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The  ATC Sapphire Stakes – not to be confused with Melbourne’s Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes – is a quality Group 2 race held towards the tail end of the esteemed Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival on Day 2 of ‘The Championships’ at Royal Randwick Racecourse.

Run on the second Saturday of April* the Sapphire Stakes is a 1200m sprint run under set weights plus penalties by a field of fillies and mares. Offering $300,000 in prize money the race is conducted on the same day as four Group 1 autumn features.

*In 2021 the Sapphire Stakes ran 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.

Punters should not confuse this race with the $500,000 Group 3 Queensland Sapphire Stakes (1600m) held at Eagle Farm on Queensland Oaks Day over the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.

The autumn’s richest race – the Group 1 $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) – headlines the meeting and is joined by the Sydney Cup (3200m), ATC Oaks (2400m), the Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) plus a host of Group 2 and 3 status support races.

Female sprinters may come into the Sapphire Stakes field via an earlier autumn run in the Group 3 Birthday Card Stakes (1200m) held at Rosehill in March on Golden Slipper Stakes Day. Held on Day 1 of ‘The Championships’ just a week before the Sapphire Stakes, the Group 3 PJ Bell Stakes (1200m) is another good lead-up.

The Birthday Card Stakes – Sapphire Stakes double was most recently completed by Quilista (2018).

A nice next-up option for Sapphire Stakes graduates could be the Group 3 Hawkesbury Crown (1300m) later in the month, a race the 2016 Sapphire Stakes winner Two Blue finished runner-up in. Fillies and mares may also come back and contest a harder race like the Group 1 BTC Cup (1200m) over the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival or head to Adelaide for the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m). Secret Agenda (2017) was the last mare to do the Sapphire Stakes – Robert Sangster Stakes double.

The ATC Sapphire Stakes 2021 ran on Saturday April 17, 2021 and was won in a brave first-up effort by Fasika. 

2021 Sapphire Stakes
Date:	Saturday April 17, 2021
Track:	Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney
Distance:	1200m
Conditions:	Fillies & Mares, Set Weights + Penalties
Status:	Group 2
Prizemoney:	$300,000
Inaugurated:	1998

2021 Sapphire Stakes Results

• 1st: #6 Fasika
• 2nd: #3 Entriviere
• 3rd: #11 Wandabaa

A perfectly-timed ride by jockey Brenton Avdulla saw the Joe Pride-trained Fasika narrowly hold on and deny the late challengers with a first-up win in the 2021 Sapphire Stakes results. Racing for the first time in over six months, Fasika was too good for the fast-finishing favourite Entriviere from New Zealand with Wandabaa in third.

2021 Sapphire Stakes Odds

The latest Sapphire Stakes 2021 betting odds on the Randwick Group 2 for fillies and mares this autumn will be available below as soon as released by Ladbrokes.com.au.

2021 Sapphire Stakes Field

The ATC Sapphire Stakes field attracts a class line-up of fillies and mares looking to see out their prep with a lucrative Group 2 win or wind-up for a Group 1 target in Brisbane over the winter.

The official Sapphire Stakes 2021 field and barriers will be published in full below on the Wednesday of race week so stay tuned.

The 2021 Sapphire Stakes field is down to 15 runners after the early withdrawal of Evalina (14) with betting led by Jamie Richards’ flying Kiwi raider Entriviere, the Tavistock mare coming off three straight wins back home including back-to-back Group 3 victories. 

2021 Sapphire Stakes Nominations

The Sapphire Stakes 2021 nominations are taken on the Monday of race week with the full list of early entries to be published below.

Sapphire Stakes History

First run in 1998 the inaugural Sapphire Stakes was won by What Can I Say. It began as a Listed race run over 1200m. The event gained Group 3 status in 2002 and not long after reached Group 2 status in 2006. Up until 2016 it ran as a Group 2 race before being downgraded back to a Group 3 autumn event for 2017, and then returned to Group 2 status for 2018.

Plenty of quality mares have won the Sapphire Stakes including Court (2009), Atlantic Jewel (2012) and Cosmic Endeavour (2014).

In 2020 White Moss continued her excellent record in the race, the 2018 third placegetter and 2019 champion becoming the second two-time Sapphire Stakes winner in the race’s history.

Sapphire Stakes Records:
Race Record:	1:08.9 set by Atlantic Jewel in 2012
Most Successful Jockey:	R.S. Dye claimed three successive Sapphire Stakes with What Can I Say (1998), Little Pattie (1999) and Spinning Hill (2000).
Multiple Winners:	Spinning Hill (2000 & 2001), White Moss (2019 & 2020)

Recent Sapphire Stakes Winners

See below for a full list of Sapphire Stakes winners and results going back to 2000.

Year	Place	Horse	Time
2021 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Fasika	1 minute 9.88 seconds
	2nd	Entriviere
	3rd	Wandabaa
2020 Sapphire Stakes	1st	White Moss	1 minute 11.81 seconds
	2nd	Fasika
	3rd	Bangkok
2019 Sapphire Stakes	1st	White Moss	1 minute 9.02 seconds
	2nd	Irithea
	3rd	Winter Bride
2018 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Quilista	1 minute 9.38 seconds
	2nd	Ravi
	3rd	White Moss
2017 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Secret Agenda	1 minute 13.2 seconds
	2nd	Missrock
	3rd	Artistry
2016 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Two Blue	1 minute 10.8 seconds
	2nd	Secret Agenda
	3rd	Brook Road
2015 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Avoid Lightning	1 minute 12.12 seconds
	2nd	Griante
	3rd	Fine Bubbles
2014 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Cosmic Endeavour	1 minute 10.72 seconds
	2nd	Avoid Lightning
	3rd	Belle De Coeur
2013 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Arinosa	1 minute 10.5 seconds
	2nd	Miss Stellabelle
	3rd	Forarainyday
2012 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Atlantic Jewel	1 minute 08.9 seconds
	2nd	Mid Summer Music
	3rd	Lady’s Angel
2011 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Hurtle Myrtle	1 minute 10.6 seconds
	2nd	Kimillsy
	3rd	Marquardt
2010 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Renaissance	1 minute 10.5 seconds
	2nd	Beaded
	3rd	Jersey Lily
2009 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Court	1 minute 10.84 seconds
	2nd	Belong To Many
	3rd	Cajou
2008 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Belong To Many	1 minute 11.15 seconds
	2nd	Tenant?s Tiara
	3rd	Fritz?s Princess
2007 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Fire Song	1 minute 12.98 seconds
	2nd	Whoever
	3rd	Splashing Out
2006 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Coolroom Candidate	1 minute 10.61 seconds
	2nd	Imana
	3rd	Shalimar Sky
2005 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Glamour Puss	1 minute 12.02 seconds
	2nd	With My
	3rd	Wild Queen
2004 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Recurring	1 minute 10.47 seconds
	2nd	Fair Embrace
	3rd	Cataclysm
2003 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Fatoon	1 minute 11.43 seconds
	2nd	Provokes
	3rd	Miss Helterskelter
2002 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Fair Embrace	1 minute 9.23 seconds
	2nd	Spinning Hill
	3rd	Hot Riff
2001 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Spinning Hill	1 minute 10.3 seconds
	2nd	Nanny Maroon
	3rd	Marlina
2000 Sapphire Stakes	1st	Spinning Hill	1 minute 9.79 seconds
	2nd	Snippets? Lass
	3rd	Heather