Villiers Stakes

The Villiers Stakes

The Villiers Stakes is a Group 2 race for thoroughbreds conducted at the Royal Randwick Racecourse in late December as one of the only summer feature events in Sydney.

Run over 1600m, the Villiers Stakes presents a good opportunity for milers from New South Wales to contest a Group status race late in the year without having to travel to Western Australia for the Perth Summer Racing Carnival.

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The Villiers Stakes is run under open handicap conditions and offers prize money of $175,000.

The first Group race held in metropolitan Sydney after the action of the Epsom Handicap meeting in early October, the Villiers Stakes always attracts a quality field of gallopers that may have come via races such as the Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) in early November.

Villiers Stakes History

The time-honoured Villiers Stakes was first held in 1892 and Two Up was the inaugural winner.

Originating as a Principal race conducted over six furlongs, in 1902 the race distance was increased to eight furlongs before eventually being converted to 1600m in 1972.

Not long after in 1979 the Villiers Stakes was elevated to a Group 3 event before reaching its current Group 2 status in 1986.

In 2007 the Villiers Stakes, along with all the other Sydney features that season, were not held due to the equine influenza outbreak.

There were two editions of the Villiers Stakes held in 2008, one early in the year in January due to the way the racing season had been scheduled, and then again in December.

Villiers Stakes Betting

The Villiers Stakes provides punters with a great betting opportunity just before Christmas and because of the quality of runners it attracts and its position on the calendar, is one of the most popular races to enjoy a bet on!

The best Villiers Stakes betting tips are to watch the form of suitable Sydney gallopers in the Listed races leading up the event and to place your wagers online at a bookie such as Luxbet or SportsBet instead of settling for the substandard odds offered at the TAB.

Villiers Stakes Winners

Over the years a number of notable gallopers have won the Villiers Stakes including Benborough (1945), Caesar (1958), Rising Prince (1984), Ikes Dream (2004) and Palacio De Cristal (2009).

Below is a list of the most recent Villiers Stakes winners and placegetters.