The Gong 2021

The Gong is one of the latest additions to the revamped Sydney Spring Racing Carnival that sees the festival offer over $50 million in prize money across the six weeks surrounding the world’s richest turf race, October’s $15 million The Everest (1200m) in October.

There are now over a dozen seven-figure Sydney spring races giving away at least $1 million in prize money, the last of which is the $1 million The Gong held at Wollongong in late November at the Kembla Grange track.

A week prior Newcastle hosts the $1 million The Hunter (1300m), which is proceeded by The Gong over the 1600m at another new stand-along metropolitan meeting outside of Sydney’s premier tracks – Rosehill and Randwick.

In 2019 jockey James McDonald rode the inaugural winners of both The Hunter and The Gong aboard Savatiano and Mister Sea Wolf respectively.

The addition of this new feature meeting for the Illawarra region – best known for their NRL club the Dragons – sees the spring racing spotlight stay on the greater Sydney area for far longer than in previous seasons as the attention tends to head south for the iconic Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Like The Hunter, The Gong is a quality handicap race with no class or gender restrictions open to horses aged three-years-old and above that offers a generous $580,000 to the winner.

The $300,000 The Warra (1000m) for sprinters is the key support act on The Gong Race Card in 2021.

This spring’s edition of The Gong ran on 2021 at Kembla Grange and was won by the equal favourite Count De Rupee ($4.80). 

2021 The Gong Results

The official The Gong 2021 Results & Finishing Order will be provided below once the race is run and won on Saturday November 20, 2021.

• 1st: #4 Count De Rupee ($4.80EF)
• 2nd: #6 Nudge
• 3rd: #16 Yamazaki

Apprentice hoop Brock Ryan gave the Robert & Luke Price-trained equal favourite Count De Rupee ($4.80) – now a winner of over $2.4 million in prize money – a 10/10 ride to salute by over a length aboard the last start The Golden Eagle runner-up in the 2021 The Gong results.

The Gong Info

• Date: Saturday November 20, 2021.
• Track: Kembla Grange Racecourse
• Distance: 1600m
• Conditions: Quality Handicap
• Status: Special Condition
• Prize Money: $1 million
• First Run: 2019

The Gong Betting

Betting on The Gong is led by in-form spring gallopers coming off a good lead-up campaign in similar distance / class races.

Proven milers with a good 1600m record, any local hopes with previous form at Kembla Grange and the quality Group 1 runners down in grade dominate The Gong betting.

There are a number of key lead-up races that impact The Gong betting markets including the $1.3 million The Kosciuszko (1200m) open only to NSW country-trained horses and held at Randwick in October’s The Everest Day and the recently revamped $500,000 Group 2 Hot Danish Stakes for mares.

In 2019 The Gong was won for the first time in an upset by $21 outsider Mister Sea Wolf and there was another upset in 2020 with Archedemus ($18).

In 2021 Count De Rupee ($4.80) became the first (equal) favourite in The Gong betting to salute for the punters.

2021 The Gong Odds

The season’s premier The Gong 2021 odds and betting market links will be provided below as soon as released.

The Gong field features a line-up of quality spring gallopers, many stepping up to a mile off lead-up runs in shorter distance features over the 1400m distance range.

Any four-year-olds in The Gong field may have come via a run in the $7.5 million The Golden Eagle (1500m). In 2021 Count De Rupee improved on a lead-up second in the Golden Eagle to win The Gong .

2021 The Gong Field

The official The Gong 2021 Final Field and Barriers will be announced by Racing NSW the Wednesday of race week and published in full below.

The 2021 The Gong field features a capacity line-up of milers led in betting by the in-form but widely-drawn Count De Rupee coming off a brave second behind Group 1 winner I’m Thunderstruck in the $7.5 million Golden Eagle.

2021 The Gong Nominations

The early 2021 The Gong nominations will close on the Monday of race week and the list of potential runners in the seven-figure feature will be available below.

The Gong Form

The Gong Form Guide details the full race field, horse statistics including track / distance records for all the runners, the race track conditions for the day and early betting previews.

Following The Gong form on the in-form milers that get in well weight-wise under the handicap conditions will be key to picking The Gong winner in the spring.

The Gong form was recently franked with the 2020 winner Archedemus winning the next year’s Group 3 Hawkesbury Cup.

2021 The Gong Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive The Gong 2021 Form Guide and race selections will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

The Gong Tips

The Gong betting tips center around the spring’s best performing metropolitan milers coming off good lead-up campaigns in earlier races over at least 1400m.

Any stakes performers staying in Sydney to target The Gong over a trip to Melbourne will make good The Gong race tips as they are being set specifically for the $1 million feature.

2021 The Gong Tips

Our insider Ladbrokes’ The Gong 2021 race tips will be detailed below once the final field is out so stay tuned for the milers to back and sack in the lucrative Illawarra feature race.

• To Win: #4 Count De Rupee ($3.80 at time of publish) 

Robert & Luke Price’s ultra-consistent Real Impact four-year-old gets his chance at a feature race win here after some very close lead-up runs. He was last seen finishing a neck back second behind Group 1 winner I’m Thunderstruck in the $7.5 million The Golden Eagle over 1500m at Rosehill. Third in the Silver Eagle prior to that just a half-length beaten. Yet to win over further than 1400m but looks like he’ll run a mile. Needs luck from the wide barrier, but he’s got a stellar record at the Kembla Grange track (4:3-1-0) and brings in the best form lines.

The Gong Results

The Gong results detail the full finishing order of the sprinter – milers in the 1600m feature, the official The Gong trifecta results plus the winning time / margin for the end-of-spring feature.

The Gong Winners