Standish Handicap

The Standish Handicap is a Group 3 sprint race held at Flemington Racecourse in January each summer.

2023 Standish Handicap Results

  • 1st: #11 Snapper
  • 2nd: #8 Rose Quartz
  • 3rd: #5 Dawn Passage



The Standish Handicap is a 1200m sprint that takes place at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne in early January each summer.

It is held under handicap conditions and pays $250,000 in prize money as of 2022 when it also moved to mid-January from its traditional spot on the New Year’s Day race card at HQ and where it remains for the 2023 edition. As a Group 3 event, it attracts some fairly decent talent looking for an off-season Black-Type to either round out their summer or kick off their autumn.

Standish Handicap Day now runs on the same date as Queensland’s Magic Millions Race Day at the Gold Coast headlined by the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic and $2 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas.

It is now also part of Melbourne’s Summer Sprint Series running as the third event in the four-race series. The other races in the series are the Listed Kensington Stakes at Flemington, Listed Christmas Stakes at Caulfield and the Group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley.

The Standish Handicap is considered an important event for some horses who are gearing up for some of the few January races or the early Autumn Racing Carnival. However, many of the top sprinters in Melbourne are usually in the paddock around this time.

In 2019 the Standish Handicap winner Whispering Brook franked the form winning the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) next start at The Valley.

The Standish Handicap is held down the “straight six”, which is the Flemington straight (six furlongs long).

Horses that do well in the Standish Handicap may target the Group 1 sprints of the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival including Caulfield’s Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) in February.

Dual Standish Handicap champion Halvorsen franked the form out of the 2022 race when running second in both the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) in Melbourne and Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) in Adelaide later that year.

The Standish Handicap winner is now also exempt from that autumn’s Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) held at the same track and distance in March.

The 2023 Standish Handicap ran on Saturday January 14, 2023 offering the winner a 2023 Newmarket Handicap ballot exemption to the Michael Moroney-trained winner Snapper ($5).

Standish Handicap 2023
Date: Saturday January 14, 2023
Track: Flemington Racecourse
Distance: 1200m
Race Type: Open Handicap
Status: Group 3
Prize Money: $250,000

2023 Standish Handicap Results

  • 1st: #11 Snapper ($5)
  • 2nd: #8 Rose Quartz
  • 3rd: #5 Dawn Passage

The Michael Moroney-trained Snapper ($5) was too strong for his rivals in the Standish Handicap 2023 results producing a powerful late finish after a dominant front-running display to lead from barrier to box in the Group 3 summer sprint.

Finish No. Horse Trainer Jockey Margin Bar. Weight Penalty Starting Price
1 11 SNAPPER (NZ) Michael Moroney Jye McNeil 7 54kg $5
2 8 ROSE QUARTZ Grahame Begg Harry Coffey 0.75L 5 54kg $4F
3 5 DAWN PASSAGE Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Craig Newitt 1.5L 6 54kg $9.50
4 9 UMGAWA Leon & Troy Corstens Ethan Brown 2.25L 2 54kg (cd 54.5kg) $9
5 10 OCEAN BEYOND (NZ) Andrew Bobbin Ms Linda Meech 3L 4 54kg $26
6 4 VESPERTINE Grahame Begg Jordan Childs 4.25L 1 54kg (cd 54.5kg) $5.50
7 1 WESTERN EMPIRE (NZ) John Leek (Jnr) Jamie Mott 5.5L 9 59.5kg $9.50
8 2 HALVORSEN Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock Blake Shinn 5.6L 8 57kg $6.50
9 12 CRESTANI Pat Carey Dean Holland 8.35L 3 54kg $26
6 REGARDSMAREE Nick Ryan 0
3 INDIAN PACIFIC Neville Parnham Daniel Moor 0
7 PARSIFAL (NZ) Will Clarken & Niki O’Shea Damien Thornton 0

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2023 Standish Handicap Betting Odds

The latest available Standish Handicap 2023 odds will be listed below, pricing open at Ladbrokes.com.au where you can lock in your Standish Handicap betting tips at the hottest summer racing prices.

Sirius Suspect ($2.90 in 2021) was the last favourite in Standish Handicap betting to salute for the punters.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2023 STANDISH HANDICAP ODDS (Final Field)

2023 Standish Handicap Form Guide

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2023 STANDISH HANDICAP FORM GUIDE

2023 Standish Handicap Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Standish Handicap 2023 Tips on the summer showdown this January.

  • To Win: #4 Vespertine ($6 at time of publish) 

Sticking with the resuming favourite who was last seen winning a Black-Type at headquarters on Melbourne Cup Day. The Grahame Begg-trained Epaulette mare is drawn the rails and has a quality first-up record when fresh. Proven at the track, she’s a Group 3 place-getter previously here and is in well with just 54kg.

2023 Standish Handicap Field

The Standish Handicap field attracts a quality line-up of summer sprinters each January, many coming off a lead-up run at the Flemington track and the bulk of which progress onto the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival sprint races later in the year.

The 2023 Standish Handicap field and barriers are set for release the week before the race and will be provided in full below  as soon as made available by Racing Victoria.

The Standish Handicap 2023 final field features a small but class line-up of summer gallopers led in betting by the resuming rails-drawn mare Vespertine last seen winning the MSS Security Stakes at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day.

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 11x112x55x WESTERN EMPIRE (NZ) John Leek (Jnr) Jamie Mott 12 59.5kg 109
2 1310252×49 HALVORSEN Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock Blake Shinn 11 57kg 104
3 6x86x03305 INDIAN PACIFIC Neville Parnham Daniel Moor 7 54.5kg 99
4 162453x71x VESPERTINE Grahame Begg Jordan Childs 1 54kg 96
5 x0006x300x DAWN PASSAGE Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Craig Newitt 9 54kg 95
6 81199×6926 REGARDSMAREE Nick Ryan 2 54kg 95
7 4523636×75 PARSIFAL (NZ) Will Clarken & Niki O’Shea Damien Thornton 6 54kg 91
8 1312×50243 ROSE QUARTZ Grahame Begg Harry Coffey 8 54kg 89
9 7144138×17 UMGAWA Leon & Troy Corstens Ethan Brown 3 54kg 88
10 2158×00665 OCEAN BEYOND (NZ) Andrew Bobbin Ms Linda Meech 5 54kg 86
11 31180×8917 SNAPPER (NZ) Michael Moroney Jye McNeil 10 54kg 84
12 5256×93362 CRESTANI Pat Carey Dean Holland 4 54kg 81

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2023 Standish Handicap Nominations

Early Standish Handicap 2023 nominations are taken the Monday leading-up to the race and will be updated below once announced.

Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Hcp Rating
1 5256×93362 CRESTANI G 5 Pat Carey 81
2 x0006x300x DAWN PASSAGE G 6 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 95
3 1310252×49 HALVORSEN G 7 Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock 104
4 6x86x03305 INDIAN PACIFIC G 6 Neville Parnham 99
5 2158×00665 OCEAN BEYOND (NZ) G 5 Andrew Bobbin 86
6 4523636×75 PARSIFAL (NZ) G 8 Will Clarken & Niki O’Shea 91
7 81199×6926 REGARDSMAREE G 6 Nick Ryan 95
8 1312×50243 ROSE QUARTZ M 5 Grahame Begg 89
9 31180×8917 SNAPPER (NZ) G 5 Michael Moroney 84
10 7144138×17 UMGAWA G 4 Leon & Troy Corstens 88
11 162453x71x VESPERTINE M 5 Grahame Begg 96
12 11x112x55x WESTERN EMPIRE (NZ) G 5 John Leek (Jnr) 109
13 55783×0387 WILLIAM THOMAS G 8 John Price 80

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Standish Handicap History

The Standish Handicap was inaugurated in 1884. This makes it one of the older races in Australia.

It is named after Captain Frederick Standish. He was a former VRC Chairman and also held the position of Victorian Chief Commissioner of police during the period that Ned Kelly was galloping around the scrub bush-rangering. Fred Standish passed away in 1883.

Between 1884 and 1972 the Standish Handicap was held over six furlongs. Following the conversion to metric, it was held over 1200m, right up until 2006. In that year it was held over 1100m. Since 2007 it has been raced over 1200m.

In 1997 for a year the race was held at Moonee Valley. Caulfield Racecourse hosted it in 2006.

Prior to 1979, it was a Principal race, and since then it has held Group 3 status.

Notable Standish Handicap winners include Barefoot (1892), Miss Bobby (1907, 08), Press Gang (1935), Ungar (1950, 51), Scarborough Fair (1972), Redelva (1988), Iglesia (2001), Super Impressive (2003, 05) and Flamberge (2014). Standish Handicap results, place getters and winning times since 2000 are provided below.

In 2022 Halvorsen emulated Super Impressive (2003, 2005)  winning the Standish Handicap for the second time in three years.

Standish Handicap Winners

Year Place Horse Time
2023
Standish Handicap
1st Snapper 1 minute 9.73 seconds
2nd Rose Quartz
3rd Dawn Passage
2022
Standish Handicap
1st Halvorsen 1 minute 8.66 seconds
2nd It’sourtime
3rd The Astrologist
2021
Standish Handicap
1st Sirius Suspect 1 minute 9.27 seconds
2nd Albumin
3rd Defiant Dancer
2020
Standish Handicap
1st Halvorsen 1 minute 10.24 seconds
2nd Bold Star
3rd Superhard
2019
Standish Handicap
1st Whispering Brook 1 minute 9.18 seconds
2nd Smart Coupe
3rd True Excelsior
2018
Standish Handicap
1st Lord Of The Sky 1 minute 8.98 seconds
2nd Flippant
3rd Chamois Road
2017
Standish Handicap
1st Odyssey Moon 1 minute 10.54 seconds
2nd Cavaloce
3rd Inspector
2016
Standish Handicap
1st Durendal 1 minute 9.4 seconds
2nd Zupacharged
3rd Churchill Dancer
2015
Standish Handicap
1st Decircles 1 minute 9.1 seconds
2nd Lord Of The Sky
3rd Reparations
2014
Standish Handicap
1st Flamberge 1 minute 9.9 seconds
2nd Essay Raider
3rd Decircles
2013
Standish Handicap
1st Adamantium 1 minute 8.2 seconds
2nd Catapulted
3rd Goldstone
2012
Standish Handicap
1st Catapulted 1 minute 7.6 seconds
=2nd Rocking Force
=2nd Cascabel
2011
Standish Handicap
1st Ahdashim 1 minute 9.1 seconds
2nd Chasm
3rd Eclair Mystic
2010
Standish Handicap
1st Royal Ida 1 minute 11.1 seconds
2nd Beltrois
3rd Juggle The Books
2009
Standish Handicap
1st King Hoaks 1 minute 10.3 seconds
2nd Bowhunter
3rd Orbit Express
2008
Standish Handicap
1st Publishing 1 minute 9.3 seconds
2nd Eskaw
3rd Pencelaron
2007
Standish Handicap
1st Watchyerback 1 minute 9.0 seconds
2nd Murray Downs
3rd Cocinero
2006
Standish Handicap
1st Honalee 1 minute 3.4 seconds
2nd Gold Wells
3rd Starhere
2005
Standish Handicap
1st Super Impressive 1 minute 9.8 seconds
2nd Blessum
3rd Savage Attack
2004
Standish Handicap
1st Blessum 1 minute 9.2 seconds
2nd Monahan Tweed
3rd Super Impressive
2003
Standish Handicap
1st Super Impressive 1 minute 10.3 seconds
2nd Confederate Kid
3rd The Expat
2002
Standish Handicap
1st Lets Planet 1 minute 9.7 seconds
2nd Chattanooga
3rd Generalissimo
2001
Standish Handicap
1st Iglesia 1 minute 7.1 seconds
2nd Sedation
3rd Major
2000
Standish Handicap
1st Upright 1 minute 9.6 seconds
2nd Rain Dance Lady
3rd Bush Outlaw

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