---

---

The Blue Sapphire Stakes is a lucrative Group 3 race for three-year-olds run on a Wednesday in mid-October, three days before the Caulfield Cup.

Part of the three day Caulfield Cup Carnival, the Blue Sapphire Stakes is a relatively new race that continues to grow in prestige and prize money. Paying $400,000 prize money and raced over 1200m, the Blue Sapphire Stakes is a very wealthy sprint for those horses which gain entry. The Blue Sapphire Stakes is restricted to three year olds and is run under set weights conditions, upgraded from a Listed event to Group 3 status.

The three day Caulfield Cup Carnival features a host of massive events, with the Blue Sapphire Stakes falling on the Wednesday in the middle. The first day of the Caulfield Cup Carnival is the Caulfield Guineas Day that features four Group 1 events, and the third day, held on Saturday after Blue Sapphire Stakes Day, is the renowned Caulfield Cup Day. The Blue Sapphire Stakes shares a race program with two other spring features including the Group 3 Ladies Day Vase (1600m) and the Group 3 Coongy Cup (2000m) offering a ballot exemption into the Caulfield Cup field seven days later.

The Blue Sapphire Stakes has grown in stature to overcome the Ladies Day Vase as the feature event at the midweek meeting. It is rapidly becoming an important three year old feature.

The Blue Sapphire Stakes can act as a good lead up to feature events such as the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) run at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival. Flying Artie (2016) was the last horse to do the Blue Sapphire Stakes – Coolmore Stud Stakes double.

The Golden Rose Stakes, held at Sydney towards the beginning of the Spring Racing Carnival, often features a few horses that later contest the Blue Sapphire Stakes including in 2017 when the Blue Sapphire Stakes winning filly Formality atoned for her lead-up 11th in the Golden Rose. In 2018 the autumn’s Blue Diamond Stakes winner Written By won the Blue Sapphire Stakes before a fourth in the Coolmore Stud Stakes.

The Blue Sapphire Stakes 2020 ran on Wednesday October 14, 2020 and saw Ranting score the upset over just two other runners. 

2020 Blue Sapphire Stakes
Date:	Wednesday October 14, 2020
Track:	Caulfield Racecourse
Distance:	1200m
Race Type:	3YOs Set Weights
Status:	Group 3
Prize Money:	$400,000

2020 Blue Sapphire Stakes Results

• 1st: #3 Ranting
• 2nd: #1 Hanseatic
• 3rd: #2 Anders

The Blue Sapphire Stakes 2020 results saw the three horses in the event run in the opposite order of betting with an upset by the Leon & Troy Corstens-trained Ranting ($11) who narrowly defeated Hanseatic ($3.90) in a huge run from behind, while the hot favourite Anders ($1.35) ran third still only a quarter-length beaten in a thrilling finish.

Colour	Finish	No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Bar.	Weight	Penalty	Starting Price
	1	3	RANTING (NZ)	Leon & Troy Corstens	Ben Melham		3	57kg		$11
	2	1	HANSEATIC	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Luke Currie	0.2L	2	57kg		$3.90
	3	2	ANDERS	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Mark Zahra	0.3L	1	57kg		$1.35F

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2020 Blue Sapphire Stakes Betting

The latest Blue Sapphire Stakes 2020 odds will be listed below complete with links to Ladbrokes.com.au so you can back your Blue Sapphire Stakes tips in at the right price this Caulfield Cup Carnival.

2020 Blue Sapphire Stakes Field

The Blue Sapphire Stakes field attracts a quality line-up of sprinting three-year-olds that could be eyeing a Flemington run during the Melbourne Cup Carnival in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m), a double Flying Artie (2016) achieved.

The 2020 Blue Sapphire Stakes field is released Racing Victoria (RV) on the Monday of race week and will be provided for punters below as soon as announced.

There will be no trifecta payouts on Wednesday’s 2020 Blue Sapphire Stakes field with just three final acceptors in the event including odds-on fancy, the flying San Domenico Stakes winner Anders drawn the inside alley.

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	1x1120x49	HANSEATIC	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Luke Currie	2	57kg		92
2	436x211x11	ANDERS	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Mark Zahra	1	57kg		90
3	23×253	RANTING (NZ)	Leon & Troy Corstens	Ben Melham	3	57kg		74

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2020 Blue Sapphire Stakes Nominations

Nominations on the Blue Sapphire Stakes in 2020 are taken the Thursday prior to the race and will be detailed below once announced.

The 2020 Blue Sapphire Stakes nominations attracted 15 three-year-olds led by the all-in Coolmore Stud Stakes favourite Anders.

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Ballot	Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	2x42424x10	BELLA NIPOTINA	F	3	Tom Dabernig & Ben Hayes	1	55kg		82
2	1x1120x49	HANSEATIC	C	3	Anthony & Sam Freedman	2	57kg		92
3	10×21	SWATS THAT	F	3	Leon & Troy Corstens	3	55kg		82
4	116×4	LETZBEGLAM	F	3	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	4	55kg		76
5	110×33	MINHAAJ	F	3	Tom Dabernig & Ben Hayes	5	55kg		78
6	21x25208x1	MUNTASEERA	F	3	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	6	55kg		77
7	436x211x11	ANDERS	C	3	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	7	57kg		90
8	1x644x1322	DESTINATION	C	3	James Cummings	8	57kg		75
9	2727×624	OSAMU	C	3	Chris Waller	9	57kg		71
10	23×253	RANTING (NZ)	C	3	Leon & Troy Corstens	10	57kg		74
11	0x527x2125	RIVER TWAIN	G	3	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	11	57kg		63
12	6139×63	PIONEER RIVER	C	3	Tom Dabernig & Ben Hayes	12	57kg		67
13	026×91	TARCOOLA DIVA	F	3	Gemma Rielly	13	55kg		63
14	154	PORTLAND SKY	C	3	Matt Laurie	14	57kg		65
15	6×1	RHODE SCHOLAR	C	3	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	15	57kg		62

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Blue Sapphire Stakes History

The Blue Sapphire Stakes was inaugurated in 2012. Part of the impetus for the establishment of the event came from a growing need in Victoria for more feature events for three year olds. Sydney has for many years boasted the Golden Rose Stakes and associated races, also run under the same conditions over similar distances.

In a rapid push to grow the race into a major feature, the Blue Sapphire Stakes was upgraded to Listed status in 2014, just two years after it launched. Possibly reflecting the strong desire to broaden the quality of three year old events, the ARB made the Blue Sapphire Stakes the only race to be upgraded immediately this year, with all other upgrades taking force as of January 1st, 2015.

In the future, there is a very strong chance that the Blue Sapphire Stakes will become a Group 1 event, and possibly remain at its current slot in the middle of the Caulfield Cup Carnival. The Golden Rose first ran in 2003 and gained Group 1 status in 2009, establishing a precedent for the rapid advancement of new three year old features.

The Blue Sapphire Stakes bears no relation to the previously existing Listed Blue Sapphire Stakes, also held at Caulfield over 1200m.

The 2020 edition of the Blue Sapphire Stakes featured just three runners and was won in an upset by Ranting ($11), while the odds-on fancy Anders finished third.

Blue Sapphire Stakes Results

Below you will find Blue Sapphire Stakes results and winning times since 2012.

Year	Place	Horse	Time
2020 Blue Sapphire Stakes	1st	Ranting	1 minute 11.12 seconds
	2nd	Hanseatic
	3rd	Anders
2019 Blue Sapphire Stakes	1st	Anaheed	1 minute 10.42 seconds
	2nd	Li’l Kontra
	3rd	Brooklyn Hustle
2018 Blue Sapphire Stakes	1st	Written By	1 minute 11.54 seconds
	2nd	Encryption
	3rd	Tony Nicconi
2017 Blue Sapphire Stakes	1st	Formality	1 minute 10.62 seconds
	2nd	Jukebox
	3rd	Lone Eagle
2016 Blue Sapphire Stakes	1st	Flying Artie	1 minute 9.76 seconds
	2nd	Dalradian
	3rd	Derryn
2015 Blue Sapphire Stakes	1st	Keen Array	1 minute 11.08 seconds
	2nd	Mogador
	3rd	Haptic
2014 Blue Sapphire Stakes	1st	Eloping	1 minute 9.54 seconds
	2nd	Sultry Feeling
	3rd	Husson Eagle
2013 Blue Sapphire Stakes	1st	Lion Of Belfort	1 minutes 11.03 seconds
	2nd	Safeguard
	3rd	Diamond Oasis
2012 Blue Sapphire Stakes	1st	Snitzerland	1 minutes 10.09 seconds
	2nd	Fire Thunderbolt
	3rd	Lankan Rupee