Ladbrokes Tip: The Newmarket Handicap is the best lead-up race into the William Reid Stakes in recent years

The William Reid Stakes is a Group 1 race run under the lights at Moonee Valley Racecourse on Friday night in late March during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival. It is one of the final Melbourne feature races of the season scheduled before top-level racing moves to Sydney and is run under the lights as the feature event of William Reid Stakes Night.

Contested over 1200m it is a weight-for-age race for sprinters and has a field limit of 14 runners competing for $500,000 in total prize money.

The key lead-up race into the William Reid Stakes is the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) run over the same distance down the Flemington straight a fortnight earlier. Sunlight (2019) was the last sprinter to complete the Newmarket Handicap – William Reid Stakes double, while the next year Newmarket runner-up Loving Gaby (2020) went one better becoming the second straight filly to win the William Reid Stakes.

Many William Reid Stakes horses often head to Sydney next targeting the TJ Smith Stakes on Doncaster Mile Day or the All Aged Stakes over 1400m at Randwick after the two-day The Championships in April.

The last horse to win the William Reid Stakes – TJ Smith Stakes double without a run in between was Black Caviar (2013), while the Newmarket Handicap – William Reid Stakes double was also achieved by the superstar mare in 2011.

The latest edition of the William Reid Stakes ran on Friday March 19, 2021 and was won in runaway fashion by Masked Crusader. 

William Reid Stakes Race Info

• Date: Friday March 19, 2021
• Track: Moonee Valley Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $500,000
• First Run: 1925

2021 William Reid Stakes Results

The William Reid Stakes Results 2021 and finishing order for the Moonee Valley Group 1 race will be known on Friday March 19, 2021 and published right here.

• 1st: #6 Masked Crusader
• 2nd: #12 Portland Sky
• 3rd: #8 Libertini

Masked Crusader ($4) handed jockey William Pike with a fourth Victorian Group 1 win for the season (equal with Luke Currie) thanks to a runaway 2.5 length win over Portland Sky ($11) in Friday night’s 2021 William Reid Stakes results.  

William Reid Stakes Odds

William Reid Stakes betting is led by sprinters that come via a top three run in the Newmarket Handicap or Lightning Stakes earlier in the autumn.

These two autumn races have provided more William Reid Stakes winners than any other events and make popular betting doubles paired with the Moonee Valley night features. Just two of the 18 William Reid Stakes winners from 2003 – 2021 finished worse than third in their Group lead-up run.

From 2006 – 2021 the favourites in the William Reid Stakes odds saluted for the punters five times including champion mare Black Caviar (2011 and 2013) and most recently Sunlight ($1.70 in 2019).

Horses drawn wide are also risky in William Reid Stakes betting with Toledo (10 in 2002), Silent Sedition (10 in 2017) and Hellbent (10 in 2018) the only winners from a double digit barrier in over 30 years.

2021 William Reid Stakes Betting

The top William Reid Stakes 2021 odds on the final Group 1 sprint in Melbourne for the autumn will be available below the week of the race so make sure you check back to get behind your favourite Moonee Valley track specialists at the right price.

The William Reid Stakes field has a capacity of 14 starters and was last run at capacity in 2015 when Lucky Hussler won as an 11/1 shot. From 2009 – 2012 the race attracted only seven or eight runners in the field with superstar sprinters Apache Cat and Black Caviar scaring away the rivals.

Flamberge (inside) continued the good record of six-year-olds in the William Reid Stakes results for his 2016 win. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Traditionally horses come into the William Reid Stakes field via a lead-up run in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) two weeks earlier at Flemington or the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1000m) in late February.

The Newmarket Handicap and Black Caviar Stakes produced all but seven of the 17 William Reid Stakes winners from 2002 – 2021. The latest horses to complete the Newmarket Handicap – William Reid Stakes double were Black Caviar (2011) who also won the latter in 2013 and Sunlight (2019).

The Lightning Stakes – William Reid Stakes double was most recently secured by another double winner of the Moonee Valley feature when Apache Cat scored his first in 2008, followed by Black Caviar (2013) who the first leg of the double (Black Caviar Lightning) is now named in honour of.

William Reid Stakes nominations close the Monday prior to the race with the field out on the Wednesday when the William Reid Stakes barrier draw is also conducted.

2021 William Reid Stakes Field

The William Reid Stakes field 2021 and barrier draw will be published below on Wednesday March 17, 2021 so stay tuned.

The 2021 William Reid Stakes final field is now out featuring 14 sprinters set to do battle under the lights at The Valley on Friday night. Anthony Cummings’ returning Group 1 VRC Classic third placed mare Libertini leads post-acceptance betting drawn out wide in barrier 13, while Chris Waller’s filly September Run is challenging for favouritism despite a poor lead-up performance. 

2021 William Reid Stakes Nominations

The early William Reid Stakes 2021 nominations close the Monday of race week and will be published right here so stay tuned to see what sprinters make up the original entries for the sprint.

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

William Reid Stakes Tips

The best William Reid Stakes tips are to back in-form autumn sprinters coming off a placing in the Newmarket Handicap or Lightning Stakes. It is also a top William Reid Stakes tip to back a horse drawn no wider than nine with the most successful barrier since 1983 producing seven winners being gate one – the inside alley.

Fillies & mares have a strong record over the boys in the William Reid Stakes in recent years with eight wins since 2004, while six three-year-olds have beaten the older horses in the race since 2003 including the fillies Sunlight (2019) and Loving Gaby (2020).

Looking for gallopers with proven form on tight tracks like the Moonee Valley circuit is also a good betting tip for the William Reid Stakes.

2021 William Reid Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider William Reid Stakes 2021 tips and exotic Group 1 betting selections will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for the sprinters to back and sack in the Friday night feature this autumn.

• Each Way: #12 Portland Sky ($14 at time of publish) 

An open edition of the William Reid and love the double-figure price on offer for this consistent Deep Field colt prepared by Matt Laurie. He won carrying 58.5kg at Caulfield in the Group 3 Manfred Stakes beating some very classy runners in Aysar and Tagaloa back in January. That form was franked by the third placegetter Tagaloa who went on to win the CS Hayes before an Australian Guineas third. Portland Sky meanwhile went on to dead-heat with Celebrity Queen in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at the light weight. Kept fit since with a subsequent trial and has previous winning form at Moonee Valley. Up in weight, but has barrier one and looks the value. 

William Reid Stakes Form Guide

The William Reid Stakes form guide shows the jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up form for all the horses in the field. Keeping an eye on sprinters coming off a good run in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap is a top tip as is checking the barrier draw with the William Reid Stakes favouring those drawn the inside alley.

Jockey Glen Boss rode two William Reid Stakes winners with Turfontein (2010) and Lucky Hussler (2010) so checking the jockeys in the form guide is also a good idea for successful punting on the classic.

William Reid Stakes Form Facts

• From 2007 – 2021 six William Reid Stakes betting favourites saluted for the punters most recently Sunlight ($1.70 in 2019)
• A Flemington run in the lead-up is the best William Reid Stakes form guide with all but four of the winners from 2008 – 2021 coming off either the Lighting Stakes or Newmarket Handicap
• Six-year-olds have a dominant record in the William Reid Stakes results with four wins from 2009 – 2021
• Horses drawn in barriers one and two have the best record in the race in the past decade

2021 William Reid Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive William Reid Stakes 2021 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

William Reid Stakes Results

While favourites have a strong recent record in the race upsets in the William Reid Stakes results in the past decade have also occurred including Foxwedge ($12 in 2012) and Turffontein ($12 in 2010).

The longest priced William Reid Stakes winner in the past three decades was Toledo ($31 in 2002). Some notable William Reid Stakes winners in recent years include include Loving Gaby (2020), Sunlight (2019), Black Caviar (2011 and 2013), Apache Cat (2008 and 2009), Miss Andretti (2007) and Regimental Gal (2004).

William Reid Stakes Winners