Champagne Stakes Tips & Betting Advice

2020 Champagne Stakes

CHAMPAGNE STAKES BETTING SELECTIONS & TIPS

Our experts will have their pre-race predictions and Champagne Stakes betting selections available for the Group 1 race.

Some key pointers are:

• The Sires’ Produce Stakes is the most reliable guide
• A run in the first three at their last start is crucial
• Favourites have an excellent record in recent years

WHERE TO BET ON THE CHAMPAGNE STAKES

Bookmakers Ladbrokes and Sportsbet are some of the best places to bet on the Champagne Stakes and all Randwick races. They offer some of the best odds and promotions on the big race. Or take advantage of the top 5 bookmaker deals below.

CHAMPAGNE STAKES HISTORY AND GUIDE

The Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) takes place at Royal Randwick Racecourse annually in April and is part of Sydney’s Juvenile Triple Crown.

The two-year-old set-weights race takes place on the last week of the Sydney Autumn Carnival and is one of two Group 1 races on the card along with the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m).

As part of the Triple Crown, the Champagne Stakes is a natural progression for Group 1 Golden Slipper (1400m) and the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) runners that can run a mile or further.

The Inglis’ Sires held at Royal Randwick Racecourse two weeks earlier is the most reliable guide to the Champagne Stakes.

Winners of the Champagne Stakes have generally run their grand final for the season but in the spring, possible targets are the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m), or for the more adventurous trainer with a good horse, the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m).

Exeter, who was trained by Etienne de Mestre, won the inaugural Champagne Stakes in 1861 when the race was run over five furlongs.

Some of Australia’s most talented horses have won the premiere set-weights event including Robinson Crusoe (1876), Heroic (1924), Ajax (1937), Flight (1943), Todman (1957), Vain (1969), Luskin Star (1977), Red Anchor (1984), Dance Hero (2004), Samantha Miss (2008), Pierro (2012), Guelph (2013), Prized Icon (2016), The Mission (2017) and Seabrook (2018).

Champagne Stakes Winners (Since 2000)

RANDWICK RACECOURSE TRACK DESCRIPTION

Randwick is the largest racetrack in New South Wales and all races are run in a clockwise direction. It is a sweeping track with a rise from the 300m mark to the winning post in the home straight.

As well as the main track, Randwick Racecourse contains a second track known as Kensington. Due to large rainfall in the area, Kensington has been reconstructed using the Strathayr racing surface which is similar to Moonee Valley.

Strathayr is a turf cover over a base of sand, this means it is a free draining track which can take a substantial amount of rain without affecting the rating.

RANDWICK RACECOURSE HISTORY

Originally known as the ‘Sandy Course,’ Randwick Racecourse was first used in 1833 where a private match race between two horses was held.

In 1840 the track was abandoned as a racecourse and used for training purposes before the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) moved its headquarters to Randwick and held a meeting in 1860.

The Queen Elizabeth II stand was opened to the public on August 4, 1969, and in 1992, Queen Elizabeth II visited Randwick and opened the new $30 million Paddock Grandstand.

The Australian Derby (2400m) remains one of the longest standing races to be held at Randwick after its inaugural running took place in 1861.

Randwick hosts some of Australia’s most iconic Group 1 races throughout the year, during both the spring and autumn carnivals in Sydney.

The Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Doncaster Mile and TJ Smith Stakes are some of the elite races taking place at Randwick during the prestigious The Championships during the autumn.