Skyline Stakes 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: The Skyline Stakes is a traditional lead-up to the Golden Slipper Stakes.

The Skyline Stakes is one of a number of Group 2 support races run on Verry Elleegant Stakes Day at Randwick Racecourse on a Saturday in late February during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

2022 Skyline Stakes winner Promitto. Photo: Steve Hart.

Worth $300,000 in total prize money the Skyline Stakes winner takes out $170,000 in stakes for connections, which is the same for the fillies’ equivalent with the Sweet Embrace Stakes held on the same day.

The Skyline Stakes winner is also exempt from ballot from the coveted Group 1 $4.92 million Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) held at Rosehill the following month. The last two-year-old to complete the Skyline Stakes – Golden Slipper Stakes double was Dance Hero (2004).

The 2023 Golden Slipper winner Shinzo meanwhile came via a lead-up second in that year’s Skyline Stakes results.

The latest edition of the Skyline Stakes took place on Saturday March 2, 2024 as a key Golden Slipper lead-up race in Sydney and was dominated by raging Slipper favourite Storm Boy ($1.18F) from the Waterhouse/Bott stable.

2024 Skyline Stakes Results

The full Skyline Stakes 2024 Results & Finishing Order will be known on Saturday March 2, 2024 and announced below.

Skyline Stakes 2024 winner Storm Boy was too good again saluting as the odds-on favourite. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 1st: #1 Storm Boy
• 2nd: #3 Prost
• 3rd: #8 Duvana

Odds-on elect Storm Boy ($1.18F) remains unbeaten with the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Magic Millions 2YO Classic winning Justify colt easily accounting for his rivals in the Skyline Stakes 2024 results ahead of the Golden Slipper on March 23.

2024 Skyline Stakes Odds

The latest Skyline Stakes 2024 betting odds will be available below the week of the race so stay tuned for the best Randwick racing markets on the Golden Slipper Stakes lead-up this autumn.

Skyline Stakes Race Facts

• Date: Saturday March 2, 2024
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: 2YO Colts & Geldings – Set Weights
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1979

Skyline Stakes Betting

Skyline Stakes betting is usually led by promising two-year-old gallopers coming off good lead-up runs in Sydney.

Recent last start winners to salute in the Skyline Stakes include the Gold Coast’s $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic champ Storm Boy (2024), Microphone (2019) who came off a Talindert Stakes success in Melbourne, Santos (2018) who was odds-on favourite, Exosphere (2015), Valentina (2014), and Uate (2011).

The Skyline Stakes is also a lead-up to the Golden Slipper Stakes and so looking for value in the early Group 1 racing markets based on the results of this lead-up is a nice tip.

There was an upset in the 2020 edition of the Slipper lead-up with Mamaragan winning on debut as a $19 outsider in Skyline Stakes betting, and again in 2022 with Promitto winning at $14 on a Heavy (10) track.

Corniche won for Godolphin in 2023 at $7 in Skyline betting after placings in the Blue Diamond Preview (2nd) and Blue Diamond Prelude (3rd) in Melbourne.

Storm Boy ($1.18 in 2024) was the last Skyline Stakes favourite to salute at an odds-on quote for Waterhouse & Bott.

Skyline Stakes Field

Exopshere (2015) won the Skyline Stakes as a two-year-old before returning later that year to win the Golden Rose Stakes. Photo Credit: Steve Hart.

The Skyline Stakes race field attracts a collection of the season’s most promising two-year-old colts and geldings that are heading towards a run in the world’s richest race for juveniles, the Golden Slipper Stakes.

Skyline Stakes runners may back-up only a week later in the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m), however youngsters usually contest one or the other leading into the Golden Slipper.

Another possible race for Skyline Stakes graduates each year is the Group 3 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) run at Rosehill on Coolmore Classic Day.

In 2022 Rise Of The Masses improved on a second in the Skyline Stakes to win the Pago Pago Stakes next start.

The Skyline Stakes nominations close on the Monday before the race with the final field and barriers out on the Wednesday.

2024 Skyline Stakes Field

The official Skyline Stakes 2024 field and barrier draw for the two-year-olds’ clash on Verry Elleegant Stakes Day will be published below once released the Wednesday of race week so stay tuned.

The 2024 Skyline Stakes final field features a smart line-up of young colts and geldings dominated by impressive Magic Millions 2YO Classic winning colt Storm Boy who is undefeated and looking for his fourth career win for the Waterhouse/Bott stable.

2024 Skyline Stakes Nominations

Nominations for the Skyline Stakes 2024 close the Monday of race week.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Skyline Stakes Tips

Skyline Stakes tips favour those two-year-olds coming off good lead-up runs in Sydney showing good speed over 1200m. Upsets are uncommon in the race and horses paying under $10 make the best Skyline Stakes tips.

Many youngsters are stepping up from 1100m to 1200m for the first time, so the ability to run out that extra 100m early in their career is essential.

2024 Skyline Stakes Tips

The insider Ladbrokes’ Skyline Stakes 2024 tips will be found below the week of the race to sort the best from the rest in the official Golden Slipper Stakes lead-up.

• To Win: #1 Storm Boy ($1.24 at time of publish) – BET NOW

The Waterhouse/Bott stable are set to dominate this race and it is impossible to bet against their very short priced top elect Storm Boy who is undefeated and chasing a fourth career win here. Rails run from barrier one with the champion J. Mac in the saddle, this Justify colt has been outstanding so far including a Group 3 win by a big margin in Brisbane before his $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic triumph at the Gold Coast in mid-January. Races for the first time since here, bought on fitness wise with a winning Rosehill trial, and the Magic Millions form has been stacking up very nicely in the southern states over the past few weeks. Wins again.

Skyline Stakes Form Guide

The Skyline Stakes form guide lists everything from the jockeys and trainers to the barriers for all the runners in the field.

The Skyline Stakes form has stacked up in better autumn features in recent years including in 2011 when the winner Uate went on to run second to Helmet in the Group 1 Inglis Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) next start.

In 2015 Exosphere won the Skyline Stakes before coming back in the spring to win that year’s Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m). Back in 2009 Manhattan Rain backed up from his Skyline Stakes win to finish a brave third to Phelan Ready in the Golden Slipper Stakes.

More recently Microphone completed the Skyline Stakes – ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes double with a Golden Slipper second in between.

In 2020 after winning the Skyline Stakes on debut in an upset, Mamaragan went on to frank the form by running third in both the Golden Slipper and Inglis Sires’ results.

The 2021 Skyline Stakes third placed Captivant went on to win that year’s Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m), while the runner-up in the Skyline Hilal ran second in both the Inglis Sires’ and Champagne in the autumn before a $1 million Bondi Stakes victory in the spring.

2024 Skyline Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Skyline Stakes 2024 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

2023 Skyline Stakes winner Corniche was excellent in his first Sydney run on Chipping Norton Day. Photo: Steve Hart.

Skyline Stakes Results

Favourites and single-figure fancies have a strong record in the Skyline Stakes race results over the past decade. The race is traditionally run by a quality youngster and many subsequent stallions have taken it out.

Notable recent Skyline Stakes winners include Storm Boy (2024), Microphone (2019), All The Talk (2013), Hinchinbrook (2010), Manhattan Rain (2009), Snitzel (2005), and Choisir (2002).

Skyline Stakes Winners

Past Skyline Stakes winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.