Epsom Handicap 2021

Ladbrokes Tip: Last start winners have a gun recent record in the Epsom Handicap

The Epsom Handicap is one of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival’s major mile races and runs at Royal Randwick Racecourse in late September or early October each year. Offering $1.5 million in prize money after receiving a $500,000 boost in 2021 the race is held at the same meeting as The Metropolitan and the Flight Stakes and has been conducted since 1865.

The 1600m feature is open to horses aged three years and older and is named after the iconic Epsom Downs Racecourse in the South of England. It has held Group 1 status since 1979 and has been won by many notable champions including Desert War (2004 & 2005), Shogun Lodge (2000), Super Impose (1990 & 1991), Imposing (1979), Gunsynd (1971) and Sky High (1961).

More recently Chris Waller-trained horses have dominated the Epsom Handicap results including the 2015 win by superstar mare Winx and 2019 success of Kolding who went on to win the inaugural $7.5 million The Golden Eagle race.

This season the Epsom Handicap ran on Saturday October 2, 2021 and was won by the Joe Pride-trained Private Eye ($11). 

2021 Epsom Handicap Results

The full Epsom Handicap 2021 Results & Finishing Order will be provided below once the race is run and won on Saturday October 2, 2021.

• 1st: #12 Private Eye
• 2nd: #10 Aramayo
• 3rd: #3 Dalasan

Private Eye ($11) was brave winning the Epsom Handicap 2021 results for trainer Joe Pride ahead of the $7.5 million The Golden Eagle, a double completed in 2019 by Kolding. 

Epsom Handicap Race Info

• Date: Saturday October 2, 2021
• Track: Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1600m
• Conditions: Handicap
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $1.5 million
• First Run: 1865

Epsom Handicap Betting

Epsom Handicap betting markets are often led by horses that won their final lead-up into the mile classic with three of the four winners from 2013 – 16 coming off a victory including Winx (2015).

In 2019 the top two horses in Epsom Handicap betting ran the quinella with the $5.50 equal favourites Kolding and Te Akau Shark running one-two.

Chris Waller’s horses always sit highly up the Epsom Handicap odds as he prepared four of the winners between 2013 – 21 most recently Kolding (2019).  Gai Waterhouse-trained hopefuls, if in form, also feature in the Epsom Handicap markets as she has won the Epsom Handicap a record seven times, most recently with Fat Al (2012).

Waller was narrowly denied another Epsom win in 2020 when his mare Funstar ran second to Probabeel. The stable also ran second in 2021 with Aramayo running second to the Joe Pride-trained winner Private Eye. 

Epsom Handicap odds online are affected by the results of traditional lead-up races including the Theo Marks Stakes, which Winx won on way to her 2015 success in the feature, and other events offering an Epsom Handicap ballot exemption like the Shannon Stakes the week before at Rosehill Gardens.

Favourites in Epsom Handicap betting have a solid recent record and no galloper since Captain Sonador ($15 in 2010) had won the race at double-figure Epsom Handicap odds until the massive upset by Hartnell ($20 in 2018) and then Private Eye ($11 in 2021). 

2021 Epsom Handicap Odds

The season’s latest Epsom Handicap 2021 betting odds and links to our markets on the Group 1 Randwick mile classic will be available over the spring below.

Epsom Handicap tips flood in the week of the race and usually feature horses that are well-weighted under the handicap conditions. No horse has carried more than 57kg to Epsom Handicap victory since Super Impose (61kg in 1991).

Winners of the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap and the Group 2 Shannon Stakes are also good Epsom Handicap tips as these two races have produced plenty of recent champions of the Epsom Handicap results.  Kolding (2019) and Probabeel (2020) are the latest to complete the Bill Ritchie – Epsom Handicap double.

The Group 1 George Main Stakes meanwhile has also produced a number of winners, so keeping an eye on these lead-up races is a good Epsom Handicap betting tip.

2021 Epsom Handicap Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Epsom Handicap 2021 betting tips and exotic Group 1 Randwick selections will be detailed below for punters the week of the race, so stay tuned for the miler hopefuls to back and sack this season.

• Best Value: #13 Atishu ($19 at time of publish) 

It’s an open edition of the Epsom with Mo’unga the class horse but giving away the weight and Riodini in outstanding form with those light kilos but drawn wide. There could be a blow out! Like the price on this Chris Waller-trained Savabeel mare who is just so consistent. Looking to go back-to-back for the mares after the Probabeel win last year and she’s doing everything right. Up notably in grade, but was brave winning the Group 3 Bill Ritchie narrowly defeating a few of these last time out. Carries just 50.5kg and is proven at the mile. 

Epsom Handicap Field

The Epsom Handicap field has a capacity of 20 starters plus four emergencies and the last year it was run at capacity was 2010 when Captain Sonador won. The field of final acceptors is released on the Tuesday before the race runs on a Saturday at the start of October. 

Horses come into the Epsom Handicap field each season via a number of different Sydney lead-up races including the Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) that produced Hauraki (2nd) for his 2016 win and Happy Clapper (2nd) in 2017, while that double was last completed by Racing To Win (2006).

Winx (2015) is one of the most famous recent Epsom Handicap winners. Photo Credit: Steve Hart.

An earlier spring lead-up into the Epsom Handicap field is August’s Group 3 Show County Quality, a race the 2020 Epsom champion Probabeel ran second in that season. In 2021 Private Eye completed the Show County Quality – Epsom Handicap double. 

2021 Epsom Handicap Field

The official Epsom Handicap 2021 Final Field & Barrier Draw will be announced by Racing NSW on the Tuesday of race week with the full line-up to be published below. 

The 2021 Epsom Handicap field features 17 runners with the early favourites Mo’unga and Riodini both drawing wide in barriers 13 and 15 respectively. 

2021 Epsom Handicap Nominations

The Epsom Handicap 2021 nominations close on Monday the 6th of September, 2021 about a month leading-up to Epsom Handicap Day.

The 2021 Epsom Handicap nominations attracted 90 early entries including Jamie Richards’ defending champion Probabeel, the in-form Winx Stakes winning four-year-old Mo’unga and Chris Waller’s ATC Oaks champion Hungry Heart. 

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Epsom Handicap Form Guide

The Epsom Handicap form guide is poured over by punters before they place their bets on the spring showdown every season and lists all the horses, their allocated weights and barriers, trainers and jockeys, and other crucial info like track / distance form.

There’s lots to look at in the form guide but how horses ran in their lead-up races is especially important, while wide barriers haven’t been a hoodoo in recent years with the likes of Secret Admirer (16 in 2011), Boban (10 in 2013), He’s Your Man (10 in 2014), Winx (12 in 2015) and Kolding (12 in 2019) all overcoming double digit gates to win the race.

Epsom Handicap Form Facts

• Chris Waller trained four of the nine Epsom Handicap winners from 2013 – 21
• Mares have won the Epsom Handicap just three times in over 30 years with Secret Admirer (2011), Winx (2015) and Probabeel (2020)
• Double-digit barriers produced eight winners from 2011 – 2021 – including Secret Admirer (16 of 17 in 2011), Hartnell (10 of 20 in 2018), Kolding (12 of 19 in 2019) and Probabeel (15 of 17 in 2020)
• Favourites have a credible record in the race and recent Epsom Handicap results have been dominated by single-figure chances

2021 Epsom Handicap Form

A link to our detailed Epsom Handicap 2021 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Epsom Handicap Results

The Epsom Handicap results are published after the showdown happens at Randwick on Epsom Handicap Day and features the finishing order of all the starters, any scratched horses, the winning trifecta payout as well as margins for those punters that bet on how much a horse would win or lose by.

Epsom Handicap Winners