The Invitation

$2 million The Invitation race is recently created Special Condition (invitation-only) race for fillies and mares held at Randwick in Sydney on the same day as Melbourne's coveted Cox Plate.

2023 The Invitation Results

  • 1st: #2 Espiona
  • 2nd: #4 Ruthless Dame
  • 3rd: #7 Magic Time



The $2 million The Invitation is a special racing event contested at Royal Randwick on Spring Champion Stakes Day in late October as part of the lucrative The Everest Carnival.

Sydney’s marquee race for fillies and mares, The Invitation is contested over 1400m by a 12-starter field of female gallopers that have been exclusively invited to take part.

The inaugural edition of The Invitation ran in 2021 and is a set weights plus penalties race.

Each year Racing NSW convene a panel of racing experts to decide on which fillies and mares from around Australia and New Zealand are invited to take part in the race.

The Invitation runs alongside the Group 1 $2 million Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) and the recently renamed Group 2 $1 million Callander-Presnell (1600m), a race formerly known as the Stan Fox Stakes that has now replaced the defunct Bondi Stakes.

The meeting runs on the same day as Melbourne’s Cox Plate Day card at The Valley.

The 2021 The Invitation form was franked with the inaugural winner Icebath going on to run a next-up second in that year’s Group 1 Kennedy Cantala (1600m) – now known as the Champions Mile. She also returned the following autumn to run third in both the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) and Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m).

The 2021 runner-up Rocha Clock further franked the form also finishing second next-up in the Hot Danish Stakes, while the third-placed Forbidden Love took out the 2022 Group 1 Canterbury Stakes – George Ryder Stakes double next prep.

In 2023 Kerrin McEvoy made it a three-from-three clean-sweep with his win aboard Espiona to be the only The Invitation winning jockey from the race’s opening three editions.

Mares out of The Invitation race may also opt to back-up at Rosehill on The Five Diamonds Day in the Group 2 $500,000 Hot Danish Stakes (1400m). Sheeza Belta (8th in 2022) was the last The Invitation graduate to back-up and win the Group 2.

The third running of the 2023 The Invitation took place at Randwick on Saturday October 28th, 2023 as part of the Spring Champion Stakes Day card in Sydney and was won by Chris Waller’s class mare Espiona ($3.60). 

The Invitation 2023
Date: Saturday October 28th, 2023
Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
Distance: 1400m
Race Type: Set Weights + Penalties – Fillies & Mares
Status: Special Condition (Invitation Only)
Prize Money: $2,000,000

2023 The Invitation Results

  • 1st: TBD
  • 2nd: TBD
  • 3rd: TBD

The Chris Waller-trained Group 1 winner Espiona ($3.60), coming off a lead-up run in The Everest, was made to work for it in The Invitation 2023 results at Royal Randwick but ultimately was able to salute for right on the line off a perfectly-timed ride by now three-time winning hoop Kerrin McEvoy.

Click here to read more on the narrow 2023 The Invitation win by Espiona.

Finish No. Horse Trainer Jockey Margin Bar. Weight Penalty Starting Price
1 2 ESPIONA Chris Waller Kerrin McEvoy 8 59kg $3.60
2 4 RUTHLESS DAME (NZ) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Sam Clipperton 0.21L 12 59kg $18
3 7 MAGIC TIME Grahame Begg Tyler Schiller 0.3L 9 58kg $2.80F
4 1 ALCOHOL FREE (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Adam Hyeronimus 0.66L 11 59.5kg $18
5 11 AUSBRED FLIRT Brad Widdup Ms Rachel King 1.54L 7 57kg $26
6 3 ROYAL MERCHANT Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Jason Collett 2.03L 4 59kg $21
7 12 DALCHINI Lee & Cherie Curtis Jay Ford 3.23L 10 57kg $91
8 8 PARISAL James Cummings Regan Bayliss 3.72L 1 58kg $12
9 5 OPAL RIDGE Luke Pepper Dylan Gibbons (a) 3.73L 2 59kg $10
10 9 OLENTIA Chris Waller Ms Kathy O’Hara 3.76L 5 58kg $26
11 6 ROOTS Chris Waller Tommy Berry 4.02L 3 58kg $9
12 10 BANANA QUEEN Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou Joshua Parr 7.96L 6 58kg $81
14e RUSSIAN CONQUEST Peter & Paul Snowden 0
13e RAZETA Kris Lees 0

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2023 The Invitation Betting Odds

The Invitation 2023 racing odds will be available here as soon as The Invitation race betting opens this spring.

There was a notable upset in 2022 with Promise Of Success winning at The Invitation odds of $26.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2023 THE INVITATION ODDS (Final Field)

2023 The Invitation Tips

Stay tuned for our insider The Invitation 2023 betting tips and exotic Randwick spring racing selections on the feature race of the season in Sydney for fillies and mares.

  • To Win: #2 Espiona ($3.40 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Open third edition of The Invitation race but on class alone have to stick with Espiona for Chris Waller. She’s a Group 1 winner with a great record at the track (7:4-0-1) who has been excellent this prep. Won the Group 2 Golden Pendant two back before a midfield seventh only 2.7 lengths beaten in the $20 million The Everest (1200m). That is a strong form line to follow into this arguably easier assignment back against her own kind. Up to the 1400m suits now, her Group 1 Coolmore victory was at 1500m in the autumn, and even with the 59kg at set weights plus penalties looks the one to beat.

2023 The Invitation Form Guide

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2023 THE INVITATION FORM GUIDE

2023 The Invitation Field

The spring’s The Invitation field features an exclusive line-up of 12 fillies and mares from around Australia and New Zealand invited by a panel convened by Racing NSW to contest the $2 million showdown.

Fillies and mares with a proven Group 1 record in earlier races including the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) for fillies held earlier in October and the autumn’s Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) will make a good lead-up into The Invitation field.

The Invitation 2023 field will be confirmed the Tuesday of race week at 10am on the 24th of October, 2023 and published below as soon as available.

The 2023 The Invitation final field features a class line-up of mares led in betting by Chris Waller’s Group 1 winner Espiona coming off a run in The Everest.

Click here to read more on the key runners in The Invitation 2023 field and betting markets.

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Probable Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 34913x0x40 ALCOHOL FREE (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Adam Hyeronimus 13 59.5kg 114
2 0x6117x217 ESPIONA Chris Waller Kerrin McEvoy 10 59kg 111
3 44232110×8 ROYAL MERCHANT Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Jason Collett 6 59kg 108
4 x320150x75 RUTHLESS DAME (NZ) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Sam Clipperton 14 59kg 108
5 1x145125x2 OPAL RIDGE Luke Pepper Dylan Gibbons (a) 3 59kg 103
6 x3410x52x5 ROOTS Chris Waller Tommy Berry 4 58kg 107
7 11x13x51 MAGIC TIME Grahame Begg Tyler Schiller 11 58kg 101
8 7x1112x122 PARISAL James Cummings Regan Bayliss 2 58kg 99
9 14x11x1580 OLENTIA Chris Waller Ms Kathy O’Hara 7 58kg 94
10 127×574130 BANANA QUEEN Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou Joshua Parr 8 58kg 88
11 112x614x12 AUSBRED FLIRT Brad Widdup Ms Rachel King 9 57kg 88
12 40x7903x53 DALCHINI Lee & Cherie Curtis Jay Ford 12 57kg 84
13e 909139×408 RAZETA Kris Lees 1 58kg 83
14e 47x20x66x9 RUSSIAN CONQUEST Peter & Paul Snowden 5 57kg 80

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

The Invitation History

The Invitation ran for the first time during the 2021 Sydney Spring Racing Carnival and was won by the Brad Widdup-trained Sacred Falls five-year-old Icebath.

Icebath returned to defend her title in 2022 but missed the kick and eventually ran ninth with the race won in an upset by Promise Of Success at $26.

In 2023 Espiona became the third The Invitation winner and was ridden by Kerrin McEvoy who also rode the first two winners of the event.

YEAR WINNER 2ND 3RD TIME
2023 Espiona Ruthless Dame Magic Time 1:21.74
2022 Promise Of Success Electric Girl Nimalee 1:25.05
2021 Icebath Rocha Clock Forbidden Love 1:22.37

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