The Apollo Stakes is a 1400m sprint event held at Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse in February each Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. The Group 2 Apollo Stakes is a weight-for-age event worth $250,000 in prize money.
The Apollo Stakes is held on the same Randwick race card as three other Group status races: the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m), Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) and the Group 3 Triscay Stakes (1200m) all for sprinters.
Many of the Apollo Stakes champions have come via the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) held a fortnight earlier at Rosehill Gardens and will advance on to the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) in a few weeks. Recent winners of the Apollo Stakes – Chipping Norton Stakes double include Contributer (2015) and the mighty mare Winx (2016).
The Apollo Stakes 2017 ran on Monday February 13, 2017 after hot weather postponed the Randwick meeting.
| Apollo Stakes | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Monday February 13, 2017 |
| Track: | Royal Randwick Racecourse |
| Distance: | 1400m |
| Race Type: | Weight-For-Age |
| Status: | Group 2 |
| Prize Money: | $250,000 |
2017 Apollo Stakes Results
View the official 2017 Apollo Stakes Results & Finishing Order below – following the link for a full rundown on the win by superstar mare Winx.
| Place | # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Br. | Wgt. | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | WINX | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | – | 2 | 57kg | $1.14F |
| 2 | 1 | HARTNELL (GB) | John O’Shea | James Doyle | 2.8L | 5 | 59kg | $12 |
| 3 | 7 | ENDLESS DRAMA (IRE) | Chris Waller | Tye Angland | 6.8L | 12 | 59kg | $26 |
| 4 | 5 | DIBAYANI (IRE) | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Corey Brown | 9L | 4 | 59kg | $16 |
| 5 | 6 | MAGIC HURRICANE (IRE) | John O’Shea | Christian Reith | 9.4L | 10 | 59kg | $201 |
| 6 | 2 | PREFERMENT (NZ) | Chris Waller | Jason Collett | 9.7L | 6 | 59kg | $201 |
| 7 | 3 | LEEBAZ (NZ) | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Tommy Berry | 10L | 9 | 59kg | $151 |
| 8 | 4 | LIBRAN (IRE) | Chris Waller | Brenton Avdulla | 10.1L | 11 | 59kg | $151 |
| 9 | 9 | SHIRAZ | Kim Waugh | Joshua Parr | 10.2L | 7 | 59kg | $26 |
| 10 | 14 | LASQUETI SPIRIT | Lee Curtis | Jay Ford | 10.6L | 8 | 53.5kg | $201 |
| 11 | 12 | AMBIENCE | John O’Shea | Ms Kathy O’Hara | 11.8L | 1 | 57kg | $201 |
| 12 | 8 | SACRED MASTER (NZ) | Chris Waller | Glyn Schofield | 19.7L | 3 | 59kg | $101 |
| – | 10 | SAVVY NATURE (NZ) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | – | 0 | – | – |
| – | 13 | GLOBAL GLAMOUR | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | – | 0 | – | – |
2017 Apollo Stakes Odds & Betting
The Apollo Stakes 2017 betting odds and market links will be published the week of the race so stay tuned.
2017 Apollo Stakes Field
The Apollo Stakes field usually features a talented range of sprinters from an assortment of preparations, with many trainers choosing to contest it first up. You can usually view the Apollo Stakes field from about midday onwards on the Wednesday prior to the race.
The 2017 Apollo Stakes field and barriers are set for release on Wednesday February 8, 2017 and will be published below.
The official 2017 Apollo Stakes Field & Barrier Draw can be viewed below with a detailed look at the 14 final acceptors including the reigning champion Winx found by following the link.
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Br. | Wgt. | Hcp. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x5x211123x | HARTNELL (GB) | John O’Shea | James Doyle | 7 | 59kg | 118 |
| 2 | 4110x4540x | PREFERMENT (NZ) | Chris Waller | Jason Collett | 8 | 59kg | 115 |
| 3 | 36x561019x | LEEBAZ (NZ) | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Tommy Berry | 11 | 59kg | 110 |
| 4 | x6x341112x | LIBRAN (IRE) | Chris Waller | Brenton Avdulla | 13 | 59kg | 108 |
| 5 | 4249×23292 | DIBAYANI (IRE) | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Corey Brown | 6 | 59kg | 107 |
| 6 | 7966x5340x | MAGIC HURRICANE (IRE) | John O’Shea | Christian Reith | 12 | 59kg | 105 |
| 7 | 22x3915x0x | ENDLESS DRAMA (IRE) | Chris Waller | Tye Angland | 14 | 59kg | 103 |
| 8 | 13x882140x | SACRED MASTER (NZ) | Chris Waller | Glyn Schofield | 5 | 59kg | 103 |
| 9 | 20x70x0592 | SHIRAZ | Kim Waugh | Joshua Parr | 9 | 59kg | 101 |
| 10 | 463877031x | SAVVY NATURE (NZ) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 4 | 59kg | 90 |
| 11 | 1111x1111x | WINX | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | 3 | 57kg | 132 |
| 12 | 13x850202x | AMBIENCE | John O’Shea | Ms Kathy O’Hara | 2 | 57kg | 100 |
| 13 | 1x3611x92 | GLOBAL GLAMOUR | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 1 | 53.5kg | 106 |
| 14 | 3x6538241x | LASQUETI SPIRIT | Lee Curtis | Jay Ford | 10 | 53.5kg | 100 |
2017 Apollo Stakes Nominations
The Apollo Stakes nominations usually feature a fairly decent range of runners, with some genuinely top sprinters choosing to contest the race as part of their ongoing campaign. Traditionally announced on the Monday prior to the race, the Apollo Stakes nominations are always worth listening out for.
The 2017 Apollo Stakes nominations will be published below as soon as released by Racing NSW on February 6, 2017.
Check out the official 2017 Apollo Stakes Nominations below and follow the link for an early race preview on Winx and her unlucky rivals!
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13x850202x | AMBIENCE | M | 4 | John O’Shea | 100 |
| 2 | 4249×23292 | DIBAYANI (IRE) | G | 7 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 107 |
| 3 | 5x13x1421x | DIVINE PROPHET | C | 3 | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | 104 |
| 4 | 22x3915x0x | ENDLESS DRAMA (IRE) | H | 5 | Chris Waller | 103 |
| 5 | 1x3611x92 | GLOBAL GLAMOUR | F | 3 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 106 |
| 6 | 33x726910x | GRAND MARSHAL (GB) | G | 7 | Chris Waller | 109 |
| 7 | x5x211123x | HARTNELL (GB) | G | 6 | John O’Shea | 118 |
| 8 | 1211x1110x | HE’S OUR ROKKII (NZ) | G | 4 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 108 |
| 9 | 3x6538241x | LASQUETI SPIRIT | F | 3 | Lee Curtis | 100 |
| 10 | 36x561019x | LEEBAZ (NZ) | G | 7 | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | 110 |
| 11 | x6x341112x | LIBRAN (IRE) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 108 |
| 12 | 7966x5340x | MAGIC HURRICANE (IRE) | G | 7 | John O’Shea | 105 |
| 13 | 4110x4540x | PREFERMENT (NZ) | H | 5 | Chris Waller | 115 |
| 14 | 13x882140x | SACRED MASTER (NZ) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | 103 |
| 15 | 463877031x | SAVVY NATURE (NZ) | G | 6 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 90 |
| 16 | 20x70x0592 | SHIRAZ | G | 7 | Kim Waugh | 101 |
| 17 | 1111x1111x | WINX | M | 5 | Chris Waller | 132 |
Apollo Stakes History
The first recorded win of the Apollo Stakes was in 1977 by Visit. Originally held at Royal Randwick Racecourse, the event was moved to Rosehill in 2005.
Over the past three decades, the most successful jockey was L. Dittman with four wins in 1979, 1985, 1991 and 1993. Double winners of the Apollo Stakes are Juggler in 1996-97 and Sunline in 2000-01.
2005 winner Grand Armee holds the record for the fastest race time with 1 minute 21.06 seconds. The slowest winning race time was recorded by Red Nose in 1981 with 1 minute 28.70 seconds.
The most notable recent Apollo Stakes winner was Winx (2016) who went on to make history with her eight length win in that year’s Cox Plate when defending her title in the weight-for-age classic.
See below for the Apollo Stakes results dating back to 2000.
Recent Apollo Stakes Winners
| Year | Place | Horse | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Apollo Stakes |
1st | TBD | TBD |
| 2nd | TBD | ||
| 3rd | TBD | ||
| 2017 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Winx | 1 minute 22.57 seconds |
| 2nd | Hartnell | ||
| 3rd | Endless Drama | ||
| 2016 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Winx | 1 minute 22.03 seconds |
| 2nd | Solicit | ||
| 3rd | Hauraki | ||
| 2015 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Contributer | 1 minute 22 seconds |
| 2nd | Ninth Legion | ||
| 3rd | Weary | ||
| 2014 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Appearance | 1 minutes 21.97 seconds |
| 2nd | Speediness | ||
| 3rd | Moriarty | ||
| 2013 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Alma’s Fury | 1 minutes 27.32 seconds |
| 2nd | Tougher Than Ever | ||
| 3rd | Danleigh | ||
| 2012 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Rain Affair | 1 minutes 22.3 seconds |
| 2nd | Shoot Out | ||
| 3rd | Danleigh | ||
| 2011 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Melito | 1 minutes 22.2 seconds |
| 2nd | Hot Danish | ||
| 3rd | Centennial Park | ||
| 2010 Winning Edge Presentations Classic |
1st | Danleigh | 1 minute 22.91 seconds |
| 2nd | Rangirangdoo | ||
| 3rd | Palacio De Cristal | ||
| 2009 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Tuesday Joy | 1 minute 25.78 seconds |
| 2nd | Hurried Choice | ||
| 3rd | Gallant Tess | ||
| 2008 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Racing To Win | 1 minute 24.33 seconds |
| 2nd | Tuesday Joy | ||
| 3rd | Falaise | ||
| 2007 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Desert War | 1 minute 22.23 seconds |
| 2nd | Mentality | ||
| 3rd | Eremein | ||
| 2006 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Ike’s Dream | 1 minute 22.15 seconds |
| 2nd | Shania Dane | ||
| 3rd | Desert War | ||
| 2005 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Grand Armee | 1 minute 21.06 seconds |
| 2nd | Court’s In Session | ||
| 3rd | Desert War | ||
| 2004 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Private Steer | 1 minute 23.54 seconds |
| 2nd | Excellerator | ||
| 3rd | Zanna | ||
| 2003 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Lonhro | 1 minute 22.49 seconds |
| 2nd | Hoeberg | ||
| 3rd | Carael Boy | ||
| 2002 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Ha Ha | 1 minute 23.10 seconds |
| 2nd | El Mirada | ||
| 3rd | Tie The Knot | ||
| 2001 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Sunline | 1 minute 25.45 seconds |
| 2nd | Celestial Choir | ||
| 3rd | Referral | ||
| 2000 Apollo Stakes |
1st | Sunline | 1 minute 27.69 seconds |
| 2nd | Adam | ||
| 3rd | Hire | ||