Colin Stephen Quality

The Colin Stephen Quality is a Group 3 event held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse on Golden Rose Stakes Day offering the winner a ballot exemption for the Group 1 The Metropolitan.

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Results

  • 1st: #6 Athabascan
  • 2nd: #7 Al Aabir
  • 3rd: #2 Desert Icon



The Colin Stephen Quality is a Group 3 staying event held at Sydney’s Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in late September during the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival.

Raced under quality handicap conditions, the Colin Stephen Quality is worth $250,000 total prize money. Open to horses aged three years and older, the Colin Stephen Quality attracts an exciting field each year. Run over 2400m it attracts local Sydney and interstate stayers, but often runs under capacity.

The Colin Stephen Quality is held on Golden Rose Stakes Day alongside a number of other Group events. The meeting’s marquee race is the Group 1 $1 million Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) for three-year-olds, while the $400,000 Group 2 Golden Pendant (1400m) for fillies and mares is the second richest event on the program.

The Colin Stephen Quality winner is exempt from ballot for the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) run over the same distance at Royal Randwick the following Saturday on Epsom Handicap Day. Railings (2005) was the last horse to do the Colin Stephen / The Metropolitan Handicap double. Railings also continued on to win the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) in Melbourne.

As part of their lead-up to the Colin Stephen Quality, horses may have run in the previous Friday’s Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) or the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) run at Randwick the Saturday before Golden Rose Day.

The form out of the 2021 Colin Stephen Quality was franked with the winner Entente going on to run second in that year’s The Metropolitan results.

The 2023 Colin Stephen Quality was held on Saturday September 23, 2023 as part of Golden Rose Day in Sydney with the John O’Shea-trained Athabascan ($4.20) getting up late to win ahead of a Melbourne Cup target this November. 

Colin Stephen Quality
Date: Saturday September 23, 2023
Track: Rosehill Gardens
Distance: 2400m
Conditions: 3YO&UP Quality Handicap
Status: Group 3
Prizemoney: $250,000

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Results

  • 1st: #6 Athabascan ($4.20)
  • 2nd: #7 Al Aabir
  • 3rd: #2 Desert Icon

A lovely ride by Tom Sherry got John O’Shea’s in-form French import Athabascan ($4.20) home late with a flashing finish down the outside to swamp the field and nail the favourite Al Aabir right on the line in the 2023 Colin Stephen Quality results ahead of the Melbourne Cup-bound runner’s next-up run on October 7 in the Group 3 The Bart Cummings at Flemington.

Click here to read more on the powerful late win by Athabascan in the Colin Stephen Quality 2023.

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Results & Finishing Order

Finish No. Horse Trainer Jockey Margin Bar. Weight Penalty Starting Price
1 6 ATHABASCAN (FR) John O’Shea Tom Sherry 6 55kg $4.20
2 7 AL AABIR (IRE) Chris Waller Joao Moreira 0.31L 5 54.5kg $3.80F
3 2 DESERT ICON (FR) Chris Waller Ryan Moore 0.6L 10 58.5kg $9
4 3 SIR LUCAN (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Regan Bayliss 0.96L 3 58.5kg $18
5 12 LITTLE MIX Annabel Neasham Kerrin McEvoy 2.15L 4 53kg $19
6 4 FANCY MAN (IRE) Annabel Neasham Adam Hyeronimus 3.35L 9 57.5kg $21
7 11 OUTLANDOS John Sargent Ms Rachel King 3.54L 7 53kg $17
8 1 ALEGRON James Cummings Nash Rawiller 4.85L 12 59kg $14
9 9 VERONA (NZ) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Zac Lloyd (a) 6.47L 8 53kg $3.90
10 5 TRUE MARVEL (FR) Matthew Smith Ms Kathy O’Hara 6.52L 2 56kg $101
11 10 FAY’S ANGELS Karen Owen Ms Madeline Owen (a) 7L 1 53kg $151
12 8 SOUTHERN FRANCE (IRE) Matthew Smith Dylan Gibbons (a) 16.63L 11 54.5kg $151

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Betting Odds

Stay tuned for the up-to-date Colin Stephen Quality 2023 betting odds and market links to Ladbrokes.com.au on the Group 3 lead-up into The Metropolitan race.

Julienas ($2.60 in 2013) and Entente ($4.60 in 2021) are the latest favourites in Colin Stephen Quality betting to salute for the punters.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2023 COLIN STEPHEN QUALITY ODDS (Final Field)

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Form

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2023 COLIN STEPHEN QUALITY FORM GUIDE

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Colin Stephen Quality 2023 Tips on the important The Metropolitan lead-up this spring.

  • To Win: #9 Verona ($4.60 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Open edition of The Metrop lead-up but Verona looks a standout at a decent price coming into the Group 3 off some strong form. The Kiwi-bred mare is from the powerhouse Ciaron Maher & David Eustace stable and has previous winning form at the track and trip. She is rock hard fit and was huge two back here saluting over the 1400m with 59kg by four lengths in a Benchmark 78. Listed Tatt’s Cup (2400m) third at Randwick last time out. Comes back in weight and returns to Rosehill here so can turn the tables on her last start conqueror.

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Field

The 2023 Colin Stephen Quality final field and barrier draw are released on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below.

The Colin Stephen Quality 2023 field features a smart line-up of spring stayers led in betting by the John O’Shea-trained Athabascan coming off a Listed Tatt’s Cup win over 2400m at Randwick.

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Probable Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 106x74x600 ALEGRON James Cummings Nash Rawiller 12 59kg 101
2 x267224664 DESERT ICON (FR) Chris Waller Ryan Moore 10 58.5kg 100
3 80x1390x70 SIR LUCAN (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Regan Bayliss 3 58.5kg 100
4 302x858x58 FANCY MAN (IRE) Annabel Neasham Adam Hyeronimus 9 57.5kg 98
5 52302813×8 TRUE MARVEL (FR) Matthew Smith Ms Kathy O’Hara 2 56kg 95
6 x8537Px991 ATHABASCAN (FR) John O’Shea Tom Sherry 6 55kg 93
7 122317×467 AL AABIR (IRE) Chris Waller Joao Moreira 5 54.5kg 92
8 5x78x000x0 SOUTHERN FRANCE (IRE) Matthew Smith Dylan Gibbons (a) 11 54.5kg 92
9 60x0x09413 VERONA (NZ) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Zac Lloyd (a) 8 53kg 90
10 376×624116 FAY’S ANGELS Karen Owen Ms Madeline Owen (a) 1 53kg 64
11 4984191280 OUTLANDOS John Sargent Ms Rachel King 7 53kg 89
12 123x632x33 LITTLE MIX Annabel Neasham Kerrin McEvoy 4 53kg 71

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2023 Colin Stephen Quality Nominations

The 2023 Colin Stephen Quality nominations are taken by Racing NSW on the Monday leading-up to Golden Rose Stakes Day and will be available in full below.

Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Ballot Weight True Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 106x74x600 ALEGRON G 5 James Cummings 1 59kg 59kg 101
2 x267224664 DESERT ICON (FR) G 8 Chris Waller 2= 58.5kg 58.5kg 100
3 80x1390x70 SIR LUCAN (IRE) G 6 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 2= 58.5kg 58.5kg 100
4 302x858x58 FANCY MAN (IRE) G 6 Annabel Neasham 4 57.5kg 57.5kg 98
5 2415931×17 DENY KNOWLEDGE (IRE) M 6 Michael Kent 5 55kg 55kg 97
6 52302813×8 TRUE MARVEL (FR) G 8 Matthew Smith 6 56kg 56kg 95
7 x8537Px991 ATHABASCAN (FR) G 5 John O’Shea 7 55kg 55kg 93
8 122317×467 AL AABIR (IRE) G 5 Chris Waller 8= 54.5kg 54.5kg 92
9 5x78x000x0 SOUTHERN FRANCE (IRE) G 9 Matthew Smith 8= 54.5kg 54.5kg 92
10 60x0x09413 VERONA (NZ) M 5 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 10 54kg 53kg 90
11 376×624116 FAY’S ANGELS M 4 Karen Owen 11 54kg 53kg 64
12 4984191280 OUTLANDOS G 7 John Sargent 12 54kg 53kg 89
13 123x632x33 LITTLE MIX M 5 Annabel Neasham 13 54kg 53kg 71

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Colin Stephen Quality History

The Colin Stephen Quality is an integral feature of NSW racing, having existed in some format since 1890. Inaugurated then as the AJC Spring Stakes, the race was known by that name for nearly half a century. In 1938, the AJC Spring Stakes was renamed the Colin Stephen Quality in honour of the former chairman of the Australian Jockey Club Sir Colin Stephen, who passed away in 1937.

Upon renaming, the Colin Stephen Quality began to be run under weight for age conditions. It remained at these conditions between 1938 and 1972. The Colin Stephen Quality was known as the AJC Queens Cup in 1976, 1988 and 2006. In 1989 and 1995, the race was known as the AJC The Japan Trophy. For a single year in 1977 it was named the AJC Jubilee Handicap.

During its extensive history there have been multiple notable winners of the Colin Stephen Quality Handicap. Some of the well-recognised Colin Stephen Quality winners include Carbine (1890), Wakeful (1902), Gloaming (1924), Phar Lap (1930, 31), Rogilla (1933, 34), Peter Pan (1935), Russia (1945, 47), Gunsynd (1972), Railings (2005) and countless other star gallopers. The Colin Stephen Quality results since 2000 are provided below.

In 2022 co-trainer Gai Waterhouse celebrated her 10th Colin Stephen Quality victory with the win by Grove Ferry who she prepared in partnership with Adrian Bott.

Colin Stephen Quality Results

Year Place Horse Time
2023
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Athabascan 2 minutes 29.13 seconds
2nd Al Aabir
3rd Desert Icon
2022
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Grove Ferry 2 minutes 29.34 seconds
2nd Cadre Du Noir
3rd Herman Hesse
2021
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Entente 2 minutes 27.36 seconds
2nd Young Rascal
3rd Fun Fact
2020
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Atorney 2 minutes 29.90 seconds
2nd Djukon
3rd Grey Lion
2019
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Stampede 2 minutes 29.87 seconds
2nd Master Of Arts
3rd Maurus
2018
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Miss Admiration 2 minutes 29.55 seconds
2nd Shalmaneser
3rd Sin To Win
2017
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Auvray 2 minutes 30.35 seconds
2nd Admiral Jello
3rd Broadside
2016
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Allergic 2 minutes 30.8 seconds
2nd Junoob
3rd Alegria
2015
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Amelie’s Star 2 minutes 30.84 seconds
2nd Bohemian Lily
3rd Reigning
2014
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Deane Martin 2 minutes 29.5 seconds
2nd Iggi Pop
3rd Celtic Prince
2013
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Julienas 2 minutes 30.5 seconds
2nd I’m Imposing
3rd Planet Purple
2012
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Kelinni 2 minutes 30.4 seconds
2nd Julienas
3rd Strawberry Boy
2011
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Lamasery 2 minutes 29.9 seconds
2nd Red Eye Special
3rd Two For Tea
2010
Colin Stephen Quality
1st No Wine No Song 2 minutes 30.4 seconds
2nd Get Up Jude
3rd Legsman
2009
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Mr Clangtastic 2 minutes 29.8 seconds
2nd Bellagio Wynn
3rd Indikator
2008
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Get Up Jude 2 minutes 31.1 seconds
2nd Tangalooma
3rd Fiumicino
2007
Colin Stephen Quality
Race Not Held
2006
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Exinite 2 minutes 28.8 seconds
2nd Scattergun
3rd Activation
2005
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Railings 2 minutes 32.6 seconds
2nd Run Rita Run
3rd Cross Bar
2004
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Don Raphael 2 minutes 29.8 seconds
2nd Dame Mapperley
3rd November Dreaming
2003
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Outlaws 2 minutes 29.2 seconds
2nd Fawaz
3rd Dashing Away
2002
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Red Trinket 2 minutes 30.5 seconds
2nd Prince Hal
3rd National Treasure
2001
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Dress Circle 2 minutes 14.9 seconds
2nd Swiss Echo
3rd Rapida
2000
Colin Stephen Quality
1st Coco Cobanna 2 minutes 31.4 seconds
2nd Dashing Scene
3rd Bias Bay

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