Ladbrokes Tip: The George Ryder Stakes is a top lead-up into the Queen Elizabeth Stakes

The Queen Elizabeth Stakes is the richest race of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival and offers $4 million in total prize money including a lucrative $2.4 million to the winner.

The prizemoney for the 2020 Queen Elizabeth Stakes was reduced to $2 million with cuts made across the carnival due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including $1.16 million reserved for the winner, before being elevated back to $4 million for 2021. 

Held on Day 2 of The Championships on the second Saturday of April* each year at Royal Randwick, the weight-for-age Group 1 classic is run over 2000m and is held on the same day as the Sydney Cup, Australian Oaks and Queen Of The Turf Stakes.

*In 2021 the Queen Elizabeth Stakes ran on the third Saturday of April with all race meetings of the autumn in Sydney from Slipper Day onwards postponed a week due to the weather.

The winners of the previous year’s Epsom Handicap and The Metropolitan as well as the current year’s Ranvet Stakes, Tancred Stakes, Doncaster Mile and ATC Derby are all exempt from Queen Elizabeth Stakes ballot.

The event attracts the season’s best weight-for-age gallopers and middle-distance hopefuls and one of the best Queen Elizabeth Stakes lead-up races is the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) held three weeks earlier at Rosehill Gardens on Golden Slipper Day.

The latest edition of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes takes place on Saturday April 17, 2021 and saw English raider Addeybb go back-to-back in another thrilling finish over Verry Elleegant. 

Queen Elizabeth Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday April 17, 2021
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 2000m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $4 million ($2 million in 2020 due to COVID-19)
• First Run: 1851

QUEEN ELIZABETH STAKES PREVIEW

2021 Queen Elizabeth Stakes Results

The 2021 Queen Elizabeth Stakes results and finishing order will be known on Saturday April 17, 2021 and published below.

• 1st: #1 Addeybb
• 2nd: #7 Verry Elleegant
• 3rd: #6 Dalasan

The William Haggas-trained UK raider Addeybb enjoyed back-to-back wins when successfully defending his Queen Elizabeth Stakes title in 2021 with a thrilling finish over last year’s runner-up Verry Elleegant. 

Queen Elizabeth Stakes Betting & Odds

Queen Elizabeth Stakes betting each year is led by the season’s best weight-for-age performers coming out of lead-up runs in races including the Doncaster Mile, George Ryder Stakes and Tancred Stakes (formerly The BMW).

From 2010 – 2021 all but two of the nine Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners ran either first or second in their lead-up runs including It’s A Dundeel (2014) and Criterion (2015) who came out of The BMW and George Ryder Stakes respectively.

The last horse to come off a Melbourne lead-up run and win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes was Sarrera (2008).

Favourites in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes odds have saluted eight times since 2005 most recently with three-time hero Winx (2017, 2018 and 2019) followed by the UK raider Addeybb (2020) who completed the Ranvet Stakes – Queen Elizabeth double. In 2021 Addeybb returned and won again as the second elect defeating the favourite, his last start conqueror and last year’s runner-up Verry Elleegant. 

2021 Queen Elizabeth Stakes Odds

The Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2021 odds and prices on the runners this autumn’s race will be available below as soon as available so stay tuned.

The Queen Elizabeth Stakes field attracts a top class line-up of weight-for-age champions that come via races including the George Ryder Stakes and the Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) also held in Sydney during the autumn.

The last galloper to complete the Tancred Stakes (then The BMW) – Queen Elizabeth Stakes double was Eremein (2006).

UK raider Addeybb did the Ranvet Stakes – Queen Elizabeth Stakes double in 2020. In 2021 Addeybb atoned for a lead-up second to Verry Elleegant in that year’s Ranvet to beat her home in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in a repeat of the 2020 quinella. 

Dual champion Grand Armee is one of three individual Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners for trainer Gai Waterhouse who also won with Desert War (2007) and More Joyous (2012).

Super mare Winx (pictured winning her first in 2017) is the most famous recent Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner. Photo Credit: Steve Hart.

Queen Elizabeth Stakes nominations close on a Monday in early February before first acceptances a month later.

The final Queen Elizabeth Stakes field of acceptances and barrier draw is then released on the Tuesday before the race.

2021 Queen Elizabeth Stakes Field

The Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2021 field and barrier will be released on the Tuesday of race week  and published below.

The 2021 Queen Elizabeth Stakes final field features a brilliant eight-horse line-up including Verry Elleegant who ran second to UK raider Addeybb last year. The duo renewed their rivalry with the mare on top in the Ranvet Stakes and they shape-up as the two to beat again in a field that also includes the Cox Plate champion Sir Dragonet coming off a Tancred Stakes win. 

• Scratched: #5 Samadobut (6) has been withdrawn after re-injuring his off-fore tendon. 

2021 Queen Elizabeth Stakes Nominations

The 2021 Queen Elizabeth Stakes nominations were taken on Tuesday the 9th of February, 2021 and attracted 104 hopefuls including the defending UK-trained champion Addeybb. 

2021 Queen Elizabeth Stakes First Acceptances

The Queen Elizabeth Stakes first acceptances are taken in early March, about a month after the nominations and four weeks out from the event.

The 2021 Queen Elizabeth Stakes first acceptances closed at midday on Tuesday the 9th of March, 2021 with 62 remaining hopefuls led in betting by last year’s winning quinella of Addeybb and Verry Elleegant. 

Queen Elizabeth Stakes Tips

Looking for gallopers that finished in the money in lead-up Sydney Group 1 races like the Tancred Stakes held a fortnight earlier over 500m further is a top Queen Elizabeth Stakes tip.

Favourites in the race only had a fair record until the three-peat of odds-on fancy Winx (2017-19) followed by a fourth straight win for the punters in 2020 with the European visitor Addeybb.

Mares also had a poor Queen Elizabeth Stakes record until recent years when the hoodoo was lifted with victories by More Joyous (2012), Lucia Valentina (2016) and Winx (2017, 2018 & 2019).

2021 Queen Elizabeth Stakes Tips

Our insider Ladbrokes’ Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2021 betting tips will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for who to back and sack in the Group 1 weight-for-age classic this autumn.

• To Win: #7 Verry Elleegant ($2.60 at time of publish) 

Strap yourselves in folks because here we go again! Two of the best horses in the world right now renew their rivalry facing off for a fourth time in the QES and it should be another thriller. Addeybb twice beat Chris Waller’s outstanding mare home last autumn, but the now $7.8 million earner turned the tables when they went stride for stride before she just nudged out the visitor in the Ranvet last start. They go around again on Saturday, Verry Elleegant having run second to Addeybb in the event 12 months ago, and think she can beat him this time round in absolute prime form and doing nothing wrong. 

Queen Elizabeth Stakes Form Guide

The Queen Elizabeth Stakes form guide provides punters with all the must-know race facts and statistics including barrier positions and lead-up form. Horses coming off runs at Rosehill and Randwick have dominated the race over the past 30 years with only two Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners coming off a non-Sydney lead-up since 1983.

The age of the runners in the field is also listed on the Queen Elizabeth Stakes form guide and only one three-year-old has won in three decades with Intergaze (1997).

Queen Elizabeth Stakes Form Facts

• Favourites didn’t have a great recent record in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes results until the three-peat of Winx (2017-19) followed by that of UK galloper Addeybb (2020)
• Since 1987 seven Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners have been mares with More Joyous (2012), Lucia Valentina (2016) and Winx (2017-19)
• Three-year-olds don’t stack-up in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes form with only one beating their older rivals in over 30 years – Intergaze (1997)

2021 Queen Elizabeth Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2021 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Queen Elizabeth Stakes Results

Horses aged between four-years-old and six-years-old coming off lead-up runs in Sydney Group 1s have dominated the Queen Elizabeth Stakes results over the past 30 years.

There have been a number of upset Queen Elizabeth Stakes results in that time as well with some of the longest priced victories going to Reliable Man ($12 in 2013), My Kingdom Of Fife ($13 in 2011) and Sarrera ($51 in 2008).

Other notable recent Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners include Road To Rock (2010), Desert War (2007), Lonhro (2003), three-time champion Winx (2017, 2018 & 2019) and UK raider Addeybb (2020, 2021).

Queen Elizabeth Stakes Winners