The Galaxy 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: Last start winners have a poor record in The Galaxy results.

The Galaxy is one of five elite level Group 1 races running at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse on Golden Slipper Day during March each Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

2022 The Galaxy winner Shelby Sixtysix. Photo: Steve Hart.

Currently held on the third Saturday in March alongside the likes of the Golden Slipper Stakes, George Ryder Stakes and Ranvet Stakes the short-distance sprint is contested over 1100m.

Run under open handicap conditions The Galaxy has no age or gender restrictions when it comes to the sprinters in the field and attracts a star studded line-up of gallopers coming off lead-up runs in races like Randwick’s Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) or Caulfield’s Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m).

Eduardo (2021) was the last horse to complete the Challenge Stakes – The Galaxy double.

Each autumn The Galaxy winner is exempt from ballot for the upcoming Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) held at Randwick during The Championships, but the double hasn’t been completed since La Baraka (1998).

The latest edition of The Galaxy took place on Saturday March 23, 2024 as part of Rosehill’s popular Golden Slipper Day card as a key lead-up to the TJ Smith Stakes 2024 and was won in an upset by the James Cummings-trained mare Zapateo ($26). 

2024 The Galaxy Results

The official The Galaxy 2024 results and finishing order will be known on Saturday March 23, 2024 and published below.

The Galaxy 2024 winner Zapateo was strong late down the outside at big odds. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 1st: #12 Zapateo
• 2nd: #11 Sunshine In Paris
• 3rd: #14 Front Page

Godolphin mare Zapateo ($26) was strong late second-up off a runner-up finish in the Challenge Stakes charging home for a narrow upset in the 2024 The Galaxy results on Slipper Day.

2024 The Galaxy Odds

The updated The Galaxy 2024 betting odds will be provided below once Group 1 racing markets open for the Golden Slipper Stakes Day sprint classic.

The Galaxy Race Info

• Date: Saturday March 23, 2024
• Track: Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
• Distance: 1100m
• Conditions: Open Handicap
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $1,000,000
• First Run: 1972

The Galaxy Betting

The Galaxy betting odds rarely favour last start winners with Eduardo (2021) the first horse to take out the Group 1 on the back of a victory since Jetball back in 1994.

The last start winners were successful again in 2022 however with Shelby Sixtysix backing-up from his Group 3 Maurice McCarten Stakes win the Saturday prior to salute in the Group 1.

The Challenge Stakes is a traditional lead-up into The Galaxy and Eduardo (2021) was the last horse to do the double. Before him, Tiger Tees (9th in 2014) was the last The Galaxy winner to come out of the Challenge Stakes improving on his ninth to win the Rosehill feature in 2014.

In 2022, Shelby Sixtysix ran a shock second in the Challenge Stakes and won The Galaxy two starts later.

Zapateo (2nd in 2024) became the latest Challenge Stakes runner to win The Galaxy race next start.

Proven short distance performers head The Galaxy odds each year, but favourites had a poor record in the race over the past two decades until the three straight victories by Russian Revolution ($2.90 in 2017), In Her Time ($4 in 2018) and Nature Strip ($4.20 in 2019).

Before 2017, the last The Galaxy favourite to salute for the punters was the Gai Waterhouse-trained Snowland ($3) back in 2003. Many roughies in the The Galaxy betting markets have saluted including Shellscrape ($21 in 2010), I Am Excited ($26 in 2020), and Mariamia ($10 in 2023).

Zapateo caused a big upset in The Galaxy 2024 results saluting at $26 odds.

The Galaxy Field

Griante (2016) scored an upset The Galaxy result as a $16 outsider in Rosehill betting for the autumn Group 1. Photo: Steve Hart.

The Galaxy race field traditionally attracts between 13 – 15 sprinters but was last run at its capacity when Gold Ace was successful back in 1996.

Horses come into The Galaxy via a number of different lead-up races including the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) on Randwick Guineas Day a fortnight earlier.

The short-distance specialists in The Galaxy field are often tracking towards a run in the prestigious TJ Smith Stakes held at Royal Randwick in April.

The Galaxy nominations close the Monday before the race before final acceptances and the barrier draw are announced on the Wednesday.

2024 The Galaxy Race Field

The official The Galaxy 2024 field of final acceptances and barriers are announced the Wednesday of race week with the full list of hopeful sprinters to be made available below.

The 2024 The Galaxy final field features a bumper line-up of autumn sprinters including the Bjorn Baker-trained Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Ozzmosis first-up.

2024 The Galaxy Nominations

Racing NSW takes the official The Galaxy 2024 nominations on the Monday of race week and the full list of early entries will be made available below once released.

Returning Coolmore Stud Stakes champ Ozzmosis heads the 2024 The Galaxy nominations for the sprint feature this Slipper Day.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

The Galaxy Tips

The Galaxy tips favour horses that didn’t win their lead-up Group start and that have winning form over the distance. Even 1200m sprinters can find the 1100m of The Galaxy a bit sharp so a good tip is to look for 1000m – 1100m specialists in the field.

Until 2017, favourites rarely got the job done in the race so laying the favourite was another top The Galaxy betting tip. However, that changed with the punters’ picks in The Galaxy tips for 2017 (Russian Revolution), 2018 (In Her Time) and 2019 (Nature Strip) all saluting as the favourites in betting to buck the trend.

From 2002 – 2024 seven three-year-olds have beaten home the older rivals – most recently Russian Revolution (2017) – so the young sprinters often come up trumps in The Galaxy tips as do the underrated runners drawn wide.

Of the The Galaxy winners from 2008 – 2024 six saluted from double digit barriers including two from gate 11 – Bel Sprinter (2013) and Sweet Idea (2015).

2024 The Galaxy Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Group 1 The Galaxy 2024 racing tips will be detailed below a few days out from Golden Slipper Stakes Day so bookmark this page to see the sprinters to back and sack in the short-distanced clash.

• To Win: #11 Sunshine In Paris ($8 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Exciting and open edition of The Galaxy with a host of livewire chances, but for value at 10/1 Sunshine In Paris resuming looks forgotten. She is two-from-two first-up and trainer Annabel Neasham is in terrific form. This four-year-old daughter of Invader is a Group 1 winner having saluted in last year’s Surround Stakes over 1400m, and she is yet to win over less than 1200m. The sharp distance of The Galaxy will be key, but she was excellent here winning the Group 2 Roman Consul last time out. Trials have been solid, she is well weighted and can surprise a few of these.

The Galaxy Form Guide

The Galaxy form guide reveals all the information needed to place a wager including the saddlecloth numbers, starting barriers, jockeys, trainers and lead-up runs of the horses in the field.

Last start winners and favourites have a very poor record so looking for these in The Galaxy form guide and avoiding them in betting is historically a smart move for punters.

The Galaxy form guide also displays the handicap weight allocated to each runner and only one horse has carried more than 56.5kg to victory since 2002 when Temple Of Boom won with 57kg in 2012.

Looking out for three-year-olds carrying 55kg or less in the form guide is also a good tip in The Galaxy historically.

The Galaxy Form Facts

• Russian Revolution (2017), In Her Time (2018) and Nature Strip (2019) were the first favourites in The Galaxy betting markets to win since Snowland (2003).
• Eduardo (2021) followed by Shelby Sixtysix (2022) were the first last start winners to take out The Galaxy since the success of Jetball (1994).
• Seven of the The Galaxy winners from 2010 – 2024 came off a Group 1 run.
• Sweet Idea (2015) and Griante (2016) became the first The Galaxy winning mares since La Baraka (1998). The mares were successful again in 2018 (In Her Time), 2020 (I Am Excited), Mariamia (2023), and Zapateo (2024).

2023 The Galaxy winner Mariamia handed her trainer Joe Pride with a third victory in the event. Photo: Steve Hart.

2024 The Galaxy Form Guide

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

The Galaxy Results

Upset The Galaxy race results are very common with double-figure roughies winning more often than not and only two favourites saluting since 1996.

The longest priced The Galaxy winners in that time include Padstow ($51 in 2001), Proprietor ($41 in 2006), Shellscrape ($21 in 2010), I Am Excited ($26 in 2020), and Zapateo ($26 in 2024).

Notable Galaxy winners in the past 20 years include Nature Strip (2019), Bel Sprinter (2013), Magnus (2007) Charge Forward (2005), and Snowland (2003).

Mariamia (2023) and Zapateo (2024) are the latest The Galaxy winning mares.

Russian Revolution (2017) was the last three-year-old The Galaxy winner.

Sweet Idea holds the current 1100m The Galaxy race record winning in 2015 in a time of 1 minute 02:69 seconds.

The Galaxy Winners

Past The Galaxy winners and place-getters going back to 2000 are detailed in the below table.