Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: The Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) usually attracts a field full of The Everest race graduates.

The Russell Balding Stakes – previously known as the Winners Stakes – is one of the feature races held over the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival running at Rosehill Gardens on the Golden Eagle Day in early November as part of the revamped Everest Carnival that offers over $60 million in total prize money!

2021 Winners Stakes winner Eduardo. Photo: Steve Hart.

The $10 million Golden Eagle for four-year-olds now rivals Melbourne’s Victoria Derby Day action on the Saturday prior to the Melbourne Cup for the punters’ attention and is now supported by the $3 million Russell Balding Stakes, prize money for the event boosted from $1 million to $3 million ahead of the 2022 edition.

The event was run for the first time in 2019 as the Redzel Stakes, 2020 as the Yes Yes Yes Stakes, 2021 as the Classique Legend Stakes, 2022 as the Nature Strip Stakes, and 2023 as the Giga Kick Stakes in honour of the respective The Everest winning horses.

Ahead of the 2024 edition the Winners Stakes underwent a name change, honouring the legacy of Russell Balding, a pivotal figure in the development of the Sydney Everest Carnival. Balding’s significant contributions to racing in New South Wales led to the renaming of the prestigious race in his honour.

The other feature race on the Rosehill race card is the $750,000 Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m).

The line-up of Special Condition races boosts the overall prize money to over $15 million on offer across the day.

The Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) is a 1300m middle-distance sprint race offering $3 million in prize money run under set weight and penalty conditions.

Each Sydney Spring Racing Carnival the Winners Stakes was renamed in honour of the previous year’s The Everest winner until 2024. Accordingly, the inaugural edition of the race was known as The Redzel Stakes 2019.

Redzel (2017, 2018) won the opening two editions of the world’s richest turf race – The Everest – but failed in his attempt at the three-peat in 2019.

The 2020 Winners Stakes was known as the Yes Yes Yes Stakes after Chris Waller’s gun three-year-old won the 2019 The Everest and was won by the favourite Gytrash.

The Winners Stakes in 2021 was run as the Classique Legend Stakes after a brilliant 2020 The Everest win by the classy grey.

In 2022 the Winners Stakes was run as the Nature Strip Stakes in honour of Chris Waller’s 2021 The Everest champ and subsequent Group 1 winner in the UK.

The 2023 Winners Stakes was known as the Giga Kick Stakes in honour of the 2022 The Everest winning three-year-old who won as an undefeated youngster at just his fifth start.

The 2024 Winners Stakes will take place as the Russell Balding Stakes meaning the 2023 The Everest winner Think About It won’t get a name in his honour over the 2024 spring carnival.

The 2024 edition of the Winners Stakes runs as the Russell Balding Stakes on Saturday, November 2, 2024 in Sydney offering $3 million in prize money. 

2024 Russell Balding Stakes Odds

The latest Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) 2024 odds will be provided below complete with market links as soon as betting on the $3 million feature is open.

Russell Balding Stakes Stakes Info

• Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024
• Former Registered Name: Winners Stakes
• Track: Rosehill Racecourse
• Distance: 1300m
• Conditions: 3YOs & Up – Set Weights + Penalties
• Status: Special Condition
• Prize Money: $3 million
• First Run: 2019

2024 Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes)

The official Russell Balding Stakes 2024 Results and Finishing Order will be published below once the event is run and won on Saturday, November 2, 2024.

• 1st: TBD
• 2nd: TBD
• 3rd: TBD

Russell Balding Stakes Betting

Betting on the Russell Balding Stakes in the spring is led by in-form sprint types coming off nice form in lead-up races in Sydney.

Good events to keep an eye on that impact Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) betting each season include the Group 2 The Shorts (1100m) at Randwick in mid-September and of course the $20 million The Everest (1200m) held a fortnight before.

The inaugural Winners Stakes winner was Pierata who took out the 2019 Redzel Stakes on the back of a fifth in The Everest.

The following year the Winners Stakes (run as the Yes Yes Yes Stakes) was won by the favourite in betting Gytrash who was backing-up from a third in The Everest race.

In 2021 Eduardo improved on a third in that spring’s The Everest trifecta to also salute for the punters as the $3 favourite in the markets.

The 2022 winner Private Eye won at $5.50 on the back of his second in The Everest, while Mazu ran third in The Everest and second in that year’s Winners Stakes – run as the Nature Strip Stakes.

Private Eye returned in 2023 and was narrowly denied back-to-back wins when run down late by the mare Bella Nipotina who jumped at Giga Kick Stakes odds of $10.

Russell Balding Stakes betting on The Everest graduates and Rosehill track specialists will be firm, especially on local hopes opting to stay in Sydney over a trip to Melbourne for the Cup Carnival Group 1s at Flemington that same week.

Russell Balding Stakes Field

The Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) race field attracts sprinters and middle-distance runners alike chasing the lucrative prize money on offer in Sydney. Many of these horses may previously have targeted the following Saturday’s Group 1 VRC Classic (1200m) – now known as the Champions Sprint – down the Flemington straight, but the Russell Balding Stakes field now provides horses better suited to the Rosehill track a shot at a nice feature race win without having to race over the ‘Straight Six’ in Melbourne.

Sprinters out of The Everest field the month before may also opt to back-up in the Russell Balding Stakes field, which will suit horses with form over 1200m – 1400m as opposed to the genuine short-distance runners. The Everest – (Russell Balding Stakes) Winners Stakes double becomes a new feature for connections to target and for punters to enjoy a spring bet on.

The Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) field boasts a capacity 16 starters.

2024 Russell Balding Stakes Field

The official Russell Balding Stakes 2024 field and barriers will be provided below once Racing NSW announces final acceptances the week of the race.

2024 Russell Balding Stakes Nominations

The official 2024 Russell Balding Stakes nominations will be updated below as soon as early entries on the race are confirmed.

Russell Balding Stakes Form Guide

The Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) form guide provides all the must know race facts and stats on the confirmed horses in the field including barriers, jockeys, career statistics and the Rosehill track conditions for the Golden Eagle Day.

Looking over the Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) form guide for horses with a nice record at Rosehill Gardens, gallopers proven over at least 1200m and sprinters that ran well in the previous month’s The Everest results is crucial.

The 2023 winner Bella Nipotina firmly franked the form going on to run top three in a host of subsequent Group 1 Australian horse races including the 2024 TJ Smith Stakes (2nd), Doomben 10,000 (1st), Kingsford Smith Cup (2nd), Stradbroke Handicap (2nd), and Tatt’s Tiara (1st).

2024 Russell Balding Stakes Form

A link to our comprehensive Russell Balding Stakes 2024 form guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Russell Balding Stakes Tips

Early Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) tips include watching for horses coming off good lead-up runs in earlier spring races including The Shorts and Premier Stakes in Sydney. Gallopers with nice Group 1 race form, previous The Everest runners and those that have specifically targeted the Russell Balding Stakes across their campaigns also make good tips.

2024 Russell Balding Stakes Tipping

Our insider Russell Balding Stakes 2024 tipping guide complete with the horses to back and sack in this year’s Russell Balding Stakes tips will be available below the week leading up to the Golden Eagle Day.

• To Win: TBD

Russell Balding Stakes Results

The Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) race results provide punters with the complete finishing order of the $3 million race including where the favourite in Russell Balding Stakes betting finished.

How your Russell Balding Stakes bets went, what the Russell Balding Stakes trifecta was and the winning margin can all be found in the results.

Eduardo holds the current Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) race record winning the 2021 Classique Legend Stakes in a time of 1 minute 15.16 seconds.

Bella Nipotina (2023) is the first and to date only Russell Balding Stakes (Winners Stakes) winning mare.

Past Russell Balding Stakes / Winners Stakes Winners

A complete list of past Russell Balding Stakes / Winners Stakes winners and place-getters dating back to the race’s inauguration in 2019 is detailed below.

FAQ

When is the Russell Balding Stakes 2024?

What is the prize money for the Russell Balding Stakes2024?

$3,000,000

Where is the Russell Balding Stakes 2024?

Rosehill Gardens Racecourse,  James Ruse Dr, Rosehill NSW 2142.