Challenge Stakes

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

Challenge Stakes 2026 Results

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

Generosity ($10) broke through for her first Sydney win for Chris Waller with the progressive mare just getting up in a narrow photo thriller to score an upset in the 2026 Challenge Stakes results in Sydney. Driving through late off a well-rated ride by the on-fire James McDonald, she just edged out Marhoona (2nd) and Mazu (3rd) to salute at double-figures and earn her shot at the Group 1 The Galaxy at Rosehill on Golden Slipper Day.

Challenge Stakes 2026 Tips

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

Run over 1,000 metres, the Challenge Stakes is a Group 2 race, held every March at Royal Randwick as part of Sydney’s Randwick Guineas Day program. With a $500,000 prize purse, it attracts some of Australia’s best sprinters.

This race is known as a good lead up race to The Galaxy, which takes place two weeks later, as well as the coveted Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) run back at Randwick during April’s ‘The Championships’. Subsequent Australian Horse of the Year Nature Strip (2020) was the last horse to complete the Challenge Stakes – TJ Smith Stakes double. 

In 2021 Nature Strip returned running second as the beaten odds-on favourite behind Eduardo who won in a record time of 55.2 seconds.

The form of the 2021 Challenge Stakes was franked throughout the year, including when the winner Eduardo went on to become latest Challenge Stakes – The Galaxy double winner. Runner-up Nature Strip meanwhile won the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes, where Eduardo ran third. That spring, Nature Strip won the world’s richest turf race with a victory in the now $20 million The Everest where the Challenge Stakes champ Eduardo finished third.

Eduardo returned for a successful title defence in the 2022 Challenge Stakes, while Nature Strip ran third as the beaten odds-on favourite as roughie shot Shelby Sixtysix powered home into an upset second.

Nature Strip went on to win that year’s TJ Smith Stakes with Eduardo running second before heading to the UK for his big Royal Ascot win in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes. Shelby Sixtysix meanwhile improved on his upset Challenge Stakes second in 2022 to win the Group 1 The Galaxy later that autumn.

Eduardo returned in 2023 looking to become history’s third three-time Challenge Stakes winner only to go down in a photo-finish as the beaten favourite behind Passive Aggressive.

Passive Aggressive won again in 2024 going back-to-back in the Challenge Stakes results.

Challenge Stakes 2026 – Quick Information

• Race Day: Saturday, March 7, 2026
• Track Location: Randwick Racecourse
• Track Surface: Turf
• Track Direction: Right-handed
• Race Distance: 1,000 metres
• Weight Conditions: Weight for age
• Qualification: Three years old and over
• Type: Thoroughbred
• Grade: Group 2
• Operator: Australian Turf Club
• Prize Purse: $500,000
• Inaugural Race: 1906
• 2026 Challenge Stakes Winner: Generosity

Challenge Stakes Betting 2026

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

How To Bet on the Challenge 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 Challenge Stakes Betting above).
4. Select the horse(s) for the race.

Which Horse Will Win the Challenge Stakes

The best way to pick which sprinter will win the Challenge Stakes in 2026 is to take into account their lead-up autumn form, assess the barrier draw and back those with a previous win at the track/distance. 

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

• Short Specialists – Look for the proven short-distance specialists at the 1000m distance. 
• Group 1 Stars – Any star Group 1 winners down in grade make an excellent bet in the Challenge Stakes.
• Returning Runners – In recent years the same star sprinters have dominated the Challenge Stakes trifecta season after season so looking for returning runners is a key tip. Eduardo (2021-22) followed by Passive Aggressive (2023-24) both went back-to-back in the Challenge Stakes meaning there has been just two winners of the race in four years.

Challenge Stakes Favourites 2026

Favourites in 2026 Challenge Stakes betting include former The Everest champion Giga Kick presenting fit second-up and Peter Snowden’s progressive three-year-old Raging Force kicking of his autumn.

Nature Strip ($3.10 in 2020) was the last Challenge Stakes favourite to win. Nature Strip returned to run second as the beaten favourite to Eduardo in the 2021 Challenge Stakes results and third as the beaten odds-on favourite to the defending champion in 2022. Eduardo jumped the $3.30 favourite in 2023 Challenge Stakes betting by finished second by the barest of margins behind Passive Aggressive ($7.50).

Passive Aggressive won the Challenge Stakes again in 2024 at the same price in betting – $7.50.

Challenge Stakes 2026 Field

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

The Challenge Stakes 2026 final field features a diminutive but elite line-up of short-distance specialists including former The Everest hero Giga Kick.

Randwick R7 - Schweppes Challenge Stakes (G2)

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. Giga Kick J: Nash Rawiller T: Clayton Douglas	6x11x5	G	5	58.5kg
	2. Mazu J: Rachel King T: Joseph Pride	54393x	G	6	58.5kg
	3. Skybird J: Tim Clark T: Mitchell Freedman	x1x69x	M	3	56.5kg
	4. Generosity J: James McDonald T: Chris Waller	5x937x	M	4	56.5kg
	5. In Flight J: Jay Ford T: Joseph Pride	11164x	M	1	56.5kg
	6. The Black Cloud J: Sam Clipperton T: Joseph Pride	20x212	M	9	56.5kg
	7. Monte Supreme J: Jason Collett T: Bjorn Baker	11120x	M	7	56.5kg
	8. Raging Force J: Tommy Berry T: Peter Snowden	11720x	G	2	56kg
	9. Marhoona J: Zac Lloyd T: Michael Freedman	1x13x6	F	8	54kg

View Results

Challenge Stakes Race Day 2026

The 2026 Challenge Stakes takes place on Saturday, March 7, 2026 as part of 2026 Randwick Guineas Day. There are two Group 1 races on the card with the running of the Group 1 $1 million Randwick Guineas (1600m) for three-year-olds and the Group 1 $750,000 Canterbury Stakes (1300m). Supporting the two Group 1 races are the:

• 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).

Challenge Stakes Barrier Draw 2026

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

Challenge Stakes Nominations 2026

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

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

Challenge Stakes Weights 2026

Weight for age conditions apply to this race. Final weights are announced at 4 PM on the Tuesday of race week with the official 2026 Challenge Stakes weights on the final acceptors to be published in our above Challenge Stakes Field section. 

Challenge Stakes Acceptances 2026

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

Challenge Stakes Jockeys 2026

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

Challenge Stakes Scratchings 2026

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

Challenge Stakes Prize Money 2026

The 2026 Challenge Stakes prize purse is worth $500,000 in total, distributed from places first through to tenth.

Place	Prize Money
1st	$287,000
2nd	$94,000
3rd	$49,500
4th	$22,250
5th	$12,250
6th	$5,000
7th	$5,000
8th	$5,000
9th	$5,000
10th	$5,000

Challenge Stakes Race Number 2026

The 2026 Challenge Stakes race number is scheduled as Randwick Race 7 at 4:00pm (AEDT) on Saturday, March 7, 2026. There are ten races in total that day at Randwick Racecourse.

Challenge 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 Challenge Stakes Form Guide following final acceptances. 

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2026 CHALLENGE STAKES FORM GUIDE

Challenge Stakes Live 2026

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

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

Radio: Radio Sport National

Streaming: Racing NSW

Challenge Stakes Winners

Winners of the Challenge Stakes going back to the year 2000 are displayed in the table below. For a full list of winners going back to 1906, please check our Challenge Stakes winners’ page.

Year	Winner	Trainer/s	Jockey	Weight	Time
2026	Generosity	Chris Waller	James McDonald	56.5 kgs	0:56.63
2025	Jedibeel	Brad Widdup	Tyler Schiller	58.5 kgs	0:55.97
2024	Passive Aggressive	Grahame Begg	Jordan Childs	56.5 kgs	0:56.61
2023	Passive Aggressive	Grahame Begg	Jordan Childs	56.5 kgs	0:57.19
2022	Eduardo	Joe Pride	Nash Rawiller	58.5 kgs	0:59.06
2021	Eduardo	Joe Pride	Nash Rawiller	58.5 kgs	0:55.20 (R)
2020	Nature Strip	Chris Waller	James McDonald	58.5 kgs	0:56.87
2019	Ball Of Muscle	Joesph Pride	Glyn Schofield	58.5 kgs	0:55.78
2018	Redzel	Peter & Paul Snowden	Kerrin McEvoy	58.5 kgs	0:55.73
2017	English	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Blake Shinn	56.5 kgs	0:59.99
2016	English	Gai Waterhouse	Tommy Berry	54 kgs	0:56.57
2015	Miracles Of Life	Paul Snowden	Hugh Bowman	56.5 kgs	0:56.72
2014	Villa Verde	Anthony Cummings	James McDonald	54 kgs	0:57.30
2013	Snitzerland	Gerald Ryan	Corey Brown	54 kgs	0:56.16
2012	Rain Affair	Joseph Pride	Corey Brown	58.5 kgs	1:03.73
2011	Hay List	John McNair	Glyn Schofield	58.5 kgs	0:56.89
2010	De Lightning Ridge	Joseph Pride	Glyn Schofield	56.5 kgs	0:55.92
2009	Olonana	John O’Shea	Tim Clark	54 kgs	0:56.92
2008	Hurried Choice	David Payne	Jeff Lloyd	53.5 kgs	0:57.35
2007	Spark Of Life	Allan Denham	Zac Purton	58.5 kgs	0:56.89
2006	Snitzel	Gerald Ryan	Craig Newitt	55.5 kgs	0:56.80
2005	Impaler	David Atkins	Dale Spriggs	57.5 kgs	0:56.25
2004	Star Of Florida	Pat Duff	Patrick Payne	57.5 kgs	0:56.39
2003	Star Of Florida	Pat Duff	Patrick Payne	55.5 kgs	0:56.58
2002	Bomber Bill	Russell Cameron	Damien Oliver	57.5 kgs	0:56.54
2001	Pimpala Prince	Gordon Yorke	Shane Treweek	57.5 kgs	0:59.24
2000	Easy Rocking	Ron Quinton	Darren Beadman	54.5 kgs	0:56.90