Sapphire Stakes

Ladbrokes Tip: Sapphire Stakes odds are traditionally led by the Birthday Card Stakes graduates each autumn 

The latest edition of the Sapphire Stakes ran on Saturday, April 11, 2026 on Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day in Sydney and went the way of the Joe Pride‑trained In Flight ($15), who produced a sharp form reversal and charged home late for an impressive upset victory. 

2026 Sapphire Stakes Results

The complete Sapphire Stakes Race Results 2026 and finishing order will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday, April 11, 2026.

Jockey Craig Williams capped off a memorable Day 2 of The Championships with his peach of a ride to get the Joe Pride-trained Flying Artie mare In Flight ($15) back in the winner’s stall in an upset 2026 Sapphire Stakes result. Working into the clear from an off-pace ride on the home straight, In Flight stormed through the middle inside the 100m sprinting off with an impressive and fast-finishing effort to deny Infancy by three-quarters of a length with Gangsta Granny running third as the beaten favourite. In Flight is now Brisbane-bound for a potential shot at the Group 1 Doomben 10,000.

2026 Sapphire Stakes Odds

The autumn’s top Sapphire Stakes 2026 odds will be available below the week of the race so stay tuned to view the price on your early Sapphire Stakes betting selections during ‘The Championships’ in Sydney followed by the official Sapphire Stakes finishing order after the event.

Sapphire Stakes Tips

Good Sapphire Stakes betting tips include looking for the mares that ran well in the Birthday Card Stakes the month before at Rosehill, runners with a good 1200m strike rate and proven Sydney performers.

Favourites only have a fair recent record in the race, so another solid Sapphire Stakes tip is to lay the favourite and get behind another single-figure hope with the right lead-up form.

Mares who have contested previous editions of the Sapphire Stakes are also worth considering in tipping. For example, in 2020 White Moss celebrated back-to-back wins in the race having also run third in 2018.

2026 Sapphire Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ expert Sapphire Stakes 2026 betting tips and race selections on the Group 2 for fillies and mares at Royal Randwick this season will be detailed in full below the week of the race.

The Sapphire Stakes is a Group 2 race for fillies and mares run at Royal Randwick Racecourse on the second Saturday in April each Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. Part of the action of Day 2 of ‘The Championships’, the Sapphire Stakes is contested over 1200m so is a sprint race run at set weights plus penalties.

Offering a total of $300,000 in prize money it is held on the same day as four elite level features: the Group 1 $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m), the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m), the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m) and the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m).

The key lead-up race into the Sapphire Stakes is the Group 3 Birthday Card Stakes (1200m) held at Rosehill Gardens a fortnight before and the latest to complete the double are Arinosa (2013), Quilista (2018), and Zapateo (2023).

Following the Sapphire Stakes, the best contenders may opt to back-up into the Group 1 All Aged Stakes with Atlantic Jewel (2012) the double.

In 2020 Fasika ran second in the Sapphire and third in that year’s All Aged Stakes results before returning the following year to win the Sapphire Stakes in 2021.

Sapphire Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: Fillies & Mares – Set Weights + Penalties
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1998

Sapphire Stakes Betting

Sapphire Stakes betting opens after the release of final acceptances the Wednesday before the race runs on Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day on the Saturday. Markets are usually led by the season’s handy fillies and mares coming off lead-up races over similar distance during the autumn in Sydney like the Birthday Card Stakes two weeks before.

Proven form at Randwick over 1200m and those gallopers that have been tested in tougher company also feature highly up the Sapphire Stakes odds each year.

Any mares dropping in grade off an earlier Group 1 race in the autumn are also usually kept safe in Sapphire Stakes betting.

Zapateo ($2.30 in 2023) was the last favourite in Sapphire Stakes betting to win.

There was a notable upset in 2025 with Infancy saluting at Sapphire Stakes odds of $19, and again in 2026 with In Flight ($15).

Sapphire Stakes Field

The Sapphire Stakes race field attracts a collection of classy sprinting fillies and mares coming out of the Birthday Card Stakes over the same distance at Rosehill Racecourse the month before. In 2014 the Birthday Card Stakes winner Avoid Lightning went on to run second to Cosmic Endeavour in the Sapphire Stakes before winning the latter the following season in 2015. Quilista (2018) followed by the Godolphin-raced Zapateo (2023) are the last to do the Birthday Card – Sapphire Stakes double.

Another early lead-up into the Sapphire Stakes field is the Group 3 Wenona Girl Quality (1200m) on Randwick Guineas Day.

Many of the best out of the Sapphire Stakes field each autumn go on to contest the Group 3 Hawkesbury Crown (1300m) at the end of April including the 2016 Sapphire winner Two Blue who ran second at Hawkesbury next-up. Another possible lead-up race for the mares in the Sapphire Stakes is the Group 3 PJ Bell Stakes (1200m) run at the same track and distance the Saturday before on Day 1 of ‘The Championships’.

Sapphire Stakes nominations close the Monday before the race runs on the Saturday, the field and barriers out two days later on the Wednesday around 9am (local time).

2026 Sapphire Stakes Field

The official Sapphire Stakes 2026 Final Field & Barriers will be available below once final acceptances close on the Wednesday of race week.

The 2026 Sapphire Stakes final field features 14 classy fillies and mares led in betting by the widely drawn Team Hawkes trained Gangsta Granny out to return to winning form off her lead-up second in the Group 3 Star Kingdom Stakes.

Randwick R10 - Tresemme Sapphire Stakes (G2)

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. Splash Back J: Jordan Childs T: Grahame Begg	25128x	M	2	57kg
	2. Infancy J: Jason Collett T: Kris Lees	x868x0	M	12	57kg
	3. Gangsta Granny J: James McDonald T: M, W & J Hawkes	313x12	M	11	56.5kg
	4. Catch The Glory J: Adam Hyeronimus T: Jason Coyle	12x1x1	M	5	56.5kg
	5. In Flight J: Craig Williams T: Joseph Pride	164x78	M	1	56kg
	6. Flying For Fun J: Zac Lloyd T: Bryce Heys	3271x1	M	10	56kg
	7. Coco Jamboo J: Ben Thompson T: Annabel & Rob Archibald	5650x0	M	3	56kg
	8. She's Got Pizzazz (11)  Scratched:
	9. Tiger Shark (12)  Scratched:
	10. Monte Supreme J: Kerrin Mcevoy T: Bjorn Baker	120x67	M	9	55kg
	11. More Territories J: Dylan Gibbons T: Tom Charlton	306x50	M	6	55kg
	12. Spring Lee J: Rachel King T: Bjorn Baker	x8x803	M	7	55kg
	13. Monte Kate J: Jamie Melham T: Robert & Luke Price	x02112	M	8	55kg
	14. Husk J: Tyler Schiller T: M, W & J Hawkes	x3109x	M	4	55kg

View Results

2026 Sapphire Stakes Nominations

The early Sapphire Stakes 2026 nominations are taken by Racing NSW on the Monday leading-up to Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day and will be published in full below.

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	x420436x30	ASGARDA	M	6	John Sargent	86
2	3x695636x2	BOSSY NIC	M	5	Tony & Calvin McEvoy	93
3	x82312x1x1	CATCH THE GLORY	M	4	Jason Coyle	102
4	609x5650x0	COCO JAMBOO (IRE)	M	6	Annabel & Rob Archibald	90
5	55706×4388	DARK GLITTER	M	5	Mike Van Gestel	90
6	52x83271x1	FLYING FOR FUN	M	4	Bryce Heys	104
7	13x2313x12	GANGSTA GRANNY	M	4	Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes	108
8	335x937x15	GENEROSITY	M	5	Chris Waller	113
9	4290x3109x	HUSK	M	4	Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes	78
10	2211164×78	IN FLIGHT	M	5	Joseph Pride	107
11	1556x868x0	INFANCY	M	5	Kris Lees	98
12	9150×02112	MONTE KATE	M	5	Robert & Luke Price	86
13	0x11120x67	MONTE SUPREME	M	5	Bjorn Baker	95
14	62x8306x50	MORE TERRITORIES	M	4	Tom Charlton	90
15	42x111x16	NESRINE	M	4	Jason Attard	75
16	210x76Lx53	SHE’S GOT PIZZAZZ	M	4	Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	86
17	725x270x83	SOFT LOVE	M	4	Matt Laurie	84
18	x11525128x	SPLASH BACK (FR)	M	6	Grahame Begg	104
19	6145x8x803	SPRING LEE	M	5	Bjorn Baker	90
20	9x441777x7	TIGER SHARK	M	5	Clayton Douglas	98

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Sapphire Stakes Form Guide

The Sapphire Stakes form guide details essential information like the trainers, jockeys, barriers and lead-up runs of the fillies and mares in the Group 2 race field. Looking at the Sapphire Stakes form guide for mares that ran in the Birthday Card Stakes last time out and for those with a proven strike rate in similar Sydney races are good tips.

The Sapphire Stakes form has stacked up in the subsequent Group 3 Hawkesbury Crown on Hawkesbury Gold Cup Day in recent years including Cosmic Endeavour who ran third in the latter after her 2014 Sapphire win.

In 2021 the Sapphire Stakes form was franked with the second-placed Entriviere winning that September’s Group 2 Sheraco Stakes (1200m) before taking out New Zealand’s Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) in January of 2022.

The Sapphire Stakes 2022 form was also franked with the winner Bella Nipotina back that October winning at elite level in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley.

Zapateo franked the 2023 Sapphire Stakes form backing up from her win to finish third in Adelaide’s Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes and The Goodwood. She also won Sydney’s Group 1 The Galaxy in the autumn of 2024.

The 2025 Sapphire Stakes form stacked up nicely, with runner‑up Commemorative backing it up by finishing third in the Robert Sangster Stakes.

2026 Sapphire Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Sapphire Stakes 2026 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2026 SAPPHIRE STAKES FORM GUIDE

Past Sapphire Stakes Results

Single figure hopes but not the favourites have dominated the Sapphire Stakes race results in recent years.

Notable Sapphire Stakes winners from the past decade include dual champion White Moss (2019-20), Two Blue (2016), Avoid Lighting (2015), Cosmic Endeavour (2014), Atlantic Jewel (2012), and Court (2009).

Recent Sapphire Stakes Winners

Recent Sapphire Stakes winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.

Year	Winner	Runner-Up	Third	Time
2026	In Flight	Infancy	Gangsta Granny	1:09.02
2025	Infancy	Commemorative	Lady Laguna	1:09.24
2024	Wee Nessy	Ballroom Bella	Miss Hellfire	1:09.04
2023	Zapateo	Never Talk	Princess Grace	1:11.2
2022	Bella Nipotina	Tricky Gal	Belluci Babe	1:14.5
2021	Fasika	Entriviere	Wandabaa	1:09.8
2020	White Moss	Fasika	Bangkok	1:11.8
2019	White Moss	Irithea	Winter Bride	1:09.0
2018	Quilista	Ravi	White Moss	1:09.3
2017	Secret Agenda	Missrock	Artistry	1:13.2
2016	Two Blue	Secret Agenda	Brook Road	1:10.8
2015	Avoid Lightning	Griante	Fine Bubbles	1:12.1
2014	Cosmic Endeavour	Avoid Lightning	Belle De Coeur	1:10.7
2013	Arinosa	Miss Stellabelle	Forarainyday	1:10.5
2012	Atlantic Jewel	Mid Summer Music	Ladys Angel	1:08.9
2011	Hurtle Myrtle	Kimillsy	Marquardt	1:10.6
2010	Renaissance	Beaded	Jersey Lily	1:10.5
2009	Court	Belong To Many	Cajou	1:10.8
2008	Belong to Many	Tenant’s Tiara	Fritz’s Princess	1:11.1
2007	Fire Song	Whoever	Splashing Out	1:12.9
2006	Coolroom Candidate	Imana	Shalimar Sky	1:10.6
2005	Glamour Puss	With My	Wild Queen	1:12.0
2004	Recurring	Fair Embrace	Cataclysm	1:10.4
2003	Fatoon	Provokes	Miss Helterskelter	1:11.4
2002	Fair Embrace	Spinning Hill	Hot Riff	1:09.2
2001	Spinning Hill	Nanny Maroon	Marlina	1:10.3
2000	Spinning Hill	Snippets’ Lass	Heather	1:09.7

FAQ

Who won the 2026 Sapphire Stakes?

The 2026 Sapphire Stakes was won by five-year-old Flying Artie mare In Flight at $15 for trainer Joseph Pride with jockey Craig Williams aboard on 56kg from barrier 1 to win by 0.77 lengths on a Good (4) track in a time of 1:09.02.

Who won the 2025 Sapphire Stakes?

The 2025 Sapphire Stakes was won by four-year-old Wandjina mare Infancy at $19 for trainer Kris Lees with jockey Jason Collett aboard on 54kg from barrier 3 to win by 0.41 lengths in a time of 1:09.24.

When is the Sapphire Stakes 2026?

Saturday, April 11, 2026

What is the prize money for the Sapphire Stakes 2026?

$300,000

Where is the Sapphire Stakes 2026?

Randwick Racecourse, Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031.

How do I bet on the 2026 Sapphire 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 Sapphire Stakes?

The best way to pick which horse will win the Sapphire 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.