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Real Punters Play Here – Queen Elizabeth Stakes

Posted on | Posted by TABtouch

Racing And Sports’ Brad Bishop looks at the profile of recent Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners, brought to you by TABtouch.

This Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes will not be the first centred around a horse racing under Arrowfield Stud’s famous colours.

In the first edition of the race as the flagship race of The Championships at Randwick, in 2014, the horse then known as It’s A Dundeel won it for the John Messara-owned operation.

Twelve years on, Autumn Glow will carry the famous yellow and black diamonds in the 2000-metre weight-for-age event as she strives to stretch her unbeaten run to 12.

It is the toughest test for the four-year-old, the odds-on favourite with TABtouch, with the $5 million event now a rival for the Cox Plate as Australia’s ‘best’ middle-distance event.

Five of the 12 winners since 2014 have been won by the subsequent Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year, not a bad strike-rate considering UK visitors Addeybb and Dubai Honour won three between them.

No Queen Elizabeth Stakes since 2014 has been won by a horse who was a Group 1 maiden going in.

It also has not been won by a horse having its first start at 2000m since Georgie Boy in 2000.

Autumn Glow will be having her first start at the Queen Elizabeth Stakes trip this weekend.

The daughter of The Autumn Sun is three weeks between runs off her win in the 1500m George Ryder Stakes, which was the final lead-up Chris Waller used with Winx in her three wins from 2017-19.

The difference with Winx was she had won two Cox Plates, a Caulfield Stakes and Queensland Oaks at 2000m or beyond before she first appeared in a Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Winx’s three Queen Elizabeth wins came during a run where of 11 of 12 had their final lead-up run at 1600m or below, but the six winners since Winx rounded out their preparations over at least 2000m.

Addeybb came through the 2000m Ranvet Stakes in 2020 and 2021, as did Dubai Honour (2023) and Via Sistina (2025), while Pride Of Jenni (2024) came through the 2000m Australian Cup and Think It Over (2022) the 2400m Tancred Stakes.

Autumn Glow is the only runner in this year’s race coming off a lead-up run shorter than 2000m.

Dubai Honour and Aeliana were last seen fighting out the Tancred Stakes, Lindermann and Sir Delius come via the Ranvet Stakes, Light Infantry Man won the Australian Cup, while Wootton Verni and Caviar Heights – the only non-Group 1 winners in the race – ran the quinella in the Group 3 Neville Sellwood Stakes (2000m).

Despite her 2000m inexperience, Autumn Glow dominates the TABtouch Queen Elizabeth Stakes market at $1.45 and is out to join Winx as the only odds-on winner since 2014.

Winx won her three at $1.12, $1.24 and $1.06 – the shortest quote of any Queen Elizabeth winner – while the only other horse to start in the red since 2014 was Via Sistina, who was $1.85 when second to Pride Of Jenni two years ago.

Via Sistina bounced back to win at even money, one of six favourites to score since 2014, while five of the other six winners were $8 or shorter, the exception being Think It Over ($41).

Only three of Autumn Glow’s rivals were shorter than $26 with TABtouch at 10.30am Thursday; joint $7 second elects Sir Delius and Aeliana and Dubai Honour, who was at $8.50.

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