Ladbrokes Tip: The Kingston Town Stakes is a key guide to The Metropolitan each spring
The latest edition of the Kingston Town Stakes ran on Saturday September 20, 2025 with a The Metropolitan ballot exemption going to the narrow Chris Waller trained winner Birdman ($5.50) who broke his Australian maiden status with a tight victory over Adelaide River.
2025 Kingston Town Stakes Results
The official Kingston Town Stakes 2025 race results and full finishing order will be available below once the Group 3 Randwick race is run on Saturday September 20, 2025.
- 1st: #12 Birdman
- 2nd: #7 Adelaide River
- 3rd: #15e Etna Rosso
Chris Waller’s Free Eagle five-year-old Birdman ($5.50) celebrated his first win down under fighting hard to narrowly deny Adelaide River in the 2025 Kingston Town Stakes results on Saturday. The win saw him firm into outright favourite for the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) on October 4 while the Caulfield Cup is also a likely target for the improving import.
2025 Kingston Town Stakes Odds
The season’s best Kingston Town Stakes 2025 betting odds and links to our markets will be made available to punters right here the week of the race so stay tuned for the top Group 3 Randwick racing markets.
| 12. Birdman (1) J: Kerrin McEvoy 55kg 29x25T: Chris Waller | ||
| 7. Adelaide River (2) J: Tyler Schiller 56kg 04x88T: Kris Lees | ||
| 15. Etna Rosso (11) J: Ethan Brown 56kg 222x0T: Chris Waller | ||
| 1. Arapaho (4) J: Rachel King 58kg 41x36T: Bjorn Baker | ||
| 11. Elamaz (6) J: James McDonald 55kg 12x1xT: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | ||
| 3. Vauban (5) J: Tim Clark 57kg 130x3T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | ||
| 8. Our Anchorage (14) J: Josh Parr 56kg 140x0T: Bjorn Baker | ||
| 9. Son Of Sun (13) J: Jason Collett 56kg 598x1T: Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley | ||
| 10. More Felons (10) J: Tommy Berry 55kg x12x0T: Chris Waller | ||
| 4. Athabascan (9) J: Zac Lloyd 56.5kg 959x0T: John O'Shea & Tom Charlton | ||
| 13. Naval College (12) J: Chad Schofield 55kg 6x47xT: Annabel & Rob Archibald | ||
| 5. Full Count Felicia (3) J: Adam Hyeronimus 56kg x4x80T: Chris Waller | ||
| 6. Huetor (8) J: Dylan Gibbons 56kg 200x0T: Peter Snowden | ||
| 14. Mehzebeen (7) J: Regan Bayliss 54kg 317x0T: Chris Waller |
Kingston Town Stakes Tips
Good Kingston Town Stakes tips include looking for stayers coming off a top three run in Sydney last time out, proven Randwick performers and those suited to at least 2000m.
Locally Sydney-trained horses have an outstanding record in the race including those from Chris Waller and Gai Waterhouse who have prepared the bulk of the Kingston Town Stakes winners since 1999.
2025 Kingston Town Stakes Tips
Our Ladbrokes’ insider Kingston Town Stakes 2025 betting tips and exotic selections will be detailed below leading up to the race so stay tuned for the fillies to get behind in The Shorts Day support act this September.
To Win: #11 Elamaz ($4.60 at time of publish)
There’s no denying VAUBAN is a tough favourite to beat, but the emerging stayer with upside in this field is fellow Waterhouse/Bott import ELAMAZ (6). Lightly raced with just eight starts, the gelding is already a five-time winner, including a strong debut victory in the Listed McKell Cup back in June. A Group 2 runner-up in France, he’s been brought along quietly with a couple of trials and looks ready to fire fresh over 2000m—a trip that suits. With James McDonald booked and a pedigree that screams staying power (by Melbourne Cup winner Shocking), Elamaz shapes as a genuine Group 1 contender, potentially for something like The Metropolitan.
|
11. Elamaz (6)
J: James McDonald 55kg
12x1xT: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
|
The Kingston Town Stakes is a Group 3 race for stayers held at Royal Randwick Racecourse in September on The Shorts Day during the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival.
The day’s racing is headlined by the Group 2 $1 million The Shorts (1100m) for the spring sprint stars potentially gearing up for a run in the $20 million The Everest and the Group 2 $300,000 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) for Flight Stakes-bound fillies.
Added to the card for the first time in 2023 is the unlisted $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) which replaces the George Main Stakes as the mile feature on the card and offers the winner an Epsom Handicap ballot exemption.
The meeting also sees the running of the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) offering the winner an Epsom Handicap ballot exemption.
The Kingston Town Stakes is contested over 2000m at set weights plus penalties and offers a total of $250,000 in total prize money.
It is a traditional lead-up to the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick in October and the Kingston Town Stakes winner is exempt from ballot for that mile and a half classic. Herculian Prince (2010) and Just Fine (2023) are the latest horses to complete the Kingston Town Stakes – Metropolitan Handicap double.
In 2021 The Metropolitan winner Montefilia came via a lead-up second in the Kingston Town Stakes results.
Run and won since 1948, the event was previously known as the STC Cup before being renamed in hour of the race’s dual champion Kingston Town (1980, 1981) who is best known for his Cox Plate three-peat (1980-82).
Kingston Town Stakes Race Info
- Date: Saturday September 20, 2025
- Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
- Distance: 2000m
- Conditions: 3YOs & upwards – Set Weights + Penalties
- Status: Group 3
- Prize Money: $250,000
- First Run: 1948
Kingston Town Stakes Betting
Kingston Town Stakes odds are led by the in-form stayers of the spring coming off good lead-up runs in Sydney races against similar company.
There are usually short Kingston Town Stakes betting odds offered on any Chris Waller-trained horses with the stable winning eight times from 2007-25 most recently with Birdman (2025).
She’s Ideel ($2.80 in 2021) and Just Fine ($3.30 in 2023) are the latest favourites in Kingston Town Stakes betting to win.
There was a notable upset in 2022 with the James Cummings-trained Alegron winning at Kingston Town Stakes odds of $20.
Kingston Town Stakes Field
The Kingston Town Stakes race field attracts the season’s best stayers heading towards a run in The Metropolitan over a mile and a half back at the track a fortnight later.
Some of the better stayers out of the Kingston Town Stakes field may also continue onto Flemington’s Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) over the two miles on the first Tuesday in November.
Finche ran fourth in the 2018 Melbourne Cup before winning the next year’s Kingston Town Stakes. He would contest the 2019 Melbourne Cup as well placing seventh and also ran ninth in the 2020 edition of the world’s richest handicap.
In 2022 Knight’s Order finished third in the Kingston Town Stakes, third in that year’s Caulfield Cup, ninth in a credible Melbourne Cup performance, and third in the following autumn’s 2023 Sydney Cup trifecta.
2025 Kingston Town Stakes Field
The official Kingston Town Stakes 2025 final field and barrier draw will be available below once announced on the Wednesday of The Shorts Day.
The Kingston Town Stakes 2025 final field features a capacity line-up of stayers led in betting by two-time Melbourne Cup performer Vauban.
| Entrant | Last 6 | Sex | Barrier | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Arapaho
J: Rachel King
T: Bjorn Baker |
241x36 | G | 4 | 58kg | |
| 2. Land Legend (12) Scratched: | |||||
|
3. Vauban
J: Tim Clark
T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott |
x130x3 | G | 5 | 57kg | |
|
4. Athabascan
J: Zac Lloyd
T: John O'Shea & Tom Charlton |
2959x0 | G | 9 | 56.5kg | |
|
5. Full Count Felicia
J: Adam Hyeronimus
T: Chris Waller |
7x4x80 | M | 3 | 56kg | |
|
6. Huetor
J: Dylan Gibbons
T: Peter Snowden |
x200x0 | G | 8 | 56kg | |
|
7. Adelaide River
J: Tyler Schiller
T: Kris Lees |
404x88 | G | 2 | 56kg | |
|
8. Our Anchorage
J: Josh Parr
T: Bjorn Baker |
1140x0 | G | 14 | 56kg | |
|
9. Son Of Sun
J: Jason Collett
T: Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley |
1598x1 | G | 13 | 56kg | |
|
10. More Felons
J: Tommy Berry
T: Chris Waller |
0x12x0 | G | 10 | 55kg | |
|
11. Elamaz
J: James McDonald
T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott |
112x1x | G | 6 | 55kg | |
|
12. Birdman
J: Kerrin McEvoy
T: Chris Waller |
529x25 | G | 1 | 55kg | |
|
13. Naval College
J: Chad Schofield
T: Annabel & Rob Archibald |
46x47x | G | 12 | 55kg | |
|
14. Mehzebeen
J: Regan Bayliss
T: Chris Waller |
0317x0 | M | 7 | 54kg | |
|
15. Etna Rosso
J: Ethan Brown
T: Chris Waller |
8222x0 | G | 11 | 56kg | |
| 16. Our Gold Hope (8) Scratched: | |||||
| 17. Half Yours (14) Scratched: | |||||
| 18. Star Of India (20) Scratched: | |||||
| 19. Don Diego De Vega (7) Scratched: | |||||
| 20. Flying Bandit (15) Scratched: | |||||
2025 Kingston Town Stakes Nominations
The early Kingston Town Stakes 2025 nominations are announced on the Monday of race week and will be published below once released.
| Last 10 | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x90x404x88 | ADELAIDE RIVER (IRE) | G | 6 | Kris Lees | 104 |
| 2 | x651540x37 | AGE OF SAIL (GB) | G | 7 | Kris Lees | 87 |
| 3 | 1x55241x36 | ARAPAHO (FR) | G | 9 | Bjorn Baker | 113 |
| 4 | 1x782959x0 | ATHABASCAN (FR) | G | 7 | John O’Shea & Tom Charlton | 101 |
| 5 | 84112×9202 | BELVEDERE BOYS | G | 6 | Matthew Dunn | 95 |
| 6 | 0x42529x25 | BIRDMAN (IRE) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | 100 |
| 7 | 6x07344x74 | BRAYDEN STAR (GB) | G | 7 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | 92 |
| 8 | 1x70x4541x | DON DIEGO DE VEGA (FR) | G | 6 | Annabel & Rob Archibald | 93 |
| 9 | 21x1112x1x | ELAMAZ (IRE) | G | 6 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 104 |
| 10 | x0698222x0 | ETNA ROSSO (IRE) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 96 |
| 11 | 11x31417x6 | FLYING BANDIT | G | 5 | Kerry Parker | 93 |
| 12 | 0x5x760326 | FORGOT YOU (NZ) | G | 7 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | 95 |
| 13 | x4117x4x80 | FULL COUNT FELICIA (USA) | M | 7 | Chris Waller | 108 |
| 14 | 117×211215 | HALF YOURS | G | 5 | Tony & Calvin McEvoy | 95 |
| 15 | 1540x200x0 | HUETOR (FR) | G | 9 | Peter Snowden | 107 |
| 16 | 42111x70x0 | KADAVAR (NZ) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | 92 |
| 17 | 138x768x39 | LAND LEGEND (FR) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 106 |
| 18 | 11x90317x0 | MEHZEBEEN (NZ) | M | 6 | Chris Waller | 103 |
| 19 | 28x50x12x0 | MORE FELONS (IRE) | G | 7 | Chris Waller | 107 |
| 20 | x63646x47x | NAVAL COLLEGE (GB) | G | 7 | Annabel & Rob Archibald | 99 |
| 21 | 4x111140x0 | OUR ANCHORAGE (IRE) | G | 7 | Bjorn Baker | 99 |
| 22 | x865839x53 | OUR GOLD HOPE | M | 5 | Robert & Luke Price | 96 |
| 23 | 12110x322x | QUIETNESS (GB) | M | 6 | John O’Shea & Tom Charlton | 93 |
| 24 | x3232x0011 | ROYAL SUPREMACY (IRE) | G | 5 | Ciaron Maher | 94 |
| 25 | 51311598×1 | SON OF SUN (NZ) | G | 6 | Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley | 99 |
| 26 | x0x0000x80 | STAR OF INDIA (IRE) | G | 7 | Chris Waller | 94 |
| 27 | 2316120×7 | THEDOCTOROFLOVE | G | 4 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | 96 |
| 28 | x76x171212 | TRAVOLTA (GB) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | 92 |
| 29 | 44064800×7 | TRUST IN YOU (NZ) | G | 7 | Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley | 93 |
| 30 | 090x0693x0 | VALIANT KING (GB) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 93 |
| 31 | 3120x130x3 | VAUBAN (FR) | G | 8 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 114 |
| 32 | 1212x75x85 | WOOTTON VERNI (FR) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | 93 |
| 33 | 28220×0056 | WYCLIF (GB) | G | 9 | Ciaron Maher | 96 |
| 34 | 54x83230x5 | ZARDOZI | M | 5 | Ciaron Maher | 107 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
Kingston Town Stakes Form Guide
The Kingston Town Stakes form guide features all the crucial information for punters like the jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up runs. One of the best form lines to follow into the Kingston Town Stakes is the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) held a fortnight earlier at the same track.
Alegron (7th in 2022) was the last Kingsford Town Stakes winner to come via a lead-up run in the Chelmsford Stakes.
The Kingston Town Stakes is a proven form race, known for producing subsequent Group 1 contenders and winners. A prime example is the 2024 edition, where the winner, Eliyass, followed up with a third-place finish in the Turnbull Stakes. However, the real star of that race was the runner-up, Ceolwulf, who went on to achieve a notable Group 1 double, winning both the Epsom Handicap and the King Charles III Stakes later that spring.
2025 Kingston Town Stakes Form Guide
A link to our comprehensive Kingston Town Stakes 2025 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.
Kingston Town Stakes Results
Notable Kingston Town Stakes winners include the race’s now namesake Kingston Town (1980 & 1981), Stormhill (2005), Herculian Prince (2010), Libran (2017), Avilius (2018), Finche (2019), Alegron (2022), and Just Fine (2023).
She’s Ideel (2021) was the last Kingston Town Stakes winning mare.
Stout Hearted holds the current Kingston Town Stakes race record winning over 2000m in 2012 in a time of 2 minutes 00.68 seconds.
Past Kingston Town Stakes Winners
Recent Kingston Town Stakes winners dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.
| Year | Winner | Trainer/s | Jockey | Weight | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Birdman | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 55 kgs | 2:01.85 |
| 2024 | Eliyass | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 56 kgs | 2:01.54 |
| 2023 | Just Fine | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Regan Bayliss | 55 kgs | 2:00.39 |
| 2022 | Alegron | James Cummings | Rachel King | 55 kgs | 2:06.79 |
| 2021 | She’s Ideel | Bjorn Baker | Jason Collett | 53.5 kgs | 2:05.50 |
| 2020 | Taikomochi | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 56 kgs | 2:00.84 |
| 2019 | Finche | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 56 kgs | 2:04.4 |
| 2018 | Avilius | James Cummings | Glyn Schofield | 56 kgs | 2:02.01 |
| 2017 | Libran | Chris Waller | Glyn Schofield | 57 kgs | 2:02.76 |
| 2016 | Mccreery | Chris Waller | Joao Moreira | 54 kgs | 2:03.80 |
| 2015 | Silverball | Chris Waller | Brenton Avdulla | 58 kgs | 2:02.98 |
| 2014 | He’s Your Man | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | 56.5 kgs | 2:04.02 |
| 2013 | Prince Cheri | David Vandyke | Jay Ford | 54 kgs | 2:03.47 |
| 2012 | Stout Hearted | Chris Waller | Glyn Schofield | 54 kgs | 2:00.68 |
| 2011 | Lamasery | David Vandyke | Brenton Avdulla | 53 kgs | 2:02.50 |
| 2010 | Herculian Prince | Gai Waterhouse | Hugh Bowman | 55.5 kgs | 2:01.54 |
| 2009 | Ready To Lift | Gerald Ryan | Glyn Schofield | 58 kgs | 2:01.91 |
| 2008 | Hurrah | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | 55 kgs | 2:03.36 |
| 2007 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2006 | Mr Martini | Marc Conners | Darryl McLellan | 52.5 kgs | 2:05.55 |
| 2005 | Stormhill | Tim Martin | Hugh Bowman | 55 kgs | 2:01.06 |
| 2004 | Just Polite | Shaun Dwyer | Danny Beasley | 53 kgs | 2:04.02 |
| 2003 | Ariante | Gai Waterhouse | Lenny Beasley | 54 kgs | 2:03.13 |
| 2002 | Dress Circle | Gai Waterhouse | Lenny Beasley | 60.5 kgs | 2:02.15 |
| 2001 | Swiss Echo | Gai Waterhouse | Glen Boss | 52.5 kgs | 2:03.34 |
| 2000 | Dashing Scene | Gai Waterhouse | Lenny Beasley | 52 kgs | 2:04.86 |
FAQ
Who won the 2025 Kingston Town Stakes?
The 2025 Kingston Town Stakes was won by five-year-old Free Eagle gelding Birdman at $5.50 for trainer Chris Waller with jockey Kerrin McEvoy aboard on 55kg from barrier one to win by 0.02 lengths on a Good (4) track in a time of 2:01.85.
When is the Kingston Town Stakes 2025?
Saturday September 20, 2025What is the prize money for the Kingston Town Stakes 2025?
$250,000
Where is the Kingston Town Stakes 2025?
Randwick Racecourse, Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031.
How do I bet on the 2024 Kingston Town Stakes?
Bet online or via the latest iOS/Android apps with Ladbrokes.
The first step is to create an account at ladbrokes.com.au. The process is quick and easy!
Once you've created your account you can make a deposit via credit card, or any other of our secure payment methods. Next up, head to the racing page and find the race and runner that's right for you.
Which horse will win the 2024 Kingston Town Stakes?
The best way to pick which horse will win the Kingston Town Stakes is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight the horse will carry (among other factors). Check out ladbrokes.com.au in the lead up to the race for full form information.