Apollo Stakes

Looking for this year’s Apollo Stakes betting odds, race guide and tips? The expert tipsters at Neds have put together everything you need to know before this year’s race.

Apollo Stakes 2026 Results

The official 2026 Apollo Stakes results will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday, February 14, 2026.

The undefeated Chris Waller-trained queen Autumn Glow ($1.40F) got her campaign underway with an effortless first-up 2.66 length romp home in the 2026 Apollo Stakes results for the punters. Ridden by James McDonald the Golden Eagle winner flashed home late to easily account for her rivals ahead of the autumn majors leading a stable trifecta with Aeliana second and Lindermann third.

Apollo Stakes 2026 Tips

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

Run over 1,400 metres in mid-February at Royal Randwick Racecourse, the Apollo Stakes is a Group 2 race held during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. With $300,000 in prize money, it’s the highlight of the race meet held that day and is contested at weight-for-age. 

This race serves a nice lead-up into the Group 1 Verry Elleegant Stakes (formerly Chipping Norton Stakes) held a fortnight later over 1600m, a double completed by the mighty mare Winx three times (2016, 2017, 2019). 

Winx’s stablemate Verry Elleegant ran third in the 2021 Apollo Stakes results before a next-up Chipping Norton Stakes victory. She would win a host of other Group 1 events over the year including the $8 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington in the spring.

Now retired, Verry Elleegant was honoured with the Chipping Norton Stakes race renamed the Verry Elleegant Stakes in 2024.

In 2022 the Apollo Stakes winner Think It Over went on to win one of the biggest races of the autumn with victory in that year’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).

In 2023 the Apollo Stakes was won by the resuming Cox Plate hero Anamoe first-up at $1.60. Anamoe franked the form with subsequent wins in the Chipping Norton and George Ryder Stakes as well as a Queen Elizabeth Stakes third before he retired from racing.

Anamoe (2023) was the last horse to win the Apollo Stakes – Chipping Norton Stakes (now Verry Elleegant Stakes) race double.

The 2024 Apollo Stakes winner Fangirl improved on her third the year before to hand trainer Chris Waller with his record sixth victory in the event.

The 2024 Apollo Stakes produced that year’s Verry Elleegant Stakes winner with Think About It (3rd) improving on his placing to turn the tables on Fangirl who ran second in the Group 1 next start.

Fangirl returned to defend her title in the 2025 Apollo Stakes results when beating home her stablemates Lindermann (2nd) and Via Sistina (3rd) to give trainer Chris Waller a seventh victory.

Fangirl well and truly validated the 2025 Apollo Stakes form, going on to place in a string of elite races that autumn. She finished runner‑up in both the Verry Elleegant Stakes and the George Ryder Stakes before breaking through at Group 1 level in the Queen of the Turf Stakes. The depth of the race was highlighted again by Via Sistina, who ran third in the Apollo before producing a stunning autumn campaign of her own. She completed the Verry Elleegant Stakes–Tancred Stakes double at her next two starts, then added the Queen Elizabeth Stakes for good measure. Her spring was just as remarkable, returning to claim the Winx Stakes, Cox Plate and Champions Stakes before bowing out as one of the season’s standout performers.

Chris Waller kept his incredible Apollo Stakes streak rolling in 2026, producing yet another stable trifecta as unbeaten mare Autumn Glow justified her odds‑on quote to make it nine straight. She was far too sharp for her barnmates, with Aeliana finishing second and Lindermann grabbing third to round out a dominant Waller sweep.

Apollo Stakes 2026 – Quick Information

• Race Day: Saturday, February 14, 2026
• Track Location: Randwick Racecourse
• Track Surface: Turf
• Track Direction: Right-handed
• Race Distance: 1,400 metres
• Weight Conditions: Weight for age
• Qualification: Three-years-old and over
• Type: Thoroughbred
• Grade: Group 2
• Operator: Australian Turf Club
• Prize Purse: $300,000
• Inaugural Race: 1977
• 2026 Apollo Stakes Winner: Autumn Glow

Apollo Stakes Betting 2026

There are many different ways to bet on the Apollo 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 Apollo Stakes
Win Bet	Place your bet on the horse you think will take first place in this year’s Apollo Stakes.
Place Bet	Place your bet on the horse you think will place in the top three finishers at this year’s Apollo Stakes. Pays less than a win bet but offers safer odds.
Each-Way Bet	If your runner finishes 1st in the Apollo 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 Apollo 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 Apollo Stakes to win the Exacta.
Trifecta Bet	You must select runners to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order, within the Apollo Stakes to win the Trifecta.
First Four	You must select runners that finish 1st, 2nd ,3rd and 4th in the correct order, within the Apollo 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 Apollo Stakes, in order to be eligible to place a Quaddie.

How To Bet on the Apollo Stakes in 2026

1. Log in at neds.com.au
2. Make a deposit, using your credit card, PayPal or other safe electronic method
3. Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
4. Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on Apollo Stakes Betting above).
5. Select the horse(s) for the race.

Which Horse Will Win the Apollo Stakes in 2026

The best way to pick which horse will win the Apollo Stakes in 2026 is to take into account any lead-up autumn form, look for the runners out of the previous year’s edition of the race and back the Group 1 performers at the start of their campaigns. 

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

• Favourites: The favourites have an outstanding record in this race from the past decade boosted by the Winx three-peat (2015, 2016, 2019) and the latest successes of Anamoe in 2023, Fangirl in 2024 and Autumn Glow in 2026.
• Mighty Mares: Mares have dominated the Apollo Stakes over the past decade with victories by the likes of Melito (2011), Appearance (2014), Winx (2015, 2016, 2019), Alizee (2020), and Colette (2021). Colette returned in 2022 to run second to Think It Over. Fangirl (2024 & 2025) and the fellow Waller-trained Autumn Glow (2026) are the latest Apollo Stakes winning mares.

Apollo Stakes Favourites 2026

Favourites in Apollo Stakes 2026 betting include Chris Waller’s undefeated Golden Eagle winner mare Autumn Glow chasing her ninth win on the trot, the stable’s ATC Derby champ Aeliana making her four-year-old debut, and the also Waller-trained resumer Lindermann who ran second to Fangirl last year.

Winx ($1.10 in 2019) for her third success in the race followed by fellow Cox Plate champion Anamoe ($1.60 in 2023), Fangirl ($2.10 in 2024) and Autumn Glow ($1.40 in 2026) are the latest Apollo Stakes favourites to win.

Apollo Stakes 2026 Field

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

The Apollo Stakes 2026 final field features a small but elite line-up of stars including Joe Pride’s resuming King Charles III Stakes – Champions Mile double winner from the spring Ceolwulf, the Chris Waller-trained Lindermann who ran second last year, and Waller’s unbeaten Golden Eagle winning mare Autumn Glow.

Randwick R8

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. Ceolwulf J: Chad Schofield T: Joseph Pride	43611x	G	5	59kg
	2. Antino J: Tommy Berry T: Tony Gollan	x5428x	G	1	59kg
	3. Lindermann J: Nash Rawiller T: Chris Waller	01211x	G	6	59kg
	4. The Instructor J: Adam Hyeronimus T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	16x272	G	3	59kg
	5. Wootton Verni J: Josh Parr T: Chris Waller	85411x	G	2	59kg
	6. Soul Of Spain J: Jay Ford T: Chris Waller	11123x	G	4	59kg
	7. Autumn Glow J: James McDonald T: Chris Waller	x1111x	M	9	57kg
	8. Stefi Magnetica J: Jason Collett T: Bjorn Baker	2x413x	M	10	57kg
	9. Aeliana J: Zac Lloyd T: Chris Waller	x2256x	M	7	57kg
	10. River Of Stars J: Tim Clark T: Chris Waller	78024x	M	8	57kg

View Results

Apollo Stakes Race Day 2026

2026 Apollo Stakes Day takes place at Royal Randwick on Saturday, February 14, 2026, and features other key events such as the: 

• Group 2 $300,000 Expressway Stakes (1200m),
• Group 2 $300,000 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m), and the
• Group 3 $250,000 Triscay Stakes (1200m).

Apollo Stakes Barrier Draw 2026

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

Apollo Stakes Nominations 2026

2026 Apollo Stakes nominations close at 11:00 AM on the Monday of race week. 

2026 Apollo Stakes nominations extended until 11:00am (AEDT) – 10/02/2026

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	3421x2256x	AELIANA (NZ)	M	4	Chris Waller	112
2	x011x5428x	ANTINO (NZ)	G	7	Tony Gollan
3	11x1x1111x	AUTUMN GLOW	M	4	Chris Waller	116
4	29x251768x	BIRDMAN (IRE)	G	5	Chris Waller	104
5	15x443611x	CEOLWULF (NZ)	G	5	Joseph Pride
6	11114x432x	LEICA LUCY (NZ)	M	4	Chris Waller	107
7	490x01211x	LINDERMANN	G	6	Chris Waller	114
8	x73x78024x	RIVER OF STARS (IRE)	M	7	Chris Waller
9	731x11123x	SOUL OF SPAIN (IRE)	G	5	Chris Waller	102
10	x8612x413x	STEFI MAGNETICA	M	5	Bjorn Baker	116
11	x11316x272	THE INSTRUCTOR	G	5	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	106
12	142x12412x	TRINITY COLLEGE (IRE)	H	4	Chris Waller
13	x75x85411x	WOOTTON VERNI (FR)	G	5	Chris Waller	104

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Apollo Stakes Weights 2026

Standard weight for age conditions apply to this race. Final weights are announced at 4:00 PM on the Tuesday of race week with the official 2026 Apollo Stakes weights on the final acceptances to be published in our above Apollo Stakes Field section.

Apollo Stakes Acceptances 2026

2026 Apollo Stakes final acceptances must be declared before 9:00 AM on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in our above Apollo Stakes Field section.

Apollo Stakes Jockeys 2026

The final riders must be announced by 12:00 PM on the Wednesday of race week with the official 2026 Apollo Stakes jockeys to be published in our above Apollo Stakes Field section.

Apollo Stakes Scratchings 2026

2026 Apollo Stakes scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Saturday, February 14, 2026.

Apollo Stakes Prize Money 2026

The 2026 Apollo Stakes prize purse is worth $300,000 in total, distributed from places first through to tenth.

Place	Prize Money
1st	$170,000
2nd	$56,000
3rd	$27,250
4th	$13,250
5th	$7,200
6th	$4,000
7th	$3,700
8th	$3,700
9th	$3,700
10th	$3,700

Apollo Stakes Race Number 2026

The 2026 Apollo Stakes race number is scheduled as Randwick Race 8 at 4:30pm (AEDT) on Saturday, February 14, 2026. There are ten races in total that day at Randwick Racecourse.

Apollo 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 Apollo Stakes Form Guide following final acceptances. 

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2026 APOLLO STAKES FORM GUIDE

Apollo Stakes Live 2026

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

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

Radio: Radio Sport National

Streaming: Racing NSW

Apollo Stakes Winners

Winners of the Apollo Stakes going back to the year 2000 are displayed in the table below. If you would like to see results going back to 1977, please check our Apollo Stakes winners’ page.

Year	Winner	Trainer/s	Jockey	Weight	Time
2026	Autumn Glow	Chris Waller	James McDonald	57kg	1:22.11
2025	Fangirl	Chris Waller	Jason Collett	57kg	1:22.18
2024	Fangirl	Chris Waller	James McDonald	57kg	1:21.63
2023	Anamoe	James Cummings	James McDonald	59kg	1:22.71
2022	Think It Over	Kerry Parker	Nash Rawiller	59kg	1:22.34
2021	Colette	James Cummings	Ms Rachel King	57kg	1:24.50
2020	Alizee	James Cummings	Hugh Bowman	57kg	1:24.10
2019	Winx	Chris Waller	Hugh Bowman	57kg	1:20.88
2018	Endless Drama	Chris Waller	Tye Angland	59kg	1:22.46
2017	Winx	Chris Waller	Hugh Bowman	57kg	1:22.57
2016	Winx	Chris Waller	Hugh Bowman	57kg	1:22.03
2015	Contributer	John O’Shea	James McDonald	59kg	1:22.09
2014	Appearance	Guy Walter	Blake Shinn	57kg	1:21.97
2013	Alma’s Fury	Paul Murray	Blake Shinn	59kg	1:27.32
2012	Rain Affair	Joseph Pride	Corey Brown	59kg	1:22.34
2011	Melito	Gerald Ryan	Brenton Avdulla	57kg	1:22.28
2010	Danleigh	Chris Waller	Hugh Bowman	59kg	1:22.91
2009	Tuesday Joy	Gai Waterhouse	Blake Shinn	57kg	1:25.78
2008	Racing To Win	John O’Shea	Hugh Bowman	59kg	1:24.33
2007	Desert War	Gai Waterhouse	Hugh Bowman	59kg	1:22.23
2006	Ike’s Dream	John Hawkes	Darren Beadman	55.5kg	1:22.15
2005	Grand Armee	Gai Waterhouse	Danny Beasley	58kg	1:21.06
2004	Private Steer	John O’Shea	Larry Cassidy	55.5kg	1:23.54
2003	Lonhro	John Hawkes	Darren Beadman	58kg	1:22.49
2002	Ha Ha	Gai Waterhouse	Jim Cassidy	52kg	1:23.10
2001	Sunline	Trevor McKee	Greg Childs	55.5kg	1:25.45
2000	Sunline	Trevor McKee	Greg Childs	55.5kg	1:27.69