Date: 25th September 2022
Race category: Group 3
Race Track: Sandown Racecourse
Distance: 1500m
Prize Money: $160,000
Sandown Stakes Preview
The Sandown Stakes is a Group 3 open-quality, handicap thoroughbred race. Organised by the Melbourne Racing Club, the race runs over a distance of 1500 metres and, as the name suggests, takes place at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia.
The Sandown Stakes was first introduced in 1981 as a listed race and was promoted to a Group 3 status in 1984. Earlier, the race was held in November but moved to September later. This year, the race will take place on 25th September and offers prize money of A $160,000.
In 2021, Elephant won the race. He is also the latest favourite to have won the race. The last time a mare won the race was back in 1995, so it is fair to side with the boys as potential winners.
The betting markets for Sandown Stakes are usually led by middle-distance runners, who have depicted good form during the previous runs in the season and have performed well in lead-up runs with similar distances and in the same category.
Most runners in the Sandown Stakes line-up usually participate in lead-up races held in Melbourne Spring Carnival. One of the lead-ups is the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clark Stakes. Another strong lead-up is the Group 2 John F. Feehan Stakes, held earlier in the same month.
The odds for the race are mostly focused on gallopers headed for the mile race features scheduled for October. Runners from Sandown may later participate in more challenging features like Toorak Handicap, a Group 1 spring feature, or Crystal Mile, a Group 2 race scheduled to take place on the day of the Cox Plate.
