TJ Smith Stakes

TJ Smith Stakes

The Championships Day 1 – Betting Guide
Date: Saturday, April 6, 2024
Location: Royal Randwick Racecourse – Sydney, Australia
Prize Money: $3,000,000
Distance: 1200m

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).


2024 TJ Smith Stakes betting odds

I Wish I Win takes out the 2023 TJ Smith Stakes. Photo: Bradleyphotos.com.au

The 2024 TJ Smith Stakes odds as of March 18 look like this:

  • Imperatriz – +180
  • Private Eye – +350
  • I Wish I Win – +500
  • Ozzmosis – +700
  • Cylinder – +1000
  • Aft Cabin – +1400

Complete TJ Smith Stakes odds available at Playup.


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:

United States TJ Smith Stakes Betting

TJ Smith Stakes Betting


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Betting on the TJ Smith Stakes

Australia Stakes betting
Favourites, like champion mare Black Caviar, have made the TJ Smith Stakes their own since its inception. Picture: Racing Photos

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 10 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.


2024 TJ Smith Stakes Final Field

Horsebetting.com.au will update this page when the 2024 TJ Smith Stakes field is released.


Previous TJ Smith Stakes Fields

Many a Group 1 sprinting superstar have won the TJ Smith Stakes. Check out the previous fields here.

  • No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight
    1 Silks
    Nature Strip
    Chris Waller
    James McDonald
    7
    58.5kg
    2 Silks
    Lost And Running
    John O’Shea
    Hugh Bowman
    15
    58.5kg
    3 Silks
    Private Eye
    Joseph Pride
    Brenton Avdulla
    2
    58.5kg
    4 Silks
    Mazu
    Peter & Paul Snowden
    Sam Clipperton
    1
    58.5kg
    5 Silks
    Paulele
    James Cummings
    Joao Moreira
    3
    58.5kg
    6 Silks
    I Wish I Win
    Peter Moody
    Luke Nolen
    14
    58.5kg
    7 Silks
    Overpass
    Bjorn Baker
    Joshua Parr
    4
    58.5kg
    8 Silks
    Rocketing By
    David Pfieffer
    Kerrin McEvoy
    8
    58.5kg
    9 Silks
    Shelby Sixtysix
    Danny Williams
    Tim Clark
    5
    58.5kg
    10 Silks
    Giga Kick
    Clayton Douglas
    Zac Purton
    9
    56.5kg
    11 Silks
    Lofty Strike
    Julius Sandhu
    Craig Newitt
    10
    56.5kg
    12 Silks
    Mariamia
    Joseph Pride
    Tyler Schiller
    13
    56.5kg
    13 Silks
    Passive Aggressive
    Grahame Begg
    Jordan Childs
    6
    56.5kg
    14 Silks
    Shades Of Rose
    Bjorn Baker
    Rachel King
    11
    56.5kg
    15 Silks
    In Secret
    James Cummings
    Ben Melham
    12
    54.5kg
  • No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight
    1 Silks
    Nature Strip
    Chris Waller
    James McDonald
    11
    58.5kg
    2 Silks
    Eduardo
    Joseph Pride
    Nash Rawiller
    3
    58.5kg
    3 Silks
    Masked Crusader
    Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes
    William Pike
    1
    58.5kg
    4 Silks
    Zoutori
    Mathew Ellerton
    Damian Lane
    7
    58.5kg
    5 Silks
    Count De Rupee
    Robert & Luke Price
    Brock Ryan
    4
    58.5kg
    6 Silks
    Shelby Sixtysix
    Danny Williams
    Tommy Berry
    10
    58.5kg
    7 Silks
    Rule Of Law
    Bjorn Baker
    Brenton Avdulla
    5
    58.5kg
    8 Silks
    Roch ‘N’ Horse
    Mike Moroney
    Hugh Bowman
    8
    56.5kg
    9 Silks
    Overpass
    Bjorn Baker
    Tim Clark
    2
    56.5kg
    10 Silks
    Belluci Babe
    Bjorn Baker
    Joshua Parr
    9
    56.5kg
    11 Silks
    Paulele
    James Cummings
    Jamie Kah
    6
    56.5kg

2023 TJ Smith Stakes result


1stI Wish I Win ($9.50)
2ndGiga Kick ($2.20)
3rdMazu ($2.30)

Recent TJ Smith winners

  • From last to first. I Wish I Win produced a powerful turn-of-foot to claim his first-ever Group 1 win in the TJ Smith Stakes. It’s had been an expertly planned out preparation by trainer Peter Moody, who elected to keep him back to the sprinting trips, rather than look for middle-distance targets such as the All-Star Mile. Paying dividends for the connections with their share of the $3,000,000 in prizemoney heading their way to go along with Group 1 glory. Jockey Luke Nolen had no choice but to go back from the wide draw and on a day where it’s been difficult to make up inroads from the rear of the field, I Wish I Win defied any perceived bias by thundering down the middle of the Royal Randwick circuit. It was a race that changed complexion turning for home as Nature Strip kicked clear in search of his fourth TJ Smith Stakes in a row, before drifting commodity Giga Kick made his way to the lead with 100m to go. It was all for the placings however, as I Wish I Win proved too good for his rivals on the day.
  • 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
2023 I Wish I Win Luke Nolen Peter Moody
2022 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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