Secret Admirer has produced an impressive late charge to win the 2011 Epsom Handicap at Randwick Racecourse today October 1, 2011. The four-year-old mare beat Pinker Pinker, who finished second, and Red Tracer, who ran home for third, in the Group 1 race. Secret Admirer, who was ridden by jockey Brenton Avdulla, jumped from the…
The 2011 Epsom Handicap Nominations have been available for a while but with the final field due out tomorrow let’s take a moment to recap the major chances. It’s worth remembering that a fair hunk of these horses are dual nominated for The Metropolitan as well so acceptance time will be a very important period….
The Epsom Handicap is a prestigious Group 1 Australian thoroughbred horse race held annually at the Royal Randwick Racecourse.
The 2012 Epsom Handicap will run on Saturday 1st October, 2012.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Secret Admirer | B. Avdulla | 1:36.65 |
| 2010 | Captain Sonador | G. Boss | 1:34.12 |
| 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 |
Following the Epsom Handicap there is the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival and major races including the Victoria Derby, Melbourne Cup, Crown Oaks & Emirates Stakes.
