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The Craven Plate is a Group 3 staying event hosted by the Australian Turf Club (ATC) at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Held towards the end of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival on a Saturday in mid-October, the Craven Plate is an exciting 2000m test which provides local stayers with a final run over a decent distance before heading to Victoria for the major feature days of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

The Craven Plate is raced under weight for age conditions and pays a lucrative $750,000 prize money as the key support act at the meeting now headlined by the country’s newest and richest race – the $15 million The Everest (1200m).

Previously held a fortnight early on Epsom Handicap Day, the Craven Plate provides a crucial lead-up for gallopers eyeing a run down south in a race like the Group 1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) the following weekend in Melbourne.

The Craven Plate is also one of four lead-up races that offers a lucrative bonus to any horse that can win it plus Rosehill’s $500,000 Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m) on Golden Eagle Day. In 2019 the Craven Plate runner-up Tally went on to win the inaugural edition of the Rosehill Gold Cup.

The Craven Plate form from 2020 was franked with the upset winner Think It Over going on to run third in that year’s $1 million The Gong before winning the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes the following autumn in 2021.

In 2021 Think It Over went back-to-back in the Craven Plate saluting as the odds-on favourite.

This 2021 Craven Plate ran on Saturday October 16, 2021 and saw Think It Over ($1.75F) successfully defend his title. 

Craven Plate 2021
Date:	Saturday October 16, 2021
Track:	Royal Randwick Racecourse
Distance:	2000m
Race Type:	Weight-For-Age
Status:	Group 3
Prize Money:	$750,000

2021 Craven Plate Results

• 1st: #1 Think It Over ($1.75F)
• 2nd: #10  Sky Lab
• 3rd: #9 Lion’s Roar

Think It Over ($1.75F) was too strong in a small field going back-to-back in the 2021 Craven Plate results ahead of his shot at the bonus in the Rosehill Gold Cup.

	Finish	No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Bar.	Weight	Penalty	Starting Price
	1	1	THINK IT OVER	Kerry Parker	Nash Rawiller		6	59kg		$1.75F
	2	10	SKY LAB	Paul Perry	Joshua Parr	1.91L	2	58kg		$14
	3	9	LION’S ROAR (NZ)	John O’Shea	Tommy Berry	2.2L	1	58kg		$10
	4	2	SHARED AMBITION (IRE)	Chris Waller	James McDonald	4.85L	3	59kg		$4.40
	5	12	BARGAIN (NZ)	Mark Newnham	Robbie Dolan	5.1L	4	56kg		$14
	6	4	YONKERS (USA)	Chris Waller	Glyn Schofield	8.14L	5	59kg		$10
		3	KEIAI NAUTIQUE (JPN)	Matthew Smith	Glen Boss		0
		11	HUNGRY HEART	Chris Waller	Kerrin McEvoy		0
		6	CEPHEUS (GB)	Matthew Dunn	Jason Collett		0
		7	KISS THE BRIDE (NZ)	Bjorn Baker	Ms Rachel King		0
		8	ALAKAHAN (IRE)	Richard & Michael Freedman	Regan Bayliss		0
		5	BEST OF DAYS (GB)	James Cummings	Hugh Bowman		0

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2021 Craven Plate Betting

The full Craven Plate 2021 betting odds available online on the Craven Plate field through Ladbrokes.com.au will be provided for race fans below as soon as announced.

Think It Over ($1.75 in 2021) was the last favourite in Craven Plate betting to salute for the punters.

2021 Craven Plate Field

The Craven Plate field attracts an increasingly high quality of spring stayers thanks to the boosted prize money on offer and its positioning on The Everest Day, now host to the richest race run on turf.

Horses may come into the Craven Plate field via a lead-up run in a race like the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at the track a fortnight earlier or the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.

Other good lead-up races into the Craven Plate include the Group 2 Hill Stakes (1800m) – now worth $1 million in prize money – on Epsom Handicap Day or the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield the Sunday after the Epsom.

Moriarty (2014), Classic Uniform (2017) and Think It Over (2021) are the latest horses to complete the Hill Stakes – Craven Plate double. In 2015 Complacent improved on a Hill Stakes third to win the Craven Plate, while the 2016 Craven Plate winner It’s Somewhat came off a lead-up Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) third behind Winx. The 2019 Craven Plate winner Happy Clapper also improved on a lead-up third in the George Main Stakes and had previously run second in the 2017 Craven Plate results.

The Craven Plate 2021 field and barrier draw will be released by Racing NSW on the Wednesday of race week and published in full below for punters.

The 2021 Craven Plate final field features a quality line-up of staying types led in betting by Kerry Parker’s excellent last start $1 million Hill Stakes winner Think It Over.

Scratched:

• #3 Keiai Nautique (1)
• #5 Best Of Days (5)
• #6 Cepheus (3)
• #7 Kiss The Bridge (7)
• #8 Alakahan (12)
• #11 Hungry Heart (10)

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Probable Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	x1214x6131	THINK IT OVER	Kerry Parker	Nash Rawiller	11	59kg			114
2	120138×552	SHARED AMBITION (IRE)	Chris Waller	James McDonald	6	59kg			108
3	54x300x474	KEIAI NAUTIQUE (JPN)	Matthew Smith	Glen Boss	1	59kg			105
4	91441215×1	YONKERS (USA)	Chris Waller	Glyn Schofield	9	59kg			105
5	221420×587	BEST OF DAYS (GB)	James Cummings	Hugh Bowman	5	59kg			102
6	20421×4003	CEPHEUS (GB)	Matthew Dunn	Jason Collett	3	59kg			95
7	58247×9617	KISS THE BRIDE (NZ)	Bjorn Baker	Ms Rachel King	7	59kg			87
8	2732110×07	ALAKAHAN (IRE)	Richard & Michael Freedman	Regan Bayliss	12	59kg			86
9	x51434x980	LION’S ROAR (NZ)	John O’Shea	Tommy Berry	2	58kg			102
10	x11420x920	SKY LAB	Paul Perry	Joshua Parr	4	58kg			95
11	x78111x848	HUNGRY HEART	Chris Waller	Kerrin McEvoy	10	56kg			106
12	1642325×09	BARGAIN (NZ)	Mark Newnham	Robbie Dolan	8	56kg			82

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2021 Craven Plate Nominations

Early nominations for the Craven Plate in 2021 close the Monday leading-up to Caulfield Cup Day and will be updated below.

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	2732110×07	ALAKAHAN (IRE)	G	6	Richard & Michael Freedman	86
2	31111×1416	ATISHU (NZ)	M	4	Chris Waller	101
3	1642325×09	BARGAIN (NZ)	M	4	Mark Newnham	82
4	528434×172	BARTHOLOMEU DIAS (GB)	G	7	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	90
5	221420×587	BEST OF DAYS (GB)	G	8	James Cummings	102
6	x3413x5454	CASCADIAN (GB)	G	7	James Cummings	111
7	20421×4003	CEPHEUS (GB)	H	5	Matthew Dunn	95
8	35×5282536	DR DRILL (GB)	G	7	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	98
9	75x55x0111	FLOATING ARTIST (GB)	G	6	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	99
10	0x34x52x3x	GOLD TRIP (FR)	H	5	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	114
11	x78111x848	HUNGRY HEART	M	4	Chris Waller	106
12	54x300x474	KEIAI NAUTIQUE (JPN)	H	7	Matthew Smith	105
13	58247×9617	KISS THE BRIDE (NZ)	G	6	Bjorn Baker	87
14	x51434x980	LION’S ROAR (NZ)	G	4	John O’Shea	102
15	113×101133	PURRFECT DEAL	M	5	Michael Costa	95
16	0x348x8497	ROCK	G	6	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	100
17	120138×552	SHARED AMBITION (IRE)	G	6	Chris Waller	108
18	32324×3719	SHE’S IDEEL	M	6	Bjorn Baker	105
19	x11420x920	SKY LAB	G	4	Paul Perry	95
20	x1214x6131	THINK IT OVER	G	6	Kerry Parker	114
21	91441215×1	YONKERS (USA)	G	6	Chris Waller	105

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Craven Plate History

The Craven Plate was inaugurated in 1867, making it one of the oldest races in the country. Interestingly, the Craven Plate has a fairly consistent history. Throughout the many years it has ran, it has remained around the 2000m mark. Between 1867 and 1971 the Craven Plate was held over 10 furlongs, which is approximately 2000m. In 1972, the conversion to metric saw the Craven Plate rounded to an even 2000m. In 2001, for a year, the Craven Plate was held over 1800m. In 2002, it returned to 2000m and has remained at that distance since.

From its inception to 1978 the Craven Plate was regarded as a Principal event. Strangely, in 1979 the decision was made not to hold the race. That decision held until 1984 when the Craven Plate was reintroduced as a listed event. In 1993, an upgrade saw the Craven Plate run as a Group 3 event, a status it has retained since.

Known as the Craven Plate from the outset, very few name changes have befallen this long-abiding event. Given the prefix “AJC” between 1868 and 1999, the Craven Plate was for a year known as the AJC Queen’s Cup in 2000. In 2001, it was referred to as the AJC Japan Trophy Race. From 20002 onwards, the Craven Plate has returned to its original name.

The Craven Plate has acquired a reputation as an important stepping stone in the career of great horses. Some notable Craven Plate winners include Glencoe (1869), Chester (1878), Carbine (1890), Wakeful (1902), Gloaming (1919 & 1922), Phar Lap (1929-1931), Flight (1943 & 1945) Tulloch (1960), Ming Dynasty (1978), Honorius (2013) and countless others. Craven Plate results and winning times since 2000 are provided below.

In 2020-21 Think It Over became the latest dual winner of the Craven Plate.

Craven Plate Results

Year	Place	Horse	Time
2021 Craven Plate	1st	Think It Over	2 minutes 05.03 seconds
	2nd	Sky Lab
	3rd	Lion’s Roar
2020 Craven Plate	1st	Think It Over	2 minutes 02.68 seconds
	2nd	Nettoyer
	3rd	Vanna Girl
2019 Craven Plate	1st	Happy Clapper	2 minutes 0.66 seconds
	2nd	Tally
	3rd	Life Less Ordinary
2018 Craven Plate	1st	Moss ‘N’ Dale	2 minutes 7.95 seconds
	2nd	Doukhan
	3rd	Egg Tart
2017 Craven Plate	1st	Classic Uniform	2 minutes 4.34 seconds
	2nd	Happy Clapper
	3rd	McCreery
2016 Craven Plate	1st	It’s Somewhat	2 minutes 2.5 seconds
	2nd	Spiritjim
	3rd	Pinstripe Lane
2015 Craven Plate	1st	Complacent	2 minutes 1.8 seconds
	2nd	Hauraki
	3rd	I’m Imposing
2014 Craven Plate	1st	Moriarty	2 minutes 2.6 seconds
	2nd	Rising Romance
	3rd	Vilanova
2013 Craven Plate	1st	Honorius	2 minutes 3.7 seconds
	2nd	Masked Marvel
	3rd	Vaquera
2012 Craven Plate	1st	Mourayan	2 minutes 2.4 seconds
	2nd	Western Symbol
	3rd	Dare To Dream
2011 Craven Plate	1st	My Kingdom Of Fife	2 minutes 4.3 seconds
	2nd	Shootoff
	3rd	Gazza Guru
2010 Craven Plate	1st	C’Est La Guerre	2 minutes 2.2 seconds
	2nd	Purple
	3rd	Triple Honour
2009 Craven Plate	1st	Miss Marielle	2 minutes 8.3 seconds
	2nd	Nom De Jeu
	3rd	Fulmonti
2008 Craven Plate	1st	Lorne Dancer	2 minutes 6.4 seconds
	2nd	Riva San
	3rd	Ice Chariot
2007 Craven Plate	1st	Race Not Held	–
	2nd	–
	3rd	–
2006 Craven Plate	1st	Cateclipse	2 minutes 3.4 seconds
	2nd	Testafiable
	3rd	Gawne
2005 Craven Plate	1st	Mummify	2 minutes 3.1 seconds
	2nd	Wild Iris
	3rd	Natural Blitz
2004 Craven Plate	1st	Fiery Venture	2 minutes 7.8 seconds
	2nd	Restless
	3rd	Ain’t Seen Nothin’
2003 Craven Plate	1st	Shower Of Roses	2 minutes 2.8 seconds
	2nd	So Assertive
	3rd	Mon Mekki
2002 Craven Plate	1st	Manner Hill	2 minutes 3.9 seconds
	2nd	Spillway
	3rd	Forest Jim
2001 Craven Plate	1st	The Man	1 minute 49.8 seconds
	2nd	Altiero
	3rd	Viva La Vie
2000 Craven Plate	1st	Yippyio	2 minutes 5.6 seconds
	2nd	Pravda
	3rd	Freemason