Stephen Marsh‘s undefeated New Zealand raider Well Written sits top of all-in betting on one of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival‘s premier races following the official 2026 Epsom Handicap nominations taken on Monday.

Set to run at Randwick Racecourse on Saturday October 3, this year’s Group 1 $1.5 million Epsom Handicap (1600m) is already shaping up as a beauty with 92 early entries for the time-honoured mile classic.

2026 Epsom Handicap Nominations at a Glance

• 92 entries
• 18 for last year’s winning trainer Chris Waller
• Unbeaten Kiwi mare Well Written the early favourite
• 2024 champion Ceolwulf one of four for Joe Pride
• Gringotts (Ciaron Maher) and Sheza Alibi (Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman) the equal highest rated entries
• 7 three-year-olds out to be the first since 1959 to win

Sitting top of the latest Epsom Handicap odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au is Written Tycoon mare, Well Written, who took her impressive career record up to six-from-six in the $3 million The Kiwi race back on March 7.

She’s looking an imposing force ahead of her maiden Australian campaign as an already two-time winner over the 1600m having dominated the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas by 2.5 lengths last November before a six-length demolition job in the Karaka 3YO Millions in January.

On the local front, trainer Chris Waller has another typically strong 18-horse contingent among the Epsom nominations in 2026 led by the current second favourite, Autumn Boy.

Waller has prepared six Epsom Handicap winners since 2010 including his stellar mare Autumn Glow last year and looks to have a huge chance at back-to-back victories this season.

Autumn Boy completed the Caulfield Guineas – Rosehill Guineas as a three-year-old last season and is tipped to improve off his resuming eighth to runaway champ Beiwacht in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last weekend as he gets up in trip.

Among the other standout Waller-trained nominees are the flying Althoff and Mr Miller who have both recently won back-to-back races in easier company, his class mares Lady Shenandoah and Lazzura, as well as Lindermann fresh off his successful Chelmsford Stakes title defence over the weekend.

Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman‘s brilliant mare Sheza Alibi, won the Randwick Guineas – Doncaster Mile double over the Epsom track and trip last prep, is the highest-rated of the Epsom Handicap nominations (118) having resumed with a brave second to last year’s champ Autumn Glow in the Group 1 Winx Stakes.

The team are yet to confirm her spring campaign, but with the likely top weight in the Epsom Handicap, she could be set for WFA targets instead.

Gringotts for Ciaron Maher is the other highest rated and likely weighted Epsom contender with the dual Big Dance champion having finished a first-up third in the Winx.

Maher is yet to win the Epsom Handicap and Gringotts is one of four entries for the stable with Salty Pearl his other top chance.

There are plenty of elite Group 1 performers out to add the Epsom trophy to their CVs including Lindsay Park’s evergreen warhorse Mr Brightside who ran out of his skin in the Memsie for second as a nine-year-old.

Joe Pride has a strong recent Epsom Handicap record having won twice in the past six years with Private Eye (2021) and Ceolwulf (2024).

He also has four entries including Ceolwulf, last weekend’s Tramway winner Headley Grange and the current third favourite Attica.

Seven three-year-olds feature in the list of early potential runners, but Noholme (1959) and Espiegle (1884) are the only three-year-old Epsom Handicap winners throughout history. 

Other key entries include Matthew Smith‘s Queen of the Turf winner Idle Flyer, progressive Written Tycoon entire Skyhook, the Michael Freedman-trained surprise Tramway runner-up Soothsayer and last year’s runner-up Fully Lit.

Epsom Handicap 2026 final acceptances are taken on Tuesday September 29.

Click here for the full list of 2026 Epsom Handicap nominations.