Sapphire Stakes 2025

Ladbrokes Tip: Sapphire Stakes odds are traditionally led by the Birthday Card Stakes graduates each autumn 

The latest edition of the Sapphire Stakes ran on Saturday April 12, 2025 on Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day in Sydney and saw the Kris Lees trained Infancy ($19) enjoy a huge upset in her first run of the year. 

2025 Sapphire Stakes Results

The complete Sapphire Stakes Race Results 2025 and finishing order will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday April 12, 2025.

2025 Sapphire Stakes winner Infancy. Photo: Bradley Photos.

• 1st: #10 Infancy
• 2nd: #5 Commemorative
• 3rd: #1 Lady Laguna

Kris Lees’ progressive four-year-old Infancy ($19) made a stunning autumn return when closing hard down the outside to defeat the short favourite Commemorative in an impressive late effort for an upset 2025 Sapphire Stakes result on Day 2 of The Championships.

2025 Sapphire Stakes Odds

The autumn’s top Sapphire Stakes 2025 odds will be available below the week of the race so stay tuned to view the price on your early Sapphire Stakes betting selections during ‘The Championships’ in Sydney.

The Sapphire Stakes is a Group 2 race for fillies and mares run at Royal Randwick Racecourse on the second Saturday in April each Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. Part of the action of Day 2 of ‘The Championships’, the Sapphire Stakes is contested over 1200m so is a sprint race run at set weights plus penalties.

2022 Sapphire Stakes winner Bella Nipotina. Photo: Steve Hart.

Offering a total of $300,000 in prize money it is held on the same day as four elite level features: the Group 1 $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m), the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m), the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m) and the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m).

The key lead-up race into the Sapphire Stakes is the Group 3 Birthday Card Stakes (1200m) held at Rosehill Gardens a fortnight before and the latest to complete the double are Arinosa (2013), Quilista (2018), and Zapateo (2023).

Following the Sapphire Stakes, the best contenders may opt to back-up into the Group 1 All Aged Stakes with Atlantic Jewel (2012) the double.

In 2020 Fasika ran second in the Sapphire and third in that year’s All Aged Stakes results before returning the following year to win the Sapphire Stakes in 2021.

Sapphire Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday April 12, 2025
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: Fillies & Mares – Set Weights + Penalties
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1998

Sapphire Stakes betting opens after the release of final acceptances the Wednesday before the race runs on Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day on the Saturday. Markets are usually led by the season’s handy fillies and mares coming off lead-up races over similar distance during the autumn in Sydney like the Birthday Card Stakes two weeks before.

Proven form at Randwick over 1200m and those gallopers that have been tested in tougher company also feature highly up the Sapphire Stakes odds each year.

Any mares dropping in grade off an earlier Group 1 race in the autumn are also usually kept safe in Sapphire Stakes betting.

Zapateo ($2.30 in 2023) was the last favourite in Sapphire Stakes betting to win.

There was a notable upset in 2025 with Infancy saluting at Sapphire Stakes odds of $19.

Sapphire Stakes Field

The Sapphire Stakes race field attracts a collection of classy sprinting fillies and mares coming out of the Birthday Card Stakes over the same distance at Rosehill Racecourse the month before. In 2014 the Birthday Card Stakes winner Avoid Lightning went on to run second to Cosmic Endeavour in the Sapphire Stakes before winning the latter the following season in 2015. Quilista (2018) followed by the Godolphin-raced Zapateo (2023) are the last to do the Birthday Card – Sapphire Stakes double.

Another early lead-up into the Sapphire Stakes field is the Group 3 Wenona Girl Quality (1200m) on Randwick Guineas Day.

Many of the best out of the Sapphire Stakes field each autumn go on to contest the Group 3 Hawkesbury Crown (1300m) at the end of April including the 2016 Sapphire winner Two Blue who ran second at Hawkesbury next-up. Another possible lead-up race for the mares in the Sapphire Stakes is the Group 3 PJ Bell Stakes (1200m) run at the same track and distance the Saturday before on Day 1 of ‘The Championships’.

Sapphire Stakes nominations close the Monday before the race runs on the Saturday, the field and barriers out two days later on the Wednesday around 9am (local time).

2025 Sapphire Stakes Field

The official Sapphire Stakes 2025 Final Field & Barriers will be available below once final acceptances close on the Wednesday of race week.

The 2025 Sapphire Stakes final field features 13 fillies and mares including the Chris Waller trained Olentia coming off a fourth in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic and the resuming Tiz Invincible.

2025 Sapphire Stakes Nominations

The early Sapphire Stakes 2025 nominations are taken by Racing NSW on the Monday leading-up to Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day and will be published in full below.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Sapphire Stakes Tips

Good Sapphire Stakes betting tips include looking for the mares that ran well in the Birthday Card Stakes the month before at Rosehill, runners with a good 1200m strike rate and proven Sydney performers.

Favourites only have a fair recent record in the race, so another solid Sapphire Stakes tip is to lay the favourite and get behind another single-figure hope with the right lead-up form.

Mares who have contested previous editions of the Sapphire Stakes are also worth considering in tipping. For example, in 2020 White Moss celebrated back-to-back wins in the race having also run third in 2018.

2023 Sapphire Stakes winner Zapateo was excellent in the last on Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day. Photo: Steve Hart.

2025 Sapphire Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ expert Sapphire Stakes 2025 betting tips and race selections on the Group 2 for fillies and mares at Royal Randwick this season will be detailed in full below the week of the race.

Going for some value in the last on The Championships Day 2 and have the fresh runner, Tiz Invincible, a nice each way play at juicy odds. Ciaron Maher’s four-year-old daughter of I Am Invincible races for the first time since the spring with her latest run seeing her finish a close third carrying a big weight (59.5kg) at Cranbourne. She was competitive in the run prior getting a Group 3 second placing at Flemington so is capable of running better than her price suggests when she wants. Looked good in a recent Randwick trial late last month in a hit-out where Headwall finished second before running third at any old price in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes at this track and trip. She has won first-up previously and has a solid record at the course (7:2-1-0). It has been a long time between wins as she hasn’t saluted since September of 2023 posting two Group 2 wins on the trot here but has a sense of returning to her better form.

Sapphire Stakes Form Guide

The Sapphire Stakes form guide details essential information like the trainers, jockeys, barriers and lead-up runs of the fillies and mares in the Group 2 race field. Looking at the Sapphire Stakes form guide for mares that ran in the Birthday Card Stakes last time out and for those with a proven strike rate in similar Sydney races are good tips.

The Sapphire Stakes form has stacked up in the subsequent Group 3 Hawkesbury Crown on Hawkesbury Gold Cup Day in recent years including Cosmic Endeavour who ran third in the latter after her 2014 Sapphire win.

In 2021 the Sapphire Stakes form was franked with the second-placed Entriviere winning that September’s Group 2 Sheraco Stakes (1200m) before taking out New Zealand’s Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) in January of 2022.

The Sapphire Stakes 2022 form was also franked with the winner Bella Nipotina back that October winning at elite level in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley.

Zapateo franked the 2023 Sapphire Stakes form backing up from her win to finish third in Adelaide’s Group Robert Sangster Stakes and The Goodwood. She also won Sydney’s Group 1 The Galaxy in the autumn of 2024.

2025 Sapphire Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Sapphire Stakes 2025 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Sapphire Stakes Results

Single figure hopes but not the favourites have dominated the Sapphire Stakes race results in recent years.

Notable Sapphire Stakes winners from the past decade include dual champion White Moss (2019-20), Two Blue (2016), Avoid Lighting (2015), Cosmic Endeavour (2014), Atlantic Jewel (2012), and Court (2009).

Past Sapphire Stakes Winners

Recent Sapphire Stakes winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.

FAQ

Who won the 2025 Sapphire Stakes?

The 2025 Sapphire Stakes was won by four-year-old Wandjina mare Infancy at $19 for trainer Kris Lees with jockey Jason Collett aboard on 54kg from barrier 3 to win by 0.41 lengths in a time of 1:09.24.

When is the Sapphire Stakes 2025?

What is the prize money for the Sapphire Stakes 2025?

$300,000

Where is the Sapphire Stakes 2025?

Randwick Racecourse, Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031.