Chris Waller‘s currently undefeated mare, Autumn Glow, is the short-priced all-in favourite of the 96 Epsom Handicap 2025 nominations which were taken by Racing NSW on Monday.

Early entries for a number of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival features closed this week including those for the Group 1 $1.5 million Epsom Handicap (1600m) which is set to run at Randwick on October 4.

2025 Epsom Handicap Nominations: Quick Glance

• 96 total nominations taken
• 25 entries for Chris Waller chasing his sixth win
• Autumn Glow outright $2.40 favourite for Waller through Ladbrokes.com.au
• Defending champion Ceolwulf at a current all-in price of $15 to go back-to-back
• Last year’s runner-up Tom Kitten at $26 to go one better in 2025
• Ciaron Maher chases his first win with eight entries led by Kiwi expat Willydoit

The Epsom Handicap, often a key form line into the Cox Plate, has been won by a host of turf greats including Desert War (2004 & 2005), Shogun Lodge (2000), Super Impose (1990 & 1991), Imposing (1979), Gunsynd (1971), and Sky High (1961).

More recently, the standout Epsom Handicap champion was Winx (2015).

Master horseman Waller, who has won the race five times including with Winx and most recently Rediener (2023), has a bumper 25 Epsom Handicap nominees this season including outright favourite Autumn Glow.

The four-year-old daughter of The Autumn Sun has won her opening five career starts at time of publish including her impressive first-up Group 3 Toy Show Quality win in the wet.

She is a dual nominee at Randwick this weekend set to have her next-up start in either the Group 2 Theo Marks or Sheraco Stakes.

Autumn Glow is already at $2.40 in the latest Epsom Handicap odds at Ladbrokes.com.au to continue Waller’s good affinity in the event and become the first mare to salute since Probabeel in 2020.

Other notable Waller trained entries include the autumn’s five-length Australian Derby winning filly Aeliana, Angel Capital who won the Listed Chautauqua Stakes last Saturday by nearly four lengths, Lazzura who resumed with a Show County Quality victory, and Lindermann who returned to winning form in style with an upset in last weekend’s Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes.

So dominant is Autumn Glow in all-in Epsom betting that the next best fancied is Linebacker at $11 for John O’Shea & Tom Charlton.

The four-year-old Super Seth gelding beat Broadsiding home in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas at the track and trip last prep and resumed with a midfield finish behind Pericles in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes with improvement expected as he gets back up to a mile.

The Tramway winner Pericles was eye-catching in his spring return with the Godolphin galloper, now with Bjorn Baker, firming into $15 for the Epsom after his resuming victory.

Last year’s Epsom Handicap winner was the Joe Pride trained Ceolwulf who went on to frank the form with a next-up Group 1 King Charles III Stakes victory.

Ceolwulf has had two runs this time in for back-to-back fourths in the Group 1 Winx Stakes and Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes and is at $15 to become the first dual Epsom hero since Desert War (2004-05).

Third pick in the futures Epsom Handicap odds at $13 is the New Zealand raider Willydoit.

The aforementioned Jamie Richards trained Kiwi mare Probabeel (2020) was the last New Zealand trained Epsom champ and there’s early money for Willydoit, now trained down under by Ciaron Maher, to be the next winner from across the ditch.

Tarzino gelding Willydoit is best known for his 2.3 length romp home in the Group 1 NZ Derby after which he travelled down under for a credible fourth to Aeliana in the ATC Derby.

He kicked off his four-year-old campaign in last Saturday’s Tramway Stakes and was doing his best work late running a first-up eighth only 3.4 lengths beaten.

Maher is yet to taste success in the Epsom Handicap but has a strong contingent of eight early entries this season including also the reigning CF Orr champion Another Wil and his Melbourne Cup fourth placed mare from last spring Zardozi.

Other significant entries including the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott trained 2024 third placegetter Royal Patronage, Randwick and Rosehill Guineas third placegetter Swiftfalcon, and last year’s runner-up Tom Kitten.

Click here to view the full Epsom Handicap nominations.

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