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

Betting markets for the 2025 ATC Chairman’s Handicap are currently unavailable.


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:

United States Top Chairman's Handicap Bookies

Top Chairman's Handicap Bookies

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Latest ATC Chairman’s Handicap News

Circle Of Fire
Ciaron Maher and Dylan Gibbons have combined with Circle Of Fire to take out the Group 2 Chairman's Quality at ...
The Championships Day 1 tips
Randwick Racecourse is scheduled to host a massive 10-race card for Day 1 of The Championships. Check out HorseBetting's race-by-race ...
Surefire proves too strong in Group 2 Chairman's Quality victory
Chris Waller and Joao Moreira have combined with Surefire to take out the Group 2 Chairman's Quality at Randwick on ...
Moroney more than happy with Kiwi contenders
Michael Moroney has a pair of in-form New Zealand-bred prospects chasing feature events at Randwick on Saturday afternoon ...
Gin Martini claims Group Three
Smart four-year-old mare Gin Martini claimed a deserved Group Three victory when successful in the Epona Stakes (1900m) at Rosehill ...
Gritty win for Nerve Not Verve in Chairman's Quality
Michael Moroney has won his second Chairman's Quality, with Nerve Not Verve proving too strong in the Group 2 event ...

2025 ATC Chairman’s Handicap Final Field

HorseBetting will update this page when the 2025 ATC Chairman’s Handicap Final Field is released.


Previous ATC Chairman’s Handicap Fields

  • No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight
    1 Silks
    Loft
    Ben, Will & JD Hayes
    Mark Zahra
    14
    59kg
    2 Silks
    Stockman
    Joseph Pride
    Reece Jones
    6
    58.5kg
    3 Silks
    Manzoice
    Chris Waller
    Zac Lloyd
    8
    56.5kg
    4 Silks
    Hopeful
    Annabel Neasham
    Jason Collett
    9
    54.5kg
    5 Silks
    Torrens
    Marc Chevalier
    Jenny Duggan
    13
    54.5kg
    6 Silks
    Zegalo
    Mike Cattell
    Ron Stewart
    3
    54kg
    7 Silks
    Regal Lion
    Annabel Neasham
    Michael Dee
    1
    53kg
    8 Silks
    Verona
    Ciaron Maher
    Jamie Kah
    4
    53kg
    9 Silks
    So Dazzling
    John Sargent
    Rachel King
    12
    53kg
    10 Silks
    Yankee Hussel
    Kris Lees
    Craig Williams
    11
    53kg
    11 Silks
    Circle Of Fire
    Ciaron Maher
    Dylan Gibbons
    10
    53kg
    12 Silks
    Double Cherry
    Annabel Neasham
    Tom Sherry
    5
    53kg
    13 Silks
    Funambulist
    Annabel Neasham
    Declan Bates
    2
    53kg
    14 Silks
    Marsabit
    Danny Williams
    Quayde Krogh
    7
    53kg
  • No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight
    1 Silks
    Stockman
    Joseph Pride
    Sam Clipperton
    9
    59kg
    2 Silks
    Torrens
    Marc Chevalier
    Joshua Parr
    1
    56.5kg
    3 Silks
    High Emocean
    Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
    John Allen
    11
    56kg
    4 Silks
    Asterix
    Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott
    Michael Dee
    17
    56kg
    5 Silks
    Surefire
    Chris Waller
    Joao Moreira
    2
    56kg
    6 Silks
    Nerve Not Verve
    Mike Moroney
    Dean Holland
    16
    55.5kg
    7 Silks
    Benaud
    John O’Shea
    James McDonald
    7
    55.5kg
    8 Silks
    Sacramento
    Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
    Tim Clark
    18
    55kg
    9 Silks
    Gin Martini
    John Sargent
    Damian Lane
    10
    54kg
    10 Silks
    Timour
    Chris Waller
    Kerrin McEvoy
    5
    54kg
    11 Silks
    Rebel Racer
    Amy & Ash Yargi
    Craig Newitt
    6
    54kg
    12 Silks
    Normandy Bridge
    Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
    Tyler Schiller
    19
    53kg
    13 Silks
    Raging Bull
    David Payne
    Rachel King
    14
    53kg
    14 Silks
    Athabascan
    John O’Shea
    Brett Prebble
    4
    53kg
    15 Silks
    Almania
    Kris Lees
    Dylan Gibbons
    8
    53kg
    16 Silks
    Le Baol
    Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
    Louise Day
    12
    53kg
    17 Silks
    Pesto
    Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes
    Zac Lloyd
    3
    53kg
    18 Silks
    Zegalo
    Mike Cattell
    Reece Jones
    13
    53kg
    19 Silks
    Tappy’s Lad
    Kerry Taplin
    Ben Thompson
    15
    53kg

2024 ATC Chairman’s Handicap result


1stCircle Of Fire (+260)
2ndHopeful (+160)
3rdDouble 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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