The 2018 Spring Champion Stakes is a Group 1 race that is held in October each year. One of the showcase events of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival, the Spring Champion Stakes is open to three-year-olds only and is run at Royal Randwick Racecourse. The Spring Champion Stakes is run over a stayer’s distance of 2,000 metres and is run under set-weight conditions. Previously run on Epsom Super Saturday, the Spring Champion Stakes is now run a week later as the feature event and is worth $500,000 in prize money

The first Spring Champion Stakes was run in 1971 when it was won by a horse named Gay Icarus. The race began as a Principal race and was given its official Group 1 status in 1979. The Spring Champion Stakes was changed to a distance of 1,800 metres for just one year in 2001. The 2007 Spring Champion Stakes was not run due to an outbreak of Equine Influenza. The record for the fastest Spring Champion Stakes winning time is held by Dignity Dancer who won the race in in a time of 2 minutes and 0.43 seconds in 1998. Jockey R. Quinton holds the record for the most number of Spring Champion Stakes wins, claiming victory four times on Gold Brick (1973), Veloso (1982), Sir Dapper (1983) and Easter (1985).

A good lead up race to the Spring Champion Stakes is often the Listed Dulcify Quality held the week before at the same racecourse or the Group 2 Gloaming Stakes run at Rosehill Racecourse in September. Successful Spring Champion Stakes horses often go on to compete in the Group 1 Victoria Derby later in the month at Flemington in Melbourne. Monaco Consul (2009) achieved the Spring Champion Stakes and Victoria Derby double in 2009. Other notable winners of the Spring Champion Stakes include Kingston Town (1979), Stylish Century (1989), Nothin’ Leica Dane (1995), Tie The Knot (1997), Savabeel (2004) and Erewhon (2010).

2018 Spring Champion Stakes Field

The Spring Champion Stakes field regularly draws top three year olds from around the country to the Randwick track for an intense showdown across 2000m. One of the more testing events for three year olds, only the best horses make it into the final Spring Champion Stakes field. In the past, it hasn’t been unusual to see top trainers such as Gai Waterhouse, Peter Snowden and Anthony Cummings have horses in the Spring Champion Stakes field.

Just looking at the nominations, it’s easy to tell that the 2017 Spring Champion Stakes field will ensure an entertaining race. The 2016 Spring Champion Stakes field is now published below.

2018 Spring Champion Stakes Nominations

The 2018 Spring Champion Stakes nominations will be provided below.

Spring Champion Stakes Results

Below you will find a list of winners of the Spring Champion Stakes since 2000.