ATC Chairman’s Handicap
ATC Chairman’s Handicap
The Championships Day 1 – Betting Guide
| Date: | Saturday, April 5, 2025 |
| Location: | Royal Randwick Racecourse – Sydney, Australia |
| Prize Money: | $300,000 |
| Distance: | 2600m |
The ATC Chairman’s Handicap is a Group 2 race for stayers over the 2600m distance held at Randwick.
Held on Day One of The Championships, the $300,000 on offer is highly sought after, but there is a much bigger prize on offer.
The winner of the Chairman’s Handicap is exempt from the ballot and handicap for the Sydney Cup, which is run just a week later as part of Day Two of the Championships.
In the last ten years just one horse, The Offer, has won both the Chairman’s Handicap and the Sydney Cup in the same year.
2025 ATC Chairman’s Handicap betting odds
Odds for the ATC Chairman’s Handicap as of April 4 – Courtesy of Neds
- Alalcance Win $2.70 Place $1.45
- Desert Hero Win $6.00 Place $2.30
- Birdman Win $9.00 Place $3.00
- Athabascan Win $9.50 Place $3.10
- Waltham Win $9.50 Place $3.10
- Strathtay Win $21.00 Place $5.50
- El Jasor Win $23.00 Place $6.00
- Valiant King Win $23.00 Place $6.00
- Kinesiology Win $26.00 Place $6.50
- Manzoice Win $31.00 Place $7.50
- Hopeful Win $31.00 Place $7.50
- Age Of Sail Win $34.00 Place $8.00
- Bacio Del Mist Win $35.00 Place $8.00
- Lastotchka Win $41.00 Place $9.50
- Positivity Win $46.00 Place $10.00
- Francesco Guardi Win $81.00 Place $15.00
- Mr Waterville Win $81.00 Place $15.00
- True Marvel Win $126 Place $21.00
- Laspirit Deeler Win $151 Place $26.00
Best ATC Chairman’s Handicap bookmakers
Ordinarily a Group Two race would be a huge deal, but given the TJ Smith Stakes and the Doncaster Mile are run on day one of the Championships, the Chairman’s Handicap takes a backseat to those races.
However, that does not mean it does not draw plenty of attention.
Given what is at stake for the winner there is always buzz around the race, which means fixed odds markets tend to emerge around a week before the race jumps. The bookies we put our trust in are listed below, and we recommend anyone interested in placing a bet on the Chairman’s Handicap take a look any of these sites:
Top Chairman's Handicap Bookies
Latest ATC Chairman’s Handicap News
It was a one-act affair in the Group 2 Chairman’s Quality (2600m) at Randwick on Saturday, with Alalcance giving her ...
Watch all the race replays, results and dividends from Day 1 of The Championships at Randwick, including the Doncaster Mile, ...
Check out HorseBetting's free race-by-race preview for Day 1 of The Championships scheduled for Royal Randwick on Saturday, April 5, ...
Ciaron Maher and Dylan Gibbons have combined with Circle Of Fire to take out the Group 2 Chairman's Quality at ...
Randwick Racecourse is scheduled to host a massive 10-race card for Day 1 of The Championships. Check out HorseBetting's race-by-race ...
Chris Waller and Joao Moreira have combined with Surefire to take out the Group 2 Chairman's Quality at Randwick on ...
2025 ATC Chairman’s Handicap Final Field
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Previous ATC Chairman’s Handicap Fields
No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight 1 
Loft Ben, Will & JD Hayes Mark Zahra 14 59kg 2 Stockman Joseph Pride Reece Jones 6 58.5kg 3 ManzoiceChris WallerZac Lloyd856.5kg4 Hopeful Annabel Neasham Jason Collett 9 54.5kg 5 TorrensMarc ChevalierJenny Duggan1354.5kg6 Zegalo Mike Cattell Ron Stewart 3 54kg 7 Regal LionAnnabel NeashamMichael Dee153kg8 Verona Ciaron Maher Jamie Kah 4 53kg 9 So Dazzling John Sargent Rachel King 12 53kg 10 Yankee HusselKris LeesCraig Williams1153kg11 Circle Of Fire Ciaron Maher Dylan Gibbons 10 53kg 12 Double Cherry Annabel Neasham Tom Sherry 5 53kg 13 Funambulist Annabel Neasham Declan Bates 2 53kg 14 Marsabit Danny Williams Quayde Krogh 7 53kg No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight 1 Stockman Joseph Pride Sam Clipperton 9 59kg 2 Torrens Marc Chevalier Joshua Parr 1 56.5kg 3 High Emocean Ciaron Maher & David Eustace John Allen 11 56kg 4 Asterix Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott Michael Dee 17 56kg 5 Surefire Chris Waller Joao Moreira 2 56kg 6 Nerve Not Verve Mike Moroney Dean Holland 16 55.5kg 7 Benaud John O’Shea James McDonald 7 55.5kg 8 Sacramento Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Tim Clark 18 55kg 9 Gin Martini John Sargent Damian Lane 10 54kg 10 TimourChris WallerKerrin McEvoy554kg11 Rebel RacerAmy & Ash YargiCraig Newitt654kg12 Normandy Bridge Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Tyler Schiller 19 53kg 13 Raging Bull David Payne Rachel King 14 53kg 14 Athabascan John O’Shea Brett Prebble 4 53kg 15 AlmaniaKris LeesDylan Gibbons853kg16 Le Baol Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Louise Day 12 53kg 17 Pesto Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes Zac Lloyd 3 53kg 18 Zegalo Mike Cattell Reece Jones 13 53kg 19 Tappy’s Lad Kerry Taplin Ben Thompson 15 53kg
2024 ATC Chairman’s Handicap result
1st – Circle Of Fire (+260)
2nd – Hopeful (+160)
3rd – Double Cherry (+180)
Recent ATC Chairman’s Handicap winners
- Ciaron Maher and Dylan Gibbons combined with Circle Of Fire ($3.50) to take out the Group 2 Chairman’s Quality at Randwick, as the European import broke through for his first win on Australian soil and looks to be on track for the Group 1 Sydney Cup. The son of Almanzor was well backed before the race and the four-year-old entire saluted in the final strides for his followers, as he nabbed Hopeful ($8.50) in the last 50m. Considering that Double Cherry ($12.00) led the field and ran the race at a sedate tempo, the run of the winner must be upgraded as he settled mid-field and was working four-wide around the home turn. However, as soon as it looked as though Jason Collett has stolen the race on Hopeful, Gibbons got stuck into the winner and he let down with an explosive turn of foot down the middle of the track to wear down the leader late. Double Cherry boxed on in the final 200m to hold onto third place, just ahead of So Dazzling ($17.00) who ran home well into fourth, but all honours went to the winner, who could back up next Saturday in the Sydney Cup over 3200m.
- After a hard slog over 2600m at Randwick, Surefire proved too strong at the end in the heavy conditions, giving Joao Moreira his first win at The Championships for 2023 in the Group 2 Chairman’s Quality. After settling close to the speed from barrier two, the five-year-old gelding received the run of the race and all Moreira had to do was wait for his run to appear and then push the button in the final 300m to grind away and hold on over the fast-finishing Gin Martini. This son of Fastnet Rock hadn’t done a whole lot in his three starts this preparation, finishing eighth of 11, eighth of 10 and ninth of 10, so there wasn’t many that thought he could win, and his odds of $18 with online bookmakers reflected the thoughts of punters.
- Michael Moroney has won his second Chairman’s Quality, with Nerve Not Verve proving too strong in the Group 2 event at Royal Randwick. The six-year-old daughter of Shocking was sent out as a $31 chance with online bookmakers in the 2600m event under Regan Bayliss, but she proved too superior for her rivals, winning by a quarter of a length over a game Knight’s Order. Regan Bayliss has Nerve Not Verve in the box seat throughout where the duo were able to stalk race leader Knights Order throughout. Nerve Not Verve peeled off the leader’s back at the 400m mark and despite the pair going stride-for-stride down the Randwick straight, it was Moroney’s mare who reigned supreme in the Group 2.
- The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Quick Thinker returned to the winner’s circle at Randwick with a brilliant staying performance to take out the Group 2 Chairman’s Quality (2600m). The So You Think entire claimed his first Group 1 on Day 1 of The Championships in 2020 by a nose to Zebrowksi in the ATC Derby, but he failed to return the same horse during the spring running no better than fifth in two starts in Melbourne. With three runs under his belt and some fitness on his side, the four-year-old relished racing with some sting out of the track as Damian Lane timed his run to perfection down the straight. The champion hoop chose to push forward rounding the turn after settling midfield before bursting clear out wide to race past Paths Of Glory and fend off a late challenge from the fast-finishing Rondinelli.
- European import Raheen House has relished a distance rise to emerge as a serious Sydney Cup contender with a strong win in a key lead-up race at Randwick. A two-time stakes winner over staying trips in England, Raheen House had not managed a top-five finish in four previous Australian runs. But up to 2600m in the Chairman’s Quality, the Kris Lees-trained gelding turned that form around. Settling worse than midfield in a genuinely run race, Raheen House ($17) surged late under Hugh Bowman to reel in $5 favourite Carif and score by 1.25 lengths. Mirage Dancer ($15) was strong to the line, another long neck in arrears.
- Impressive six-year-old stayer Gallic Chieftain swooped in late to claim his fourth third-up victory of his career, surprising the leading Shraaoh to win by half a length at the line. Gallic Chieftain entered the race at $16.00, but appeared to relish the soft conditions after running fifth in the Yarra Valley Cup last month. Gallic Chieftain will now return to Group 1 level after running eighth in last year’s Caulfield Cup, hoping to become the ninth horse to win the Chairman’s Handicap-Sydney Cup double and the first since The Offer in 2014.
- Heading towards the Group 1 Sydney Cup, punters were keen to see how Kiwi raider Sir Charles Road would go in a key lead up event. The stayer didn’t disappoint, settling midfield on the rails before engaging in a head bobbing finish with Ventura Storm.
- Darren Weir has not had great success in Sydney, but Irish-bred galloper Big Duke is doing its best to turn around the fortunes of one of Melbourne’s most prolific trainers. As if it knew it had bigger fish to fry, Big Duke torched its rivals in a canter to take out the 2017 edition of the race. Read a full report.
- Another strongly rated Irish import Libran went into the Chairman’s Handicap as a strong $2.25 favourite, but did not have it all its own way under Brenton Avdulla. The horse took the race out by a head, but could only manage a second placing a week later in the Sydney Cup.
- Bucking the trend of recent short priced favourites getting up, Tremec saluted in the Handicap as a $9 shot under Brenton Avdulla. The race is famously known for being postponed due to heavy race conditions and Tremec did not take part in the Sydney Cup of that year.
Previous ATC Chairman’s Handicap winners
| ATC Chairman’s Handicap Past Winners | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2024 | Circle Of Fire | Dylan Gibbons | Ciaron Maher |
| 2023 | Surefire | Joao Moreira | Chris Waller |
| 2022 | Nerve Not Verve | Regan Bayliss | Mike Moroney |
| 2021 | Quick Thinker | Damian Lane | Murray Baker |
| 2020 | Raheen House | Hugh Bowman | Kris Lees |
| 2019 | Gallic Chieftain | Damian Lane | Archie Alexander |
| 2018 | Sir Charles Road | Blake Shinn | Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott |
| 2017 | Big Duke | Craig Williams | Darren Weir |
| 2016 | Libran | Brenton Avdulla | Chris Waller |
| 2015 | Tremec | Brenton Avdulla | John Thompson |
| 2014 | The Offer | Tommy Berry | Gai Waterhouse |
| 2013 | Tremec | Craig Newitt | John Thompson |
| 2012 | Permit | Corey Brown | Chris Waller |
| 2011 | Once Were Wild | Nash Rawiller | Gai Waterhouse |
| 2010 | Jessicabeel | Craig Williams | John O’Shea |
| 2009 | Divine Rebel | Kerrin McEvoy | Mike Moroney |
| 2008 | No Wine No Song | Damien Oliver | Kevin Moses |
| 2007 | No Wine No Song | Michael Rodd | Kevin Moses |
| 2006 | Fooram | Darren Beadman | John O’Shea |
| 2005 | Philosophe | Dwayne Dunn | Jim Conlan |
| 2004 | Mummify | Danny Nikolic | Lee Freedman |
| 2003 | Grey Song | Steven King | Tommy Hughes (Snr) |
| 2002 | Henderson Bay | Darryl McLellan | Neville McBruney |
| 2001 | Steel Phoenix | Darren Beadman | David Hall |
| 2000 | Pravda | Chris Munce | Paul O’Sullivan |
ATC Chairman’s Handicap winners pre-2000
| ATC Chairman’s Handicap Past Winners Pre 2000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Horse | ||
| 1999 | Steel Phoenix | ||
| 1998 | Joss Sticks | ||
| 1997 | Linesman | ||
| 1996 | Cornwall King | ||
| 1995 | Spiritual Star | ||
| 1994 | Paris Fire | ||
| 1993 | Te Akau Nick | ||
| 1992 | Demerit | ||
| 1991 | Prizaan | ||
| 1990 | King Aussie | ||
| 1989 | Just Trish | ||
| 1988 | Round The World | ||
| 1987 | Major Drive | ||
| 1986 | Marooned | ||
| 1985 | Duanette’s Girl | ||
| 1984 | What A Nuisance | ||
| 1983 | Lord Mop | ||
| 1982 | Bianco Lady | ||
| 1981 | Gatcombe | ||
| 1980 | Just Jealous | ||
| 1979 | Lady Dignitas | ||
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