Todman Stakes 2024 Tips, Betting Odds, Past Winners & Results

The Group 2 Todman Stakes is a 1200-metre sprint for two-year-old colts and geldings that is held at Randwick Racecourse during the month of March.

Prizemoney for the race, as of 2023, is $300,000.

 

 

Todman Stakes Race Details

Date: 2/3/24

Time: TBA

Racecourse: Randwick

Race Distance: 1200m

Conditions: TBA

Prize Money: $300,000

How To Bet On The Todman Stakes

Our Top 3 Recommended Online Bookmakers To Bet With For The Todman Stakes:

Ladbrokes

Palmerbet

Unibet

Todman Stakes Betting Tips

1. TBA

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3. TBA

When Is The Todman Stakes: 2/3/24

What Time Is The Todman Stakes: TBA

Where Is The Todman Stakes: Randwick Racecourse

How To Live Stream The Todman Stakes

To live stream the Todman Stakes, TAB Account Holders can watch the race live.

More Details About The Todman Stakes

The most recent winner was 2023’s Cylinder, son of Exceed And Excel.

Cylinder had to beat just four other juveniles to capture the first place prize of $172,000. It was just his fourth jump, where he jumped second favourite to win by just over half a length from the favourite, Red Resistance.

The race is run under set weight conditions of 55-1/2 kilograms. The winner receives an automatic entry into the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes if nominated.

It jumps at the Randwick meeting that offers an identical race for fillies, the Reisling Stakes. Other good races for the meeting are the Group 2 Challenge Stakes. There are two Group 3 and two Listed races staged at the meeting, but the main attractions are the Group 1 Randwick Guineas and the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes.

History of the Todman Stakes

Todman was a talented galloper that won the first jump of the Golden Slipper Stake in 1957. He won by eight lengths and his talent was such that it would be easy to think he jumped in the race preceding the Slipper.

Todman’s sire was Ireland’s Star Kingdom, a sire of such magnitude that his progeny won the Golden Slipper the first five times it jumped. He made just 12 jumps, winning 10 and finishing second in the Sires’ Produce Stakes. He won five from six jumps as a two-year-old before winning his first two jumps as a three-year-old, only to break down in the third jump, the Hill Stakes. He missed all racing as a four-year-old, missing two years before returning to win his three jumps, including Group 1 wins in the Lightning Stakes and the Futurity Stakes.

At stud, he would sire important winners such as Eskimo Prince and Sweet Embrace, both of which won the Golden Slipper Stakes.

He died in 1976 and is fittingly buried alongside his sire Star Kingdom at Baramal Stud in New South Wales.

Six gallopers have won the Todman Stakes and then supplied the Golden Slipper double. The most recent was 2020’s Farnan. The others were Vancouver (2015), Pierro (2012), Tierce (1991), Marauding (1987) and Luskin Star (1977) that did the deed in the fifth edition of the Todman Stakes.

The Todman Stakes made its debut in 1973 as the Todman Slipper Trial, with the name abbreviated to simply Todman Stakes in 2005.

From inception through 2007, the race was held at Rosehill Gardens, before moving to Canterbury Park for 2008, and then returning to Rosehill in 2009. It was moved to Randwick in 2015.

Unlike many races, the trip for the Todman Stakes has never varied from 1200 metres.

It was a Principal grade race through 1978, promoted to Listed grade in 1979, Group 3 in 1980 and finally, Group 2 in 1986.

The Todman Stakes has been won by some top racers, which we will explore in the Racing History section below.

It is interesting to note that Cylinder won in a field of five, while in 1975 and 1976, the gallopers wanting to try the race were so numerous that the race was run in divisions.

Venue for the Todman Stakes

It appears as though the Todman Stakes has found a home at Sydney’s Royal Randwick Racecourse.

Randwick is one of the two top venues in the country, along with Flemington in Melbourne. We will leave it to the Wise Men and the Cabbage Patchers to sort out the ranking.

Randwick has been the site for Thoroughbred racing since 1833 and now hosts more Group grade races than any other metro course in the country.

The race that garners most of the attention these days is The Everest, a special conditions race that offers $15 million in prize money.

A few of the prestigious legacy races staged at Randwick are Australian Derby, Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Sydney Cup during the fall, and the Epsom Handicap and The Metropolitan in the spring.

For 1200-metre races such as the Todman Stakes, racers jump from the shorter of two chutes on the northeast side of the course, run a slight bend to get onto a short straight, and then turn for home to finish in front of the grandstands.

Racing History of the Todman Stakes

Some of the top colts and stallions in the history of Australian Thoroughbred racing have their names of the winners’ list of the Todman Stakes.

There are others with names less familiar, but here is a look at winners from the early era of the race.

The first winner was Imagele in 1973.

He was by an Italian sire, something we do not often see. When it comes to Italian Thoroughbreds, we frequently encounter the name of Nearco, so nothing we say is intended to in any way cast aspersions on horses from Italy. Imagele was a good racer and was the winner of the 1973 Australian Triple Crown. He made 20 jumps for 11 wins and 5 placings, yet earned only $150,000.

In those days of the early 70s, he won The Derby, Canterbury Guineas, Rosehill Guineas and the Sires’ Produce Stakes. He jumped favourite in the Golden Slipper Stakes following his Todman Stakes win, but fell.

After racing, he stood for just two seasons and was productive in terms of quantity if not quality.

The next winner was 1974’s Scamanda.

This gelding had Todman for his grandsire, with a direct line to Star Kingdom. He won multiple races that are now Group 1 grade, including the Moir Stakes and Craven ‘A’ Stakes.

Rosie Heir, one of the winners from 1975 when the Todman Stakes was run in division, was third in the Golden Slipper, with Group 1 wins in the Canterbury Guineas and the Champagne Stakes. We were ducked when we tried to locate information about the winner of the other division in 1975, Top Charer.

The following year saw Blue And Gold winning one division, with Pacific Ruler winning the other division. Blue And Gold, like Scamanda, was by Biscay with Star Kingdom as grandsire. He was not the keenest racer, but he supplied many offspring.

Ditto for the winner of the other division, Pacific Ruler.

The first historically notable winner was 1977’s Luskin Star.

Along with filling the Todman/Golden Slipper double, this Australian Hall of Fame racer won five Group 1 races in a 20-jump career that supplied 17 wins and three seconds. His sire was the good Kaoru Star and his grandsire was, wait for it, Star Kingdom.

Some perspective on the rise of prizemoney is seen in his earnings of $440,000. That is a shocking figure by today’s standards.

At stud, he supplied many offspring, including the $1.7 million winning mare Bold Promise and Group 1 winner Flying Luskin. We might skip 1981 winner Crown Jester, except that as a son of Baugette, he deserves some attention. He won six of his seven jumps. As a sire, he gave racing Guineas, winner of more than $1.8 million.

The 1984 winner was County.

He was not the most notable racer, but he supplied a million dollar winner with the familiar name of Show County.

Marauding was the winner in 1987 that went on to fill the Slipper double.

He made just eight jumps and had injuries that prevent him from running on. His progeny included 1992 Golden Slipper winner Burst and 1998 winner Prowl.

Another good offspring was Absolute Champion, winner of above $2.5 million. Burst won above $2.1 million. King Marauding won almost $4 million, Pillaging won above $2.2 million and Pembleton won over $1 million. Prowl brought in over $1.5 million.

We are skipping good horses to look at the 1995 winner, Octagonal.

He was by Zabeel and Octagonal won above $5.8 million from 28 jumps for 14 wins and 8 placings. His best win was the 1995 Cox Plate, and 9 additional Group 1 races, including two Mercedes Classics.

His win in the 1995 Cox Plate was over Mahogany.

Octagonal was sire to the $5.7 million winner Lonhro.

Next, we skip forward to 2003 to find Exceed And Excel.

He made just 12 jumps, winning seven and placing once for earnings above $1.2 million.

As a sire, he supplied 16 winners of Group 1 races, including the likes of Helmet, Flamberge, Geulph, Overreach and Bivouac. It is no wonder that he was declared the Australian Champion Sire for the 2012/2013 breeding season.

Just two years later, another major notable shows up in the form of Written Tycoon.

He was an average racer, jumper in 11, winner of two with three placings, but he was sire to 2013 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Capitalist and two-time Group 1 winners Pippie, Ole Kirk and Coolangatta.

Fast forward to 2012 and the name on the Todman Stakes winners’ list is Pierro. Another of the racers to win the Todman – Golden Slipper double, Pierro made just 14 jumps for 11 wins and 3 placings, never once jumping without finishing in the top three. He took in above $4.5 million in prizemoney, beating the likes of All Too Hard and More Joyous.

Pierro was by Lonhro with Octagonal as grandsire and he passed that good racing blood to the winners of 10 Group 1 races, including Arcadia Queen, Regal Power and Shadow Hero.

Space constraints require us to save some room for three important racers.

The first of these was 2019’s Yes Yes Yes.

This remarkable colt by Rubick with Encosta De Lago as grandsire made eight jumps for four wins and three placings. He was the Australian Three Year Old Colt/Gelding of the Year for the 2019/20 season.

He won over $7.1 million with only one major win other than the Todman Stakes. How did a galloper win two major races and win above $7 million?

Simple, his other win was also in 2019, when he won The Everest.

He is standing at Coolmore Stud after sustaining an injury that cut his racing short, although he is squarely from that era that finds good racing colts retired earlier to maximize progeny.

There is nothing notable as yet, but it is far too early to dismiss Yes Yes Yes as a stallion.

He was originally prepared for the track by trainer Darren ‘Jiggy’ Weir, after which Chris ‘Barrier Trial’ Waller took the reins.

The year of 2020 supplied Farnan as the winner, the most recent racer to fill the Todman – Golden Slipper double.

Farnan was by Not A Single Doubt, meaning his grandsire was Redoute’s Choice.

Farnan made eight jumps for five wins and zero placings. He ran without placing in the 2020 Magic Millions Two Year Old Classic before winning the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes. Next came the Todman and Golden Slipper Stakes wins.

He is now standing at Kia Ora Stud in New South Wales, but has yet to enter a named foal in the progeny database.

From 2021, we have the remarkable galloper Anamoe.

He is listed as active as of March 2023, jumper in 23 races for 13 wins and 7 placings and prize money above $11 million.

Given the current trend of retiring good racing stallions early, if anyone wonders, Anamoe is still racing because he works for Godolphin.

We have his Group 1 tally at eight, with a win in the 2022 Cox Plate the shining jewel in his crown. His most recent jump by our records was the 2023 Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes, where he had little trouble beating Fangirl into second with Mo’unga third.

The 2022 winner of the Todman Stakes was Sejardan.

He is active and has made 12 jumps for four wins and one placing, with above $1.2 million in prizemoney. Almost half of those winning came from his win in the 2021 Golden Gift at Rosehill. He was a disappointing ninth place in his attempt in the Golden Slipper and has not won since the 2022 Group 3 Red Anchor Stakes.

A link to the replay of Sejardan’s win can be viewed below.

Conclusion

The Todman Stakes has been supplying good colts and geldings from the very first jump in 1973.

Looking at the history of the race, it is obvious that many of the winners went on from doing well as two-year-olds to doing as well or better as older horses.

As impressive as many of the winners were as racers, though, the offspring supplied by these better than handy types have sired hundreds of millions of dollars of stakes winners and many of those have in turn produced highly competent offspring.

Todman Stakes Past Winners