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The 2026 Missile Stakes launches Sydney’s sprinting season at Royal Randwick, and this year’s edition shapes as a sharp, high-pressure 1200m clash featuring proven first-up performers, good recent trial runners and a headline favourite looking to stamp himself as a major spring player. With last year’s race washed out, anticipation is high for the Group 2 return, and the compact field still delivers plenty of depth as the Group 1 majors fast approach.

A key lead-up to the upcoming Sydney Spring Racing Carnival features including the opening elite level of the season, the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) back at the track on August 22, the Group 2 $300,000 Missile Stakes (1200m) has drawn a final field of just eight sprinters.

Angel Capital resumes as the $2.80 favourite in Missile Stakes betting at time of publish with Ladbrokes, and the Chris Waller-trained entire brings the strongest credentials into the race.

His autumn campaign included two Group 1 placings in Melbourne before a solid sixth in the All Aged Stakes, finishing 2.5 lengths off Beiwacht. His first-up record is outstanding (4 wins from 5 attempts), and the drop back to 1200m looks ideal after two sharp trials.

Drawn well in gate three with master hoop James McDonald aboard, chasing a third win in the event, he maps to settle off the speed and launch late — the exact pattern that suits him when fresh. He’s the class runner and the one they’ll need to hold out.

Waller is confident Angel Capital is on the verge of a long-awaited Group 1 breakthrough but is first keen to get his maiden Missile Stakes trophy in the cabinet.

A triple Group 1 placegetter and last year’s Everest fourth-place finisher, Angel Capital heads the eight-horse field and has impressed Waller with two sharp recent trials, the latest a strong hit-out last Friday.

Waller says the Missile Stakes is a deliberate launching pad, with the gelding set to peak second-up at 1400m in either the Winx Stakes or, more likely, the Memsie Stakes the week after at Caulfield — a track he thrives on.

Despite entering his five-year-old season, Angel Capital continues to thrive physically and mentally, and Waller believes another Everest tilt is firmly within reach, with Yulong already holding a slot should the horse deliver another strong campaign.

Team Hawkes‘ rails-drawn Written Tycoon mare Gangsta Granny sits close behind at $3.80 Missile Stakes odds, returning with a strong fresh profile and excellent Randwick form.

She closed her last prep with a third in the G2 Sapphire Stakes, and her previous campaign began with a stylish win in the G3 Wenona Girl, proving she can absorb pressure and still produce a sharp turn of foot.

With tactical speed and a soft rails draw for Timmy Clarke to make the most of, she’s perfectly placed to stalk the pace and strike if the favourite leaves the door open.

Clark rolls into Missile Stakes Day with confidence after a treble at Rosehill, and the in-form jockey is keen to reunite with Gangsta Granny as he chases the first Sydney stakes race of the new season.

The hoop has only partnered the mare once for a luckless third in last year’s The Invitation, and he’s set to make amends after giving her a strong hit-out in a recent Randwick trial.

Gangsta Granny again brings her trademark consistency, having never missed a placing in 12 starts, and Clark credits both her toughness and the Hawkes team’s placement for her rise through the grades.

After a year spent dominating fillies and mares’ company, she now takes on the boys in the 2026 Missile Stakes, and Clark is confident she’ll measure up.

Following closely at $3.90 is the also resuming Michael Freedman-trained Ninja.

The talented Farnn four-year-old is considered the late-closing threat fresh in the Missile Stakes field.

He resumes from a five-month break and has placed first-up previously, including a strong third at Doomben last campaign.

His last run in the G1 Randwick Guineas saw him finish fifth over the mile, a run Freedman felt came at the end of his prep and at a distance that stretched him, and the return to 1200m shout better suit his pattern.

Expect him to settle midfield from gate six with Tommy Berry aboard and be one of the strongest finishers if the leaders overcook the tempo.

Freedman is taking a measured approach with Ninja this spring, keeping the talented galloper to shorter trips for now.

A stylish recent trial win suggests he’s returned stronger and more mature, and Freedman believes this campaign will reveal whether the sprinter can build toward bigger ambitions, including a possible $20 million The Everest or $10 million Golden Eagle tilt later in the spring.

The best of those not resuming who boats the fitness edge is the flying Midnight Dynamite.

The likely leader and the race-fit danger, the Bjorn Baker-trained gelding has been airborne through the winter, boasting a superb Randwick record (5:3-2-0) and arriving off a dominant Winter Challenge win.

He’ll likely spear across from his draw with Kerrin McEvoy booked for the ride, control the race early and try to pinch it from the front.

The only query is the drop back to 1200m, but his fitness and on-pace style make him a genuine Top 3 hope.

At the other end of the markets at 40/1, Fully Lit is the blowout chance who can add value to exotics.

The Waterhouse/Bott gelding hasn’t raced in 2026 but has trialled well and owns Group 1 form, including a huge second in last year’s Epsom Handicap at long odds behind the brilliant Autumn Glow.

From a favourable gate two with 56kg, he’ll settle off the pace and look to chime in late if the pressure goes on up front.

Missile Stakes 2026 Tips & Best Bets

Top Pick: No. Angel Capital – elite fresh record, perfect draw, class edge.

Danger: No. 7 Gangsta Granny – strong first-up mare with tactical speed.

Value: No. 4 Midnight Dynamite – race-fit leader who makes his own luck.

Roughie: No. 6 Fully Lit – big odds, capable fresh, strong late pattern.

Missile Stakes 2026 Same Race Multi

• Top 2: Angel Capital
• Top 3: Midnight Dynamite
• Top 5: Fully Lit

Speed Map Snapshot

Expect Midnight Dynamite to take up the lead, with roughie hope Way To The Stars and the well-supported Gangsta Granny applying pressure. Ninja, Napoleonic and Aviatress get ideal stalking runs, while Angel Capital settles just behind them ready to build late. Fully Lit goes back and looks for gaps in the closing stages. It’s a fast, honest map that suits the favourite and the late closers.

Strap in punters — the Sydney sprinting season starts here!

2026 Missile Stakes Odds