The Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes is a 1200m sprint for 2YO fillies held on Verry Elleegant Stakes Day leading up to the Golden Slipper Stakes.
2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes Results
- 1st: #1 Manaal
- 2nd: #11 Fly Fly
- 3rd: #6 Extreme Diva
Sweet Embrace Stakes News
- Golden Slipper Favourite Learning To Fly Wins Inglis Millennium 2023
- Sweet Embrace Stakes Results 2022: Golden Slipper Next Race For Fireburn
- 2022 Chipping Norton Stakes Day: Randwick Scratchings & Track Report
- Sweet Embrace Winner Hungry Heart into Golden Slipper 2020
- 2020 Chipping Norton Stakes Day: Randwick Scratchings & Track Report
The Sweet Embrace Stakes is a Group 2 sprint for two-year-old fillies run over 1200m at Royal Randwick Racecourse on Verry Elleegant Stakes Day (formerly Chipping Norton Stakes Day) in late February or early March during the autumn.
The Sydney meeting is headlined by the weight-for-age Group 1 Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m) and the recently upgraded Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) for three-year-old fillies. Chipping Norton Stakes Day also features a number of other Group status support races including the Sweet Embrace Stakes and the colts & geldings equivalent – the Group 2 Skyline Stakes (1200m).
Both the Skyline Stakes and the Sweet Embrace Stakes offer $300,000 in prize money as of 2024 and a ballot exemption to the winner into the Group 1 $4.92 million Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m).
The last fillies to win the Sweet Embrace Stakes – Golden Slipper double were Crystal Lily (2010) and Fireburn (2022).
Fillies may come into the Sweet Embrace Stakes field via other two-year-old autumn races including the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m) run at Rosehill the Saturday before or the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) also held at Rosehill but in late January.
After the Sweet Embrace Stakes Stakes the two-year-old fillies may have another Golden Slipper Stakes lead-up in the following Saturday’s Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) run at Royal Randwick.
The $2 million Inglis Millennium (1100m) held at the track a fortnight earlier also serves as a potential lead-up for Inglis graduates. In 2023 Lazzago improved on a fourth in the Inglis Millennium to win the Sweet Embrace Stakes.
In 2018 the Sweet Embrace Stakes winner Seabrook went on to win the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) later that autumn.
The 2022 Sweet Embrace Stakes form was franked with the winner Fireburn going on to win both the Golden Slipper as well as the Group 1 Inglis Sires’ (1400m) that autumn before a second in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m). The Sweet Embrace runner-up She’s Extreme finished second in the Sires’ before turning the tables to win the Champagne Stakes. She’s Extreme further franked the form that spring with a host of top three runs in Group 1 company before her win in the VRC Oaks at Flemington.
The 2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes ran on Saturday March 2, 2024 as a key Golden Slipper lead-up and was won by the Michael Freedman-trained favourite Manaal ($2.05F).
| Sweet Embrace Stakes 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Saturday March 2, 2024 |
| Track: | Royal Randwick Racecourse |
| Distance: | 1200m |
| Race Type: | Set Weights / 2YO Fillies |
| Status: | Group 2 |
| Prize Money: | $300,000 |
2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes Results
- 1st: #1 Manaal ($2.05F)
- 2nd: #11 Fly Fly
- 3rd: #6 Extreme Diva
Michael Freedman’s Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes winning filly Manaal ($2.05F) was back in winning form second-up with a dominant performance coming wide on the home straight off a perfectly-timed ride by Tommy Berry to win her Golden Slipper lead-up for the punters in the Sweet Embrace Stakes 2024 results.
Click here to read more on the good 2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes victory by Manaal.
2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes Results & Finishing Order
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Starting Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | MANAAL | Michael Freedman | Tommy Berry | 6 | 55.5kg | $2.05F | |||
| 2 | 11 | FLY FLY | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Jason Collett | 1.17L | 11 | 55.5kg | $7 | ||
| 3 | 6 | EXTREME DIVA | Anthony Cummings | Chad Schofield | 2.32L | 12 | 55.5kg | $13 | ||
| 4 | 4 | CHATEAU MIRAVAL | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 3.03L | 7 | 55.5kg | $5.50 | ||
| 5 | 12 | DIDDLE DUMPLING | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou | Regan Bayliss | 3.43L | 2 | 55.5kg | $41 | ||
| 6 | 3 | TOTOKA | Paul Perry | Dylan Gibbons (a) | 3.89L | 9 | 55.5kg | $21 | ||
| 7 | 5 | PHOTOGRAPHICS (NZ) | John Sargent | Kerrin McEvoy | 4.7L | 3 | 55.5kg | $13 | ||
| 8 | 9 | VALABING | David Payne | Adam Hyeronimus | 6.48L | 10 | 55.5kg | $91 | ||
| 9 | 7 | WAVE BREAKER | Peter & Paul Snowden | Tyler Schiller | 7.94L | 4 | 55.5kg | $8.50 | ||
| 10 | 10 | ASTERIDE | Robert & Luke Price | Ashley Morgan | 10.55L | 8 | 55.5kg | $101 | ||
| 11 | 13 | MONTANA DAWN | John Thompson | Reece Jones | 10.65L | 5 | 55.5kg | $101 | ||
| 12 | 14 | ZOUNAKA | John Thompson | Tom Marquand | 11.85L | 1 | 55.5kg | $71 | ||
| 8 | DRIFTING | Peter & Paul Snowden | Tom Sherry | 0 | ||||||
| 2 | CASTANYA | Annabel Neasham | Zac Lloyd (a) | 0 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes Betting Odds
The current season’s Sweet Embrace Stakes 2024 betting odds on the fillies heading towards the Golden Slipper Stakes field will be available below as soon as released.
Four Moves Ahead ($2.70 in 2021) and Manaal ($2.05 in 2024) are the latest favourites in Sweet Embrace Stakes betting to win.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2024 SWEET EMBRACE STAKES ODDS (Final Field)
2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes Form Guide
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2024 SWEET EMBRACE STAKES FORM GUIDE
2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes Tips
Stay tuned for our insider Sweet Embrace Stakes 2024 Tips on the autumn showdown for fillies this February.
- To Win: #1 Manaal ($2.10 at time of publish) – BET NOW
This year’s Sweet Embrace Stakes is wide open, but I’m sticking with the favourite, Manaal, to find her winning form again. The Michael Freedman-trained filly is well drawn in barrier six with Tommy Berry in the saddle, and this will be her third career start. She impressed with a narrow Group 3 win in her debut at Randwick last year and followed up with a solid second in the Group 3 Widden Stakes. While she was well-beaten by the talented Lady Of Camelot in the latter race, she faces a slightly easier field here and returns to her home track. Considering her strong form and favourable draw, Manaal is a compelling choice.
2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes Field
Each autumn the Sweet Embrace Stakes field attracts a line-up of promising two-year-old fillies eyeing a run in the Golden Slipper Stakes field in a fortnight’s time.
The official 2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes field and barriers are set for release by Racing NSW on Wednesday February 28, 2024 and will be published in full below.
Group 3 winner Manaal second-up from a good gate headlines the Sweet Embrace Stakes 2024 final field of Golden Slipper-bound fillies at Randwick on Saturday.
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1×2 | MANAAL | Michael Freedman | Tommy Berry | 6 | 55.5kg | |||
| 2 | 21 | CASTANYA | Annabel Neasham | Zac Lloyd (a) | 14 | 55.5kg | |||
| 3 | 9×1 | TOTOKA | Paul Perry | Dylan Gibbons (a) | 10 | 55.5kg | |||
| 4 | 1 | CHATEAU MIRAVAL | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 8 | 55.5kg | |||
| 5 | 1x | PHOTOGRAPHICS (NZ) | John Sargent | Kerrin McEvoy | 3 | 55.5kg | |||
| 6 | 43 | EXTREME DIVA | Anthony Cummings | Chad Schofield | 13 | 55.5kg | |||
| 7 | 3 | WAVE BREAKER | Peter & Paul Snowden | Tyler Schiller | 4 | 55.5kg | |||
| 8 | 1 | DRIFTING | Peter & Paul Snowden | Tom Sherry | 7 | 55.5kg | |||
| 9 | 6×5 | VALABING | David Payne | Adam Hyeronimus | 11 | 55.5kg | |||
| 10 | 4×4 | ASTERIDE | Robert & Luke Price | Ashley Morgan | 9 | 55.5kg | |||
| 11 | 4 | FLY FLY | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Jason Collett | 12 | 55.5kg | |||
| 12 | 4 | DIDDLE DUMPLING | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou | Regan Bayliss | 2 | 55.5kg | |||
| 13 | MONTANA DAWN | John Thompson | Reece Jones | 5 | 55.5kg | ||||
| 14 | ZOUNAKA | John Thompson | Tom Marquand | 1 | 55.5kg |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes Nominations
Early nominations for the Sweet Embrace Stakes in 2024 close the Monday of race week and will be updated here once announced.
| Last 10 | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4×4 | ASTERIDE | F | 2 | Robert & Luke Price | |
| 2 | 21 | CASTANYA | F | 2 | Annabel Neasham | |
| 3 | 1 | CHATEAU MIRAVAL | F | 2 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | |
| 4 | 4 | DIDDLE DUMPLING | F | 2 | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou | |
| 5 | 1 | DRIFTING | F | 2 | Peter & Paul Snowden | |
| 6 | 43 | EXTREME DIVA | F | 2 | Anthony Cummings | |
| 7 | 4 | FLY FLY | F | 2 | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | |
| 8 | 1×2 | MANAAL | F | 2 | Michael Freedman | |
| 9 | MONTANA DAWN | F | 2 | John Thompson | ||
| 10 | 73×6 | NYMPHADORA | F | 2 | Stephen O’Halloran | |
| 11 | 1x | PHOTOGRAPHICS (NZ) | F | 2 | John Sargent | |
| 12 | 2 | REASONABLE POINT | F | 2 | Ben Brisbourne | |
| 13 | 1 | TOO DARN LIZZIE | F | 2 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | |
| 14 | 9×1 | TOTOKA | F | 2 | Paul Perry | |
| 15 | 6×5 | VALABING | F | 2 | David Payne | |
| 16 | 3 | WAVE BREAKER | F | 2 | Peter & Paul Snowden | |
| 17 | ZOUNAKA | F | 2 | John Thompson |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
Sweet Embrace Stakes History
The Sweet Embrace Stakes is named in honour of the 1967 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Sweet Embrace who scored an upset breaking her maiden status in the classic at odds of 40/1. The race was first run in 1979 as a Listed event. It gained Group 3 status in 1987 before being elevated to its current Group 2 status from 2013 onwards.
The event has taken place at a number of different race tracks around Sydney including Canterbury Park, Rosehill Gardens and Royal Randwick.
Notable Sweet Embrace Stakes winners include subsequent Golden Slipper winners Dark Eclipse (1980), Ha Ha (2001), Crystal Lily (2010), and Seabrook (2018).
Recent Sweet Embrace Stakes Winners
See below for a list of Sweet Embrace Stakes winners and place-getters dating back to 2000.
| Year | Place | Horse | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Manaal | 1 minute 10.37 seconds |
| 2nd | Fly Fly | ||
| 3rd | Extreme Diva | ||
| 2023 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Lazzago | 1 minute 10.76 seconds |
| 2nd | Facile | ||
| 3rd | Blanc De Blanc | ||
| 2022 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Fireburn | 1 minute 15.18 seconds |
| 2nd | She’s Extreme | ||
| 3rd | Lady Laguna | ||
| 2021 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Four Moves Ahead | 1 minute 10.50 seconds |
| 2nd | She’s All Class | ||
| 3rd | Mallory | ||
| 2020
Sweet Embrace Stakes |
Hungry Heart | 1 minute 9.64 seconds | |
| 2nd | Stellar Pauline | ||
| 3rd | Dismissal | ||
| 2019 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Anaheed | 1 minute 9.72 seconds |
| 2nd | Still Single | ||
| 3rd | Let It Pour | ||
| 2018 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Seabrook | 1 minute 10.96 seconds |
| 2nd | Fiesta | ||
| 3rd | Into The Abyss | ||
| 2017 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | One More Honey | 1 minute 12.28 seconds |
| 2nd | Arctic Angel | ||
| 3rd | Teaspoon | ||
| 2016 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Scarlet Rain | 1 minute 9.5 seconds |
| 2nd | In The Vanguard | ||
| 3rd | Tale Of Choice | ||
| 2015 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Always Allison | 1 minute 10.7 seconds |
| 2nd | Speak Fondly | ||
| 3rd | Tibrogargan Miss | ||
| 2014 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Believe Yourself | 1 minute 11.2 seconds |
| 2nd | Twirl | ||
| 3rd | Tetsuko | ||
| 2013 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Romantic Moon | 1 minute 10.0 seconds |
| 2nd | Thump | ||
| 3rd | Greytfilly | ||
| 2012 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Jade Marauder | 1 minute 11.2 seconds |
| 2nd | Valerio | ||
| 3rd | Kyria | ||
| 2011 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Shared Reflections | 1 minute 9.5 seconds |
| 2nd | Streama | ||
| 3rd | Pane In The Glass | ||
| 2010 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Crystal Lily | 1 minute 9.0 seconds |
| 2nd | Ambers Waltz | ||
| 3rd | Zutara | ||
| 2009 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Headway | 1 minute 11.1 seconds |
| 2nd | Lovemelikearock | ||
| 3rd | Horizons | ||
| 2008 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Stripper | 1 minute 11.0 seconds |
| 2nd | Glowlamp | ||
| 3rd | Samantha Miss | ||
| 2007 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Chinchilla Rose | 1 minute 10.1 seconds |
| 2nd | Vecchia Roma | ||
| 3rd | Moonboat | ||
| 2006 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Universal Queen | 1 minute 11.4 seconds |
| 2nd | Tuesday Joy | ||
| 3rd | Pure Energy | ||
| 2005 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Carry On Cutie | 1 minute 10.5 seconds |
| 2nd | Media | ||
| 3rd | Flion Fenea | ||
| 2004 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Burning Sands | 1 minute 11.9 seconds |
| 2nd | All Knowledge | ||
| 3rd | Written By Xaar | ||
| 2003 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Legally Bay | 1 minute 10.0 seconds |
| 2nd | How Funny | ||
| 3rd | Bella Corona | ||
| 2002 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Victory Vein | 1 minute 9.9 seconds |
| 2nd | Chuckle | ||
| 3rd | Calaway Gal | ||
| 2001 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Ha Ha | 1 minute 11.0 seconds |
| 2nd | Moonflute | ||
| 3rd | Palais | ||
| 2000 Sweet Embrace Stakes |
1st | Dynamic Love | 1 minute 11.7 seconds |
| 2nd | Tyrolean | ||
| 3rd | Ateates | ||
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