TJ Smith Stakes
TJ Smith Stakes
The Championships Day 1 – Betting Guide
| Date: | Saturday, April 1, 2023 |
| Location: | Royal Randwick, Sydney |
| Prize Money: | $2,500,000 |
| Distance: | 1,200m |
THE Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes is held at Royal Randwick under weight for age conditions over the 1200m journey as part of a massive day one of The Championships.
Originally entitled the Endeavour Stakes, the race name was changed to honour famous Sydney horse trainer Thomas John Smith.
Notable winners of the TJ Smith are three-time winner Chautauqua (2015-2017), Lankan Rupee (2014), Nature Strip (2020,2021), Santa Ana Lane (2019) and the queen of the turf Black Caviar (2011).
2023 TJ Smith Stakes betting odds
Markets for the 2023 TJ Smith Stakes are currently unavailable.
Best TJ Smith Stakes bookmakers
The TJ Smith Stakes is one of the showpiece events of The Championships and as such the bookmakers come early with the markets surrounding the group one race.
Bookmakers such as Ladbrokes install their markets up months in advance of the start date, showing their dedication to the $2,500,000 race.
The online agencies we put our trust in are listed below, and we recommend anyone interested in placing a bet on the TJ Smith Stakes journey over to any of these sites:
TJ Smith Stakes Betting
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Betting on the TJ Smith Stakes
The TJ Smith Stakes is not a race for the young brigade.
In its relatively infantile history, only five three-year-olds have taken out the group one event.
The race has been a favourite backers paradise in recent years. Six of the last nine winners of the TJ Smith Stakes have jumped as clear cut favourites.
Alongside that, only three horses in the race’s history have won the race more than once. Superstar sprinter Black Caviar (2011, 2013), Chautauqua (2015, 2016 & 2017) and Nature Strip (2020, 2021 & 2022) are the only multiple winners of the TJ Smith Stakes.
2022 T.J. Smith Stakes result
1st – Nature Strip ($2.30)
2nd – Eduardo ($1.90)
3rd – Paulele ($2.50)
Recent TJ Smith winners
- The Chris Waller-trained Nature Strip created history when becoming just the second sprinter alongside Chautauqua to claim three straight TJ Smith Stakes victory. Despite drawing out wide, James McDonald use the first 300m to have Nature Strip amble across to the front of the field where he managed to head market rival Eduardo and control the speed throughout. When asked for an effort from JMac, the Strip put three lengths on Eduardo back in second and in doing so, Nature Strip etched his name further into Australian racing folklore.
- Straight from the start, Nature Strip found himself sitting behind Joe Pride’s Eduardo who took off bolting in a fast start. The positions barely changed throughout the race until the final stretch where Eduardo tried to break from the pack but Nature Strip was ready to go with him setting up for an exciting finish. The race was decided before the posts when Eduardo gassed out and Nature Strip still had a bunch left in the tank to give passing the rival and clearing the group by two lengths to win.
- On his day, there is no doubt that Nature Strip is the best sprinter in the country, and on rain affected grown he clearly relishes the going. Nature Strip ran his rivals ragged and gave nothing else a chance when sustaining a genuine sprint over the 1200m and despite peaking over the last 100m the result was never in doubt. One of the market movers on the day Bivouac threw away any chance he had when jumping in the air when the field was released and could do no better than a fouth placed finish.
- It was again Santa Ana Lane that saluted in a Group 1 sprint event, this time on day one of The Championships. Settling towards the back of the field, Santa Ana Lane was unleashed in the straight and absolutely destroyed the field, finishing several lengths in front of the hot favourite Osbourne Bulls and the Tony McEvoy-trained
- No one wanted to oppose Redzel heading into the TJ Smith Stakes, and the big push looked a good thing as The Everest winner pulled away from the field. It wasn’t to be however, as Trapeze Artist leveled up and eventually flashed past the star sprinter to record a memorable victory.
- Champion sprinter Chautauqua wowed the world when producing one of the highlight runs of the season. The popular grey was last coming around the turn and looked to be going nowhere, but Tommy Berry found a path through the field and the champion did the rest. It gunned down English over the concluding stages to set up what was truly an amazing last-to-first comeback win. Read report here.
- Chautauqua went back-to-back in stunning fashion in the 2016 edition of the TJ Smith. Spotting the leaders an enormous margin, Tommy Berry took the grey to the outside and the horse did the rest.
- In what would become a predictable racing pattern for star runner Chautauqua, the horse settled at the rear of the field, leaving itself a mountain of work to get the job done, but it did exactly that as it ran down Lord Of The Sky in the shadows of the post to win its maiden group one title.
- A rain-soaked Randwick greeted horses for the 2014 Doncaster Mile and Lankan Rupee was a drifting favourite. Jumping at $3.50 the Rupee torched the field from the front to record one of the most dominant wins in the race’s history.
TJ Smith Stakes Past Winners List
| TJ Smith Stakes Past Winners | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2021 | Nature Strip | James McDonald | Chris Waller |
| 2021 | Nature Strip | James McDonald | Chris Waller |
| 2020 | Nature Strip | James McDonald | Chris Waller |
| 2019 | Santa Ana Lane | Mark Zahra | Anthony Freedman |
| 2018 | Trapeze Artist | Tye Angland | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou |
| 2017 | Chautauqua | Tommy Berry | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes |
| 2016 | Chautauqua | Tommy Berry | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes |
| 2015 | Chautauqua | Tommy Berry | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes |
| 2014 | Lankan Rupee | Craig Newitt | Mick Price |
| 2013 | Black Caviar | Luke Nolen | Peter Moody |
| 2012 | Master Of Design | Craig Williams | David Payne |
| 2011 | Black Caviar | Luke Nolen | Peter Moody |
| 2010 | Melito | Blake Shinn | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou |
| 2009 | Takeover Target | Nash Rawiller | Joe Janiak |
| 2008 | Apache Cat | Corey Brown | Greg Eurell |
| 2007 | Bentley Biscuit | Nash Rawiller | Gai Waterhouse |
| 2006 | Red Oog | Hugh Bowman | Joseph Pride |
| 2005 | Shamekha | Darren Beadman | Gai Waterhouse |
| 2004 | Dilly Dally | Kerrin McEvoy | Leon Macdonald |
| 2003 | Spinning Hill | Danny Beasley | Guy Walter |
| 2002 | Phoenix Park | Brian York | Gai Waterhouse |
| 2001 | Century Kid | Lenny Beasley | Graeme Rogerson |
| 2000 | Shy Hero | Jackson Morris | Patrick Webster |
| 1999 | Ab Initio | Larry Cassidy | John Hawkes |
| 1998 | La Baraka | Kevin Moses | Patrick Hayes |
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