Canterbury Stakes

Looking for early this year’s Canterbury Stakes betting odds, field and form guide? The experts at Neds have put together everything you need to know before this year’s race.

Canterbury Stakes 2026 Results

The official 2026 Canterbury Stakes results will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday, March 7, 2026. 

Joliestar ($2.25F) secured her fourth career Group 1 and made it back-to-back wins this prep with Chris Waller’s classy mare given a peach of a ride by James McDonald to surge into the clear inside the final 50m racing down stablemate Beiwacht to salute for the punters in the 2026 Canterbury Stakes results. The also Waller-trained Lady Shenandoah ran third in a stable trifecta. Joliestar will next race in the TJ Smith Stakes on April 4 before boarding a plane to chase international glory at Royal Ascot.

Canterbury Stakes 2026 Tips

Our insider 2026 Canterbury Stakes tips will be detailed here the week of the race and a full betting preview published on the Neds Blog.

Run over 1,300 metres every March, the Canterbury Stakes is a Group 1 race, held during the Sydney Autumn racing carnival. With a $750,000 prize purse as of 2024, it attracts some of Australia’s best mid distance runners and is the key support act on the Randwick Guineas Day program at Royal Randwick Racecourse. 

The Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) serves as a good lead-up into the Canterbury Stakes and Appearance (2014) was the last to do the double. 

The Canterbury Stakes winner also gains a ballot exemption into the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes and Group 1 Doncaster Mile races held later in the autumn.

Forbidden Love (2022) was the last horse to do the Canterbury – George Ryder Stakes double also running fourth in that year’s Doncaster Mile results.

In 2026, the Chris Waller-trained Joliestar (2026) saluted for the punters in a stable trifecta posting her fourth Group 1 win 12 months on from winning the Newmarket Handicap on the same day in Melbourne.

Canterbury Stakes 2026 – Quick Information

• Race Day: Saturday, March 7, 2026
• Track Location: Randwick Racecourse
• Track Surface: Turf
• Track Direction: Right-handed
• Race Distance: 1,300 metres
• Weight Conditions: Weight for age
• Qualification: Three-year-olds and over
• Type: Thoroughbred
• Grade: Group 1
• Operator: Australian Turf Club
• Prize Purse: $750,000
• Inaugural Race: 1929
• 2026 Canterbury Stakes Winner: Joliestar

Canterbury Stakes Betting 2026

There are many different ways to bet on the Canterbury Stakes, and we have included some of the most popular options below:

Bet Type	How To Place This Type of Bet on This Year’s Canterbury Stakes
Win Bet	Place your bet on the horse you think will take first place in this year’s Canterbury Stakes.
Place Bet	Place your bet on the horse you think will place in the top three finishers at this year’s Canterbury Stakes. Pays less than a win bet but offers safer odds.
Each-Way Bet	If your runner finishes 1st in the Canterbury Stakes, you will collect both the Win and the Place dividend. If your horse finishes 2nd or 3rd you will collect the Place dividend.
Quinella Bet	You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in any order, within the Canterbury Stakes, in order to win the Quinella.
Exacta Bet	You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order, within the Canterbury Stakes to win the Exacta.
Trifecta Bet	You must select runners to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order, within the Canterbury Stakes to win the Trifecta.
First Four	You must select runners that finish 1st, 2nd ,3rd and 4th in the correct order, within the Canterbury Stakes to win the First 4.
Quadrella Bet (Quaddie)	You must select the winners of four nominated races to win the Quaddie. This means you would have to select three other races apart from the Canterbury Stakes, in order to be eligible to place a Quaddie.

How To Bet on The Canterbury Stakes in 2026

1. Login at neds.com.au
2. Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
3. Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on Canterbury Stakes Betting above).
4. Select the horse(s) for the race.

Which Horse Will Win the Canterbury Stakes in 2026

The best way to pick which horse will win the Canterbury Stakes in 2026 is to take into account their lead-up autumn racing form, assess the barriers, look for proven sprinters and those with past Group 1 race experience. 

Additional factors to consider when picking the Canterbury Stakes winner include:

• Last Start Winners – Horses coming off a lead-up win in an earlier Sydney race have a strong recent record in the Canterbury Stakes including in 2021 with Savatiano won on the back of a Group 2 Expressway Stakes victory, 2022 when Forbidden Love won just seven days after her Group 2 Guy Walter Stakes success the weekend prior, and in 2026 with Joliestar becoming the latest to complete the Expressway Stakes / Canterbury Stakes double.
• Mighty Mares – The mares have a good strike-rate beating home the boys over the past decade with Savatiano (2021), Forbidden Love (2022), Lady Laguna (2024) and Joliestar (2026) the latest to salute.

Canterbury Stakes Favourites 2026

Favourites in 2026 Canterbury Stakes betting include Chris Waller’s three-time Group 1 winning mare Joliestar, another triple elite level winner from the Waller stable Lady Shenandoah, and the resuming Ciaron Maher-trained dual The Big Dance champ Gringotts.

Happy Clapper ($4.60 in 2018), Forbidden Love ($2.20 in 2022) and Joliestar ($2.25 in 2026) are the last Canterbury Stakes favourites to win.

There was a notable upset in 2025 with Royal Patronage winning at Canterbury Stakes odds of $20.

Canterbury Stakes 2026 Field

The official 2026 Canterbury Stakes field of final acceptances is announced on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below. 

The Canterbury Stakes 2026 final field features a smart line-up of autumn sprinters including Chris Waller’s multiple Group 1 winning mare Joliestar coming off a win fresh in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes.

Randwick R9

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. Gringotts J: Tommy Berry T: Ciaron Maher	52110x	G	8	59kg
	2. Headley Grange J: Chad Schofield T: Joseph Pride	61110x	G	10	59kg
	3. Linebacker J: Dylan Gibbons T: John O'shea & Tom Charlton	8x717x	G	6	59kg
	4. Yorkshire J: Jason Collett T: John O'shea & Tom Charlton	1x011x	G	5	59kg
	5. Encap J: Rachel King T: Gary Portelli	x6497x	G	1	59kg
	6. Joliestar J: James McDonald T: Chris Waller	x153x1	M	4	57kg
	7. Lady Shenandoah J: Nash Rawiller T: Chris Waller	2472x3	M	9	57kg
	8. Beiwacht J: Adam Hyeronimus T: Chris Waller	3214x8	C	3	56kg
	9. Napoleonic J: Zac Lloyd T: John O'shea & Tom Charlton	141x22	C	7	56kg
	10. Nepotism J: Tyler Schiller T: M, W & J Hawkes	x9877x	C	2	56kg

View Results

Canterbury Stakes Race Day 2026

The 2026 Canterbury Stakes takes place on Saturday, March 7, 2026 as part of Randwick Guineas Day. Along with the Canterbury Stakes, the other Group 1 race on the card is the Randwick Guineas (1600m) for three-year-olds. Supporting the two Group 1 races are the:

• Group 2 $500,000 Challenge Stakes (1000m),
• Group 2 $300,000 Reisling Stakes (1200m),
• Group 2 $300,000 Todman Stakes (1200m),
• Group 3 $250,000 Wenona Girl Quality (1600m), and the
• Group 3 $250,000 Aspirational Quality (1600m).

Canterbury Stakes Barrier Draw 2026

The 2026 Canterbury Stakes barrier draw will be released to the public a few days before the race and published in our above Canterbury Stakes Field section. 

Canterbury Stakes Nominations 2026

2026 Canterbury Stakes nominations close at 11 AM on the Monday of race week.

2026 Canterbury Stakes nominations extended until 11:00am (AEDT) – 03/03/2026

The Canterbury Stakes 2026 nominations attracted a smart line-up of WFA hopefuls led in all-in betting by Chris Waller’s three-time Group 1 winning mare Joliestar coming off a Group 2 Expressway Stakes win fresh.

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	190x3214x8	BEIWACHT	C	3	Chris Waller	105
2	7437x6497x	ENCAP	G	5	Gary Portelli	98
3	310x52110x	GRINGOTTS (NZ)	G	6	Ciaron Maher	118
4	2x1161110x	HEADLEY GRANGE	G	5	Joseph Pride	110
5	12×3796104	HERE TO SHOCK (NZ)	G	8	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	110
6	1921x153x1	JOLIESTAR	M	5	Chris Waller	118
7	111x2472x3	LADY SHENANDOAH	M	4	Chris Waller	116
8	x2618x717x	LINEBACKER (NZ)	G	4	John O’Shea & Tom Charlton	107
9	62x1141x22	NAPOLEONIC	C	3	John O’Shea & Tom Charlton	96
10	311x9877x	NEPOTISM	C	3	Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes	96
11	7x1420x50x	ROYAL PATRONAGE (FR)	H	7	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	113
12	x2111x011x	YORKSHIRE	G	5	John O’Shea & Tom Charlton	107

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Canterbury Stakes Weights 2026

Standard weight for age conditions apply to this race. Final 2026 Canterbury Stakes weights are announced at 4 PM on the Tuesday of race week with weights on the final acceptances to be published in our above Canterbury Stakes Field section. 

Canterbury Stakes Acceptances 2026

Final 2026 Canterbury Stakes acceptances must be declared before 9 AM on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in our above Canterbury Stakes Field section. 

Canterbury Stakes Jockeys 2026

The final riders must be announced by 12 PM on the Wednesday of race week with the official 2026 Canterbury Stakes jockeys to be published in our above Canterbury Stakes Field section. 

Canterbury Stakes Scratchings 2026

2026 Canterbury Stakes scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Saturday, March 7, 2026. 

Canterbury Stakes Prize Money 2026

The 2026 Canterbury Stakes prize purse is worth $750,000 in total, distributed from places first through to tenth.

Place	Prize Money
1st	$430,000
2nd	$141,000
3rd	$71,500
4th	$33,250
5th	$18,000
6th	$7,500
7th	$7,500
8th	$7,500
9th	$7,500
10th	$7,500

Canterbury Stakes Race Number 2026

The 2026 Canterbury Stakes race number is scheduled as Randwick Race 9 at 5:15pm (AEDT) on Saturday, March 7, 2026. There are ten races in total that day at Randwick Racecourse.

Canterbury Stakes Form Guide 2026

The final form guide will be available the week of the race. You can check below for a link to our full 2026 Canterbury Stakes Form Guide following final acceptances. 

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2026 CANTERBURY STAKES FORM GUIDE

Canterbury Stakes Live 2026

You can watch or listen to the 2026 Canterbury Stakes live, across the following mediums.

Pay television: Sky Racing 1 (channel 526 on Foxtel)

Radio: Radio Sport National

Streaming: Racing NSW

Canterbury Stakes Winners

Winners of the Canterbury Stakes going back to the year 2000 are displayed in the table below. For a full list of winners going back to 1929, please check our Canterbury Stakes winners’ page.

Year	Winner	Trainer/s	Jockey	Weight	Time
2026	Joliestar	Chris Waller	James McDonald	57 kgs	1:15.47
2025	Royal Patronage	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Tim Clark	59 kgs	1:14.87
2024	Lady Laguna	Annabel Neasham	Tyler Schiller	57 kgs	1:15.19
2023	Artorius	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Zac Purton	59 kgs	1:15.93
2022	Forbidden Love	Richard & Michael Freedman	Hugh Bowman	57 kgs	1:19.29
2021	Savatiano	James Cummings	Hugh Bowman	57 kgs	1:14.41
2020	The Bostonian	Tony Pike	Nash Rawiller	59 kgs	1:16.21
2019	Trapeze Artist	Gerald Ryan	Blake Shinn	59 kgs	1:14.19
2018	Happy Clapper	Patrick Webster	Blake Shinn	59 kgs	1:14.25
2017	Le Romain	Kris Lees	Glyn Schofield	59 kgs	1:20.00
2016	Holler	John O’Shea	James McDonald	56 kgs	1:15.40
2015	Cosmic Endeavour	Gai Waterhouse	James McDonald	57 kgs	1:15.17
2014	Appearance	Guy Walter	Kerrin McEvoy	57 kgs	1:17.20
2013	Pierro	Gai Waterhouse	Jim Cassidy	56 kgs	1:15.99
2012	More Joyous	Gai Waterhouse	Nash Rawiller	57 kgs	1:18.44
2011	More Joyous	Gai Waterhouse	Nash Rawiller	57 kgs	1:17.86
2010	Hot Danish	Les Bridge	Tim Clark	57 kgs	1:16.47
2009	All Silent	Grahame Begg	Damien Oliver	59 kgs	1:16.57
2008	Mentality	John Hawkes	Darren Beadman	59 kgs	1:32.28
2007	Malcolm	John Hawkes	Darren Beadman	59 kgs	1:16.50
2006	Paratroopers	John Hawkes	Darren Beadman	55 kgs	1:16.18
2005	Dance Hero	Gai Waterhouse	Chris Munce	55 kgs	1:17.04
2004	Yell	John Hawkes	Darren Beadman	58 kgs	1:15.97
2003	Defier	Guy Walter	Chris Munce	57.5 kgs	1:09.13
2002	Empire	Max Lees	Jim Cassidy	55 kgs	1:10.32
2001	Shogun Lodge	Bob Thomsen	Glen Boss	57.5 kgs	1:10.00
2000	Easy Rocking	Ron Quinton	Darren Beadman	55 kgs	1:11.50