The 2015 Standish Handicap is a Group 3 event which is fast becoming a real standout on the Melbourne Calendar. The race itself may not be as prestigious as many others at Flemington however its spot on New Year’s Day gives it a real point of difference.
The Standish Handicap is an open handicap run over 1200m. It’s held down the famous Flemington straight, one of the best sights in Australian racing. The distance was dropped back to 1100m in 2006 but was increased to normal the very next year.
The Standish Handicap is worth $150,000 in prize money and attracts a handy field.
While the very best sprinters are unlikely to still be in work at the start of the new year there’s usually still a few nice types kicking around.
Over the last few decades no horse has won the Standish Handicap back to back but some horses have won it twice.
Grandiose won the race in both 1989 and in 1991.
Super Impressive won in 2003, finished third in 2004 and then won again in 2005.
Hon Kwok Star was a close second in 1997 before returning to win in 1998, the next year he was in the mix again finishing third.
Of the more notable recent winners Royal Ida put in a good run to win in 2010 but the race record easily belongs to Honalee in 2006.
2015 Standish Handicap Field
The final Standish Handicap field is usually released on the Wednesday prior to the race. As a 1200m handicap, the Standish Handicap field usually contains a fairly decent selection of experienced sprinters. Quite a few of Melbourne’s better sprinters in work at that time of the year enter the Standish Handicap field.
The 2015 Standish Handicap field is provided below.
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 64532610×1 | REPARATIONS | Lee & Anthony Freedman | Dwayne Dunn | 2 | 59kg | 102 |
| 2 | x1x9034x66 | AERONAUTICAL | Lionel Cohen | Damien Oliver | 11 | 58.5kg | 101 |
| 3 | 11211×6687 | AMORINO | Archie Alexander | Steven Arnold | 1 | 58kg | 100 |
| 4 | 350x24055x | BLACKIE (NZ) | Jarrod McLean | Nicholas Hall | 7 | 57.5kg | 99 |
| 5 | 0x21144x42 | LORD OF THE SKY | Robbie Laing | Noel Callow | 4 | 57.5kg | 99 |
| 6 | 2x207xD041 | WHITLAM | Danielle Wilson | Darren Gauci | 3 | 55.5kg | 95 |
| 7 | 4x410x0029 | OFFICE BEARER | Peter G Moody | Vlad Duric | 8 | 55kg | 94 |
| 8 | x224152726 | SOLSAY | Michael Kent | Ms Jackie Beriman (a) | 6 | 54kg | 92 |
| 9 | 3135573×08 | DECIRCLES | Danny O’Brien | Stephen Baster | 10 | 54kg | 90 |
| 10 | x8770x909x | FUTURE SOLUTION | Kane Harris | Glen Boss | 9 | 54kg | 86 |
| 11 | x7585x0084 | MISTER MILTON | Norman Waymouth | Craig Williams | 5 | 54kg | 84 |
2015 Standish Handicap Nominations
The Standish Handicap nominations are usually announced on the Monday prior to the race. Quite a few talented types end up in the Standish Handicap nominations, as it is one of the few group level targets held in Flemington around that time of year.
The 2015 Standish Handicap nominations are published here.
| # | Horse | Trainer | Ballot | Weight | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | REPARATIONS | Lee & Anthony Freedman | 1 | 59kg | 102 |
| 2 | AERONAUTICAL | Lionel Cohen | 2 | 58.5kg | 101 |
| 3 | AMORINO | Archie Alexander | 3 | 58kg | 100 |
| 4 | LORD OF THE SKY | Robbie Laing | 4 | 57.5kg | 99 |
| 5 | BLACKIE (NZ) | Jarrod McLean | 5 | 57.5kg | 99 |
| 6 | WHITLAM | Danielle Wilson | 6 | 55.5kg | 95 |
| 7 | OFFICE BEARER | Peter G Moody | 7 | 55kg | 94 |
| 8 | SOLSAY | Michael Kent | 8 | 54kg | 92 |
| 9 | THE THIEF | Stephen Brown | 9 | 54kg | 90 |
| 10 | DECIRCLES | Danny O’Brien | 10 | 54kg | 90 |
| 11 | THERMAL CURRENT | Peter G Moody | 11 | 54kg | 89 |
| 12 | FUTURE SOLUTION | Kane Harris | 12 | 54kg | 86 |
| 13 | THE QUARTERBACK | Robbie Griffiths | 13 | 54kg | 85 |
| 14 | MISTER MILTON | Norman Waymouth | 14 | 54kg | 84 |
| 15 | MANNOPOLY | Symon Wilde | 15 | 54kg | 84 |
| 16 | PETRIFY | Amy Johnston | 16 | 54kg | 81 |
| 17 | BOOMWAA | Robbie Laing | 17 | 54kg | 78 |
| 18 | SEARCH SQUAD (NZ) | Doug Harrison | 18 | 54kg | 76 |
| 19 | SCARLET BILLOWS | Darren Weir | 19 | 54kg | 73 |
Standish Handicap Results
The Standish Handicap winners, place getters and winning times since 2000 are listed below.
| Year | Results | Winning Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 TBD | 2 TBD | 3 TBD | TBD |
| 2016 | 1 Durendal | 2 Zupacharged | 3 Churchill Dancer | 1:09.4 |
| 2015 | 1 Decircles | 2 Lord Of The Sky | 3 Reparations | 1:09.1 |
| 2014 | 1 Flamberge | 2 Essay Raider | 3 Decircles | 1:09.9 |
| 2013 | 1 Adamantium | 2 Catapulted | 3 Goldstone | 1:08.2 |
| 2012 | 1 Catapulted | =2 Rocking Force | =2 Cascabel | 1:07.6 |
| 2011 | 1 Ahdashim | 2 Chasm | 3 Eclair Mystic | 1:09.1 |
| 2010 | 1 Royal Ida | 2 Beltrois | 3 Juggle The Books | 1:11.1 |
| 2009 | 1 King Hoaks | 2 Bowhunter | 3 Orbit Express | 1:10.3 |
| 2008 | 1 Publishing | 2 Eskaw | 3 Pencelaron | 1:09.3 |
| 2007 | 1 Watchyerback | 2 Murray Downs | 3 Cocinero | 1:09.0 |
| 2006 | 1 Honalee | 2 Gold Wells | 3 Starhere | 1:03.4 |
| 2005 | 1 Super Impressive | 2 Blessum | 3 Savage Attack | 1:09.8 |
| 2004 | 1 Blessum | 2 Monahan Tweed | 3 Super Impressive | 1:09.2 |
| 2003 | 1 Super Impressive | 2 Confederate Kid | 3 The Expat | 1:10.3 |
| 2002 | 1 Lets Planet | 2 Chattanooga | 3 Generalissimo | 1:09.7 |
| 2001 | 1 Iglesia | 2 Sedation | 3 Major | 1:07.1 |
| 2000 | 1 Upright | 2 Rain Dance Lady | 3 Bush Outlaw | 1:09.6 |
