Shannon Stakes 2023

Ladbrokes Tip: The Shannon Stakes winner may press onto the Epsom Handicap at Randwick.

The Shannon Stakes is a Group 2 quality handicap race run at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse on a Saturday in late September during the annual Sydney Spring Racing Carnival.

2022 Shannon Stakes winner Surf Dancer. Photo: Steve Hart.

Contested at the same meeting as the $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m), the $400,000 Group 2 Golden Pendant (1400m) and the Group 3 Colin Stephen Quality (2400m),  the race is contested over 1500m and offers $300,000 in total prize money.

Graduates may go on to run in tougher Sydney and Melbourne races over the spring carnival, but is it usually won by middle range gallopers as opposed to Group 1 stars.

The last Shannon Stakes runner to back-up and win the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) the following month at Randwick was the 2022 third place-getter Ellsberg who also completed that year’s Five Diamond Prelude – The Five Diamonds double.

The Shannon Stakes winner is exempt from both ballot and penalty for the Epsom Handicap that season.

The race can also now serve as a potential lead-up into the lucrative $1 million The Gong held at Kembla Grange in November with Mister Sea Wolf (2019) completing the double.

The latest edition of the Shannon Stakes took place on Saturday September 23, 2023 at Rosehill Gardens and was won by the Matthew Dunn-trained $3 million The Big Dance favourite Cepheus ($4.20). 

2023 Shannon Stakes Results

The full Shannon Stakes 2023 race results and finishing order will be provided below as soon as the race is run and won on Saturday September 23, 2023.

2023 Shannon Stakes winner Cepheus continues his good form ahead of the $3 million The Big Dance race in Sydney on Melbourne Cup Day. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 1st: #3 Cepheus 
• 2nd: #10 Williamsburg
• 3rd: #7 Waterford

Matthew Dunn’s South Grafton Cup winner from the winter, Cepheus ($4.20), came home strong late down the rails for a stylish win in the Shannon Stakes 2023 results ahead of his $3 million The Big Dance target on Melbourne Cup Day in Sydney.

2023 Shannon Stakes Odds

The season’s top Shannon Stakes 2023 odds and Group 2 betting links to our Golden Rose Day markets will be provided below as soon as open.

Shannon Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday September 23, 2023
• Track: Rosehill Gardens
• Distance: 1500m
• Conditions: Quality Handicap
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1978

Shannon Stakes Betting

Shannon Stakes betting favours local Sydney gallopers with winning form over 1400m – 1600m, proven ability at the Rosehill, and those that come off earlier Group spring runs. Graduates out of the Theo Marks Stakes at the same track a fortnight earlier usually feature high up the Shannon Stakes odds, and favourites have a solid recent record in the race.

I Am Superman ($4.60 in 2020) was the last favourite in Shannon Stakes betting to get the job done.

In 2021 Yonkers scored a big upset taking out the race at Shannon Stakes odds of $41.

Shannon Stakes Field

The Shannon Stakes race field features a decent line-up of middle-distance runners coming off runs in similar class in Sydney earlier during the carnival. Many Shannon Stakes horses may have had a lead-up run in a race like the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m), which the 2015 winner Vashka finished seventh in. Vashka also travelled to Melbourne next start and won the Group 3 Moonga Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.

Vashka (2015) went on to win a Group 3 on Caulfield Cup Day after success in Sydney’s Shannon Stakes that spring. Photo Credit: Steve Hart.

Another possible lead-up run is the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m), which produced the 2014 Shannon Stakes winner Rock Sturdy (2nd). That year’s third place-getter Ninth Legion came off a third in the Theo Marks Stakes.

The best out of the Shannon Stakes sometimes head to Randwick the next month for a shot at the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m).

While the double hasn’t been achieved in recent times, in 2010 Sacred Choice ran third in the Shannon Stakes and Epsom Handicap. She also headed to Melbourne later that prep and won the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) – now known as the Empire Rose Stakes – at Flemington Racecourse.

The previous year saw the 2012 winner Rolling Pin run third next time out in the Epsom Handicap to Fat Al who came off a third in the Group 2 and earlier second in that year’s Theo Marks Stakes.

Shannon Stakes nominations close the Monday before the race runs on the Saturday with the field and barrier draw announced on the Wednesday.

2023 Shannon Stakes Field

The official Shannon Stakes 2023 Final Field & Barrier Draw will be published in full below the Wednesday leading-up to Golden Rose Stakes Day so stay tuned to see what gallopers line-up in the Group 2 feature.

The 2023 Shannon Stakes final field features a quality line-up of potential Group 1-bound spring gallopers led in betting by the Chris Waller-trained Rosehill specialist Waterford coming off a nice third first-up in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes behind Golden Mile. 

2023 Shannon Stakes Nominations

The Shannon Stakes 2023 Nominations are announced by Racing NSW the Monday of race week and will be published below once announced.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Shannon Stakes Tips

The Shannon Stakes betting tips that best stack-up during the spring carnival in Sydney include looking for runners proven at the track over at least 1400m, runners from the best stables in NSW and gallopers that finished in the money last start.

2023 Shannon Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Shannon Stakes 2023 betting tips and exotic Rosehill selections on the Epsom Handicap ballot exemption-offering event will be detailed below the week of the race.

• To Win: #10 Williamsburg ($9.50 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Some good spring hopefuls in the Shannon and like the price on offer for Williamsburg second-up here. The progressive four-year-old son of Snitzel was eye-catching fresh running fourth with more weight over 1400m at Eagle Farm in a Listed clash on September 2. He gets a little more distance here which he’ll enjoy having run third in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at the track in the autumn. Starting to put it together and is very well weighted here with 53kg. Previous second-up winning form and can surprise a few.

Shannon Stakes Form Guide

The Shannon Stakes form guide details to punters all the facts and stats from the jockeys, trainers and barriers, to the horse’s records over the track / distance and their lead-up runs.

The Shannon Stakes form has stacked-up in tougher carnival features a number of times over the years including in 2015 when the third place-getter Messene ran fourth in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) behind Winx next time out. In 2014 the Shannon Stakes third-placed Ninth Legion also ran fourth in the Epsom next time out.

The 2022 Shannon Stakes form was franked with Ellsberg improving on a third to win the Epsom, Five Diamond Prelude, and The Five Diamonds races that spring.

2023 Shannon Stakes Form Guide

A link to our detailed Shannon Stakes 2023 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Shannon Stakes Results

The Shannon Stakes race results from the past decade have been a mix between favourites and double-figure chances including Rain Drum ($13 in 2013) and roughie Yonkers ($41 in 2021) for Chris Waller.

Recent and noteworthy winners of the Shannon Stakes include Rock Sturdy (2014), Musket (2008), and Juggler (1996).

Noire (2018) was the last Shannon Stakes winning mare.

Moral Victory holds the current Shannon Stakes race record winning over 1500m in 2016 in 1 minute 28:0 seconds.

Past Shannon Stakes Winners

Recent Shannon Stakes winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2022 are detailed in the below table.