Australian punter’s favourite online bookmaker have opened betting on the 2010 Epsom Handicap with Gai Waterhouse’s More Joyous the early favourite.
Due to run on Saturday October 2 at Randwick as part of the esteemed Sydney Spring Racing Carnival, the…
Eighty-seven classy horses have been nominated for the 2010 Epsom Handicap in anticipation of the highly anticipated Sydney Spring Racing Carnival feature.
The $350,000 Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) is due to run at Randwick on October 2 along with the…
As part of a bumper Sydney Spring Racing Carnival meeting, Royal Randwick will host six Group races on Saturday October 2 including the $500,000 Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m).
All the weight-for-age Sydney gallopers and a number of interstate and even…
The Epsom Handicap is a prestigious Group 1 Australian thoroughbred horse race held annually at the Royal Randwick Racecourse.
Conducted over 1600 metres (one mile) in early October every year, the Group 1 Epsom Handicap is one of the major races of the Sydney Spring Carnival and is worth $500,000 in prizemoney plus trophies.
The Epsom Handicap is run on the biggest and most bet on meetings of the Sydney Spring Carnival, featuring an incredible three other Group 1 races.
The other elite level races held at the Epsom Handicap meeting are the Spring Champion Stakes, The Metropolitan and the Flight Stakes.
There are a number of earlier spring carnival races held in Sydney that provide horses with the ideal preparatory run for the Epsom Handicap.
Good lead up races include the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) at Randwick the week before and the Group 2 Shannon Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill in mid September.
The Epsom Handicap is a time-honoured classic first run in 1863 when Dundee claimed victory.
The feature is named after the esteemed Epsom Downs racecourse in England, which is home to the three-year-old classic the Epsom Derby.
Originally a Principal race run over eight furlongs, the Epsom Handicap distance was converted to 1,600m with the adoption of the metric system in 1972.
Less than a decade later the Epsom Handicap was elevated right up to Group 1 status because of the high quality of horses attracted to the race each year.
Since then a number of champion gallopers have claimed glory in the Epsom Handicap including Imposing (1979), Super Impose (1990 & 1991), Racing To Win (2006) and Theseo (2008).
In 2001 Final Fantasy set the Epsom Handicap race record winning in a speedy 1:22.45.
The race was not run in 2007 after the break out of the equine influenza in Australia.
Throughout history six horses have claimed back-to-back wins in the Epsom Handicap: Masquerade (1882 & 1883), Melodrama (1907 & 1908), Chatham (1932 & 1933), Toi Port (1963 & 1964), Super Impose (1990 & 1991) and Desert War (2004 & 2005).
Below is a list of the most recent Epsom Handicap winners.
Year |
Winner |
Jockey |
Time |
| 2009 | Rock Kingdom | B. Shinn | 1:36.65 |
| 2008 | Theseo | Z. Purton | 1:36.28 |
| 2007 | RACE NOT RUN | - | - |
| 2006 | Racing To Win | G. Boss | 1:35.06 |
| 2005 | Desert War | L. Cassidy | 1:34.51 |
| 2004 | Desert War | S. Seamer | 1:37.23 |
| 2003 | Clangalang | C. Brown | 1:35.22 |
| 2002 | Excellerator | J. Cassidy | 1:35.46 |
| 2001 | Final Fantasy | M. De Montfort | 1:22.45 |
| 2000 | Shogun Lodge | G. Boss | 1:33.5 |
