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The Group 1 Sydney Cup is held on the final race day of the esteemed ‘The Championships’ during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. Day 2 of ‘The Championships’ – also known as Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day – is one of the most exciting and valuable race days on the Australian racing calendar.

Held on the second Saturday of April* the meeting is headined by four Group 1 races including the richest race on the card – the Group 1 $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m). The other elite level features along with it and the Sydney Cup are the Group 1 ATC Oaks (2400m) for the three-year-old fillies and the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) for fillies and mares.

*In 2021 the Sydney Cup will run on the third Saturday of April with all race meetings of the autumn in Sydney from Slipper Day onwards postponed a week due to the weather.

The Sydney Cup is one of only a few Australian races run over the traditional cup distance of 3200m, the same as Australia’s most illustrious race the Melbourne Cup. This open handicap event is worth a very lucrative $2,000,000 and generally features some of the leading stayers in Australia.

All of The Championships’ races for 2020 had reduced prizemoney due to the COVID-19 pandemic including the Sydney Cup offering $1 million before being boosted back up to $2 million in 2021.

As the premier staying event during the Sydney Autumn Carnival, the Sydney Cup field attracts a high quality field of gallopers each year and notable winners include the three time Melbourne Cup winning mare Makybe Diva (2004), Tie The Knot (1998 & 1999) and Count Chivas (1996).

The best guide to the Sydney Cup in recent years has been the Group 2 Chairman’s Handicap (2600m) held the Saturday before on Doncaster Mile Day. The Chairmans Handicap / Sydney Cup is a very popular betting double.

Horses to claim victory in both races include The Offer (2014), Jessicabeel (2010), No Wine No Song (2008), Henderson Bay (2002), Linesman (1997) and King Aussie (1990).

The 2021 Sydney Cup runs on Saturday April 17, 2021. 

Sydney Cup 2021
Date:	Saturday April 17, 2021
Track:	Royal Randwick Racecourse
Distance:	3200m
Conditions:	Open Handicap
Status:	Group 1
Prize Money:	$2 million
Inaugurated:	1862

2021 Sydney Cup Results

• 1st: TBD
• 2nd: TBD
• 3rd: TBD

2021 Sydney Cup Betting

Sydney Cup betting is notoriously difficult and, just like the Melbourne Cup, is always a very open race.

In recent years favorites have a strong record in the Sydney Cup and the likes of Mahtoum (2005), No Wine No Song (2008), Ista Kareem (2009), Jessicabeel (2010), Niwot (2011) and The Offer (2014) have all given punters a positive result in the race.

However, there has also been plenty of upsets in the history of the Sydney Cup including by the likes of Just A Dancer ($41 in 1991) and Grand Marshal ($41 in 2015).

Good Sydney Cup betting tips include looking for horses that ran top four in their lead-up runs and graduates out of the previous weekend’s Chairman’s Handicap at the Randwick track.

The 2021 Sydney Cup odds will be listed below as released by Ladbrokes.com.au in the lead-up to the two mile classic.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2021 SYDNEY CUP ODDS (Final Field)

2021 Sydney Cup Form Guide

The Sydney Cup form is often very easy to follow as most horses contest either the Group 2 Chairman’s Handicap (2600m) or Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) in the lead-up to the race. The Chairman’s Handicap remains the key Sydney Cup form race.

Stay tuned for our insider Sydney Cup 2021 Form Guide & Betting Preview for all the race facts and stats to guide your selections on the two mile classic.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2021 SYDNEY CUP FORM GUIDE

2021 Sydney Cup Field

Each year the Sydney Cup field attracts the autumn’s top-class stayers many of which have had previous experience over the two miles either via an earlier year’s Sydney Cup or even the iconic Melbourne Cup run at Flemington on the first Tuesday of November.

The Sydney Cup 2021 field will be released Tuesday before the race and published in full below.

Sixteen smart stayers make-up the Sydney Cup 2021 field including Chairman’s Quality winner Quick Thinker, former Oaks winner Miami Bound and the English raider Favorite Moon.

Click here to read more on the key horses in the 2021 Sydney Cup field & betting markets.

Scratchings Update: #4 Quick Thinker (14) is out having pulled up sore in his near fore and will be saved for the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival; #Shraaoh (11).

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Probable Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	x18734x260	THE CHOSEN ONE (NZ)	Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman	Hugh Bowman	16	56kg			108
2	1301x79x77	SOUTHERN FRANCE (IRE)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	James McDonald	5	55kg			107
3	22621×6230	SOUND (GER)	Michael Moroney	Brenton Avdulla	12	54kg			104
4	15x05x7581	QUICK THINKER	Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman	Jason Collett	14	53kg			105
5	x2193x7359	CHAPADA	Michael Moroney	Glen Boss	6	52kg			102
6	006x063x50	SHRAAOH (IRE)	Chris Waller	Jay Ford	11	52kg			101
7	66107×8783	MIAMI BOUND (NZ)	Danny O’Brien	Craig Williams	10	51.5kg			107
8	x1x2211x25	SPIRIT RIDGE (GB)	Mark Newnham	Robbie Dolan	2	51.5kg			105
9	32400×6547	HUSH WRITER (JPN)	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Tim Clark	15	51.5kg			97
10	43x21018x1	FAVORITE MOON (GER)	William Haggas	Kerrin McEvoy	3	51kg		1.0kg	100
11	95082×8052	RONDINELLA (NZ)	John O’Shea	Andrew Adkins	7	50kg			102
12	61325×3232	SHE’S IDEEL	Bjorn Baker	Ms Rachel King	4	50kg			102
13	x58862x622	REALM OF FLOWERS	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Damien Thornton	8	50kg			99
14	51×3111236	SACRAMENTO	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Ms Kathy O’Hara	9	50kg			98
15	6027×85516	GOOD IDEA	Phillip Stokes	Ben Thompson	1	50kg			96
16	28228×8654	SELINO (GB)	Chris Waller	Ron Stewart	13	50kg			92

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2021 Sydney Cup First Acceptances

After nominations close in February the Sydney Cup first acceptances are taken four weeks out from the race on a Tuesday in early March, narrowing down the list of horses heading towards the $2 million classic.

The Sydney Cup 2021 first acceptances closed on Tuesday the 9th of March, 2021 with 57 remaining stayers led in betting by former VRC Oaks champion Miami Bound.

2021 Sydney Cup Nominations

The Sydney Cup nominations are first taken by Racing NSW on a Tuesday in early-mid February about two months out from the race and can attract up to 100 stayers.

The 2021 Sydney Cup nominations are now out with 105 early entries including last year’s runner-up The Chosen One, the all-in Team Hawkes-trained favourite Mount Popa and Godolphin’s first-up Apollo Stakes winner Colette.

Sydney Cup History

The Sydney Cup was first run in 1862 as a Principal race over 16 furlongs, and Talleyrand won the inaugural race. The distance and conditions of the Sydney Cup remained the same for over a century until Australia’s adoption of the metric system caused the length to be converted to 3200m in 1973. In 1980 the Sydney Cup was elevated to Group 1 status.

The event has gone by a number of different names over the years including the Randwick Grand Handicap, Randwick Grand Handicap Sweepstakes and the Sydney Gold Cup.

In 2017 the Sydney Cup was run on April 8, but declared a No Race after the fall of Almoonqith. It ran for a second time a fortnight later with the same horse, UK raider Polarisation, first past the post again.

In 2018 Who Shot Thebarman made history winning the Sydney Cup as a nine-year-old at his fifth attempt in the two mile classic.

Sydney Cup Records
Time Record:	3:19.0 set by Apollo Eleven in 1973 and equalled by Just A Dancer in 1991.
Most Heavily Weighted Winner (since 1970):	My Good Man with 60kg in 1978.
Lightest Weighted Winner (since 1970):	Palace Revolt with 48.5kg in 1989.

Recent Sydney Cup Winners

Year	Place	Horse	Time
2021 Sydney Cup	1st	TBD	TBD
	2nd	TBD
	3rd	TBD
2020 Sydney Cup	1st	Etah James	3 minutes 28.46 seconds
	2nd	The Chosen One
	3rd	Raheen House
2019 Sydney Cup	1st	Shraaoh	3 minutes 22.06 seconds
	2nd	Vengeur Masque
	3rd	Glory Days
2018 Sydney Cup	1st	Who Shot Thebarman	3 minutes 20.04 seconds
	2nd	Zacada
	3rd	Sir Charles Road
2017 Sydney Cup	1st	Polarisation	3 minutes 29.16 seconds
	2nd	Who Shot Thebarman
	3rd	Big Duke
2016 Sydney Cup	1st	Gallante	3 minutes 24.5 seconds
	2nd	Libran
	3rd	Grand Marshal
2015 Sydney Cup	1st	Grand Marshal	3 minutes 24.70 seconds
	2nd	Who Shot Thebarman
	3rd	Like A Carousel
2014 Sydney Cup	1st	The Offer	3 minutes 23.86 seconds
	2nd	Opinion
	3rd	Sertorius
2013 Sydney Cup	1st	Niwot	3 minutes 20.4 seconds
	2nd	Efficient
	3rd	Once Were Wild
2012 Sydney Cup	1st	Mourayan	3 minutes 24.29 seconds
	2nd	Norsqui
	3rd	Aliyana Tide
2011 Sydney Cup	1st	Stand To Gain	3 minutes 29.1 seconds
	2nd	Older Than Time
	3rd	Solid Billing
2010 Sydney Cup	1st	Jessicabeel	3 minutes 21.86 seconds
	2nd	Divine Rebel
	3rd	Harris Tweed
2009 Sydney Cup	1st	Ista Kareem	3 minutes 27.4 seconds
	2nd	Divine Rebel
	3rd	Mr Tipsy
2008 Sydney Cup	1st	No Wine No Song	3 minutes 25.5 seconds
	2nd	Pentathon
	3rd	Lang
2007 Sydney Cup	1st	Gallic	3 minutes 27.3 seconds
	2nd	Irazu
	3rd	No Wine No Song
2006 Sydney Cup	1st	County Tyrone	3 minutes 22.6 seconds
	2nd	Zabeat
	3rd	Three Chimneys
2005 Sydney Cup	1st	Mahtoum	3 minutes 27.6 seconds
	2nd	County Tyrone
	3rd	Philosophe
2004 Sydney Cup	1st	Makybe Diva	3 minutes 21.1 seconds
	2nd	Manawa King
	3rd	Mummify
2003 Sydney Cup	1st	Honor Babe	3 minutes 30.5 seconds
	2nd	County Tyrone
	3rd	Grey Song
2002 Sydney Cup	1st	Henderson Bay	3 minutes 26.7 seconds
	2nd	Mr. Prudent
	3rd	Spirit Of Westbury
2001 Sydney Cup	1st	Mr. Prudent	3 minutes 26.9 seconds
	2nd	Prophet’s Kiss
	3rd	Starina
2000 Sydney Cup	1st	Streak	3 minutes 30.3 seconds
	2nd	Sharscay
	3rd	Ears’ Ronny