Doncaster Mile is one of the premier Group 1 races held on Day 1 of The Championships on the first Saturday in April* during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

*In 2021 the Doncaster Mile ran on the second Saturday of April with all race meetings of the autumn in Sydney from Slipper Day onwards postponed a week due to the weather.

Held at Royal Randwick Racecourse it is one of four elite level features on Doncaster Mile Day and is supported by the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m), Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) and Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).

Offering a lucrative $3 million in total prize money including $1.8 million to the winner the event is contested over 1600m under handicap conditions and is open to horses aged three-years-old and over.

The prizemoney for the 2020 edition of the Doncaster Mile was cut to $1.5 million including $870,000 to the winner with Racing NSW making cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before being reinstated at $3 million for 2021.

Each year the winners of the Flight Stakes, Villiers Stakes, Chipping Norton Stakes, Randwick Guineas, Canterbury Stakes, Coolmore Classic and George Ryder Stakes are exempt from Doncaster Mile ballot.

Of those the traditional lead-up is the George Ryder Stakes (1500m) held at Rosehill a fortnight before. The George Ryder Stakes – Doncaster Mile is a popular betting double and the latest horses to enjoy wins in both races during the same season are Vision And Power (2009) and Winx (2016).

The George Ryder Stakes has produced 15 of the past 28 Doncaster Mile winners up until 2023.

Non-Group 1 races offering a Doncaster Mile ballot and penalty exemption are the Ajax Stakes and Doncaster Prelude. Horses coming out of the Doncaster Mile can back-up on the seven day turnaround into the autumn’s richest race – the  Group 1 $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes the following Saturday.

The latest edition of the Doncaster Mile took place on Saturday April 2, 2022 and was won in an upset by Victorian raider Mr Brightside ($20) for Ben & JD Hayes. 

Doncaster Mile Race Info

• Date: Saturday April 2, 2022
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1600m
• Conditions: Open Handicap
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $3 million
• First Run: 1866

2022 DONCASTER MILE PREVIEW

2022 DONCASTER MILE BETTING

2022 Doncaster Mile Results

The full 2022 Doncaster Mile results and finishing order will be published below once the classic is run and won on Saturday April 2, 2022.

• 1st: #19 Mr Brightside ($20)
• 2nd: #2 I’m Thunderstruck
• 3rd: #10 Icebath

The All-Star Mile form out of Melbourne proved the one to follow into Sydney’s 2022 Doncaster Mile results with a trio of horses out of the $5 million feature running the trifecta at Royal Randwick led by the upset winner Mr Brightside ($20) for Ben & JD Hayes.

Doncaster Mile Betting

Doncaster Mile betting markets are led by horses with proven Sydney form over the distance that ran well last time out in Group 1 company. From 2004 – 2022 just two Doncaster Mile winners didn’t run in Group 1 company last start when Triple Honour (2008)  improved on a Group 2 Hobartville Stakes sixth to win, It’s Somewhat (2017) came off a Group 2 Ajax Stakes victory and Mr Brightside (2022) won off a lead-up fourth in Melbourne’s $5 million The All-Star Mile.

Because of the handicap conditions of the race three-year-olds have a strong record and often feature strongly in the Doncaster Mile odds. From 2006 – 2022 five three-year-olds won the Doncaster Mile including Kermadec (2015) and Brutal (2019) with plenty more running in the trifecta.

Chris Waller-trained horses are always popular in Doncaster Mile betting as the Sydney horseman prepared six of the 15 winners from 2008 – 2022 including four straight thanks to a double by Sacred Falls (2013-14) followed by Kermadec (2015) and Winx (2016).

There have been plenty of recent upsets in Doncaster Mile betting with with seven winners from 1990 – 2021 starting at $21 or longer, while in 2022 Mr Brightside won at $21.

2022 Doncaster Mile Odds

Our early, all-in Doncaster Mile betting odds and futures prices on the hopeful milers heading towards the April classic are listed below.

Doncaster Mile Field

The Doncaster Mile field has a field limit of 20 starters and was recently run at capacity in 2022, 2020, 2019, 2016, 2015 and 2014.

Winx (2016) was the last horse to complete the George Ryder Stakes – Doncaster Mile double. Photo Credit: Steve Hart.

Gallopers come into the Doncaster Mile via a number of different autumn lead-ups but the most popular is the George Ryder Stakes run over just 100m shorter two weeks earlier at Rosehill.

The George Ryder Stakes produced 10 of the Doncaster Mile winners from 2004 – 2022  including the star mare Winx (2016) who won the double. Cascadian (4th in 2021) was the last Doncaster Mile winner to improve off a George Ryder Stakes performance.

The other race producing many runners in the Doncaster Mile field is the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) on Golden Slipper Day, horses dropping back in distance for the lucrative Randwick feature. Nettoyer (4th in 2020) was the last Doncaster Mile winner to improve off a Ranvet Stakes run.

Earlier, the Group 3 Liverpool City Cup (1300m) at Randwick on Chipping Norton Stakes Day can make a nice campaign starting point for Doncaster Mile hopefuls.

Notably, from 2000 – 2022 all but one of the 22 Doncaster Mile winners had their final lead-up run at Rosehill Gardens.

Doncaster Mile nominations close in early February followed by first acceptances at the start of March. The final field of Doncaster Mile acceptances and barrier draw are released on the Tuesday before the race.

2022 Doncaster Mile Field

The official Doncaster Mile 2022 final field of acceptances is due for release on the Tuesday leading-up to Day 1 of ‘The Championships’ and will be available below.

The 2021 Doncaster Mile field of final acceptances will be confirmed on Tuesday the 29th of March, 2022.  

The Doncaster Mile 2022 final field attracted a capacity line-up of in-form Group 1 autumn stars including recent Canterbury Stakes – George Ryder Stakes winning mare Forbidden Love chasing a fourth straight win, I‘m Thunderstruck coming off a good second in Melbourne’s $5 million The All-Star Mile and 49.5kg light-weight Converge in gate three for the Waterhouse/Bott stable.

2022 Doncaster Mile Scratchings: 

• #9 Hungry Heart (11)
• #14 Hilal (16)
• #23e Ironclad (24)
• #24e Our Playboy (13)

2022 Doncaster Mile Nominations

Early nominations on the Doncaster Mile 2022 close at midday on Tuesday the 8th of February, 2022.

The 2022 Doncaster Mile nominations attracted 139 early entries including six for last year’s winning trainer James Cummings led by the defending champion Cascadian and Godolphin’s Caulfield Guineas winner Anamoe.

2022 Doncaster Mile First Acceptances

The Doncaster Mile 2022 first acceptances close on March 8, 2022 reducing the list of potential runners.

Doncaster Mile Tips

Doncaster Mile tips favour proven milers with good autumn form throughout the carnival.

All 22 Doncaster Mile winners from 2000 – 2021 had their final lead-up at Rosehill Gardens so watching for gallopers that ran well in races including the George Ryder Stakes is always a good tip.

In 2022 Mr Brightside broke that trend coming off a fourth in The All-Star Mile at Flemington.

From 2004 – 2022 five favourites saluted for the punters with the latest being Winx (4/5 in 2016).

Three-year-olds have a good record and are feature in Doncaster Mile tips along with Chris Waller-trained runners and well-weighted chances with just three horses carrying more than 55.5kg to victory in the race since 2003, Happy Clapper (57kg in 2018) the most recent.

Mares have a credible record in the Doncaster Mile results with 34 fillies and mares winning up until 2022. Nettoyer (2020) is the last Doncaster Mile winning mare, while Sunline (1999) is the last filly to win the event.

2022 Doncaster Mile Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Doncaster Mile 2022 betting tips on the Group 1 1600m classic will be detailed below with the milers to back and sack this autumn so stay tuned.

• To Win: #20 Converge ($8 at time of publish) 

The short-priced favourite Forbidden Love is absolutely airborne and gets conditions to suit in her bid at a third straight Group 1 victory in the wet in Sydney, but for value looking even further down the weight-scale with Converge carrying just 49.5kg. Co-trainer Gai Waterhouse chases her eighth Doncaster win and the three-year-olds have a good record including the latest to win, Brutality, in 2019. He won the Randwick Guineas at this track/distance against his own age on a Heavy (9) two back before suffering that big beating by tearaway winner Anamoe in the Rosehill Guineas over further. Back to 1600m, no Anamoe in sight, dropping weight….ticks a lot of boxes at a price!

Doncaster Mile Form Guide

The Doncaster Mile form guide shows punters the barriers, jockeys, trainers, weights and lead-up runs of the horses in the field. Looking for Rosehill graduates that come out of autumn Group 1 races is important when doing the Doncaster Mile form.

The Doncaster Mile barrier draw hasn’t been of huge significance in the race with an even spread of winners from across all of the gates, but the most successful since 1983 producing five winners is barrier 12.

The most successful Doncaster Mile jockey with six wins since 1996 including Kermadec (2015) is Glen Boss who also rode three winners on the trot from 2006 – 2008.

Doncaster Mile Form Facts

• Only three favourites in Doncaster Mile betting from 2007 – 2022 saluted for the punters including two mares: More Joyous (2012) and Winx (2016).
• Chris Waller has dominated the Doncaster Mile results in the past decade producing all four winners from 2013 – 2016.
• Eight of the 13 Doncaster Mile winners from 2009 – 2020 jumped from barrier 10 or wider including Brutal (18 of 20 in 2019).
• A Group 1 run at Rosehill Gardens in either the Ranvet Stakes or George Ryder Stakes is the key Doncaster Mile form line to follow into the race.
• Three-year-olds have won the Doncaster Mile 32 times with Brutal (2019) the most recent.
• In the past 33 years up until 2023 double-digit Doncaster Mile barriers have produced 20 winners most recently Mr Brightside in 2022.

2022 Doncaster Mile Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Doncaster Mile Handicap 2022 Form Guide will be provided by punters the week of the race.

Doncaster Mile Records

Below we take a look at some of the Doncaster Mile race records like who is the most successful Doncaster Mile jockey and what horse has run the fastest time in the Doncaster Mile?

Doncaster Mile Race Record: Belmura Lad (1979) with a time of 1:33.70 previous held the Doncaster Mile record before popular galloper Happy Clapper set the new record of 1.33.17 with his 2018 victory.

Doncaster Mile Jockey Record: Jockey Glen Boss has ridden the most Doncaster Mile winners with seven victories. His first was aboard Sprint By (1996) and his most recent was on Brutal (2019).

Doncaster Mile Trainer Record: In a nice piece of Doncaster Mile history, the late Tommy Smith and his daughter Gai Waterhouse co-share the Doncaster Mile training record with seven victories each. Trainer Chris Waller is fast approaching that number sitting at six Doncaster Mile victories up until 2021.

Doncaster Mile Results

The Doncaster Mile results and finishing order are known on Day 1 of The Championships on the first Saturday in April each autumn. Single-figure hopes have dominated the Doncaster Mile results in the past two decades.

The longest priced winners in recent years though have been Mr Brightside ($20 in 2022), Nettoyer ($41 in 2020), It’s Somewhat ($34 in 2017), Sacred Falls ($21 in 2013) for her first of two victories and Patezza ($21 in 2005). Other notable Doncaster Mile winners in that time include Winx (2016), More Joyous (2012), Rangirangdoo (2010) and Racing To Win (2006).

Doncaster Mile Winners