The spring’s Cox Plate hero, Anamoe, is the horse to beat in Saturday’s Chipping Norton Stakes 2023 with the Godolphin gun odds-on to add another Group 1 title to his growing record.

First-up Apollo Stakes winner Anamoe is short-priced favourite to take out the 2023 Chipping Norton Stakes on Saturday in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.
A dozen weight-for-age autumn hopefuls face off in this year’s Group 1 $600,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) which is one of two elite level features taking place at Royal Randwick this weekend.
The James Cummings-trained favourite Anamoe drew a treat in barrier three for ace hoop James McDonald.
The four-year-old son of Street Boss is after his eighth Group 1 success and his first since the Cox Plate at The Valley last October.
Fresh he was too good for his rivals in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at the Randwick track with J. Mac guiding the gun stallion to a perfectly timed victory.
McDonald has an excellent record in the Chipping Norton Stakes having ridden three previous winners to victory with success aboard Contributer (2015) for John O’Shea before his back-to-back wins on class mare Verry Elleegant (2021-22).
The Apollo Stakes – Chipping Norton Stakes double has been achieved plenty of times in recent years most recently by the aforementioned Contributer (2015) followed by the mighty Winx (2016, 2017 & 2019).
The latest Chipping Norton Stakes odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au have Anamoe at a short $1.70 to be the next.
Two of the main dangers come from the Chris Waller stable with Apollo Stakes placed mares Hinged ($11) and Fangirl ($8) looking to turn the tables.
Waller has an absolutely sensational record in the Chipping Norton Stakes having won the race an imposing 10 times in the past 12 years.
His Group 1 winning mares Hinged and Fangirl ran second and third respectively when running fresh in the Apollo Stakes last time out.
They are second-up in the Chipping Norton this weekend drawn barriers four and one respectively with Kerrin McEvoy on Fangirl and Brenton Avdulla riding Hinged.
Waller also saddles-up his Irish-bred Kodiac entire El Bodegon ($17) in the Chipping Norton Stakes field.
The imported Cox Plate third place-getter kicked off his autumn racing in Australia for just the second time in the Apollo Stakes running ninth.
The only other single-figure fancy in Chipping Norton Stakes betting is Annabel Neasham’s early market mover Mo’unga ($13 into $9) jumping from out wider in gate 11 with Hugh Bowman aboard.
Bowman is a seven-time Chipping Norton Stakes winning hoop with all of his victories having been aboard Waller-trained runners.
He gets the chance to add another trophy to the cabinet and win the race for a second trainer when replacing Nash Rawiller in the saddle of Savabeel five-year-old Mo’unga.
It has been a long time between drinks for the horse who hasn’t won since defeating subsequent Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant in the 2021 Winx Stakes.
He has been competitive at the highest level in plenty since however with a host of Group 1 placings and was strong fresh under two lengths back fifth in the Apollo.
Neasham has also accepted for her Power stallion Laws Of Indices ($20).
The horse, who is out to break his Randwick hoodoo having had five previous starts at the track without a top three run, was strong in the spring.
Most recently he ran third in Rosehill’s $2 million The Five Diamonds before heading to Sha Tin in December when third in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m).
An Apollo Stakes sixth saw him race back down under for the first time since his strong international performance, and he is sure to take improvement off that getting up to a mile in the Chipping Norton.
The 2023 Chipping Norton Stakes is scheduled to run as Randwick Race 8 at 4:40pm (AEDT).
Click here for the latest markets on the race courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.
2023 Chipping Norton Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19x11114x1 | ANAMOE | James Cummings | James McDonald | 3 | 59kg | 120 | ||
2 | 6x032852x5 | MO’UNGA (NZ) | Annabel Neasham | Hugh Bowman | 11 | 59kg | 112 | ||
3 | 521x13439x | KNIGHTS ORDER (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 7 | 59kg | 111 | ||
4 | 11x3418x8x | HUETOR (FR) | Peter & Paul Snowden | William Pike | 9 | 59kg | 108 | ||
5 | 09x42833x6 | LAWS OF INDICES (IRE) | Annabel Neasham | Ryan Maloney | 6 | 59kg | 108 | ||
6 | x9644188x0 | STOCKMAN (NZ) | Joseph Pride | Sam Clipperton | 10 | 59kg | 107 | ||
7 | 17123820×7 | ARAPAHO (FR) | Bjorn Baker | Ms Rachel King | 2 | 59kg | 103 | ||
8 | 542x64260x | BENAUD | John O’Shea | Chad Schofield | 5 | 59kg | 102 | ||
9 | 1x7233x3x9 | EL BODEGON (IRE) | Chris Waller | Regan Bayliss | 12 | 58.5kg | 113 | ||
10 | x718x4340x | MONTEFILIA | David Payne | Dylan Gibbons (a) | 8 | 57kg | 114 | ||
11 | 410x2562x3 | FANGIRL | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 1 | 57kg | 111 | ||
12 | 24x53358x2 | HINGED | Chris Waller | Brenton Avdulla | 4 | 57kg | 111 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.