Sky High Stakes

Ladbrokes Tip: The Sky High Stakes can serve as a credible lead-up into the Group 1 Tancred Stakes

The latest edition of the Sky High Stakes ran on Saturday, March 14, 2026 as part of Coolmore Classic Day at Rosehill as a lead-up to the Group 1 Sydney staying races of the autumn and saw the reigning champion, Vauban ($3.40), go back-to-back with a huge first-up performance by the rising nine-year-old from the Waterhouse/Bott yard.

2026 Sky High Stakes Results

The complete Sky High Stakes 2026 Results & Finishing Order will be published right here once the race is run on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott’s rising nine-year-old import Vauban ($3.40) showed he still had plenty of racing left in him when resuming a first-up winner to successfully defend his title in the 2026 Sky High Stakes results. In his first run since a Melbourne Cup sixth last November, the gun stayer went back-to-back in the autumn lead-up event thanks to a perfectly timed ride by Tim Clark. Sitting on pace, the galloper began to work through his gears 200m out from the line before tackling the leader Just Fine and charging clear for a one-length win over Soul Of Spain who flashed home late into second. Bott named the Tancred Stakes at Rosehill on March 28, an event Vauban ran third in last year, as the likely next-up option and he’s firmed in from $8 to $4.50 to win in futures Tancred Stakes betting.

2026 Sky High Stakes Odds

Our top Sky High Stakes 2026 betting odds on the hopeful gallopers will be available right here the week of the race so bookmark this page for the best autumn racing markets followed by the official Sky High Stakes results after the event.

Sky High Stakes Tips

Looking for classy performers with a strong Rosehill strike-rate, those proven over 2000m and Group 1 graduates in lead-up Sydney races are key Sky High Stakes tips.

Avoiding the mares is another good Sky High Stakes betting tip as Toffee Tongue (2021) was the first female galloper to beat home the boys in the race since 2011. 

Since 2008 eight of the seventeen Sky High Stakes winners were four-year-olds – most recently Lindermann (2024) – so looking for in-form runners at that age can prove profitable in betting. 

That said, Vauban went back-to-back in the Sky High Stakes in 2025 and 2026 as a seven and then eight-year-old respectively.

2026 Sky High Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Sky High Stakes 2026 betting tips and exotic Group 3 racing selections will be detailed below soon after the field is out so stay tuned for the runners to get behind in the Coolmore Classic Day race this autumn.

The Group 3 Sky High Stakes is a lucrative $350,000 event taking place at Rosehill Gardens in mid-March during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

A key support act on the Coolmore Classic Day card, the event is open to three-year-olds and above and since 2016 has been contested at set weights plus penalties having originally been a quality handicap race.

The Sky High Stakes was first conducted in 1989 and gained Group 3 status in 2014.

The race is named in honour of 1960 Golden Slipper Stakes champion Sky High who won an incredible 16 Group 1 races before heading to stud.

The Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) is a potential autumn target for the better horses out of the Sky High Stakes and Hartnell (2015) is the last to do the double.

Sky High Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026
• Track: Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
• Distance: 2000m
• Conditions: 3YOs & Upwards – Set Weights + Penalties
• Status: Group 3
• Prize Money: $350,000
• First Run: 1989

Sky High Stakes Betting

Sky High Stakes odds favour the better performed staying types with experience in higher grade races and those with a strong 2000m distance record. 

The Group 1 Verry Elleegant Stakes (formerly Chipping Norton Stakes) (1600m) held the month before at Randwick has been a strong recent guide to the Sky High Stakes with Toffee Tongue (8th in 2021), Stockman (10th in 2022), and Lindermann (3rd in 2024) the last Sky High winners to come out of the event. 

Sky High Stakes betting opens after the field of final acceptances is released the Wednesday before the race.

Master Of Wine ($2.20 in 2020) and Lindermann ($1.90 in 2024) are the latest favourites in Sky High Stakes betting to win. 

Lindermann returned as the $1.75 odds-on favourite in the 2025 Sky High Stakes only to run third behind Vauban ($9).

Vauban returned and took out the Sky High Stakes for a second time in 2026 at $3.40 in betting.

Sky High Stakes Field

The Sky High Stakes race field attracts a line-up of promising autumn staying types, many that are down in grade off a Group 1 or 2 campaign.

The better horses out of the Sky High Stakes field will go on to run in races including the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) the following Saturday, the Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) over the mile and a half at the end of March and even Randwick’s Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) during ‘The Championships’. 

In 2022 the Sky High Stakes winner Stockman ran second next-up in the Tancred Stakes results. 

Country Tyrone (2006) was the last stayer to complete the Sky High Stakes – Sydney Cup double. 

Sky High Stakes nominations close the Monday before the race with the final field and barriers out on the Wednesday.

2026 Sky High Stakes Field

The official Sky High Stakes 2026 field and barrier draw will be released by Racing NSW on the Wednesday of race week and published below so bookmark this page to see what gallopers make the cut in the Group 1 lead-up.

The Sky High Stakes 2026 final field features a diminutive but top-class line-up of staying types with seven of the nine acceptors hailing from the Chris Waller stables including his last start Group 2 Blamey Stakes winner in Melbourne – Birdman.

Rosehill R5 - Asahi Super Dry Sky High Stakes (G3)

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. Vauban J: Tim Clark T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	36506x	G	7	57.5kg
	2. Birdman (8)  Scratched:
	3. Just Fine J: Regan Bayliss T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	x929x9	G	4	56.5kg
	4. Soul Of Spain J: Tommy Berry T: Chris Waller	123x94	G	2	56.5kg
	5. Wootton Verni J: James McDonald T: Chris Waller	411x75	G	6	56.5kg
	6. Trinity College (1)  Scratched:
	7. Valiant King J: Zac Lloyd T: Chris Waller	0130x8	G	5	56.5kg
	8. Zarir J: Sam Clipperton T: Chris Waller	2x97x0	G	3	56kg
	9. River Of Stars J: Kerrin Mcevoy T: Chris Waller	8024x0	M	1	54kg

View Results

2026 Sky High Stakes Nominations

The early Sky High Stakes 2026 nominations are taken the Monday ahead of Coolmore Classic Day.

2026 Sky High Stakes nominations extended until 11:00am (AEDT) – 10/03/2026

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	x251768x41	BIRDMAN (IRE)	G	5	Chris Waller
2	2x821069x6	CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD (IRE)	G	7	Kris Lees	104
3	2443×5	DEAL DONE FAST	C	3	Matt Cumani
4	0100x929x9	JUST FINE (IRE)	G	8	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	107
5	0x069552x1	LIGHT INFANTRY MAN (FR)	G	7	Ciaron Maher	112
6	0x01211x39	LINDERMANN	G	6	Chris Waller	114
7	0111x780x5	NEWLOOK (FR)	G	5	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	88
8	3070×83984	REDSTONE WELL (IRE)	G	7	Annabel & Rob Archibald	88
9	73x78024x0	RIVER OF STARS (IRE)	M	7	Chris Waller	110
10	6x5x35x703	SAGANTI (FR)	G	5	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	89
11	1x11123x94	SOUL OF SPAIN (IRE)	G	5	Chris Waller	105
12	42x12412x7	TRINITY COLLEGE (IRE)	H	4	Chris Waller	103
13	693x0130x8	VALIANT KING (GB)	G	6	Chris Waller	102
14	130x36506x	VAUBAN (FR)	G	8	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	111
15	5x85411x75	WOOTTON VERNI (FR)	G	5	Chris Waller	104
16	235x2x97x0	ZARIR (IRE)	G	6	Chris Waller	105

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Sky High Stakes Form Guide

The Sky High Stakes form guide details all of the key information punters need including saddlecloth numbers, jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up form.

The Sky High Stakes form guide has gone on to stack-up in plenty of Group 1 races over the years including in 2021 with the winner Toffee Tongue running second next-up in the Tancred Stakes results and second again in that winter’s Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) behind Zaaki.

Stockman (2023) also won the Sky High before a Tancred second, while that year’s Sky High runner-up Mount Popa finished third in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) that April. 

The Sky High Stakes form from 2024 was franked with the runner-up Kalapour winning the Tancred Stakes at his next start before a third in that year’s Sydney Cup trifecta.

The 2025 Sky High Stakes form held up superbly, with Vauban backing up his win by running third in the Tancred Stakes, while runner‑up Arapaho went one better later in the prep and claimed the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) to really stamp the race as a strong form reference.

2026 Sky High Stakes Form Guide

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

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2026 SKY HIGH STAKES FORM GUIDE

Past Sky High Stakes Results

Group 1 performers and those at single-figure odds have dominated the Sky High Stakes race results in recent years. 

Notable recent Sky High Stakes winners include subsequent Sydney Cup champion County Tyrone (2006), Hartnell (2015), Tavago (2017), Toffee Tongue (2021), and the previous year’s Rosehill Guineas winner Lindermann (2024). 

There was an internationally trained Sky High Stakes winner in 2023 with William Haggas’ UK raider Protagonist outstaying the locals. 

In 2025 the Sky High Stakes was won by dual Melbourne Cup performed import Vauban in his debut for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott with the horse setting a new 2000m record in the race winning in 2 minutes 00.93 seconds.

Vauban (2025 & 2026) is the last dual Sky High Stakes winner.

Recent Sky High Stakes Winners

Past Sky High Stakes winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table. 

Year	Winner	Second	Third
2026	Vauban	Soul Of Spain	Just Fine
2025	Vauban	Arapaho	Lindermann
2024	Lindermann	Kalapour	Stockman
2023	Protagonsit	Zeyrek	Sunshine Rising
2022	Stockman	Mount Popa	Great House
2021	Toffee Tongue	Spirit Ridge	Mirage Dancer
2020	Master Of Wine	Mustajeer	Carif
2019	Red Cardinal	Rodrico	Goathland
2018	Auvray	Libran	Mackintosh
2017	Tavago	Antonio Giuseppe	Allergic
2016	Sir John Hawkwood	Messene	Who Shot Thebarman
2015	Hartnell	Opinion	Hawkspur
2014	Entirely Platinum	Midsummer Sun	Desert Jeuney
2013	Julienas	Lunayir	Le Roi
2012	Single	Southern Skye	Flumicino
2011	Older Than Time	Luen Yat Forever	Syreon
2010	Bellagio Wynn	Hadaaf	Cousin Wal
2009	Kettledrum	Brave Lancer	Twin Wing
2008	Nuclear Sky	Musket	Bundoran Breeze
2007	Coalesce	Grand Zulu	Prince Of Midnight
2006	County Tyrone	No Wine No Song	October Son
2005	Seul Amour	Sunday Service	Havana Wind
2004	Daniel’s The Man	County Tyrone	Striking Victory
2003	National Treasure	Natural Blitz	County Tyrone
2002	Restless	Grampians	Spirit Of Westbury
2001	Bello Signor	The Druidess	Cheverny
2000	Spysept	Bombast	Yippyio

FAQ

Who won the 2026 Sky High Stakes?

The 2026 Sky High Stakes was won by eight-year-old Gailway gelding Vauban at $3.40 with the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained stayer going back-to-back in the event with jockey Tim Clark aboard on 57.5kg from barrier 7 to win by 0.91 lengths on a Good (4) track in a time of 2:03.00.

Who won the 2025 Sky High Stakes?

The 2025 Sky High Stakes was won by Vauban at $9 for trainers Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott with jockey Tim Clark aboard from barrier 4 on 56.5kg to win by 0.07 lengths in a time of 2:00.93.

When is the Sky High Stakes 2026?

Saturday, March 14, 2026

What is the prize money for the Sky High Stakes 2026?

$350,000

Where is the Sky High Stakes 2026?

Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, James Ruse Dr, Rosehill NSW 2142. 

How do I bet on the 2026 Sky High 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 Sky High Stakes?

The best way to pick which horse will win the Sky High 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.