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The Southern Cross Stakes - run in 2026 as the JRA Plate is a Group 3 sprint currently held at Rosehill in late January or early February during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) News
The Southern Cross Stakes – renamed in 2026 as the JRA Plate – is a Group 3 race currently run at Rosehill Gardens in late January or early February during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
2026 Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) Results
Stay tuned for the official 2026 Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) results and finishing order at Rosehill on Saturday January 31, 2026.
- 1st: No. 4 Willaidow ($4.60)
- 2nd: No. 2 The Instructor
- 3rd: No. 1 Zarastro
Winning Margin: 0.11 lengths
Winning Time: 1:09.12
The Marc & Mitchell Conners-trained Shamus Award seven-year-old Willaidow ($4.60) delivered a narrow but convincing first-up victory in the 2026 JRA Plate (Southern Cross Stakes) results at Rosehill on Saturday, surging late under James McDonald to edge out The Instructor in a tight finish and secure a memorable win for the father-and-son training partnership. The resuming gelding produced a powerful final burst after finally getting into the clear the closing stages to claim the Group 3 feature in 1:09.12, marking back-to-back wins in the event and giving the Conners team their first stakes triumph together—an achievement made even more meaningful given the family’s rich racing heritage.
JRA Plate 2026 Results
|
1st
4. Willaidow (2)
J: James McDonald 56kg
T: Marc & Mitchell Conners |
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|
2nd
2. The Instructor (5)
J: Adam Hyeronimus 58.5kg
T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott |
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3rd
1. Zarastro (4)
J: Angela Jones 59kg
T: Tony Gollan |
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4th
7. Fire Star (3)
J: Andrew Adkins 53kg
T: Peter Snowden |
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5th
8. Meridiana (1)
J: Zac Lloyd 53kg
T: John Sargent |
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6th
5. Disneck (7)
J: Josh Parr 55.5kg
T: Bjorn Baker |
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7th
6. Enriched (6)
J: Tommy Berry 55kg
T: Michael Freedman |
The race is open to horses aged three-years-old and over and the open quality handicap is run over a 1200m sprint distance.
The event offers $250,000 in prize money and was moved from Apollo Stakes Day at Randwick to run as part of a three-Group 3 meeting at Rosehill that also features the Widden Stakes and Canonbury Stakes.
Some of the better sprinters may head south for a shot at the Group 1 sprints of the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival such as the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Blue Diamond Stakes Day or the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington in March.
Later in Sydney the top horses could shoot for a run in April’s Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick during ‘The Championships’.
The Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) also provides a nice first-up autumn run for horses eyeing a start in the following month’s Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) on Randwick Guineas Day.
The Southern Cross Stakes – Canterbury Stakes double was last completed by Lady Laguna (2024).
In 2021 Masked Crusader won the Southern Cross Stakes before a next-up third in the Canterbury Stakes. He went on to win the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) after that at Moonee Valley and place second in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) during that year’s ‘The Championships’. Masked Crusader further franked the autumn’s Southern Cross Stakes form over the spring, his campaign headlined by a second in the The Everest behind Nature Strip.
The 2022 Southern Cross Stakes form was franked with the runner-up Overpass winning the $750,000 Inglis Sprint next start (1200m).
In 2025, the Southern Cross Stakes runner-up Iowna Merc went on to finish second next-up in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes before wins in the Group 3 Liverpool City Cup and Group 2 Ajax Stakes that autumn.
In 2026 the Southern Cross Stakes was renamed the JRA Plate.
The Southern Cross Stakes 2026 ran on Saturday January 31, 2026 at Rosehill as the JRA Plate and served as a key lead-up to the middle-distance Group 1 events of the autumn with the Marc & Mitchell Conners-trained Willaidow ($4.60) getting up right on the line for a narrow first-up win.
| 2026 Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Saturday January 31, 2026 |
| Track: | Rosehill Gardens Racecourse |
| Distance: | 1200m |
| Race Type: | 3YO&Up / Open / Qlty Hcp. |
| Status: | Group 3 |
| Prize Money: | $250,000 |
2026 Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) Betting
The latest Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) 2026 betting odds will be open at Ladbrokes.com.au and also published here at Races.com.au the week of the race.
Special Reward ($3 in 2020), Masked Crusader ($2.25 in 2021), Lost And Running ($2.20 in 2022), and Lady Laguna ($2.25 in 2024) are the latest favourites in Southern Cross Stakes betting to salute for the punters.
2026 Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) Form Guide
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2026 JRA PLATE FORM GUIDE
2026 Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) Tips
Stay tuned for our insider Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) 2026 betting tips.
Best Value: No. 8 Meridiana
MERIDIANA (1) has been the early mover for Rosehill’s feature on Saturday, and she shapes as terrific Each Way value fresh. The John Sargent-trained Preferment mare is unbeaten first-up (2 from 2) and finds a very suitable Group 3 to kick off her campaign from the inside draw. She’s already shown she handles Rosehill in easier grade, and her last run — a close second in a BM78 over 1800m carrying 58kg — reads well when she drops all the way to 53kg here. The 1200m is short of her preferred trip, but the light weight and rails draw keep her right in the mix, especially with Zac Lloyd taking the ride. Expect her to drift back and charge late, and the market support suggests others are thinking the same.
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5th
8. Meridiana (1)
J: Zac Lloyd 53kg
T: John Sargent |
2026 Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) Field
The Southern Cross Stakes field – known in 2026 as the JRA Plate field – attracts a quality line-up of usually local Sydney sprinters at the start of their autumn racing campaigns and is released by Racing NSW on the Wednesday before the race.
The official 2026 Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) Field & Barriers are set for release on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below.
The 2026 JRA Plate (Southern Cross Stakes) final field features a small but competitive line-up of autumn bound sprinters including the resuming Tony Gollan trained topweight Zarastro and John Sargent’s consistent mare Meridiana drawn the rails.
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 271x52x40x | ZARASTRO | Tony Gollan | Ms Angela Jones | 4 | 59kg | Â | Â | 106 |
| 2 | 0x11316x27 | THE INSTRUCTOR | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Adam Hyeronimus | 5 | 58.5kg | Â | Â | 105 |
| 3 | 311012290x | COMPELLING TRUTH | Mack Griffith | Tim Clark | 6 | 57.5kg | Â | Â | 103 |
| 4 | 52048x576x | WILLAIDOW | Marc & Mitchell Conners | James McDonald | 2 | 56kg | Â | Â | 100 |
| 5 | x6631958x1 | DISNECK | Bjorn Baker | Joshua Parr | 8 | 55.5kg | Â | Â | 99 |
| 6 | 1630x3121x | ENRICHED | Michael Freedman | Tommy Berry | 7 | 55kg | Â | Â | 98 |
| 7 | 30×1002825 | FIRE STAR | Peter Snowden | Andrew Adkins | 3 | 53kg | Â | Â | 94 |
| 8 | 1438x1212x | MERIDIANA (NZ) | John Sargent | Zac Lloyd | 1 | 53kg | Â | Â | 85 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
2026 Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) Nominations
The Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) nominations are a first look at the possible sprinters to run in the Sydney sprint close on the Monday before race day.
2026 Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) nominations extended until 11:00am (AEDT) – 27/01/2026
| Â | Last 10 | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 121x160x33 | CANDLEWICK | M | 4 | Joseph Pride | 76 |
| 2 | 1630x3121x | ENRICHED | H | 4 | Michael Freedman | 98 |
| 3 | 30×1002825 | FIRE STAR | G | 5 | Peter Snowden | 94 |
| 4 | 80x7075x0x | JOHNNY ROCKER | G | 6 | Bjorn Baker | 95 |
| 5 | 0x11316x27 | THE INSTRUCTOR | G | 5 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Â |
| 6 | 52048x576x | WILLAIDOW | G | 7 | Marc & Mitchell Conners | 100 |
| 7 | 271x52x40x | ZARASTRO | G | 7 | Tony Gollan | Â |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
Southern Cross Stakes / JRA Plate History
The Southern Cross Stakes was first run in 1940 and won by Gold Rod. A number of genuine turf sprint stars have added their names to the Southern Cross Stakes winners’ list since then including Gunsynd (1972), Terravista (2014), the previous year’s Randwick Guineas champ Le Romain (2017), Lost And Running (2022), and Lady Laguna (2024).
The race started out as a Principal race, gained Listed status in 1980 and has been run as a Group 3 event since 1989.
It has gone by a number of different race names over the years including the Frederick Clissold Handicap, Anniversary Cup and has been known as the Southern Cross Stakes since 2009.
The race has also been conducted at a number of Sydney’s racecourses including Canterbury Park and Rosehill Gardens.
The race moved back to Rosehill earlier in the autumn ahead of the 2024 edition.
It was renamed in 2026 as the JRA Plate.
Willaidow (2025-26) was the last back-to-back champion.
Recent Southern Cross Stakes / JRA Plate Winners
See below for a full list of Southern Cross Stakes / JRA Plate winners and results going back to the year 2000.
| Year | Place | Horse | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Southern Cross Stakes (JRA Plate) | 1st | Willaidow | 1 minute 9.12 seconds |
| 2nd | The Instructor | ||
| 3rd | Zarastro | ||
| 2025 Southern Cross Stakes | 1st | Willaidow | 1 minute 9.44 seconds |
| 2nd | Iowna Merc | ||
| 3rd | Brudenell | ||
| 2024 Southern Cross Stakes | 1st | Lady Laguna | 1 minute 8.74 seconds |
| 2nd | Hard To Say | ||
| 3rd | Malkovich | ||
| 2023 Southern Cross Stakes | 1st | Quantico | 1 minute 9.57 seconds |
| 2nd | Titanium Power | ||
| 3rd | Gravina | ||
| 2022 Southern Cross Stakes | 1st | Lost And Running | 1 minute 9.54 seconds |
| 2nd | Overpass | ||
| 3rd | Standout | ||
| 2021 Southern Cross Stakes | 1st | Masked Crusader | 1 minute 10.62 seconds |
| 2nd | Southern Lad | ||
| 3rd | Victorem | ||
| 2020 Southern Cross Stakes | 1st | Special Reward | 1 minute 10.02 seconds |
| 2nd | Cascadian | ||
| 3rd | Jungle Edge | ||
| 2019 Southern Cross Stakes | 1st | Eckstein | 1 minute 9.16 seconds |
| 2nd | Dothraki | ||
| 3rd | Brutal | ||
| 2018 Southern Cross Stakes | 1st | Kaepernick | 1 minute 10.53 seconds |
| 2nd | Dothraki | ||
| 3rd | Boss Lane | ||
| 2017 Southern Cross Stakes | 1st | Le Romain | 1 minute 10.39 seconds |
| 2nd | Big Money | ||
| 3rd | Snippets Land | ||
| 2016 Southern CrossStakes | 1st | Big Money | 1 minute 9.4 seconds |
| 2nd | Decision Time | ||
| 3rd | Rich Enuff | ||
| 2015 Southern CrossStakes | 1st | Heart Testa | 1 minute 9.6 seconds |
| 2nd | Driefontein | ||
| 3rd | Territory | ||
| 2014 Southern CrossStakes | 1st | Terravista | 1 minute 8.6 seconds |
| 2nd | Albrecht | ||
| 3rd | My Destiny | ||
| 2013 Southern CrossStakes | 1st | Skytrain | 1 minute 13.5 seconds |
| 2nd | Streama | ||
| 3rd | Onthelookout | ||
| 2012 Southern CrossStakes | 1st | No Evidence Needed | 1 minute 10.0 seconds |
| 2nd | Neeson | ||
| 3rd | Secret Admirer | ||
| 2011 Southern CrossStakes | 1st | Sister Madly | 1 minute 8.5 seconds |
| 2nd | Pinwheel | ||
| 3rd | Cardinal Virtue | ||
| 2010 Southern Cross Stakes | 1st | Kenny’s World | 1 minute 11.0 seconds |
| 2nd | Dreamscape | ||
| 3rd | Geared Up | ||
| 2009 Southern CrossStakes | 1st | Marchinski | 1 minute 10.1 seconds |
| 2nd | Kenny’s World | ||
| 3rd | Raise | ||
| 2008 Frederick Clissold Stakes | 1st | Hoystar | 1 minute 10.0 seconds |
| 2nd | Friday Creek | ||
| 3rd | Danleigh | ||
| 2007 Frederick Clissold Stakes | 1st | The Free Stater | 1 minute 8.7 seconds |
| 2nd | The Jackal | ||
| 3rd | Century Serb | ||
| 2006 Frederick Clissold Stakes | 1st | Collate | 1 minute 9.5 seconds |
| 2nd | Utzon | ||
| 3rd | Damigos | ||
| 2005 Frederick Clissold Stakes | 1st | Cool Front | 1 minute 10.2 seconds |
| 2nd | Utzon | ||
| 3rd | Patezza | ||
| 2004 Frederick Clissold Stakes | 1st | Britt’s Best | 1 minute 10.0 seconds |
| 2nd | Fiery Venture | ||
| 3rd | Shags | ||
| 2003 Premier Express Freight Stakes | 1st | Gordo | 1 minute 10.2 seconds |
| 2nd | Presently | ||
| 3rd | Salgado | ||
| 2002 Frederick Clissold Stakes | 1st | Lord Essex | 1 minute 10.3 seconds |
| 2nd | Crawl | ||
| 3rd | Dottoressa | ||
| 2001 Frederick Clissold Stakes | 1st | Ab Initio | 1 minute 9.0 seconds |
| 2nd | Strabane | ||
| 3rd | Pittance | ||
| 2000 Frederick Clissold Stakes | 1st | Pimpala Prince | 1 minute 9.8 seconds |
| 2nd | Spying | ||
| 3rd | Iglesia | ||
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