The 2026 Epsom Handicap runs on Saturday, October 3, 2026 at Randwick Racecourse as one of the premier middle-distance features of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival.
The Epsom Handicap 2026 is gearing up to be one of the standout mile contests of the Sydney spring, with a stacked field of sharp milers chasing Group 1 glory under true handicap conditions at Royal Randwick. Early Epsom Handicap odds are already reacting to key lead‑up runs, weight swings and stable confidence, giving Ladbrokes punters plenty to work with as the market takes shape. With tempo, barriers and the famous Randwick rise all set to play a major role, Epsom Handicap betting strategies are heating up fast — and Ladbrokes keeps you ahead of the move with sharp insights, value plays and up‑to‑date market intel for one of Australia’s most iconic mile showdowns.
2026 Epsom Handicap Odds
The season’s latest Epsom Handicap 2026 betting odds and links to our markets on the Group 1 Randwick mile classic will be available over the spring below followed by the official finishing order after the event.
| 1. Well Written | ||
| 2. Autumn Boy | ||
| 3. Skyhook | ||
| 4. Attica | ||
| 5. Angel Capital | ||
| 6. Beiwacht | ||
| 7. Ceolwulf | ||
| 8. Gringotts | ||
| 9. Idle Flyer | ||
| 10. Lady Shenandoah | ||
| 11. Mr Miller | ||
| 12. Pericles | ||
| 13. Althoff | ||
| 14. Another Wil | ||
| 15. Evaporate | ||
| 16. Fully Lit | ||
| 17. Headley Grange | ||
| 18. Leica Lucy | ||
| 19. Linebacker | ||
| 20. Militarize |
Epsom Handicap Tips
Epsom Handicap tips flood in the week of the race and usually feature horses that are well-weighted under the handicap conditions. No horse has carried more than 57kg to Epsom Handicap victory since Super Impose (61kg in 1991).
Winners of the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap and the Group 2 Shannon Stakes are also good Epsom Handicap tips as these two races have produced plenty of recent champions of the Epsom Handicap results. Kolding (2019), Probabeel (2020), Top Ranked (2022) who ran a dead heat in the Group 1 with Ellsberg, and Rediener (2023) are the latest to complete the Bill Ritchie – Epsom Handicap double.
2026 Epsom Handicap Tips
Our Ladbrokes’ insider Epsom Handicap 2026 betting tips and exotic Group 1 Randwick selections will be detailed below for punters the week of the race, so stay tuned for the miler hopefuls to back and sack this season.
Ladbrokes Tip: Last start winners have a gun recent record in the Epsom Handicap!
Early Epsom Handicap 2026 Predictions
- Autumn Glow, Sheza Alibi, and Autumn Boy shape as the key Epsom chances.
- Randwick’s mile suits horses with a sustained sprint and proven Group form.
Current Epsom Handicap Favourite: Autumn Glow
Autumn Glow has been installed as the early frontrunner for the 2026 Epsom Handicap, shaping as the class miler in futures markets thanks to her blend of versatility, sharp closing figures and proven Randwick credentials. She’s a sprinter‑miler who thrives under pressure and routinely produces elite late splits, though a hefty handicap and the possibility of being redirected to the King Charles III Stakes remain the key queries. A midfield draw on a Soft 5–Good 4 surface would be ideal, and with her Group 1 profile already established, she presents as one of the more appealing early Epsom Handicap futures plays before the final field takes shape.
Tip: Look for runners drawn midfield with turn‑of‑foot — Autumn Glow ticks every box.
Early Ladbrokes Prediction: Autumn Glow to win the Epsom Handicap, Sheza Alibi to run Top 3.
The Epsom Handicap is one of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival’s major mile races and runs at Royal Randwick Racecourse in late September or early October each year. Offering $1.5 million in prize money the race is held at the same meeting as The Metropolitan and the Flight Stakes and has been conducted since 1865.
The 1600m feature is open to horses aged three years and older and is named after the iconic Epsom Downs Racecourse in the South of England. It has held Group 1 status since 1979 and has been won by many notable champions including Desert War (2004 & 2005), Shogun Lodge (2000), Super Impose (1990 & 1991), Imposing (1979), Gunsynd (1971), and Sky High (1961).
More recently Chris Waller-trained horses have dominated the Epsom Handicap results including the 2015 win by superstar mare Winx and 2019 success of Kolding who went on to win the inaugural The Golden Eagle race.
Waller celebrated his fifth Epsom Handicap success in 2023 running the quinella with Rediener and Kovalica before claiming the race for a sixth time with the odds-on favourite Autumn Glow in 2025.
The Epsom Handicap winner also earns a ballot exemption into the following year’s Group 1 $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) held at Randwick during April’s The Championships.
Epsom Handicap Race Info
- Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
- Track: Randwick Racecourse
- Distance: 1600m
- Conditions: Handicap
- Status: Group 1
- Prize Money: $1.5 million
- First Run: 1865
2026 Epsom Handicap Results
The full Epsom Handicap 2026 Results & Finishing Order will be provided below once the race is run and won on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
Epsom Handicap Betting
Epsom Handicap betting markets are often led by horses that won their final lead-up into the mile classic.
Chris Waller’s undefeated mare Autumn Glow (2025) coming off spring wins in the Group 3 Toy Show Quality and Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes is the latest last-start winner to take out the Epsom.
In 2019 the top two horses in Epsom Handicap betting ran the quinella with the $5.50 equal favourites Kolding and Te Akau Shark running one-two.
Chris Waller’s horses always sit highly up the Epsom Handicap odds as he prepared six of the winners between 2013 – 25 most recently Autumn Glow (2025).
Gai Waterhouse-trained hopefuls, if in form, also feature in the Epsom Handicap markets as she has won the Epsom Handicap a record seven times, most recently with Fat Al (2012).
Epsom Handicap odds online are affected by the results of traditional lead-up races including the Theo Marks Stakes, which Winx won on way to her 2015 success in the feature, and other events offering an Epsom Handicap ballot exemption like the Shannon Stakes the week before at Rosehill Gardens.
Autumn Glow (2025) is the horse to complete the Theo Marks Stakes – Epsom Handicap double.
Favourites in Epsom Handicap betting have a solid recent record and no galloper since Captain Sonador ($15 in 2010) had won the race at double-figure Epsom Handicap odds until the massive upset by Hartnell ($20 in 2018) and then Private Eye ($11 in 2021).
In 2022 Ellsberg was at $16 when he ran a dead heat for first in the Epsom with $4.60 pop Top Ranked.
There was another upset in 2023 when Rediener won at Epsom odds of $9.50.
Ceolwulf ($4 in 2024) and Autumn Glow ($1.75 in 2025) are the latest Epsom Handicap favourites to win.
Epsom Handicap Field
The Epsom Handicap race field has a capacity of 20 starters plus four emergencies and the last year it was run at capacity was 2024 when Ceolwulf saluted for the punters.
The field of final acceptors is released on the Tuesday before the race runs on a Saturday at the start of October.
Horses come into the Epsom Handicap field may have previously run in the Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) that produced Hauraki (2nd) for his 2016 win and Happy Clapper (2nd) in 2017, while that double was last completed by Racing To Win (2006). The George Main Stakes however was moved ahead of the 2023 and now runs after the Epsom as the King Charles III Stakes.
Replacing the George Main Stakes on The Shorts Day at Randwick in mid-September from 2023 onwards is the $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) which offers the winner anEpsom Handicap ballot exemption.
The Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1500m) run on Newcastle Gold Cup Day in mid-September offers the winner a ballot exemption into the Epsom Handicap field. Excellerator (2002) was the last horse to complete the Cameron Handicap – Epsom Handicap double.
An earlier spring lead-up into the Epsom Handicap field is August’s Group 3 Show County Quality, a race the 2020 Epsom champion Probabeel ran second in that season. In 2021 Private Eye completed the Show County Quality – Epsom Handicap double.
Any five-year-olds out of the Epsom Handicap field may back-up on The Everest Day at Randwick in the $1 million Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m).
In 2022 dead-heat Epsom Handicap winner Ellsberg went on to win both the Five Diamonds Prelude and the $2 million The Five Diamonds race.
2026 Epsom Handicap Field
The official Epsom Handicap 2026 Final Field & Barrier Draw will be announced by Racing NSW on the Tuesday of race week with the full line-up to be published below.
2026 Epsom Handicap Nominations & Weights
The Epsom Handicap 2026 nominations closed on Monday the 7th of September 2026 about a month leading up to Epsom Handicap Day.
The 2026 Epsom Handicap weights must then be declared by Monday the 14th of September 2026.
Epsom Handicap Form Guide
The Epsom Handicap form guide is poured over by punters before they place their bets on the spring showdown every season and lists all the horses, their allocated weights and barriers, trainers and jockeys, and other crucial info like track / distance form.
There’s lots to look at in the form guide but how horses ran in their lead-up races is especially important, while wide barriers haven’t been a hoodoo in recent years with the likes of Secret Admirer (16 in 2011), Boban (10 in 2013), He’s Your Man (10 in 2014), Winx (12 in 2015), Kolding (12 in 2019), Ceolwulf (14 in 2024), and Autumn Glow (12 in 2025) all overcoming double digit gates to win the race.
The 2024 Epsom Handicap winner Ceolwulf franked the form with a next up Group 1 King Charles III Stakes win.
The Epsom Handicap 2025 form proved rock‑solid, with classy mare Autumn Glow returning to dominate the following season. She strung together four straight wins, headlined by her Golden Eagle triumph and elite‑level victories in both the Verry Elleegant Stakes and George Ryder Stakes in the autumn of 2026.
Epsom Handicap Form Facts
- Chris Waller trained six of the 12 Epsom Handicap winners from 2013 – 25 most recently Autumn Glow (2025).
- Mares have won the Epsom Handicap just four times in over 30 years with Secret Admirer (2011), Winx (2015), Probabeel (2020) and Autumn Glow (2025).
- Double-digit barriers produced 10 winners from 2011 – 2025 – including Secret Admirer (16 of 17 in 2011), Hartnell (10 of 20 in 2018), Kolding (12 of 19 in 2019), Probabeel (15 of 17 in 2020), Ceolwulf (12 of 20 in 2024), and Autumn Glow (12 of 12 in 2025).
- Favourites have a credible record in the race and recent Epsom Handicap results have been dominated by single-figure chances.
2026 Epsom Handicap Form
A link to our detailed Epsom Handicap 2026 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.
Epsom Handicap Day
Epsom Handicap Day is one of the premier race meetings of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival and is held on the first Saturday in October.
There are three Group 1 races on the card with the Epsom Handicap supported by the Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m) for the Caulfield Cup-bound stayers and the Group 1 $750,000 Flight Stakes (1600m) for three-year-old fillies.
Epsom Day also features a seven-figure Group 2 event with The Everest-bound sprinters facing off in the $1 million Premiere Stakes (1200m).
Epsom Handicap Day Group Races:
- Group 1 $1,500,000 Epsom Handicap (1600m)
- Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m)
- Group 1 $750,000 Flight Stakes (1600m)
- Group 2 $1 million Premiere Stakes (1200m)
- Group 3 $250,000 Gimcrack Stakes (1000m)
- Group 3 $250,000 Breeders’ Plate (1000m)
Past Epsom Handicap Results
The Epsom Handicap race results are published after the showdown happens at Randwick on Epsom Handicap Day and features the finishing order of all the starters, any scratched horses, the winning trifecta pay-out as well as margins for those punters that bet on how much a horse would win or lose by.
There have been three Epsom Handicap dead heats throughout history with the latest in 2022 between Ellsberg and Top Ranked.
Autumn Glow (2025) was the last Epsom Handicap winning mare.
Noholme (1959) and Espiegle (1884) are the only three-year-old Epsom Handicap winners throughout history.
Hartnell holds the current Epsom Handicap race record winning over 1600m in 2018 in a time of 1 minute 32:73 seconds.
Recent Epsom Handicap Winners
Recent Epsom Handicap winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Third | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2025 | Autumn Glow | Fully Lit | Pericles | 1:33.14 |
| 2024 | Ceolwulf | Tom Kitten | Royal Patronage | 1:34.46 |
| 2023 | Rediener | Kovalica | Golden Mile | 1:34.26 |
| 2022 | Ellsberg / Top Ranked (Dead Heat) | – | Hinged | 1:38.1 |
| 2021 | Private Eye | Aramayo | Dalasan | 1:33.7 |
| 2020 | Probabeel | Funstar | Riodini | 1:32.8 |
| 2019 | Kolding | Te Akau Shark | Star Of The Seas | 1:34.8 |
| 2018 | Hartnell | D’argento | Unforgotten | 1:32.7 |
| 2017 | Happy Clapper | Tom Melbourne | Snitzson | 1:33.1 |
| 2016 | Hauraki | Dibayani | Mackintosh | 1:33.8 |
| 2015 | Winx | Ecuador | Sons Of John | 1:34.5 |
| 2014 | He’s Your Man | Royal Descent | Hooked | 1:33.3 |
| 2013 | Boban | Streama | Toydini | 1:34.4 |
| 2012 | Fat Al | Ambidexter | Rolling Pin | 1:34.5 |
| 2011 | Secret Admirer | Pinker Pinker | Red Tracer | 1:35.5 |
| 2010 | Captain Sonador | Trusting | Sacred Choice | 1:34.1 |
| 2009 | Rock Kingdom | Rangirangdoo | Road To Rock | 1:38.6 |
| 2008 | Theseo | Bank Robber | Gallant Tess | 1:36.2 |
| 2007 | Race Not Run | |||
| 2006 | Racing To Win | Desert War | Malcolm | 1:35.1 |
| 2005 | Desert War | Johan’s Toy | Lotteria | 1:34.5 |
| 2004 | Desert War | Our Egyptian Raine | Tsuimai | 1:37.2 |
| 2003 | Clangalang | Grand Armee | Forum Floozie | 1:35.2 |
| 2002 | Excellerator | Kingsgate | Gordo | 1:35.5 |
| 2001 | Final Fantasy | Kingsgate | Crawl | 1:22.5 |
| 2000 | Shogun Lodge | Landsighting | Chinhoyi | 1:33.5 |
FAQs
How do I bet on the 2026 Epsom Handicap?
Bet online or via the latest iOS/Android apps with Ladbrokes.
The first step is to create an account at Ladbrokes. The process is quick and easy!
Once you've created your account you can make a deposit via credit card, or any other of our secure payment methods. Next up, head to the racing page and find the race and runner that's right for you.
Which horse will win the 2026 Epsom Handicap?
The best way to pick which horse will win the Epsom Handicap is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight the horse will carry (among other factors). Check out Ladbrokes in the lead up to the race for full form information.
When is the Epsom Handicap 2026?
The 2026 Epsom Handicap is set to run on Saturday October 3 during the peak of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival. Epsom Handicap 2026 Day runs on the same date as Melbourne hosts Turnbull Stakes Day at Flemington.
What is the prize money for the Epsom Handicap 2026?
The 2026 Epsom Handicap prize money is set at $1.5 million which is paid from 1st to 10th place including $870,000 going to the Epsom Handicap winner.
Where is the Epsom Handicap 2026?
The 2026 Epsom Handicap is set to run at Sydney's Royal Randwick Racecourse, home to many iconic races including the world's richest turf race - The Everest - each October, and is located at Alison Road, Randwick, NSW 2031.
What distance is the Epsom Handicap run over?
The Epsom Handicap is run over 1600 metres, making it one of Australia’s premier Group 1 mile tests and a key betting highlight for Ladbrokes punters each spring.
How many horses run in the Epsom Handicap?
The Epsom Handicap race field has a capacity of 20 starters plus four emergencies and the last year it was run at capacity was 2024 when Ceolwulf saluted for the punters. The Epsom Handicap usually assembles a final field of around 18 runners, reflecting its status as one of Australia’s most competitive and sought‑after Group 1 handicaps each spring.
Who won the 2025 Epsom Handicap?
The 2025 Epsom Handicap was won by four-year-old The Autumn Sun mare Autumn Glow at $1.75 favouritism for the race's now six-time winning trainer Chris Waller with jockey Kerrin McEvoy aboard on 54.5kg from barrier 12 of 12 to win by 1.44 lengths on a Good (4) track in a time of 1:33.14.