One of the country’s last true two-mile staying races, the 2025 Sydney Cup, runs at Royal Randwick as part of The Championships Day 2 on Saturday with Alalcance favourite to post a fourth win on the trot.

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott‘s airborne Mastercraftsman mare comes into the Group 1 $2 million Sydney Cup (3200m) off a winning hat-trick this prep and is well-backed to keep the victories going up in distance on the weekend despite a wide barrier 15 draw.

After winning the Listed Randwick City Stakes (2000m) fresh on March 8, the bonny grey was huge taking out the Group 3 NE Manion Cup (2400m) second-up at Rosehill by over four lengths before her last start win in the Group 2 Chairman’s Quality (2600m) by over two and a half lengths last weekend.

That has put her at the top of the Sydney Cup betting markets at $2.80 through Ladbrokes.com.au to run out the 3200m, which she looks like she will have no issues doing, and become the first mare to win the autumn feature since Etah James in 2020.

Circle Of Fire (2024) completed the Chairman’s / Sydney Cup double last season and Alalcance is being kept short in the Group 1 markets for Saturday to repeat the feat on the short turnaround.

Alalcance is still in very well weight-wise also with the mare to carrying 52kg including her 2kg penalty, which is a notable drop from her Chairman’s winning weight of 56.5kg.

Godolphin‘s classy staying mare Zardozi occupies the second line of Sydney Cup betting at $6 with the James Cummings trained daughter of Kingman in on 53kg from gate 3 with Kerrin McEvoy to ride.

The four-year-old chases her first win since the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes back in March of 2024 so is out to break a notable drought.

That said, she has been very competitive in the country’s best long-distance events since including fourth place efforts in both the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup results last year.

This prep she has had four runs with an eye-catching third in the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 29 her most recent.

Also being kept safe in the latest Sydney Cup odds online is Ciaron Maher‘s Caulfield Cup winner from the spring, Duke De Sessa, at $8 in gate two carrying the 56.5kg topweight.

No Sydney Cup winner has carried more than 55kg to victory since Mourayan with 58kg back in 2013 but there are punters keen on Duke De Sessa to do so this season.

Harry Coffey sticks with the six-year-old son of Lope De Vega who surprised many with a first-up Group 3 JRA Plate win at Caulfield over the mile with 60kg in early February.

He has been good in his two subsequent runs posting back-to-back seconds in Flemington’s Australian Cup Prelude and the Tancred Stakes at Rosehill with 59.5kg and 59kg respectively, and he could be ready to win again here up in distance.

Maher is a three-time Sydney Cup winning trainer having prepared Circle Of Fire for his win last year, the mare Etah James in 2020 and 2023 with Explosive Jack, the latter two he won in partnership with David Eustace.

The defending champion Circle Of Fire returns this season looking to go back-to-back for the first time since Tie The Knot (1998-99) and is at a current quote of $17 to do so.

The son of Almanzor won last year’s race by two lengths on 51.5kg but will need to improve this season with 55kg on the back of a lead-up fifth to Dubai Honour in the Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m).

He suffered a further blow drawing gate 22 before any emergencies come out.

Free Eagle four-year-old Birdman meanwhile drew the inside alley with the 50kg lightweight Waller import coming off a second in last weekend’s Chairman’s.

Other notable Sydney Cup contenders include the Bjorn Baker trained eight-year-old Arapaho who ran fourth in the Tancred under two lengths beaten last start and dour Melbourne Cup performed stayer Mostly Cloudy who could be a sneaky value runner at 50/1 up to the two-miles.

The 2025 Schweppes Sydney Cup is set to run as Randwick Race 7 at 3:15pm (AEST) as part of Saturday’s bumper 10-race card.

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