The Sydney Cup 2025 Preview
What is The Sydney Cup?
The Sydney Cup is a Group 1 race held at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. It is one of the major races at The Championships in the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival and is run over 3200 metres, making it one of the longest races in Australian thoroughbred racing.
The Sydney Cup is a handicap race, meaning that horses are given different weights based on their abilities, with the aim of creating a level playing field. It is open to horses aged three years and older and now has a prize pool of $2 million AUD.
Sydney Cup History
The Sydney Cup was first run back in 1862 and was won by Talleyrand. The last time a horse went back-to-back in winning the Cup was Tie The Knot in 1998 and 1999. Last year saw the heavily fancied Ciaron Maher-trained Circle of Fire land the spoils as he did the previous year with his runner Explosive Jack which won at $26.
Latest Betting Odds
The futures market has the following as fancied runners… Alalcance at $4.50, Desert Hero at $9.00, Warmonger at $9.00, Athabascan at $11.00, and Circle of Fire at $12.00. At longer odds all these horses are priced at about $26.00, and with the right conditions, they could represent some solid value. They include Arapaho, Birdman, Cleveland, Duke de Sessa, Fawkner Park, Strathtay, Zardozi, and Zarir.
Tips for the Sydney Cup
The Pickabookie.com.au value selections for the race are Circle of Fire to repeat last year’s victory. He might have been winless since that effort, but he was good when finishing 6th in the Melbourne Cup in November and will certainly relish getting back up to the 3200m distance.
Fawkner Park
Another one to back in either this race or the Queen Elizabeth is Fawkner Park. Trainers Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald have a strong opinion of their 6-year-old gelding which has won 9 out of its 21 starts so at $26 this could represent some each way value in what appears to be an open Sydney Cup.
Please remember to think before you bet. Stay in control, set limits, and seek support if gambling is no longer fun. Head to https://www.gamblinghelponline.org.au/ if you require help.