Summer Cup 2023

The Group 3 Summer Cup is a 2000m showdown run and won at Royal Randwick in Sydney on Boxing Day each December.

The quality handicap showdown offers $250,000 in prize money and is a time-honoured event first run back in 1890.

The raced gained Group 3 status back in 1979 and has been won by plenty of nice horses over the years include Super Impose (1988), I’m Imposing (2013-14) and Fierce Impact (2018).

The Summer Cup serves as a potential lead-up for any WA-bound stayers targeting the Group 2 Perth Cup (2400m) at Ascot on New Year’s Day or the Magic Millions Day races at the Gold Coast in mid-January.

The latest edition of the Summer Cup ran on Tuesday December 26th, 2023 as part of Sydney’s Boxing Day racing program with former Randwick Guineas champ Lion’s Roar ($2.80F) posting a well-deserved victory as the top elect.

2023 Summer Cup Results

The full Summer Cup 2023 Results & Finishing Order will be provided below once the race is run and won on Boxing Day, Tuesday December 26th, 2023.

2023 Summer Cup winner Lion’s Roar returned to winning form with a good win for the punters in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 1st: #5 Lion’s Roar
• 2nd: #3 Luncies
• 3rd: #9 Baby Rider

After a long drought, the John O’Shea-trained Lion’s Roar ($2.80F) roared back to life! The six-year-old Contributer gelding held off Luncies in a close finish to head Sydney’s 2023 Summer Cup results, his first turf victory since the 2021 Randwick Guineas. Boxing Day punters erupted as the crowd favourite saluted.

2023 Summer Cup Odds

The season’s top Summer Cup 2023 odds and betting market links will be available below the week of the race.

Summer Cup Race Info

• Date: Tuesday December 26th, 2023
• Track: Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 2000m
• Conditions: Quality Handicap
• Status: Group 3
• Prize Money: $250,000
• First Held: 1890

Summer Cup Betting

Summer Cup betting is open at the start of race week and markets are led by proven staying types especially any with previous winning form over the 2000m distance.

Any last start winners, returning runners that finished well in the event the year before and Group performers are traditionally installed at shorter Summer Cup odds.

Spirit Ridge ($3.60 in 2020) and Lion’s Roar ($2.80 in 2023) are the latest favourites in Summer Cup betting to win.

There was a notable upset in 2021 with Parry Sound saluting at Summer Cup odds of 25/1.

Summer Cup Tips

Good Summer Cup tips include backing in-form stayers, last start winners and well-weighted horses in the distance event.

2023 Summer Cup Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Summer Cup 2023 betting tips and exotic Randwick racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so bookmark this page for the staying horses to back and sack in the $250,000 Boxing Day feature.

• To Win: #5 Lion’s Roar ($2.80 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Sticking with John O’Shea’s favourite with Lion’s Roar who finally looks ready to break his winless streak in the Boxing Day Summer Cup.

This Contriubter six-year-old has drawn ideally in barrier three, eager to silence the doubters after a winless streak dating back to his 2021 Group 1 Randwick Guineas triumph. But don’t let that fool you – he’s been consistently competitive at the highest level, always lurking just outside the winner’s circle. His recent form is red-hot, with a blistering third in the Group 2 $2 million The Ingham just last week here at Randwick, missing out by a mere half-length! He clearly relishes the mile distance and seems perfectly primed to finally raise the winning trophy.

Summer Cup Field

The Summer Cup race field attracts a quality line-up of end-of-spring stayers that could be backing-up from a run in a race like the Group 2 $2 million The Ingham (1600m) – formerly known as the Villiers Stakes. The Villiers Stakes – Summer Cup double however hasn’t been completed since Aqua D’Amore (2005).

Summer Cup nominations are taken the Tuesday before the race runs the following Monday on Boxing Day with final acceptances and the barrier draw released on the Thursday.

2023 Summer Cup Field

The official Summer Cup 2023 Field & Barriers will be published in full below once announced on the of the Thursday race week so stay tuned to see what horses make the starting line-up.

The Summer Cup 2023 final field is made-up of a smart line-up of middle-distance staying types with betting led by 2021 Randwick Guineas winner Lion’s Roar and the 60kg top-weight Huetor from the Snowden stable.

2023 Summer Cup Nominations

The official Summer Cup 2023 Nominations close the Tuesday leading-up to the popular Boxing Day showdown and the full list of early entries will be available below.

Summer Cup Form Guide

The Summer Cup form guide details all the need-to-know facts and stats including the jockeys, trainers, barriers, weights and lead-up runs of the horses in the field.

The Summer Cup form has gone on to hold in tougher grade races a number of times over the years including when the 2021 Summer Cup winner Parry Sound went on to run a good fourth the following January in the $1 million Magic Millions Trophy (2400m).

Earlier, the Summer Cup form of 2018 was also franked when the winner Fierce Impact dominated the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival winning the Group 1 Toorak Handicap – Group 1 Cantala Stakes (now Champions Stakes) double in 2019.

In 2022 the Summer Cup runner-up Sky Lab franked the form with a next-up Magic Millions Trophy win at the Gold Coast in January of 2023.

2023 Summer Cup Form Guide

A link to the comprehensive Summer Cup 2023 Form Guide will be provided below the week of the race.

Summer Cup Results

Notable recent Summer Cup winners include: Fierce Impact (2018), I’m Imposing (2013, 2014), Aqua D’Amore (2005), Linesman (1997), Century Boy (1996), Cross Swords (1991), Magnolia Hall (1990), Lord Hybrow (1989), Super Impose (1988), Limitless (1986), Rising Prince (1984), Ming Dynasty (1976), Duo (1967), Baystone (1956), Carioca (1952), Young Crusader (1937), King Of The Forest (1921, 1923), and Poitrel (1917).

Diamil holds the Summer Cup race record winning in 2022 over 2000m in a time of 2 minutes 00.76 seconds.

Past Summer Cup Winners

A list of past Summer Cup winners and place-getters dating back to 1999 can be found in the below table.

Note: There was no 2007 Summer Cup held due to the Sydney equine influenza outbreak.

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