WJ Healy Stakes

Ladbrokes Tip: A number of Sydney-trained horses have won the WJ Healy Stakes in recent years

The next edition of the WJ Healy Stakes runs on Saturday, June 27, 2026 at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm Racecourse.

2026 WJ Healy Stakes Odds

The latest WJ Healy Stakes 2026 betting odds will be provided below as soon as markets on the end-of-carnival event in Brisbane over the winter are announced.

WJ Healy Stakes Tips

WJ Healy Stakes tips include looking for in-form winter sprinters coming off a win in a Brisbane race, graduates that finished in the money in the Dane Ripper Stakes or Moreton Cup and tipping single-figure fancies drawn in barrier seven or below.

Avoiding the three-year-old historically has been a solid WJ Healy Stakes betting tip with Away Game (2021) the first three-year-old to win since Natural Destiny (2006).

2026 WJ Healy Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive WJ Healy Stakes 2026 betting tips on the Group 3 race at the end of the Brisbane winter racing season will be detailed below the week of the race so, stay tuned for those to back and sack this season.

The WJ Healy Stakes is held on the final Group 1 race meeting of the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival – Tattersall’s Tiara Day – taking place on a Saturday in late June at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm Racecourse.

2022 WJ Healy Stakes winner Juan Diva
2022 WJ Healy Stakes winner Juan Diva (pictured in Melbourne). Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

A quality handicap sprint contested over 1200m, the event was first run in 1979 and gained Group 3 status in 1997.

The WJ Healy Stakes currently offers a total of $200,000 in prize money and attracts a strong line-up of winter sprinters each year. It takes place on the same day as the $700,000 Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) for fillies and mares and the $200,000 Group 3 Tattersall’s Cup (2400m) for the stayers.

A good lead-up race is the Group 2 Moreton Cup (1200m) run at the same track and distance earlier in the carnival, with Brave Song (2019) and Prince Of Boom (2023) the latest horses to do the double.

The WJ Healy Stakes winner is also exempt from ballot for the upcoming Listed Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton with Big Money (2014) the last sprinter to do the double.

WJ Healy Stakes Race Info

  • Date: Saturday, June 27, 2026
  • Track: Eagle Farm Racecourse
  • Distance: 1200m
  • Conditions: Quality Handicap
  • Status: Group 3
  • Prize Money: $200,000
  • First Run: 1979
Eagle Farm Racing Preview
Eagle Farm Racing Odds

2026 WJ Healy Stakes Results

The official WJ Healy Stakes 2026 Results & Finishing Order will be available below once the Group 3 Brisbane race is run and won on Saturday, June 27, 2026.

WJ Healy Stakes Betting

The WJ Healy Stakes betting markets are dominated by in-form winter sprinters coming off good lead-up runs in events such as the Group 2 Moreton Cup (1200m) or even the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).

Favourites have a solid strike-rate in the race with Brave Song ($3 in 2019) and Prince Of Boom ($2.25 in 2023) the latest to salute for the punters.

There was a double-figure upset in 2024 however when the local Tony Gollan-trained Zarastro won at WJ Healy Stakes odds of $10.

WJ Healy Stakes Field

WJ Healy Stakes Winners - Hay List | Photo: (c) Steven Dowden | Ladbrokes.com.au
Hay List (pictured at Flemington) is one of the most notable WJ Healy Stakes winners in history. Photo: Steve Dowden.

The WJ Healy Stakes race field draws a quality line-up of winter sprinters from both local and interstate stables.

Runners may come via a number of different lead-up races including the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes for fillies and mares that last produced a WJ Healy Stakes winner in Spright (6th in 2018).

WJ Healy Stakes nominations close the Monday of race week with final acceptances revealing the field released on the Wednesday before the race runs on the Saturday.

2026 WJ Healy Stakes Field

The official WJ Healy Stakes 2026 field of final acceptors is announced by Racing Queensland on the Wednesday of race week and will be published below along with the confirmed jockeys and barriers.

2026 WJ Healy Stakes Nominations

Early WJ Healy Stakes 2026 Nominations close the Monday leading-up to Tattersall’s Tiara Day, which is the last major event of the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival and will be provided in full below.

WJ Healy Stakes Form Guide

The WJ Healy Stakes form guide lists for punters all the crucial pre-betting information like the jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up runs of the female sprinters in the field.

Runners trained outside of Brisbane have a credible recent record the race, so looking at the interstate runners with a lead-up run in Queensland is essential when doing the WJ Healy Stakes form.

Single-figure fancies have had a big run of wins in the event too so look on the form for runners under $10 with a good Brisbane lead-up run and single-digit barrier draw.

The WJ Healy Stakes form was subsequently franked in 2021 with the winning filly Away Game going on to perform highly in a number of tougher races including Group 1 seconds in Melbourne’s Oakleigh Plate and the Robert Sanger Stakes in Adelaide the following year.

The 2021 WJ Healy Stakes third placed Bella Nipotina further franked the form with placings in events including the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (2nd) and Group 1 VRC Sprint Classic (3rd) in Melbourne that spring.

In 2022 WJ Healy Stakes Ranges improved on his third to win Grafton’s Listed Ramornie Handicap next start.

In 2023 The Big Goodbye ran second in the WJ Healy before his Ramornie Handicap victory.

The 2024 WJ Healy Stakes form was franked with the winner Zarastro going on to win the following summer’s $1 million Magic Millions Sprint race at the Gold Coast before a second in the 2025 Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup in the winter in Brisbane.

2026 WJ Healy Stakes Form

A link to our comprehensive WJ Healy Stakes 2026 form guide and race betting preview will be provided for punters below the week of the event.

Past WJ Healy Stakes Results

The WJ Healy Stakes race results show a strong mix of both locally trained and visiting interstate winners.

Horses allocated heavy weights have also had a strong recent record with wins by the likes of Zarastro (58kg in 2024), Prince Of Boom (60kg in 2023), Brave Song (58kg in 2019), Dothraki (58kg, 2015) and Howmuchdoyouloveme (60kg in 2013).

Note: There was no 2020 WJ Healy Stakes held with a reduced Brisbane Winter Carnival that season due to COVID-19. 

Juan Diva (2022) was the last WJ Healy Stakes winning mare.

Natural Destiny (2006) was the last three-year-old WJ Healy Stakes winner.

Hay List holds the current 1200m WJ Healy Stakes race record winning in 2010 in a time of 1 minute 08:68 seconds.

Recent WJ Healy Stakes Winners

Recent WJ Healy Stakes winners dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.

Year Winner Trainer/s Jockey Weight Time
2026 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
2025 Metalart Kelly Schweida Jason Collett 54.5 kgs 1:09.21
2024 Zarastro Tony Gollan Angela Jones 58 kgs 1:09.02
2023 Prince Of Boom Robert Heathcote Tim Clark 60 kgs 1:11.20
2022 Juan Diva Richard & Will Freedman Jason Collett 54 kgs 1:10.81
2021 Away Game Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Stephanie Thornton 54.5 kgs 1:11.48
2020
Race Not Held
2019 Brave Song Peter & Paul Snowden Blake Shinn 58 kgs 1:10.22
2018 Spright Garry Frazer Michael Cahill 55 kgs 1:09.03
2017 Burning Passion James Cummings Michael Cahill 54.5 kgs 1:09.60
2016 Into The Red Kelso Wood Luke Dittman 56 kgs 1:12.51
2015 Dothraki Paul Snowden Damian Browne 58 kgs 1:11.33
2014 Big Money Rodney Northam Robert Thompson 54 kgs 1:09.35
2013 Howmuchdoyouloveme Tina Cotsiopoulos Nash Rawiller 60 kgs 1:11.46
2012 River Lad Natalie McCall Timothy Bell 54 kgs 1:10.00
2011 Pinwheel Peter Snowden Damian Browne 58 kgs 1:09.54
2010 Hay List John McNair Chris Munce 53 kgs 1:08.69
2009 News Alert Con Karakatsanis Tye Angland 54.5 kgs 1:09.30
2008 Nuclear Medicine Gordon Yorke Scott Thurlow 53 kgs 1:11.38
2007 The Jackal Paul St Vincent Robert Thompson 57 kgs 1:09.59
2006 Natural Destiny Gordon Yorke Michael Rodd 52 kgs 1:10.63
2005 Poetic Papal David Kelly Yoshi Yamazaki 52 kgs 1:09.40
2004 Lamond Shaun Dwyer Michael Rodd 52 kgs 1:09.50
2003 Super Elegant Tony Vasil Mark Zahra 58 kgs 1:09.60
2002 Jar Jar Binks Bryan Guy Michael Rodd 51.5 kgs 1:10.40
2001 Citichy Nick Flouskos Brett Prebble 52.5 kgs 1:09.20
2000 El Mirada Bart Cummings Michael Cahill 55 kgs 1:09.20

FAQ

Who won the 2025 WJ Healy Stakes?

The 2025 WJ Healy Stakes was won by four-year-old Better Than Ready four-year-old Metalart at $6 for trainer Kelly Schweida with jockey Jason Collett aboard on 54.5kg from barrier 3 to win by 0.79 lengths in a time of 1:09.21.

When is the WJ Healy Stakes 2026?

Saturday, June 27, 2026

What is the prize money for the WJ Healy Stakes 2026?

$200,000

Where is the WJ Healy Stakes 2026?

Eagle Farm Racecourse, 230 Lancaster Rd, Ascot QLD 4007.

How do I bet on the 2026 WJ Healy 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 WJ Healy Stakes?

The best way to pick which horse will win the WJ Healy 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.