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The Group 3 Sky High Stakes takes place each year in March at Rosehill Racecourse on Coolmore Classic Day during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
Sky High Stakes News
The Sky High Stakes is a Group 3 race held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse on Coolmore Classic Day in March during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
2026 Sky High Stakes Results
Stay tuned for the official 2026 Sky High Stakes results and finishing order at Rosehill on Saturday March 14, 2026 and to see which graduates have a Group 1 autumn race like the Sydney Cup in sight!
- 1st: No. 1 Vauban ($3.40)
- 2nd: No. 4 Soul Of Spain
- 3rd: No. 3 Just Fine
Winning Margin: 0.91 lengths
Winning Time: 2:03.00
Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott’s rising nine-year-old import Vauban ($3.40) showed he still had plenty of racing left in him when resuming a first-up winner to successfully defend his title in the 2026 Sky High Stakes results. In his first run since a Melbourne Cup sixth last November, the gun stayer went back-to-back in the autumn lead-up event thanks to a perfectly timed ride by Tim Clark. Sitting on pace, the galloper began to work through his gears 200m out from the line before tackling the leader Just Fine and charging clear for a one-length win over Soul Of Spain who flashed home late into second. Bott named the Tancred Stakes at Rosehill on March 28, an event Vauban ran third in last year, as the likely next-up option and he’s firmed in from $8 to $4.50 to win in futures Tancred Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.
| 1. Vauban (7) J: Tim Clark57.5kg 6506xT: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | ||
| 4. Soul Of Spain (2) J: Tommy Berry56.5kg 23×94T: Chris Waller | ||
| 3. Just Fine (4) J: Regan Bayliss56.5kg 929×9T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | ||
| 9. River Of Stars (1) J: Kerrin Mcevoy54kg 024×0T: Chris Waller | ||
| 5. Wootton Verni (6) J: James McDonald56.5kg 11×75T: Chris Waller | ||
| 7. Valiant King (5) J: Zac Lloyd56.5kg 130×8T: Chris Waller | ||
| 8. Zarir (3) J: Sam Clipperton56kg x97x0T: Chris Waller |
Contested over 2000m the set weights plus penalties race is open to horses aged three-years-old and above and offers a lucrative $350,000 in total prize money.
Coolmore Classic Day is headlined by the fillies and mares facing off in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) and the meeting is host to a number of other Group status races. Other highlights on the card including the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m), Group 2 Ajax Stakes (1500m), Group 3 Magic Night Stakes (1200m), and the Group 3 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) for Golden Slipper Stakes hopefuls.
A nice lead-up into the Sky High Stakes is the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) – now Verry Elleegant Stakes – over a mile in late February.
In 2015 Hartnell ran second in the Chipping Norton Stakes before winning the Sky High Stakes. The 2017 Sky High Stakes winner Tavago also backed up off a Chipping Norton Stakes run (5th). More recently, Chris Waller’s mare Toffee Tongue improved on an eighth in the Chipping Norton to win the Sky High at $14.
In 2022 the Sky High Stakes winner Stockman atoned for his dead-last (10th) in the Chipping Norton to win the lucrative Group 3 event.
In 2024 the Verry Elleegant Stakes again produced the Sky High Stakes winner with Lindermann third in his Group 1 lead-up before dominating the Group 3 by over four lengths.
The stayers that face off in the Sky High Stakes field are traditionally heading towards longer distance features over the autumn including the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) run at Royal Randwick in April. Country Tyrone (2006) was the last horse to complete the Sky High Stakes – Sydney Cup double.
The Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) – formerly The BMW – is another elite level option for Sky High Stakes graduates and in 2015 Who Shot Thebarman ran fourth in both races before a second in the Sydney Cup. That year Hartnell (2015) completed the Sky High Stakes – The BMW double. In 2016 Who Shot Thebarman returned to finish third in the Sky High Stakes, second in The BMW and fourth in the Sydney Cup.
In 2021 the Sky High Stakes winner Toffee Tongue ran second next-up in the Tancred Stakes results and later finished runner-up in the winter’s Group 1 Doomben Cup in Brisbane.
The 2022 Sky High Stakes form was franked with the winner Stockman also finishing second in that year’s Tancred Stakes quinella, while the runner-up Mount Popa went on to place third in the following month’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
The Sky High Stakes form from 2024 was franked with the runner-up Kalapour winning the Tancred Stakes at his next start before a third in that year’s Sydney Cup trifecta.
The 2025 Sky High Stakes graduates went on to frank the form with the winner, Vauban, running third next-up in the Tancred Stakes while the second placed Arapaho took out the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) later that prep.
In 2026, Vauban returned first-up to go back-to-back with a successful title defence in the Sky High Stakes results.
The Sky High Stakes 2026 ran on Saturday March 14, 2026 at Rosehill Gardens as a lead-up to the Tancred Stakes and Sydney Cup Group 1 races and saw the evergreen Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained eight-year-old Vauban ($3.40) resume a first-up winner when successfully defending his title in the event.Â
| 2026 Sky High Stakes | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Saturday March 14, 2026 |
| Track: | Rosehill Racecourse |
| Distance: | 2000m |
| Race Type: | Set Weights + Penalties |
| Status: | Group 3 |
| Prize Money: | $350,000 |
2026 Sky High Stakes Betting
The autumn’s latest Sky High Stakes 2026 betting odds and market links to Ladbrokes.com.au will be available here at Races.com.au the week of the race.
Master Of Wine ($2.20 in 2020) and four-length champ Lindermann ($1.90 in 2024) are the latest favourites in Sky High Stakes betting to salute.
Lindermann returned as the $1.75 odds-on favourite in the 2025 Sky High Stakes only to run third behind Vauban ($9).
Vauban returned and took out the Sky High Stakes in 2026 at $3.40 in the markets.
2026 Sky High Stakes Form
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2026 SKY HIGH STAKES FORM GUIDE
2026 Sky High Stakes Tips
Stay tuned for our insider Sky High Stakes 2026 Tips on the important autumn lead-up event this season.
Each Way: No. 1 Vauban
Compact field and with the favourite Birdman a dual acceptor also still officially in the Peter Young field at Caulfield at time of publish, I’m happy to look outside him and have an each way play on the returning Irish import VAUBAN (8). The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Irish expat races for the first time since his brave sixth in the Melbourne Cup last November and, while he’ll improve on whatever he does here over further, I like him at 2000m first-up. Has a decent record fresh (7:1-3-1) and has won at 2000m before having narrowly denied subsequent Sydney Cup champ Arapaho victory in this race 12 months ago. He’s winless since that photo-thriller but gets his chance back at this level with a weight and track conditions to suit. Class horse more than capable of a big run to kick off his campaign.
|
1. Vauban (7)
J: Tim Clark57.5kg
6506xT: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
|
2026 Sky High Stakes Field
The Sky High Stakes field attracts a class line-up of stayers each autumn and many of the runners are heading towards the Sydney Cup over two miles at Royal Randwick.
The official 2026 Sky High Stakes field and barriers are set for release on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below.
The Sky High Stakes 2026 final field features a diminutive but top-class line-up of staying types with seven of the nine acceptors hailing from the Chris Waller stables including his last start Group 2 Blamey Stakes winner in Melbourne – Birdman.
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 130x36506x | VAUBAN (FR) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 9 | 57.5kg | Â | Â | 111 |
| 2 | x251768x41 | BIRDMAN (IRE) | Chris Waller | Nash Rawiller | 8 | 57.5kg | Â | Â | 105 |
| 3 | 0100x929x9 | JUST FINE (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Regan Bayliss | 5 | 56.5kg | Â | Â | 107 |
| 4 | 1x11123x94 | SOUL OF SPAIN (IRE) | Chris Waller | Tommy Berry | 3 | 56.5kg | Â | Â | 105 |
| 5 | 5x85411x75 | WOOTTON VERNI (FR) | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 7 | 56.5kg | Â | Â | 104 |
| 6 | 42x12412x7 | TRINITY COLLEGE (IRE) | Chris Waller | Adam Hyeronimus | 1 | 56.5kg | Â | Â | 103 |
| 7 | 693x0130x8 | VALIANT KING (GB) | Chris Waller | Zac Lloyd | 6 | 56.5kg | Â | Â | 102 |
| 8 | 235x2x97x0 | ZARIR (IRE) | Chris Waller | Sam Clipperton | 4 | 56kg | Â | Â | 105 |
| 9 | 73x78024x0 | RIVER OF STARS (IRE) | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 2 | 54kg | Â | Â | 110 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
2026 Sky High Stakes Nominations
Early nominations for the Sky High Stakes in 2026 close the Monday ahead of the race.
2026 Sky High Stakes nominations extended until 11:00am (AEDT) – 10/03/2026
| Â | Last 10 | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x251768x41 | BIRDMAN (IRE) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | Â |
| 2 | 2x821069x6 | CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD (IRE) | G | 7 | Kris Lees | 104 |
| 3 | 2443×5 | DEAL DONE FAST | C | 3 | Matt Cumani | Â |
| 4 | 0100x929x9 | JUST FINE (IRE) | G | 8 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 107 |
| 5 | 0x069552x1 | LIGHT INFANTRY MAN (FR) | G | 7 | Ciaron Maher | 112 |
| 6 | 0x01211x39 | LINDERMANN | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 114 |
| 7 | 0111x780x5 | NEWLOOK (FR) | G | 5 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | 88 |
| 8 | 3070×83984 | REDSTONE WELL (IRE) | G | 7 | Annabel & Rob Archibald | 88 |
| 9 | 73x78024x0 | RIVER OF STARS (IRE) | M | 7 | Chris Waller | 110 |
| 10 | 6x5x35x703 | SAGANTI (FR) | G | 5 | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | 89 |
| 11 | 1x11123x94 | SOUL OF SPAIN (IRE) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | 105 |
| 12 | 42x12412x7 | TRINITY COLLEGE (IRE) | H | 4 | Chris Waller | 103 |
| 13 | 693x0130x8 | VALIANT KING (GB) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 102 |
| 14 | 130x36506x | VAUBAN (FR) | G | 8 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 111 |
| 15 | 5x85411x75 | WOOTTON VERNI (FR) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | 104 |
| 16 | 235x2x97x0 | ZARIR (IRE) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 105 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
Sky High Stakes History
The Sky High Stakes has been run and won since 1989, and the first edition of the race was won by Eye Of The Sky. Since then, plenty of star stayers have won the event including Hartnel (2015) and Sir John Hawkwood (2016).
The race is named in honour of Sky High who won the Golden Slipper Stakes as a two-year-old in 1960 and the next year’s Epsom Handicap. It was first run as an unlisted race until 1992 when it gained Listed status and then Group 3 status later in 2014. Before 2014 it took place over 1900m, and the distance was increased to the current 2000m in 2015. For one year in 2008 it took place at Canterbury Park and in 2016 the Sky High Stakes was changed from a quality handicap clash to a set weights plus penalties event.
There was an international Sky High Stakes winner in 2023 when the William Haggas-trained UK visitor Protagonist travelled down under to outstay the Aussies.
In 2025 the Sky High Stakes was won by dual Melbourne Cup performed import Vauban in his debut for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott with the horse setting a new 2000m record in the race winning in 2 minutes 00.93 seconds.
Vauban (2025 & 2026) is the last back-to-back Sky High Stakes winner.
Recent Sky High Stakes Winners
See below for the full Sky High Stakes results and winners dating back to the year 2000.
| Year | Place | Horse | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Vauban | 2 minutes 03.00 seconds |
| 2nd | Soul Of Spain | ||
| 3rd | Just Fine | ||
| 2025 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Vauban | 2 minutes 00.93 seconds |
| 2nd | Arapaho | ||
| 3rd | Lindermann | ||
| 2024 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Lindermann | 2 minutes 01.55 seconds |
| 2nd | Kalapour | ||
| 3rd | Stockman | ||
| 2023 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Protagonist | 2 minutes 01.43 seconds |
| 2nd | Zeyrek | ||
| 3rd | Sunshine Rising | ||
| 2022 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Stockman | 2 minutes 05.20 seconds |
| 2nd | Mount Popa | ||
| 3rd | Great House | ||
| 2021 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Toffee Tongue | 2 minutes 01.03 seconds |
| 2nd | Spirit Ridge | ||
| 3rd | Mirage Dancer | ||
| 2020 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Master Of Wine | 2 minutes 11.45 seconds |
| 2nd | Mustajeer | ||
| 3rd | Carif | ||
| 2019 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Red Cardinal | 2 minutes 8.37 seconds |
| 2nd | Rodrico | ||
| 3rd | Goathland | ||
| 2018 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Auvray | 2 minutes 3.72 seconds |
| 2nd | Libran | ||
| 3rd | Mackintosh | ||
| 2017 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Tavago | 2 minutes 3.8 seconds |
| 2nd | Antonio Giuseppe | ||
| 3rd | Allergic | ||
| 2016 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Sir John Hawkwood | 2 minutes 3.2 seconds |
| 2nd | Messene | ||
| 3rd | Who Shot Thebarman | ||
| 2015 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Hartnell | 2 minutes 2.6 seconds |
| 2nd | Opinion | ||
| 3rd | Hawkspur | ||
| 2014 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Entirely Platinum | 1 minute 55.7 seconds |
| 2nd | Midsummer Sun | ||
| 3rd | Desert Jeuney | ||
| 2013 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Julienas | 1 minute 56 seconds |
| 2nd | Lunayir | ||
| 3rd | Le Roi | ||
| 2012 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Single | 1 minute 56 seconds |
| 2nd | Southern Skye | ||
| 3rd | Flumicino | ||
| 2011 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Older Than Time | 1 minute 59.10 seconds |
| 2nd | Luen Yat Forever | ||
| 3rd | Syreon | ||
| 2010 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Bellagio Wynn | 1 minute 56.94 seconds |
| 2nd | Hadaaf | ||
| 3rd | Cousin Wal | ||
| 2009 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Kettledrum | 1 minute 56.76 seconds |
| 2nd | Brave Lancer | ||
| 3rd | Twin Wing | ||
| 2008 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Nuclear Sky | 1 minute 56.23 seconds |
| 2nd | Musket | ||
| 3rd | Bundoran Breeze | ||
| 2007 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Coalesce | 1 minute 57. 22 seconds |
| 2nd | Grand Zulu | ||
| 3rd | Prince Of Midnight | ||
| 2006 Sky High Stakes | 1st | County Tyrone | 1 minute 58.93 seconds |
| 2nd | No Wine No Song | ||
| 3rd | October Son | ||
| 2005 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Seul Amour | 1 minute 57.31 seconds |
| 2nd | Sunday Service | ||
| 3rd | Havana Wind | ||
| 2004 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Daniel’s The Man | 1 minute 56.12 seconds |
| 2nd | County Tyrone | ||
| 3rd | Striking Victory | ||
| 2003 Sky High Stakes | 1st | National Treasure | 1 minute 55.7 seconds |
| 2nd | Natural Blitz | ||
| 3rd | County Tyrone | ||
| 2002 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Restless | 1 minute 56.09 seconds |
| 2nd | Grampians | ||
| 3rd | Spirit Of Westbury | ||
| 2001 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Bello Signor | 1 minute 54.05 seconds |
| 2nd | The Druidess | ||
| 3rd | Cheverny | ||
| 2000 Sky High Stakes | 1st | Spysept | 1 minute 59.13 seconds |
| 2nd | Bombast | ||
| 3rd | Yippyio | ||
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