Ladbrokes Tip: Favourites have a poor recent record in the Kingsford Smith Cup with double figure winners dominating the results over the past decade

Since 2017 the BTC Cup has been known as the Kingsford Smith Cup and is no longer the opening Group 1 race of the Queensland and Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival. It is now run a fortnight later in late May taking place at Eagle Farm Racecourse – moved from Doomben – and follows the Doomben 10,000 and Doomben Cup on the winter racing program.

It is also now held on the same day as races including the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m), the $1 million Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes for JJ Atkins hopes and the Group 3 Fred Best Classic for three-year-olds. 

Formerly contested over 1200m by a field of top class local and interstate sprinters when run as the BTC Cup, the weight-for-age Kingsford Smith Cup now takes place over 1300m and offers a total of $700,000 in prize money.

The Kingsford Smith Cup is now the key lead-up to the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) held at the track the following month.

The Doomben 10,000 is an excellent lead-up into the Kingsford-Smith Cup and the double was recently completed by The Bostonian (2019). The year before, Impending (2018) improved on a Doomben 10,000 second to win the Kingsford-Smith Cup as the equal $4.20 favourite. 

Most recently, Vega One improved on a lead-up Doomben 10,000 fourth in 2021 to win that year’s Kingsford-Smith Cup. 

There was no Kingsford-Smith Cup run in 2020 due to COVID-19. 

The 2021 edition of the Kingsford Smith Cup ran on Saturday May 29, 2021 and saw the Tony Gollan-trained stablemates Vega One and Jonker run the quinella in a photo-finish. 

2021 Kingsford Smith Cup Results

• 1st: #9 Vega One
• 2nd: #10 Jonker
• 3rd: #11 Signore Fox

Trainer Tony Gollan celebrated his fifth career Group 1 win and enjoyed a sensational quinella in the Kingsford-Smith Cup 2021 results with his comeback galloper Vega One ($12) coming from nowhere to defeat the front runner Jonker  ($15) right on the line. 

The official 2021 Kingsford Smith Cup Results & Finishing Order will be available here once the former BTC Cup race takes place on Saturday May 29, 2021.

Kingsford Smith Cup Race Info

• Former Name: BTC Cup
• Date: Saturday May 29, 2021
• Track: Eagle Farm Racecourse
• Distance: 1300m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $700,000
• First Run: 1964

Kingsford Smith Cup Betting

Kingsford Smith Cup odds open to punters at all-in prices at around nomination stage offering generous prices on the top season sprinters. The Kingsford Smith Cup betting prices firm with the release of the final field the week before the race and are usually led by proven Group winners and performers coming off good lead-up form.

Sydney sprinters perform well and have traditionally sat high up BTC Cup betting. With the race date put back a fortnight since 2017, the Kingsford Smith Cup odds are now dominated by middle-distance sprinters come off the key lead-up run in the Doomben 10,000 over 1200m a fortnight earlier. The Bostonian in 2019 was the last horse to do the Doomben 10,000 – Kingsford-Smith Cup double. 

Two horses completed the TJ Smith Stakes – BTC Cup double without a run in between before the race was changed – Apache Cat (2008) and Black Caviar (2011). Favourites in past BTC Cup betting markets had a poor recent record, the last outright favourite to salute for the punters being superstar mare Black Caviar who is the most notable winner of the race. In 2018 the equal $4.80 favourite in Kingsford Smith Cup betting, Impending, won the race beating the also $4.80 co-favourite Le Romain in a thrilling photo finish. 

Kingsford Smith Cup favourites get the chance to improve the record of top fancies with the race run a fortnight after over more distance at the Eagle Farm track.

2021 Kingsford Smith Cup Betting

The Kingsford Smith Cup 2021 betting odds on the race formerly known as the BTC Cup are now available below during the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival so stay tuned to access the best markets on the Group 1 lead-up to the Stradbroke Handicap.

Kingsford Smith Cup Field

Black Caviar (2011) is the most famous BTC Cup winner before the race changed to the Kingsford Smith Cup from 2017. Photo Credit: Taron Clarke.

The BTC Cup field always attracted a stellar line-up of top sprinters. In the past 30 years the largest BTC Cup field was 20 starters when Goldorme won in 1986. The smallest BTC Cup field in recent history was just seven starters when Famous Seamus won in 2014.

The new-look Kingsford Smith Cup field features primarily Stradbroke Handicap-bound horses coming off a Doomben 10,000 run and is released on the Tuesday before the race following nominations in early May. 

2021 Kingsford Smith Cup Field

The Kingsford Smith Cup 2021 field will be posted here once released the Tuesday of race week, May 25th, 2021. 

The 2021 Kingsford-Smith Cup final field is now out featuring a star-studded line-up of 16 hopefuls including star South Australian sprinter Gytrash and the in-form Godolphin-raced mare Savatiano. 

• Scratched: #4 Imaging (16)

2021 Kingsford Smith Cup Nominations

Early Kingsford Smith Cup nominations closed on Tuesday the 4th of May, 2021 and attracted a bumper 62 sprinters led in early betting by Godolphin’s Group 1 winning mare Savatiano, her stablemate Trekking who won the 2019 Stradbroke in Brisbane and smart Redoute’s Choice colt Prague.  

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2021 Kingsford Smith Cup Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Kingsford Smith Cup 2021 tips – formerly the BTC Cup betting tips – will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for the winter horses to back and sack this May.

• To Win: #3 Savatoxl ($13 at time of publish) 

Great price on offer for this Tony & Calvin McEvoy-trained five-year-old who has been in flying form in South Australia. Two back he won the DC McKay by three lengths before franking the form with the impressive two-length Group 1 The Goodwood win. Gytrash ran third in that and is favourite in Brisbane. He has a wide alley and will need to be good going up in weight, but at double-figures can surprise and is worth a punt. 

Kingsford Smith Cup Form Guide

The Kingsford Smith Cup form guide details all the must know info for punters including barriers, jockeys and the lead-up runs of the horses in the field.

Standout BTC Cup form facts – before the race name was changed in 2017 – included runners drawn in barriers 1 – 6 dominating the results and the standout record five-year-olds in the race.

Looking for horses with previous experience at the race’s new home – Eagle Farm Racecourse – is now an important thing to check for doing the Kingsford Smith Cup form, which is also set to stack-up in the Stradbroke Handicap.

Kingsford Smith Cup Form Facts

• Impending ($4.80 EF in 2018) was the first favourite to win since Black Caviar (2011)
• The old BTC Cup form races changed from 2017 with the Doomben 10,000 now the key lead-up to the Kingsford Smith Cup
• Horses coming off a top-three run have dominated the race results in the past decade and that remains a key Kingsford Smith Cup form line

2021 Kingsford Smith Cup Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Kingsford Smith Cup 2021 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

BTC Cup & Kingsford Smith Cup Results

Upset results from the BTC Cup are not uncommon with a host of roughies saluting in the race. From 2006 – 2021 nine of the race’s winners jumped at double figures including Famous Seamus ($21 in 2014) and Hot Snitzel ($26 in 2015), along with Clearly Innocent ($12 in 2017) who became the first official Kingsford Smith Cup winner in the renamed race.

There was also a double-figure upset in 2019 with that year’s Doomben 10,000 winner The Bostonian saluting at 10/1, and again in 2021 with Vega One saluting at 11/1 for trainer Tony Gollan.  

Notable recent BTC Cup winners include Black Caviar (2011), Apache Cat (2008) and Falvelon (2003). From 2017 the event name changed and the results entered a new era of Kingsford Smith Cup winners and results.

BTC Cup / Kingsford Smith Cup Winners