Winter Stakes

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

2026 Winter Stakes Odds

The 2026 Winter Stakes odds give punters an early snapshot of how the market is lining up Sydney’s toughest winter campaigners, with prices shaped by recent 1400m form, fitness progression and how each runner profiles at Randwick deep into the prep. As bookmakers open the market, shifts in the Winter Stakes odds often stem from horses trending upward through their latest runs or those producing strong late splits on wet or drying tracks, making early comparison a key play for value‑hunters. With tempo, track pattern and proven winter resilience all influencing the market, the latest Winter Stakes odds highlight which seasoned gallopers are ready to fire — and where the smart early bets are emerging.

Winter Stakes 2026 Tips

Our exclusive 2026 Winter Stakes Tips will be available here the week of the race and a detailed betting preview on the Neds Blog.

2026 WINTER STAKES DAY PREVIEW, TIPS & PREDICTIONS

Run over 1,400 metres, the Winter Stakes is a Listed race taking place at Rosehill Gardens (moved from Randwick in 2025) in July each Sydney Winter Racing Carnival. With a $200,000 prize purse, the quality handicap event attracts a quality field of mainly local hopefuls that may be heading towards bigger races over the spring later in the year. 

The Winter Stakes has been won by many quality types over the years including Dreamforce (2018) who went on to run second in the following year’s Doncaster Mile and George Main Stakes, as well as win the the 2020 Group 1 George Ryder Stakes.

Currently, Winter Stakes Day in Sydney takes place on the same date as the Sunshine Coast’s Group 3 Winx Guineas Day in Queensland making for a top day’s punting across the nation.

Winter Stakes 2026 – Quick Information

• Race Day: Saturday, July 4, 2026
• Track Location: Rosehill Racecourse
• Track Surface: Turf
• Track Direction: Right-handed
• Race Distance: 1,400 metres
• Weight Conditions: Quality handicap
• Qualification: Three-year-olds and over
• Type: Thoroughbred
• Grade: Listed
• Operator: Australian Turf Club
• Prize Purse: $200,000
• 2026 Winter Stakes Winner: TBD

Winter Stakes 2026 Results

The official 2026 Winter Stakes results will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday, July 4, 2026.  

Winter Stakes Betting 2026

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

How To Bet on The Winter Stakes in 2026

1. Join up 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 Winter Stakes Betting above).
5. Select the horse(s) for the race.

Which Horse Will Win the Winter Stakes in 2026

The best way to pick which horse will win the Winter Stakes in 2026 is to take into account their lead-up winter racing form, assess the barriers and look at the weights. 

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

• Wider Gates – The outside track has proved to be an invaluable advantage when it comes to this 1,400 metre race.
• In-Form Winter Runners – Horses coming off a top three lead-up in other Listed winter races around Sydney or Melbourne make a nice bet in the Winter Stakes. The Civic Stakes is a key lead-up into the event with Bandersnatch (2021) and Ucalledit (2023) the latest horses to complete the Civic Stakes – Winter Stakes double. Tamerlane (8th in 2024) and Estadio Mestalla (13t in 2025) are the latest Civic Stakes graduate to back up and win the Winter Stakes.
• Avdulla Factor – Jockey Brenton Avdulla has ridden three Winter Stakes winners since 2014, most recently Bandersnatch (2021).

Winter Stakes Favourites 2026

Favourites in Winter Stakes 2026 betting include the flying Bjorn Baker-trained Midnight Dynamite coming off a Listed Civic Stakes win at Randwick, Joe Pride’s third placegetter out of that same key lead-up Cool Jakey, and last start Randwick winning four-year-old Glorious Moments right down in the kilos.

Dreamforce ($3.20 in 2018) was the last Winter Stakes favourite to win.

Winter Stakes 2026 Field

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

The 2026 Winter Stakes final field features a strong line-up of smart sprinters including the flying Bjorn Baker-trained last start Civic Stakes winner Midnight Dynamite and the consistent Pierro six-year-old Cool Jakey from the stables of Joe Pride.

Rosehill R9 - Schweppes Winter Stakes (L)

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. General Salute J: Tim Clark T: Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou	232x29	G	1	58.5kg
	2. Amor Victorious J: Tom Sherry T: Bjorn Baker	19x507	G	6	57.5kg
	3. Accredited J: Aaron Bullock T: Joseph Pride	2443x7	G	7	57kg
	4. Midnight Dynamite J: Kerrin Mcevoy T: Bjorn Baker	1x1121	G	10	57kg
	5. Cool Jakey J: Adam Hyeronimus T: Joseph Pride	563313	G	11	56.5kg
	6. Mchale J: Alysha Collett T: Chris Waller	0856x5	G	2	55.5kg
	7. Whinchat J: Jay Ford T: David Pfieffer	x61x02	G	8	55kg
	8. Matusalem J: Reece Jones T: Chris Waller	x4050x	G	12	54.5kg
	9. Xidaki (10)  Scratched:
	10. Williamsburg (15)  Scratched:
	11. Mighty Ulysses J: Adam Farragher T: Annabel & Rob Archibald	7x2078	G	9	53kg
	12. Poison Chalice (13)  Scratched:
	13. Pippie Beach J: Siena Grima T: Chris Waller	10x638	M	3	53kg
	14. Thunderlips J: Winona Costin T: Bjorn Baker	2690x0	G	5	53kg
	15. Glorious Moments J: Tyler Schiller T: Jim & Greg Lee	11x161	G	4	53kg

View Results

Winter Stakes Race Day 2026

2026 Winter Stakes Day takes place at Rosehill Racecourse on Saturday, July 4, 2026. 

Winter Stakes Barrier Draw 2026

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

Winter Stakes Nominations 2026

2026 Winter Stakes nominations close by 11:00 AM on the Monday of race week. 

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	32x22443x7	ACCREDITED	G	6	Joseph Pride	100
2	x80619x507	AMOR VICTORIOUS	G	6	Bjorn Baker	101
3	13x9134x17	ARABIAN ROSE	M	4	James Healy	78
4	650×060948	COCO JAMBOO (IRE)	M	6	Annabel & Rob Archibald	88
5	x510563313	COOL JAKEY	G	6	Joseph Pride	99
6	06×4388064	DARK GLITTER	M	5	Mike Van Gestel	88
7	264x238x62	FANCIFY (NZ)	M	6	Ciaron Maher	95
8	1x33232x29	GENERAL SALUTE	G	5	Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou	103
9	90x11x161	GLORIOUS MOMENTS	G	4	Jim & Greg Lee	84
10	468×411386	GREEN FLY (GB)	G	7	Anthony & Sam Freedman	98
11	021×452200	IMPOSANT	M	5	Kris Lees	86
12	x1x41313x5	LUGH	G	5	Ciaron Maher	90
13	2813x4050x	MATUSALEM	G	5	Chris Waller	95
14	10x20856x5	MCHALE	G	5	Chris Waller	97
15	44161×1121	MIDNIGHT DYNAMITE	G	4	Bjorn Baker	100
16	00x97x2078	MIGHTY ULYSSES (GB)	G	7	Annabel & Rob Archibald	92
17	x54310x638	PIPPIE BEACH	M	5	Chris Waller	90
18	745x6350x0	POISON CHALICE (NZ)	G	6	Joseph Pride	92
19	7x042690x0	THUNDERLIPS	G	5	Bjorn Baker	90
20	4595631112	WAR ETERNAL (NZ)	G	7	Bjorn Baker	107
21	2050x61x02	WHINCHAT	G	6	David Pfieffer	96
22	0x5400x084	WILLIAMSBURG	G	6	Brett & Georgie Cavanough	93
23	970x3907x8	XIDAKI	G	5	Peter Snowden	88

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Winter Stakes Weights 2026

Quality handicap conditions apply to this race. Minimum weight is 53 kilograms. Maximum weight is 61 kilograms. Final 2026 Winter Stakes weights will be announced by 4:00 PM on the Tuesday of race week with weights on the final acceptors to be published in our above Winter Stakes Field section. 

Bandersntach (59kg in 2021) and Tamerlane (59kg in 2024) are the latest Winter Stakes top weights to win.

2026 Winter Stakes Topweight:

• No. 1 General Salute (58.5kg)

Winter Stakes Acceptances 2026

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

Winter Stakes Jockeys 2026

The final riders’ announcement is at 12:00 PM on the Wednesday of race week with the official 2026 Winter Stakes jockeys to be published in our above Winter Stakes Field section.  

Winter Stakes Scratchings 2026

2026 Winter Stakes scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Saturday, July 4, 2026. 

Winter Stakes Prize Money 2026

The 2026 Winter Stakes prize purse is worth $200,000 in total, distributed from places first through tenth.

Place	Prize Money
1st	$109,000
2nd	$36,375
3rd	$17,500
4th	$8,750
5th	$5,375
6th	$4,000
7th	$3,500
8th	$3,500
9th	$3,500
10th	$3,500

Winter Stakes Race Number 2026

The 2026 Winter Stakes race number is scheduled as Rosehill Race 9 at 3:50pm (AEST) on Saturday, July 4, 2026. There are ten races in total that day at Rosehill Racecourse.

Winter 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 Winter Stakes Form Guide following final acceptances.

COMPLETE 2026 WINTER STAKES FORM GUIDE & PREVIEW

Winter Stakes Live 2026

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

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

Radio: Radio Sport National

Streaming: Racing NSW

Winter Stakes Winners

Winners of the Winter Stakes going back to 2000 are displayed in the table below.

Year	Winner	Trainer/s	Jockey	Weight	Time
2026	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
2025	Estadio Mestalla	Joseph Pride	Dylan Gibbons	54.5 kgs	1:25.20
2024	Tamerlane	James Cummings	Zac Lloyd	59 kgs	1:24.26
2023	Ucalledit	Kris Lees	Dylan Gibbons	57.5 kgs	1:22.07
2022	Taksu	Joseph Pride	Glyn Schofield	57 kgs	1:27.84
2021	Bandersnatch	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	Brenton Avdulla	59 kgs	1:28.05
2020	Noble Boy	Clare Cunningham	Jason Collett	54 kgs	1:25.93
2019	Eckstein	Chris Waller	Blake Shinn	57.5 kgs	1:26.11
2018	Dreamforce	John Thompson	Brenton Avdulla	57.5 kgs	1:23.50
2017	Slightly Sweet	Jason Coyle	Jess Taylor	53 kgs	1:23.50
2016	Oxford Poet	Kim Waugh	Tim Clark	54 kgs	1:24.17
2015	Rugged Cross	Chris Waller	Brenton Avdulla	56 kgs	1:27.89
2014	Generalife	John O’Shea	Kerrin McEvoy	56.5 kgs	1:23.56
2013	Under The Sun	Gai Waterhouse	Thomas Huet	54.5 kgs	1:26.23
2012	Irish Dream	Ron Quinton	Glyn Schofield	54 kgs	1:24.20
2011	Scarf	Peter Snowden	Kerrin McEvoy	53 kgs	1:29.74
2010	Mr Unforgettable	Kevin Moses	Blake Spriggs	53 kgs	1:30.58
2009	Strat’s Flyer	Allan Denham	Hugh Bowman	56.5 kgs	1:32.34
2008	Innings	Ron Leemon	Rod Quinn	53 kgs	1:25.37
2007	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2006	With A Chance	Luke Griffith	Grant Buckley	54.5 kgs	1:24.42
2005	Carael Boy	Bob Milligan	Zac Purton	53.5 kgs	1:24.91
2004	Dial Tones	Jack Denham	James Innes	53 kgs	1:22.69
2003	Perfect Partner	John Hawkes	Rod Quinn	54.5 kgs	1:25.27
2002	Bulletproof Billy	Pat Farrell	Lenny Beasley	55.5 kgs	1:23.64
2001	Mr. Bureaucrat	Warwick Hailes	Adrian Robinson	57 kgs	1:24.47
2000	Zoregal	David Blundell	Kevin Moses	52 kgs	1:17.13