The Shorts 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: The Shorts serves as a key lead-up to the $20 million The Everest race

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The Shorts is a Group 2 race run at Royal Randwick Racecourse on its own feature race meeting in mid-September during the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival. A sprint feature contested over 1100m it is open to horses aged three-years-old and above and is run at set weights plus penalties.

2022 The Shorts winner Nature Strip. Photo: Steve Hart.

It was previously contested on the same day as the George Main Stakes before that event was moved to The Everest Day in October and renamed the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m).

The Shorts is now the feature race at the meeting and as of 2023 offers a lucrative $1 million in stakes.

Added to the card for the first time in 2023 is the unlisted $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) which replaces the George Main Stakes as the mile feature on the card and offers the winner an Epsom Handicap ballot exemption.

The Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap and Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes offering the winners an Epsom Handicap and The Metropolitan ballot exemption respectively are the other features on The Shorts Day program, along with the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes for Flight Stakes-bound fillies.

The Shorts is a good lead-up to interstate Group 1 races held during the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival as well as the $20 million The Everest (1200m) run at Royal Randwick in mid-October,

The Shorts – The Everest double was completed by Redzel in 2017, the gun sprinter going on to win the latter again in 2018 before Classique Legend (2020) became the latest horse to win both races in the same season.

More recently, Nature Strip improved on his second in The Shorts in 2021 to win The Everest that spring along with the VRC Sprint Classic (now known as the Champions Sprint) in Melbourne.

Nature Strip returned a winner in the 2022 The Shorts results ahead of his title failed defence in The Everest race when fourth.

The next edition of $1 million The Shorts runs on Saturday, September 21, 2024 at Royal Randwick. 

2024 The Shorts Odds

The Shorts 2024 betting odds and market links to [ladbrokes] will be available below the week of the race so stay tuned for the best The Shorts markets this spring.

The Shorts Race Info

• Date: Saturday, September 21, 2024
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1100m
• Conditions: Set Weights + Penalties
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $1,000,000
• First Run: 1867

2024 The Shorts Results

The Shorts 2024 race results and full finishing order will be published below once the race is run and won on Saturday, September 21, 2024.

2023 The Shorts winner Private Eye. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 1st: TBD
• 2nd: TBD
• 3rd: TBD

The Shorts Betting

The Shorts betting markets are dominated by horses sharp enough to handle the short 1100m distance of the race.

Gallopers with good lead-up form, nice records fresh, previous winning form at the Randwick track and those with experience in tougher class races also sit high up The Shorts odds.

Most of the runners in The Shorts odds are first-up, but looking for the best out of a lead-up race like the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) a fortnight earlier can be a good guide to the markets. Redzel (2017) was the last sprinter to complete the Concorde Stakes  – The Shorts double.

Private Eye (2023) was the last The Shorts winner to take out the race first-up for the spring.

In 2019 Pierata ran second to Redzel in the Concorde Stakes before winning The Shorts as the $2.70 favourite.

The following year, Classique Legend improved on a second from the 2019 The Shorts to take out the 2020 edition as the $4.40 favourite.

That form line repeated itself in 2021 with the 2020 runner-up Eduardo winning the race.

Nature Strip was runner-up in the 2021 The Shorts, but returned to win in 2022 having saluted in the previous spring’s The Everest results to become the latest The Shorts favourite to win at $2.40 odds.

There was a notable upset in 2023 with Private Eye winning at $12 The Shorts odds.

The Shorts Field

The Shorts race field attracts a class line-up of spring sprinters and proven short distance specialists.

Many runners come into the race first-up and may back-up in the following month’s Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m) also held at Randwick Racecourse.

In 2015 Rebel Dane won The Shorts before a second in the Premiere Stakes. He then went to Melbourne and ran third to Chautauqua in Moonee Valley’s Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m).

In 2011 The Shorts winner Love Conquers All finished third next start in the Premiere Stakes. The double was last achieved by Hot Danish (2010). Hot Danish had previously won the All Aged Stakes and Doomben 10,000 earlier that year and went on to place third in the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) that October at Flemington.

2020 The Shorts winner Classique Legend went on to win that year’s $15 million The Everest. Photo: Steve Hart.

If not resuming in The Shorts field, horses may come off an earlier Sydney run in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m). In 2013 the Concorde Stakes runner-up Sessions backed-up and won The Shorts and two runs later placed third in the Manikato Stakes in Victoria.

In 2015 Ball Of Muscle ran third in the Concorde and second in The Shorts before a second to Buffering in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) in Melbourne the next month. That same year (2015) Concorde Stakes winner Shiraz ran third in The Shorts next-up.

Ball Of Muscle has a long history in The Shorts field, the 2015 runner-up also placing second in 2016 behind Takedown and second to Redzel in 2017. Finally Ball Of Muscle finished first, winning The Shorts in 2018 in his fourth appearance.

Redzel (2017) saluted for The Shorts punters winning the Concorde Stakes – The Shorts double. In 2019 The Shorts winner Pierata improved on a lead-up second in the Concorde Stakes. Redzel won his third straight Concorde Stakes in 2019 before a third in The Shorts results that year.

In 2021 Nature Strip that year’s subsequent The Everest champion won the Concorde Stakes at his third attempt before running second to upset The Shorts winner Eduardo next-up.

Nature Strip returned to win The Shorts 2022 first-up off a UK victory in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The Shorts nominations are taken the Monday before the race takes place that Saturday with the final field of acceptors and barriers out on the Wednesday.

2024 The Shorts Field

The official The Shorts 2024 final field and barriers will be detailed in full below once acceptances are released by Racing NSW on the Wednesday of race week.

Ciaron Maher’s first-up Concorde Stakes champ I Am Me in gate two heads betting on the 2024 The Shorts field in Sydney on Saturday leading up to October’s The Everest. 

2024 The Shorts Nominations

The early The Shorts 2024 nominations are taken on the Monday of race week.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

The Shorts Form Guide

The Shorts form guide details all the key information for punters like the jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up runs of the sprinters in the field.

Form guide facts to look out for are runners coming off a last start win, local hopes with good Sydney form in the Group sprint races and those drawn a single-digit barrier.

The Shorts form has also stacked up in better races both in Sydney and Melbourne in recent years including in 2014 when Terravista won the Group 2 before a subsequent Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m) victory at Flemington during that years Melbourne Cup Carnival.

The Shorts form was also worth following into bigger spring races in 2017 when Redzel won the inaugural edition of the world’s richest race on turf – The Everest.

Classique Legend franked The Shorts form in 2020 backing-up to win The Everest, while The Shorts third place-getter that year Bivouac ran second in The Everest results before winning Flemington’s Group 1 VRC Classic.

The 2021 The Shorts form was franked with the runner-up Nature Strip winning The Everest – VRC Sprint Classic double that spring, returning for a third TJ Smith Stakes success the following autumn, and heading to the UK in June of 2022 for a 4.5 length Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes win at Royal Ascot.

The 2021 The Shorts winner Eduardo meanwhile finished third in that year’s The Everest results before his victory in the Winners Stakes.

After a second to Nature Strip in the 2022 The Shorts results, Overpass franked the form the following autumn winning the inaugural $4 million The Quokka race in WA in 2023.

Overpass returned to run second again in The Shorts 2023 and went on to win Perth’s Winterbottom Stakes that summer before a successful The Quokka title defence. 

2024 The Shorts Form Guide

A link to our detailed The Shorts 2024 Form Guide & Betting Preview will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

The Shorts Tips

Good The Shorts tips include looking for proven Randwick performers, in-form sprinters drawn close to the rails and those higher up the betting markets. The favourites also have a gun record in the race over the past two decades so sticking with those under $10 in betting is also a good tip.

Any returning The Shorts performers returning for another run or graduates from the previous season’s The Everest race also make a top The Shorts betting tip.

In 2021 the previous year’s The Everest 11th place-getter Eduardo won The Shorts.

In 2022 the previous year’s The Everest champion Nature Strip won The Shorts improving on his second in the race the season prior, while the 2023 The Shorts was won first-up by the previous spring’s The Everest runner-up.

2024 The Shorts Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive The Shorts 2024 betting tips and exotic Randwick race selections will be detailed below the week of the race so bookmark this page for the runners to back and sack in the Group 2 sprint this season.

• To Win: #6 I Am Me ($3.40 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Great edition of The Shorts with a potential spot in The Everest field pending for the winner but the favourite I Am Me really is hard to go past. She is a genuine Randwick specialist having won three from four at the track and impressed fresh winning the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) with 57kg. That race is always a superior form line to follow into The Shorts and looks like it will be the case again this year. Consistent record at the top level, a short-distance star with plenty of form over this distance (6-4-0-0) and will appreciate coming back to 55kg. Gun barrier two draw and champ J. Mac riding. Ticks all the boxes. 

The Shorts Results

The Shorts race results have been dominated by class Group performers over the past decade and single-figure hopes with the last double-figure winners being Lucky Night ($16 in 2003) and Private Eye ($12 in 2023) a decade apart.

Notable recent The Shorts winners include Nature Strip (2022), Eduardo (2021), Classique Legend (2020), Redzel (2017), Rebel Dane (2015), Terravista (2014), Hot Danish (2010), and Bentley Biscuit (2006).

Also interesting looking at The Shorts results is that Ball Of Muscle ran second in all three editions from 2015-17 before winning the event in 2018.

Hot Danish (2010) was the last The Shorts winning mare.

Mother Duck (1987) was the last three-year-old The Shorts winner.

Redzel holds the current The Shorts race record winning over 1100m in 2017 in a time of 1 minute 1.83 seconds.

Past The Shorts Winners

Recent The Shorts winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.

FAQ

When is The Shorts 2024?

What is the prize money for The Shorts 2024?

$1,000,000

Where is The Shorts 2024?

Randwick Racecourse, Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031.