Sydney Stakes 2023

Ladbrokes Tip: The Sydney Stakes serves as a nice consolation race for sprinters that didn’t make The Everest field.

The Sydney Stakes is a Group 3 race run at Randwick Racecourse on a Saturday in mid-October as part of The Everest Day.

2022 Sydney Stakes winner Rocketing By. Photo: Steve Hart.

The meeting is headlined by the world’s richest turf race – the $20 million The Everest (1200m) – with the Sydney Stakes one of the key support races along with the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (formerly the George Main Stakes, $2 million The Kosciuszko, and the $1 million Silver Eagle.

Other notable events on the card include Group 3 Angst Stakes (1600m) for the mares and The Big Dance Wildcard.

Open to horses aged three-years-old and above, the Sydney Stakes is contested over 1200m at weight-for-age and offers a lucrative $2 million in prize money having had its stakes notably increased from $500,000 ahead of the 2022 edition.

It is considered the consolation prize for sprinters that did not gain one of the 12 slots in The Everest field and runners in the Sydney Stakes field may also be named as one of the six The Everest emergencies.

Should there be a scratching from the original line-up of The Everest horses, any emergency accepted for the Sydney Stakes must run in the $20 million feature.

Run and won since 1968, the race has only held Group 3 status since since 2018.

Formerly known as the Lighting Stakes, it was renamed the Sydney Stakes in 2017 in line with the inaugural running of The Everest.

The 2023 Sydney Stakes ran on Saturday October 14th, 2023 offering incredible $2 million in prize money and was won by the brave Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained top elect I Am Me ($4.80F).

2023 Sydney Stakes Results

The official Sydney Stakes 2023 Results & Finishing Order will be provided below once the race is run and won on Saturday October 14th, 2023.

2023 Sydney Stakes winner I Am Me was good holding them out to salute for the punters. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 1st: #15 I Am Me
• 2nd: #11 Airman
• 3rd: #13 Bella Nipotina

Progressive Group 2 winning mare from the stables of Ciaron Maher & David Eustace, I Am Me ($4.80F), dug deep to put her head in front with 250m left to travel before charging home strongly to hold off the fast-finishing Airman in an exciting 2023 Sydney Stakes result.

2023 Sydney Stakes Odds

The season’s top Sydney Stakes 2023 odds and betting market links will be available below as soon as open.

Sydney Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday October 14th, 2023
• Track: Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Group 3
• Prize Money: $2,000,000
• First Run: 1968

Sydney Stakes Betting

Sydney Stakes betting markets are led by the season’s best performing sprinters, especially those that were aiming for a run in The Everest field but did not earn a slot.

Any horses that run well in the Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m) on Epsom Handicap Day are usually also installed at short Sydney Stakes odds should they be in the field.

Big Parade ($2.40 in 2021) was the last favourite in Sydney Stakes betting to get the job done.

In 2022 Rocketing By scored a big upset winning at Sydney Stakes odds of $61!

Sydney Stakes Field

The Sydney Stakes race field features a quality line-up of sprinters from mainly the local Sydney stables coming off lead-up runs in similar grade races over the spring.

The best horses out of the Sydney Stakes field may continue onto the $3 million Winners Stakes at Rosehill on Golden Eagle Day, a race renamed in honour each year in honour of the previous season’s The Everest winner.

In 2021 Big Parade won the Sydney Stakes before a fourth in the Winners Stakes, run that year as the Classique Legend Stakes, while Standout finished second and third respectively in those two end-of-spring races.

The Sydney Stakes final acceptances are released on the Wednesday of race week following the early nominations taken the Monday leading-up to The Everest Day.

2023 Sydney Stakes Field

The official Sydney Stakes 2023 field and barriers will be published in full below once final acceptances are taken by Racing NSW on the Wednesday of race week.

The 2023 Sydney Stakes field features a smart line-up of sprinters led in betting by the talented Group 1 winning mare Bella Nipotina from the stables of Ciaron Maher & David Eustace who was last seen running a length back third to The Everest fancy Think About It at the track and trip in the Group 2 Premiere Stakes.

2023 Sydney Stakes Nominations

The early Sydney Stakes 2023 Nominations are taken the Monday prior to the race and will be published below once confirmed.

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Sydney Stakes Tips

Top Sydney Stakes tips include looking for proven weight-for-age horses, runners with a strong Randwick record and any standout sprinters down in grade off a lead-up Group 1 run earlier during the carnival.

2023 Sydney Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Sydney Stakes 2021 betting tips and Randwick racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so bookmark this page for the stayers to back and sack in The Everest consolation race this spring.

• To Win: #6 It’sourtime ($21 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Going for a big upset in the $2 million Sydney Stakes this year and have landed on the consistent It’sourtime at 20/1 for the value of the day. This six-year-old Time For War gelding is yet to race at Randwick but has a strong record over the distance (12:3-5-2). He is prepared by a former Melbourne Cup winning trainer in Danny O’Brien and has arguably the best hoop of the season Nash Rawiller aboard. He has been racing really well in Melbourne including a win in the Group 3 Aurie’s Star back in August. His subsequent two spring lead-ups had him in the top four including running only 1.7 lengths back in the Group 2 Bobbie Lewis. Up in weight but this looks a winnable and open affair if he gets the right run and handles the Sydney way. Forgotten hope that can surprise a few of these!

Sydney Stakes Form Guide

The Sydney Stakes form guide features all the info punters need to place a well-informed wager on the 1200m showdown including the saddlecloth number, barrier, trainer and jockey of all the runners in the field.

The 2021 Sydney Stakes form was franked in with the winner Big Parade returning in the autumn of 2022 to finish runner-up in the Group 1 The Galaxy.

2023 Sydney Stakes Form Guide

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

Sydney Stakes Results

The Sydney Stakes race results and finishing order are announced on The Everest Day.

As well as the Sydney Stakes winner, successful trifecta and first four you can also see the starting price and margin of all the runners as well as any scratched horses that may have been called-up to run as an emergency in The Everest race.

Some of the most famous Sydney Stakes winners include Shogun Lodge (2003), two-time champion Famous Seamus (2012-13), In Her Time (2017), and Pierata (2018).

Rocketing By ($61 in 2022) is one of the longest-priced Sydney Stakes winners in the race’s history.

I Am Me (2023) was the last Sydney Stakes winning mare.

In Her Time holds the current Sydney Stakes race record winning in 2017 in a time of 1 minute 8.26 seconds.

Past Sydney Stakes Winners

Recent Sydney Stakes winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2016 are detailed in the below table.