Expressway Stakes

The Expressway Stakes serves as a nice lead-up race into the Group 1 autumn sprints in Sydney and Melbourne! 

The latest edition of the Expressway Stakes ran on Saturday, February 14, 2026 at Randwick Racecourse on Apollo Stakes Day and saw the well-backed Chris Waller-trained Joliestar ($2.60F) charge home inside the final 50m to salute first-up for the punters. 

2026 Expressway Stakes Results

The full Expressway Stakes 2026 results and finishing order of the Sydney Group 2 sprint will be detailed below once the race takes place as a Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival lead-up.

Chris Waller’s multiple Group 1 winning daughter of Zoustar, Joliestar ($2.60F), proved too classy fresh continuing her good first-up record when coming from third on the home straight to run down Caballus and secure a 1.19 length win for the punters in Saturday’s 2026 Expressway Stakes results at Randwick. The front-running Caballus held for second with the fellow Waller-trained mare Lady Shenandoah terrific in third. Joliestar is now expected to contest the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) on March 7 for which she’s now the outright $2 favourite to win.

2026 Expressway Stakes Odds & Results

The Expressway Stakes 2026 odds will be published below as soon as markets on the Group 2 early autumn feature are released so stay tuned for the top early autumn racing odds online this season followed by the official Expressway Stakes results after the event.

Expressway Stakes Tips

Good Expressway Stakes tips include looking for in-form Sydney sprinters that have previous Group form, ran well last time out, are drawn well in the Sydney race and have winning form over the distance.

Another top Expressway Stakes betting tip is to take the winner to finish in the money next start.

2026 Expressway Stakes Tips

Our insider Expressway Stakes tips 2026 will be published below once the field is confirmed and betting markets released on the Group 2 sprint.

The Expressway Stakes is a Group 2 race run in Sydney each autumn and now takes place at Randwick Racecourse on a Saturday in mid-February having moved from its earlier timeslot at Rosehill ahead of the 2024 edition.

One of the early feature meetings of the Sydney Summer Racing Carnival, Expressway Stakes Day is host to four Group races with the Expressway Stakes supported by the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m), Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m), and the Group 3 Triscay Stakes (1200m).

Offering $300,000 in total prize money as of 2024 and open to sprinters aged three-years-old and over, the Expressway Stakes is now a set weights plus penalties feature and makes a good lead-up to future Group races held during the Sydney and Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnivals.

It previously was contested by horses eyeing a run in the Apollo Stakes, and Appearance (2014) was the last galloper to complete the Expressway Stakes – Apollo Stakes double before the races moved to the same race card in 2024.

Expressway Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday, February 14, 2026
• Track: Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: Set Weights + Penalties
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1947

Expressway Stakes Betting

Expressway Stakes betting opens at bookies around the country after the field of final acceptors and barriers are out the Wednesday of race week.

Horses that are resuming and run well fresh, proven Rosehill performers, sprinters with good form over the 1200m distance and runners coming off an earlier Black-Type Sydney win sit high up the Expressway Stakes odds.

Favourites have a good recent record in the race, and the last winner to salute at double figures in betting was Appearance ($16 in 2014).

The James Cummings-trained Alizee ($3 in 2019) won the race as the favourite before she jumped odds-on when defending her title in 2020, only managing to finish second behind the winner Standout ($7.50).

The fellow Cummings-trained mare Savatiano then became the latest Expressway Stakes favourite to get the job done at $2.10 in 2021 until Joliestar ($2.60 in 2026).

Expressway Stakes Field

The Expressway Stakes race field features a line-up of smart sprinters either coming off a summer run in Sydney or kicking off their new season campaigns.

In 2024 the Expressway Stakes winner King Of Sparta came off a lead-up win the month before in the Gold Coast’s $1 million Magic Millions Snippets (1200m).

The majority of the horses are locally Sydney-trained hopefuls looking to back-up in tougher grade events over the coming months including the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m).

Savatiano (2021) was the last horse to do the Expressway Stakes – Canterbury Stakes double in the same year.

In 2022 the Expressway Stakes second-placed mare Forbidden Love went on to win the Canterbury Stakes – George Ryder Stakes Group 1 double that autumn before a fourth in the Doncaster Mile results.

Expressway Stakes nominations close the Monday before the race runs on the Saturday with the final field and barrier draw out on the Wednesday.

2026 Expressway Stakes Field

The official Expressway Stakes 2026 field of final acceptors and barriers will be published right here once released so stay tuned.

The Expressway Stakes 2026 final field features a diminutive but exciting line-up of eight runners including Chris Waller’s multiple Group 1 winning mares Joliestar and Lady Shenandoah both resuming.

Randwick R7 - Asahi Super Dry Expressway Stakes (G2)

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. Angel Capital J: Zac Lloyd T: Chris Waller	x1462x	H	3	57.5kg
	2. Coal Crusher J: Chad Schofield T: Joseph Pride	56412x	G	6	57.5kg
	3. Joliestar J: James McDonald T: Chris Waller	1x153x	M	5	57kg
	4. Lady Shenandoah J: Nash Rawiller T: Chris Waller	x2472x	M	1	57kg
	5. Caballus J: Tommy Berry T: Bjorn Baker	x5181x	G	4	56.5kg
	6. The Instructor (8)  Scratched:
	7. Who But Roo J: Winona Costin T: Geoffrey Crothers	736132	G	2	56kg
	8. Manaal (2)  Scratched:

View Results

2026 Expressway Stakes Nominations

The early Expressway Stakes 2026 Nominations are taken on the Monday of race week with the full list of pre-field entries to be made available below once announced.

2026 Expressway Stakes nominations extended until 11:00am (AEDT) – 10/02/2026

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	16x1x1462x	ANGEL CAPITAL	H	4	Chris Waller	111
2	19x141x131	AXIUS	G	4	Ciaron Maher
3	87x1x5181x	CABALLUS	G	5	Bjorn Baker	109
4	020x56412x	COAL CRUSHER	G	8	Joseph Pride	111
5	31921x153x	JOLIESTAR	M	5	Chris Waller	117
6	20111×4241	KING OF ROSEAU	G	4	Peter Snowden
7	x111x2472x	LADY SHENANDOAH	M	4	Chris Waller	116
8	3124x1155x	LAZZURA	M	4	Chris Waller
9	x955x8114x	MANAAL	M	4	Michael Freedman	109
10	x11316x272	THE INSTRUCTOR	G	5	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	106

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Expressway Stakes Form Guide

The Expressway Stakes form guide details essential facts and stats like the lead-up runs of the horses in the field, their jockeys / trainers and records at the track / distance.

In recent seasons the Expressway Stakes form has held up in future autumn Group races including in 2016 when the third placed Big Money won the Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) next start at Randwick. 

The 2019 Expressway Stakes winner Alizee won the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) in Melbourne next start. The year before in 2018 the Expressway Stakes champ Trapeze Artist finished third in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) two runs later before completing the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) – Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) double.

The Expressway Stakes 2022 form franked with the third placed Anamoe winning an incredible five Group 1 races later that year including the $5 million Cox Plate at The Valley in October.

Overpass meanwhile won the 2022 Expressway Stakes before running well in a host of other notable races including victory in Perth’s inaugural $4 million The Quokka slot race in April of 2023.

The 2023 Expressway Stakes winner Mariamia franked the form with a victory in that autumn’s Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m).

The 2025 Expressway Stakes proved to be a strong form race, with winner Magic Time going on to finish third in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes at her next outing. She continued to hold her own at the elite level through the spring, placing in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes before running a bold second to Giga Kick at big odds in the Group 1 Champions Sprint during the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The form stacked up again in the Newmarket Handicap, where Joliestar — who finished third in the Expressway — returned to Flemington to claim the Group 1 feature later that season.

2026 Expressway Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Expressway Stakes 2026 Form Guide will be provided below following final acceptances.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR COMPLETE 2026 EXPRESSWAY STAKES FORM GUIDE

Past Expressway Stakes Results

The Expressway Stakes race results have been dominated by first-up summer – autumn hopefuls from Sydney stables jumping under $10 in the markets.

Notable recent winners of the race include Joliestar (2026), Alizee (2019), Trapeze Artist (2018), Appearance (2014), Happy Galaxy (2013), Rain Affair (2012), Rangirangdoo (2010), and dual champion Court’s In Session (2005-06).

Joliestar (2026) was the last Expressway Stakes winning mare.

Overpass (2022) was the last three-year-old Expressway Stakes winner.

Expressway Stakes Winners

Expressway Stakes winners and placegetters going back to 2000 are detailed in the below table.

Year	Winner	2nd	3rd	Time
2026	Joliestar	Caballus	Lady Shenandoah	1:09.06
2025	Magic Time	Iowna Merc	Joliestar	1:10.07
2024	King Of Sparta	Coal Crusher	Malkovich	1:09.17
2023	Mariamia	Golden Mile	Nicolini Vito	1:08.73
2022	Overpass	Forbidden Love	Anamoe	1:08.96
2021	Savatiano	Kolding	Emeralds	1:11.22
2020	Standout	Alizee	White Moss	1:09.56
2019	Alizee	Le Romain	Dothraki	1:11.32
2018	Trapeze Artist	Showtime	Addictive Nature	1:10.41
2017	Music Magnate	Kuro	Ball Of Muscle	1:09.48
2016	Our Boy Malachi	Solicit	Big Money	1:11.6
2015	Weary	Driefontein	Territory	1:10.6
2014	Appearance	River Lad	Sizzling	1:09.0
2013	Happy Galaxy	Skytrain	Centennial Park	1:22.8
2012	Rain Affair	Centennial Park	Shoot Out	1:10.7
2011	Centennial Park	Love Conquers All	Hot Danish	1:10.2
2010	Rangirangdoo	Dao Dao	McClintock	1:12.6
2009	Burdekin Blues	Gold Trail	Hurried Choice	1:09.7
2008	Paratroopers	He’s Canny	Sniper’s Bullet	1:09.6
2007	Mentality	Fashions Afield	More Than Lucky	1:10.0
2006	Court’s In Session	Shania Dane	Primus	1:09.1
2005	Court’s In Session	Our Egyptian Raine	Grand Armee	1:09.5
2004	Sportsman	Thorn Park	Excellerator	1:08.4
2003	Lonhro	Belle Du Jour	Carael Boy	1:10.7
2002	Ateates	Viscount	Caissa	1:11.2
2001	Tie The Knot	Referral	Landsighting	1:10.0
2000	Mr Innocent	Adam	Commands	1:09.3

FAQ

Who won the 2026 Expressway Stakes?

The 2026 Expressway Stakes was won first-up by five-year-old Zoustar mare Joliestar at $2.60 favouritism for trainer Chris Waller with jockey James McDonald aboard on 57kg from barrier 5 to win by 1.19 lengths on a Good (4) track in a time of 1:09.06.

Who won the 2025 Expressway Stakes?

The 2025 Expressway Stakes was won by Magic Time at $2.90 for trainer Grahame Begg with jockey Jordan Childs aboard from barrier 4 on 57kg to win by 0.21 lengths in a time of 1:10.07.

When is the Expressway Stakes 2026?

Saturday, February 14, 2026

What is the prize money for the Expressway Stakes 2026?

$300,000

Where is the Expressway Stakes 2026?

Randwick Racecourse, Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031.

How do I bet on the 2026 Expressway Stakes?

Bet online or via the latest iOS/Android apps with Ladbrokes.
The first step is to create an account at ladbrokes.com.au. 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 Expressway Stakes?

The best way to pick which horse will win the Expressway Stakes is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight the horse will carry (among other factors). Check out ladbrokes.com.au in the lead up to the race for full form information.