The 2017 Epona Stakes is a Group 3 race that takes place annually at Rosehill racecourse in March each year.
Run over a distance of 1,900 metres, the Epona Stakes is held as part of Golden Slipper betting day of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. The Epona Stakes is run under set weights plus penalties conditions and is open to fillies and mares aged three-years-old and upwards only. The race is currently worth a total of [cf prize_money] in prize money.
The Epona Stakes was traditionally raced as a Listed race, however, it was upgraded to Group 3 in 2012. Horses that contest the Epona Stakes have often come via races such as the Listed Sky High Stakes or the Listed Aspiration Quality earlier in the month.
Those horses that perform well in the Epona Stakes will typically go on to run in races like the Group 3 Neville Sellwood Stakes, the Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes or the Group 1 AJC Oaks later in the autumn carnival.
The Epona Stakes is run on Rosehill Guineas Day in Sydney and is held alongside the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas, Group 2 Magic Night Stakes, Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes, Group 2 Ajax Stakes, Group 3 Birthday Card Stakes, Listed NE Manion Quality Cup and Listed Darby Munro Stakes.
The Epona Stakes is named after the Celtic (and later Roman) goddess Epona, who was considered the protector of horses and played an important role in the after-life, in which souls went for a horse ride.
2017 Epona Stakes Field
The Epona Stakes field attracts some of the most accomplished fillies and mares from around the country, many of them hailing from successful and well-known stables. In recent years, a high number of horses have begun targeting the Epona Stakes field as part of their campaign, using the race as a lead-up event to later feature races.
The 2017 Epona Stakes field is published here.
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x850202x09 | AMBIENCE | John O’Shea | William Buick | 11 | 57kg | 99 |
| 2 | 15137×8911 | ELLE LOU | Chris Waller | Glyn Schofield | 1 | 56kg | 98 |
| 3 | 1x740870x6 | GABELLA (FR) | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Craig Williams | 2 | 55kg | 89 |
| 4 | 42x9533x32 | ALEGRIA | John O’Shea | Corey Brown | 7 | 54kg | 93 |
| 5 | 130x6333x6 | HAPPY HANNAH | Peter & Paul Snowden | Kerrin McEvoy | 4 | 54kg | 93 |
| 6 | 480×335234 | SONG AND LAUGHTER | Richard Litt | Jason Collett | 6 | 54kg | 89 |
| 7 | 318×193123 | VANDANCER (NZ) | Michael Moroney | Tommy Berry | 3 | 54kg | 85 |
| 8 | 224611×457 | SOFIN | Shannon Fry | Tim Clark | 5 | 54kg | 83 |
| 9 | 142×218 | TOP OF MY LIST | Anthony & Edward Cummings | Regan Bayliss | 13 | 54kg | 74 |
| 10 | 213×31 | CONSOMMATEUR (NZ) | Michael Kent | Dwayne Dunn | 12 | 54kg | 68 |
| 11 | 70×5892510 | ROSE’S SONG | Steven O’Brien | Christian Reith | 10 | 54kg | 64 |
| 12 | x424184x13 | O’REILLY’S ANGEL (NZ) | Bryce Heys | Jay Ford | 9 | 54kg | 61 |
| 13 | 2741600×36 | LAMMA HILTON | Anthony & Edward Cummings | Ms Katelyn Mallyon | 8 | 53kg | 62 |
2017 Epona Stakes Nominations
The Epona Stakes nominations are usually announced on the Monday prior to the race. As a result, punters have almost a week to look over the potential contenders (particularly as the field is finalised on the Wednesday.
The 2017 Epona Stakes nominations will be provided below.
Epona Stakes Results
The Epona Stakes results, place getters and winning times since 2000 are below.
| Year | Results | Winning Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 Consommateur | 2 Ambience | 3 Top Of My List | 2:06.4 |
| 2016 | 1 Vergara | 2 Heavens Above | 3 Sweet Fire | 1:56.8 |
| 2015 | 1 Scratchy Bottom | 2 Rising Romance | 3 Telepathic | 1:57.3 |
| 2014 | 1 Intimate Moment | 2 Any Day Will Do | 3 Epingle | 2:00.1 |
| 2013 | 1 Aliyana Tilde | 2 Epingle | 3 Dolly Dolly | 1:55.8 |
| 2012 | 1 Fibrillation | 2 Crafty Irna | 3 Once Were Wild | 1:57.6 |
| 2011 | 1 Galizani | 2 Vivid Vixen | 3 Vintedge | 1:57.0 |
| 2010 | 1 Messenger | 2 Pagan Princess | 3 Jessicabeel | 1:59.8 |
| 2009 | 1 Divine Rebel | 2 Prima Nova | 3 Risayla | 1:58.5 |
| 2008 | 1 Ready To Lift | 2 My Lady’s Chamber | 3 Reggie | 1:57.7 |
| 2007 | 1 Safwa | 2 Grey Stream | 3 Upper Echelon | 1:55.6 |
| 2006 | 1 Kosi Bay | 2 Fantasia | 3 Sun Song | 1:57.8 |
| 2005 | 1 Natural Woman | 2 Cincinnati Gal | 3 Clevedon | 1:55.1 |
| 2004 | 1 Great Anna | 2 Vereza | 3 Thundarosa | 1:56.6 |
| 2003 | 1 Airlie Bird | 2 Talista Belle | 3 Honor Babe | 1:55.8 |
| 2002 | 1 Itze | 2 Floridays | 3 Call Me Lily | 1:58.4 |
| 2001 | 1 Market Price | 2 Poppett | 3 The Druidess | 1:57.9 |
| 2000 | 1 Our Erin | 2 Eye Spy | 3 Dalquarren | 2:00.2 |
