This season the downgraded Group 2 The Metropolitan Handicap ran on Saturday, October 3, 2026 as part of Epsom Handicap Day in Sydney and was won in an improved effort by last year’s third placegetter Juja Kibo ($5.50) ahead of the spring majors.
The Metropolitan Handicap 2026 is shaping as one of the standout staying contests of the Sydney spring, with a deep mix of seasoned stayers and emerging 2400m talents lining up under genuine handicap conditions at Royal Randwick. Early Metropolitan Handicap odds are already reacting to key lead‑up runs, weight swings and stable plans, giving Ladbrokes punters strong early reads on who’s building towards peak staying form. With tempo, barriers and Randwick’s demanding rise all set to influence the result, Metropolitan Handicap betting strategies are heating up — and Ladbrokes keeps you ahead of the market with sharp insights, value plays and up‑to‑date analysis for this iconic 2400m showdown.
2026 The Metropolitan Handicap Results
The official The Metropolitan 2026 results and race finishing order will be provided below once the race takes place on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
- #5 Juja Kibo
- #7 Aethelwulf
- #1 The Euphrates
The 2026 The Metropolitan results showcased the staying prowess of Juja Kibo ($5.50), who delivered a dominant performance to claim the Group 2 feature over 2400m at Randwick and emerge as a genuine Spring Cups contender. Trained by Ciaron Maher and expertly ridden by Sam Clipperton, the son of Belardo settled perfectly before surging clear to defeat race favourite Aethelwulf by 1¾ lengths, with The Euphrates finishing third. Having placed in the race 12 months earlier, Juja Kibo returned a stronger and more mature stayer, relishing the rain-affected conditions to record his biggest Australian victory. The impressive win sparked significant moves in both Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup markets, with the progressive import enhancing his credentials as one of the leading long-distance prospects of the 2026 Spring Racing Carnival. Juja Kibo firmed from $51 into $15 in futures Caulfield Cup 2025 betting at Ladbrokes and $51 into $26 in the latest all-in Melbourne Cup odds online.
2026 The Metropolitan Race Replay
2026 The Metropolitan Odds & Finishing Order
The season’s updated The Metropolitan 2026 betting odds and links to our markets will be available below so make sure you stay tuned for access to the best Randwick racing odds online followed by the official finishing order after the event.
The Metropolitan 2026 Results
| 5. Juja Kibo (4) 56.5kg39×32 | |||
| 7. Aethelwulf (3) 55kg51111 | |||
| 1. The Euphrates (1) 59kg17×41 | |||
| 4. Green Spaces (7) 56.5kg1×860 | |||
| 10. Athabascan (6) 54kg545×0 | |||
| 8. Thebudgiesmugla (9) 55kg61144 | |||
| 2. Soul Of Spain (5) 58.5kg2×683 | |||
| 3. Deakin (2) 56.5kgx5x38 | |||
| 13. Steel Blaze (8) 53kg89362 | |||
| 6. Valiant King (1)SCRATCHED: | |||
| 9. Piggyback (7)SCRATCHED: | |||
| 11. Mr Monaco (12)SCRATCHED: | |||
| 12. Pinhole (13)SCRATCHED: | |||
The Metropolitan Handicap Tips
The Metropolitan tips are often a mixed affair with the race know to attract a big field.
Winners of the race in recent years have come via a host of different lead-ups and the only last start winners to back up and take out The Metropolitan since Railings (2005) are Glencadam Gold (2012) and Just Fine (2023).
Just Fine was Gai Waterhouse’s ninth champion in the event making Waterhouse-trained runners a good The Metropolitan Handicap tip each spring.
Other key The Metropolitan betting tips include looking for horses weighted 55.5kg and under and those coming off a Sydney lead-up run.
Ladbrokes Tip: Sydney stayers have a dominant recent record in The Metropolitan over interstate runners!
2026 The Metropolitan Predictions & Best Bets
Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive The Metropolitan 2026 tips and Randwick exotic betting selections will be detailed for punters below the week of Epsom Handicap Day.
| 7. Aethelwulf (3) 55kg51111 |
| 5. Juja Kibo (4) 56.5kg39×32 |
| 8. Thebudgiesmugla (9) 55kg61144 |
The Metropolitan is a well-known handicap race conducted at Randwick Racecourse in early October each Sydney Spring Racing Carnival. Worth $750,000 in prize money, the staying classic is conducted over 2400m and The Metropolitan winner takes out over $430,000 in prize money.
Held on Epsom Handicap Day that featured three Group 1 races until The Metropolitan Handicap was downgraded to a Group 2 event in 2026, it was first run in 1863 and held elite level status from 1979-2025. Originally called the Great Metropolitan Stakes it was run on the Labour Day holiday on the first Monday in October until 2004. Many top stayers have enjoyed success in The Metropolitan over the years including Magic Hurricane (2015), Railings (2005), Ming Dynasty (1978) and Redcraze (1956).
Each spring The Metropolitan winner is exempt from ballot for the following autumn’s $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes race in Sydney.
The winner of the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) race run a fortnight earlier meanwhile earns a The Metropolitan ballot exemption and Herculian Prince (2010) followed by the fellow Tulloch Lodge-raced Just Fine (2023) are the latest to do the double.
The Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) also offers the winner a The Metropolitan ballot exemption. In 2023 Spirit Ridge ran second in both the Newcastle Gold Cup and The Metropolitan when nearly scoring an upset in the latter at 40/1 after a huge run.
Royal Supremacy (2nd in 2025) was the last Newcastle Gold Cup graduate to win The Metropolitan when turning the tables on Soul Of Spain who won the Newcastle race before a second in the then Group 1 at Randwick.
The Metropolitan Race Info
- Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
- Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
- Distance: 2400m
- Conditions: Handicap
- Status: Group 2
- Prize Money: $750,000
- First Run: 1863
The Metropolitan Betting
The Metropolitan Handicap betting markets open as soon as the nominations for the mile and a half classic close in late August each Sydney Spring Racing Carnival. Futures betting on Group status races like The Metropolitan give you the chance to lock in juicy prices on potential runners.
Many punters however prefer to wait until the field is released and The Metropolitan odds are often led by horses that ran well in races like the Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup, the Group 3 Colin Stephen Quality or Caulfield’s Group 3 Naturalism Stakes.
Horses that come off nice lead-up runs in Sydney, are well-weighted in The Metropolitan weights and older gallopers traditionally sit at the top of The Metropolitan odds each season.
Just Fine ($1.75 in 2023) was the last The Metropolitan favourite to salute for the punters.
The Metropolitan Handicap Field
The Metropolitan field has a capacity of 18 starters but hadn’t had the maximum number of runners line up on race day since 2005 when Railings won from barrier 14 of 18 until 2020 when Mirage Dancer saluted.
The final field of The Metropolitan acceptances is out on the Wednesday before the race runs on the Saturday and is considered a nice lead-up for Melbourne-bound hopefuls that could back-up in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup. The Metropolitan nominations meanwhile close in early September with up to 100 runners making up the early entries.
Horses come into The Metropolitan field via a number of different lead-up races, a number of which offer a ballot exemption to the winner into the staying feature including the Newcastle Gold Cup. The last galloper to complete the Newcastle Cup – The Metropolitan double without another run in between was Glencadam Gold (2012).
A fortnight prior to the Newcastle Gold Cup, the Listed Wyong Gold Cup (2100m) also serves as a potential early The Metropolitan lead-up race and The Verminator (2011) was the last to do the double.
Rosehill’s Group 3 Premier’s Cup (1900m) run in late August is another good early The Metropolitan lead-up race and recent horses to do the double include Railings (2005), Glencadam Gold (2012) and Magic Hurricane (2015).
2026 The Metropolitan Field
The official The Metropolitan 2026 Final Field & Barrier Draw is set for release the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below, so stay tuned to see what spring stayers make the starting line-up in the mile and a half feature.
The Metropolitan 2026 field features a smart line-up of 13 potential Spring Cups-bound stayers with Aethelwulf the hot favourite coming off four straight wins for Matthew Smith and jockey Zac Lloyd.
| Entrant | Last 6 | Sex | Barrier | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. The Euphrates
J: Tim Clark
T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott |
417×41 | G | 1 | 59kg | |
|
2. Soul Of Spain
J: James McDonald
T: Chris Waller |
62×683 | G | 5 | 58.5kg | |
|
3. Deakin
J: Kerrin Mcevoy
T: Phillip & Tommy Stokes |
8x5x38 | G | 2 | 56.5kg | |
|
4. Green Spaces
J: Rachel King
T: Bjorn Baker |
21×860 | H | 7 | 56.5kg | |
|
5. Juja Kibo
J: Sam Clipperton
T: Ciaron Maher |
339×32 | G | 4 | 56.5kg | |
| 6. Valiant King (1) Scratched: | |||||
|
7. Aethelwulf
J: Zac Lloyd
T: Matthew Smith |
151111 | G | 3 | 55kg | |
|
8. Thebudgiesmugla
J: Dylan Gibbons
T: Bjorn Baker |
161144 | G | 9 | 55kg | |
| 9. Piggyback (7) Scratched: | |||||
|
10. Athabascan
J: Jason Collett
T: John O’shea & Tom Charlton |
8545×0 | G | 6 | 54kg | |
| 11. Mr Monaco (12) Scratched: | |||||
| 12. Pinhole (13) Scratched: | |||||
|
13. Steel Blaze
J: Reece Jones
T: Brett Lazzarini |
089362 | G | 8 | 53kg | |
2026 The Metropolitan Nominations & Weights
Early nominations for The Metropolitan 2026 are taken by Racing NSW on Monday the 7th of September 2026 followed by the official The Metropolitan weights on September 14.
2026 The Metropolitan nominations are now out featuring 22 spring stayers led in all-in betting by the Matthew Smith-trained Newcastle Gold Cup winner Aethelwulf chasing a fifth win on the trot and progressive Waterhouse/Bott import The Euphrates coming off a Group 2 Kingston Town Stakes victory.
The Metropolitan Handicap Form Guide
The Metropolitan Handicap form guide lists all of the final acceptors, their barriers, jockeys, trainers and allocated weights. The winning weight range in the race over the past decade ranges from a light 50 kg to 56kg that Opinion (2014) carried to victory for trainer Chris Waller.
Junoob originally won the 2014 race but was later disqualified for a failed drug test. The race favourites meanwhile aren’t always the most likely to win in this spring major with just three saluting since 2005 with plenty of long-priced roughies scoring an upset including Newport (40/1 in 2008) and The Verminator (20/1 in 2011).
The Metropolitan form has stacked-up in other elite level races many times over the years including in 2021 with the winner Montefilia running a next-up fourth in the Caulfield Cup results before returning in the autumn of 2022 to win the Ranvet Stakes.
The 2024 The Metroplitan winner Land Legend franked the form with a next-up third in that year’s Caulfield Cup trifecta, while Zardozi ran second in the race before fourth place runs in both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup races that spring.
The Metropolitan Form Facts
- Mirage Dancer (2020), Foundry (2017), Seville (2013) and Newport (2008) are the only The Metropolitan winners from 2008 – 2026 to come off a non-Sydney lead-up race.
- Since 2005 just three horses have come off a victory before winning The Metropolitan including the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Kingston Town Stakes winner Just Fine in 2023.
- Favourites have a poor recent record in The Metropolitan results with only four saluting from 2006-2026.
- Since Railings (2005) the only The Metropolitan winner younger than five-years-old was Montefilia (4YO mare in 2021).
- Trainer Gai Waterhouse holds the record with nine The Metropolitan winners as of 2024.
2026 The Metropolitan Form
A link to our detailed The Metropolitan 2026 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.
Past The Metropolitan Handicap Results
The Metropolitan race results display the exact finishing order of all the starters, any scratched horses, the winning margin, time, weight and starting price of each galloper.
In recent years The Metropolitan Handicap results have been dominated by Sydney-trained horses coming off lead-up runs in New South Wales. Favourites only have an average record in The Metropolitan results of the past decade, with the last to salute for the punters being Just Fine (2023).
Notable recent The Metropolitan winners include Coco Cobanna (2000), Glencadam Gold (2012), Sir John Hawkwood (2016), and Montefilia (2021).
Montefilia (2021) is the last The Metropolitan winning mare.
Just Fine holds the current The Metropolitan race record winning in 2023 in a time of 2 minutes 26:11 seconds.
Recent The Metropolitan Winners
Recent The Metropolitan winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Third | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Juja Kibo | Aethelwulf | The Euphrates | 2:32.04 |
| 2025 | Royal Supremacy | Soul Of Spain | Juja Kibo | 2:26.84 |
| 2024 | Land Legend | Zardozi | Unusual Legacy | 2:27.47 |
| 2023 | Just Fine | Spirit Ridge | Kalapour | 2:26.11 (R) |
| 2022 | No Compromise | Le Don De Vie | Realm Of Flowers | 2:38.13 |
| 2021 | Montefilia | Entente | Harpo Marx | 2:27.79 |
| 2020 | Mirage Dancer | Mugatoo | Angel Of Truth | 2:27.52 |
| 2019 | Come Play With Me | Gallic Chieftain | Sir Charles Road | 2:30.61 |
| 2018 | Patrick Erin | Brimham Rocks | Sikandarabad | 2:29.6 |
| 2017 | Foundry | Big Duke | Chocante | 2:27.7 |
| 2016 | Sir John Hawkwood | Antonio Giuseppe | Allergic | 2:27.4 |
| 2015 | Magic Hurricane | Beaten Up | Havana Cooler | 2:28.5 |
| 2014 | Junoob | Opinion | Araldo | 2:26.5 |
| 2013 | Seville | Julienas | Sneak A Peek | 2:32.1 |
| 2012 | Glencadam Gold | Kelinni | Reuben Percival | 2:29.7 |
| 2011 | The Verminator | Hawk Island | Lamasery | 2:33.4 |
| 2010 | Herculian Prince | Mourayan | No Wine No Song | 2:29.9 |
| 2009 | Speed Gifted | Lodge The Deeds | Fiumicino | 2:35.1 |
| 2008 | Newport | Bianca | Get Up Jude | 2:33.0 |
| 2007 | Race Not Run | – | – | – |
| 2006 | Tawqeet | Activation | Vanquished | 2:31.1 |
| 2005 | Railings | Run Rita Run | Men At Work | 2:28.5 |
| 2004 | County Tyrone | Itemise | Don Raphael | 2:33.6 |
| 2003 | Bedouin | Daneborogh | Bodie | 2:34.4 |
| 2002 | Victory Smile | Piachay | Dress Circle | 2:31.3 |
| 2001 | Dress Circle | Danyon | Homewrecker | 2:29.4 |
| 2000 | Coco Cobanna | Pasta Express | Citra’s Prince | 2:44.3 |
FAQs
How do I bet on The Metropolitan 2026?
Bet online or via the latest iOS/Android apps with Ladbrokes.
The first step is to create an account at Ladbrokes. 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 Metropolitan 2026?
The best way to pick which horse will win The Metropolitan is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight the horse will carry (among other factors). Check out Ladbrokes in the lead up to the race for full form information.
When is The Metropolitan 2026?
The 2026 The Metropolitan is set to run on Saturday October 3 during the peak of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival on Epsom Handicap Day. Epsom Handicap 2026 Day runs on the same date as Melbourne hosts Turnbull Stakes Day at Flemington. It is scheduled to run as Randwick Race 7 at 3:35pm (AEST) on the 10-race card.
What is the prize money for The Metropolitan 2026?
The 2026 The Metropolitan prize money is set at $750,000 which is paid from 1st to 10th place including $430,000 going to The Metropolitan winner.
Where is The Metropolitan 2026?
The 2026 The Metropolitan is set to run at Sydney's Royal Randwick Racecourse, home to many iconic races including the world's richest turf race - The Everest - each October, and is located at Alison Road, Randwick, NSW 2031.
What distance is The Metropolitan run over?
The Metropolitan is run over 2400 metres, a genuine staying trip that makes the race one of Australia’s most important Group 2 handicaps for Ladbrokes punters each spring.
How many horses run in The Metropolitan?
The Metropolitan field has a capacity of 18 starters but hadn’t had the maximum number of runners line up on race day since 2005 when Railings won from barrier 14 of 18 until 2020 when Mirage Dancer saluted.
Who won the 2026 The Metropolitan?
The 2026 The Metropolitan was won by six-year-old Belardo gelding Juja Kibo at $5.50 who came via a lead-up second in the Group 2 Kingston Town Stakes and improved on his third in the race last year. The Metropolitan 2026 winner saluted for trainer Ciaron Maher with jockey Sam Clipperton aboard on 56.5kg from barrier 4 to beat the favourite Aethelwulf by 1.71 lengths in a time of 2:32.04 on a Soft (6) track.
Who won the 2025 The Metropolitan?
The 2025 The Metropolitan was won by five-year-old Make Believe gelding Royal Supremacy at $7.50 for trainer Ciaron Maher with jockey Robbie Dolan aboard on 50kg from barrier 9 to win by 0.77 lengths on a Good (4) track in a time of 2:26.84.