Widden Stakes

The Widden Stakes is a Group 3 race taking place at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney each autumn leading up to the Golden Slipper Stakes.

2023 Widden Stakes Results

  • 1st: #6 Learning To Fly
  • 2nd: #11 Steel City
  • 3rd: #8 Mumbai Muse



The Widden Stakes is Group 3 race run at Rosehill Gardens in late January or early February during the end of the summer and start of the famous Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. The 1100m sprint is open to two-year-old fillies and is run at set weights plus penalties.

The Widden Stakes is a key support race on Expressway Stakes Day. The meeting is headlined by the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) and also features the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m), which is the colts & geldings’ equivalent of the Widden Stakes.

Fillies that run in the Widden Stakes field may be kicking off their careers first-up, or have run in the spring before in something like the Gimcrack Stakes (1100m) held at Randwick in September / October. The Widden Stakes can serve as a lead-up into the world’s richest race for two-year-olds – the Group 1 $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) run back at Rosehill Racecourse in March. In 2020 the Magic Millions 2YO Classic winning filly Away Game took out the Widden Stakes and went on to run fourth in that year’s Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes in Melbourne and second in the Golden Slipper results.

The only fillies to date to complete the Widden Stakes – Golden Slipper Stakes double are Overreach (2013) and Mossfun (2014).

The 2022 Widden Stakes form was franked with the runner-up Revolutionary Miss going on to win the Group 2 Blue Diamond Prelude (Fillies) next-up before a second in Caulfield’s Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes in Melbourne. She also returned in the spring and was runner-up in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) that October.

The 2023 Widden Stakes ran on Saturday January 28, 2023 at Rosehill Gardens and was won by Annabel Neasham’s classy debutant Learning To Fly ($4.20). 

Widden Stakes 2023
Date: Saturday January 28, 2023
Track: Rosehill Racecourse
Distance: 1100m
Race Type: 2YO Fillies – Set Weights + Penalties
Status: Group 3
Prize Money: $200,000

2023 Widden Stakes Results

  • 1st: #6 Learning To Fly ($4.20)
  • 2nd: #11 Steel City
  • 3rd: #8 Mumbai Muse

The Annabel Neasham-trained Justify filly Learning To Fly ($4.20) fought on strongly late to win the Widden Stakes 2023 on debut ahead of a promising autumn campaign. 

  Finish No. Horse Trainer Jockey Margin Bar. Weight Penalty Starting Price
  1 6 LEARNING TO FLY Annabel Neasham Chad Schofield   6 54.5kg   $4.20
  2 11 STEEL CITY Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Jason Collett 0.59L 5 54.5kg   $3.70F
  3 8 MUMBAI MUSE Michael Freedman Brett Prebble 2.78L 9 54.5kg   $18
  4 1 CIGAR FLICK Chris Waller James McDonald 2.97L 7 54.5kg (cd 55kg)   $6
  5 3 DIVINE GLORY Peter & Paul Snowden Tyler Schiller (a) 4.87L 2 54.5kg   $12
  6 12 STEFI MAGNETICA Bjorn Baker Ms Rachel King 4.96L 1 54.5kg   $20
  7 5 JUST GLAMOUROUS Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Regan Bayliss 5.22L 8 54.5kg   $21
  8 9 PERFECT PROPOSAL Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Tim Clark 5.45L 4 54.5kg   $4.20
  9 7 LIZZIE’S GEM Brad Widdup Brenton Avdulla 12.21L 3 54.5kg   $31
    4 DOROTHY GAIL Annabel Neasham Kerrin McEvoy   0      
    2 DIPSY DOODLE James Cummings Sam Clipperton   0      
    10 STAR ACT Gregory Hickman Tommy Berry   0      

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2023 Widden Stakes Betting Odds

The current Widden Stakes 2023 odds will be published below as soon as released at Ladbrokes.com.au complete with market links for you to lock in your Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival tips at the best prices.

Away Game ($2.10 in 2020) was the last favourite in Widden Stakes betting to salute for the punters.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2023 WIDDEN STAKES ODDS (Final Field)

2023 Widden Stakes Form Guide

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2023 WIDDEN STAKES FORM GUIDE

2023 Widden Stakes Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Widden Stakes 2023 Tips on the popular end-of-January showdown this season.

  • To Win: #1 Cigar Flick ($6 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Nice field of promising types, but going for the Waller-trained Churchill filly who is one of the non-maidens in the mix. She trialled here in late December before winning her debut at Canterbury over 1100m on a Heavy (8) in style. Similar size field, rain around for another likely wet track and she’s got the benefit of that run. She’s fitter, drops from 56kg to 54.5kg and James McDonald retains the ride. Ticking plenty of boxes and can win again.

2023 Widden Stakes Field

The Widden Stakes field attracts a quality line-up of promising young fillies who are heading towards other similar races over the autumn in Sydney for two-year-olds including the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) held a month later at Royal Randwick and the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) in March before a Golden Slipper Stakes bid.

The official 2023 Widden Stakes field and barriers will be released by Racing NSW on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below.

The Widden Stakes 2023 final field features a quality line-up of promising young fillies led in betting by the unraced Annabel Neasham-trained daughter of Justify, Learning To Fly.

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Probable Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 1 CIGAR FLICK Chris Waller James McDonald 8 54.5kg      
2 4x DIPSY DOODLE James Cummings Sam Clipperton 9 54.5kg      
3 31x DIVINE GLORY Peter & Paul Snowden Tyler Schiller (a) 2 54.5kg      
4 3 DOROTHY GAIL Annabel Neasham Kerrin McEvoy 5 54.5kg      
5 4 JUST GLAMOUROUS Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Regan Bayliss 10 54.5kg      
6   LEARNING TO FLY Annabel Neasham Chad Schofield 7 54.5kg      
7   LIZZIE’S GEM Brad Widdup Brenton Avdulla 3 54.5kg      
8   MUMBAI MUSE Michael Freedman Brett Prebble 12 54.5kg      
9 2x PERFECT PROPOSAL Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Tim Clark 4 54.5kg      
10 3 STAR ACT Gregory Hickman Tommy Berry 11 54.5kg      
11 2 STEEL CITY Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Jason Collett 6 54.5kg      
12 5 STEFI MAGNETICA Bjorn Baker Ms Rachel King 1 54.5kg      

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2023 Widden Stakes Nominations

Early nominations on the Widden Stakes in 2023 are taken on the Monday of race week and will be published below once available.

  Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Ballot Weight True Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 31x DIVINE GLORY F 2 Peter & Paul Snowden 1 54.5kg      
2 2x PERFECT PROPOSAL F 2 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 2 54.5kg      
3 2 STEEL CITY F 2 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 3 54.5kg      
4 1 CIGAR FLICK F 2 Chris Waller 4 54.5kg      
5 3 DOROTHY GAIL F 2 Annabel Neasham 5 54.5kg      
6 5 STEFI MAGNETICA F 2 Bjorn Baker 6 54.5kg      
7 4x DIPSY DOODLE F 2 James Cummings 7 54.5kg      
8 3 STAR ACT F 2 Gregory Hickman 8 54.5kg      
9 4 JUST GLAMOUROUS F 2 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 9 54.5kg      
10 6 RIVA MIA F 2 Con Karakatsanis 10 54.5kg      
11   LADY BILLIE F 2 Bjorn Baker 11= 54.5kg      
12   LEARNING TO FLY F 2 Annabel Neasham 11= 54.5kg      
13   LIZZIE’S GEM F 2 Brad Widdup 11= 54.5kg      
14   MADEIRA SUNRISE F 2 Michael Freedman 11= 54.5kg      
15   MUMBAI MUSE F 2 Michael Freedman 11= 54.5kg  

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Widden Stakes History

The Widden Stakes is named after Widden Stud, home to some of the country’s premier stallions and sires. It was inaugurated in 1943 as a 1000m Principal Race. It has been run over its current 1100m distance during 2005-07 and since 2009 onwards. The event gained Listed status in 1979 – 2013 before being upgraded to a Group 3 autumn feature from 2014.

There have been three racecourses to host the Widden Stakes – Randwick, Rosehill Gardens and Warwick Farm.

Plenty of notable fillies have won the event and some of the best Widden Stakes winners in recent years include Triscay (1989), Dynasty (1993), Satin Shoes (2011), subsequent Golden Slipper winner Overreach (2013), Mossfun (2014), Fiesta (2018) and that year’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Away Game (2020).

In 2020 Away Game became the first filly in over 20 years to carry more than 56.5kg to victory in the Widden Stakes.

Recent Widden Stakes Winners

See below for a full list of the Widden Stakes Winners & Results going back to 2000.

Year Place Horse Time
 
2023 Widden Stakes 1st Learning To Fly 1 minute 3.30 seconds
2nd Steel City
3rd Mumbai Muse
 
2022 Widden Stakes 1st Queen Of The Ball 1 minute 3.53 seconds
2nd Revolutionary Miss
3rd Pantonario
 
2021 Widden Stakes 1st Mallory 1 minute 6.03 seconds
2nd Total Babe
3rd Vianello
 
2020 Widden Stakes(Run at Randwick) 1st Away Game 1 minute 4.43 seconds
2nd Centimental
3rd Philizzy
 
2019 Widden Stakes 1st Amercement 1 minute 5.91 seconds
2nd Rotator
3rd Blazing Miss
 
2018 Widden Stakes 1st Fiesta 1 minute 5.50 seconds
2nd Adamina
3rd River Bird
 
2017 Widden Stakes 1st Teaspoon 1 minute 5.08 seconds
2nd Mystic Empire
3rd Sweet Deal
 
2016 Widden Stakes 1st Honesty Prevails 1 minute 5.7 seconds
2nd Smart Amelia
3rd Chipanda
 
2015 Widden Stakes 1st Fireworks 1 minute 5.4 seconds
2nd Lake Geneva
3rd Igraine
 
2014 Widden Stakes 1st Mossfun 1 minute 5.0 seconds
2nd Ygritte
3rd Twirl
 
2013 Widden Stakes 1st Overreach 1 minute 3.0 seconds
2nd Everage
3rd Brilliant Bisc
 
2012 Widden Stakes 1st Driefontein 1 minute 4.1 seconds
2nd Agueda
3rd Hussousa
 
2011 Widden Stakes 1st Satin Shoes 1 minute 2.2 seconds
2nd Elite Falls
3rd Shared Reflections
 
2010 Widden Stakes 1st Georgette Silk 1 minute 5.19 seconds
2nd Mafia Miss
3rd So Detached
 
2009 Widden Stakes 1st Horizons 1 minute 4.44 seconds
2nd Melito
3rd Marquardt
 
2008 Widden Stakes 1st Delta Girl 58.67 seconds
2nd Stripper
3rd Jiale
 
2007 Widden Stakes 1st Superfly 1 minute 4.8 seconds
2nd Goldam
3rd Illuminates
 
2006 Widden Stakes 1st Churchill Downs 1 minute 4.85 seconds
2nd Fleur Royale
3rd Big Joker
 
2005 Widden Stakes 1st Pasikatera 1 minute 4.02 seconds
2nd Snowden
3rd Kincharm
 
2004 Widden Stakes 1st Econsul 1 minute 5.15 seconds
2nd Ballybleue
3rd Segments
 
2003 Widden Stakes 1st Race Not Held
2nd  
3rd  
 
2002 Widden Stakes 1st Secret Land 58.92 seconds
2nd Hasna
3rd Danish Magic
 
2001 Widden Stakes 1st Riona 58.05 seconds
2nd Chatelaine
3rd Highest
 
2000 Widden Stakes 1st Miss Bussell 59.33 seconds
2nd Happens
3rd Vita

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