Russell Balding Stakes Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2024

One of the newer races on the calendar, the Russell Balding Stakes was unique in that the name of the race changed every year. The race name changed depending on who won the most recent edition of The Everest, but the race was officially known as the Winners Stakes. 

From 2024 onwards, the race will be known as the Russell Balding Stakes and will no longer continue to change each year. The Russell Balding Stakes was named in honour of former Racing NSW chairman, Russell Balding.

Typically run on the same day as the Victoria Derby, the Russell Balding has fast become one of Racing New South Wales’s most exciting races. With a $3 million prize pool on offer, the Russell Balding Stakes is expected to draw a strong field of sprinters and middle-distance pros. 

Each year, numerous top-class Group 1 thoroughbred contenders are anticipated to show out at Rosehill Racecourse, which just happens to be one of the top tracks in the country. Some of the other major races to take place on the same day at Rosehill include; The Golden Eagle and the Rosehill Gold Cup.

The Everest is a potential reliable form indicator for speciality sprinters hoping to win both events, so be sure to keep an eye out for Australia’s richest race for some indication of who will impress in the upcoming Russell Balding Stakes. Also, keep in mind there will be a maximum of 16 runners in the race each year.

Be sure to check out OnlyRacing on the week of the race for a full slate of analysis, picks and horse racing betting information for not just the Russell Balding Stakes but also the entire meet at Rosehill Racecourse.

While the Russell Balding Stakes isn’t a Group 1, there’s still a lot of cash to splash. Here’s the breakdown of prize money:

Your search for the best free horse racing tips in Australia is over. The team at OnlyRacing has you covered not just for the Russell Balding Stakes, but also every other key race on the calendar. Each year, our experts crunch the numbers and provide their best bet, next bet and best roughie, so there’s something for everyone.

Our 2024 Russell Balding Stakes tips are available at the moment as we are waiting for the final field to be confirmed so we can provide the most accurate horse racing tips possible. We know you probably came here for tips, so you can feast your eyes on the tips our experts put together for the race in 2023 (when it was known as the Giga Kick Stakes).

As soon as the final field is confirmed, our expert will work their magic. Until then, you can find out all the juicy details below:

Giga Kick Stakes Best Bet - Think About It

I’ve thought about it and Think About It is by far the one to beat on Saturday in the Giga Kick Stakes. Think About It is the clear top pick for me and he is well-found in the market, with odds of $1.90, so there’s not heaps of value. I can’t see any other runner winning though, so Think About It it is!

With an impressive 11 wins from 12 career starts, he finished off his last prep with back-to-back Group 1 wins. He has come back in good form this prep with a nice win in the Premier Stakes (Group 2) first-up back in September and then went on to win a little race called The Everest. Unless something really goes wrong, Think About It will gap them.

Giga Kick Stakes Next Best - Private Eye

Now, I don’t think that Private Eye can win the Giga Kick Stakes, but a second place isn’t too shabby. He didn’t have a good race in The Everest, where he was wide with no cover, but still put in a solid performance behind Think About It. He was beaten by just under a length in that one.

Private Eye was the dominant winner of this race in 2022, so he knows what it takes to win. Nice trial to keep him ticking along and he did win The Shorts (Group 2) first up, so he could give Think About It a run for his money if he is on his A-game. Don’t think he can win, but think he’ll finish second.

Giga Kick Stakes Best Roughie - Bella Nipotina

After Think About It and Private Eye, it’s double digits or higher for the rest of the runners in the field. I think if anyone is going to cause an upset, Bella Nipotina will be the one. The more rain that comes down, the greater her chances, but I think she’ll still be in with a shot even if the track is rated Soft. 

The mare is currently listed with odds of $10 and I think that is really great value. I am pretty confident she will finish in the top three, so I’ll be having a larger-than-normal play on her to place. Just keep an eye on the scratchings, because if the race drops below eight runners, bookies won’t pay third dividends.

Don’t forget that our tips for the Russell Balding Stakes will be available during race week, so make sure you check back again then.

Undoubtedly, one of the main reasons you're reading this page is that you want to place some bets on the exciting and rich feature race. So, you’re going to need some Russell Balding Stakes betting information to get you set up.

Generally speaking, there are two paths you can take when betting on big feature races such as the Russell Balding Stakes. Firstly, use one of the best horse racing betting sites that you feel most comfortable betting with! Every single bettor uses a betting app to instantly check the odds for an event. 

This type of thinking results in ultimately selecting the bookmaker with whom you feel the most at ease making wagers. As a result, if your preferred bookmaker's odds and bonus offers are competitive with those of other Australian bookmakers, we advise keeping things easy and betting on the race with them. 

Secondly, if you have the time or genuinely want to make the most of your wagers, our other suggestion is to compare the odds of your chosen market among as many new betting apps in Australia as you can and then place your bets with the bookmaker that has the best odds. 

If you’re looking to try one of the new betting sites, some that we recommend include; BetGalaxy, Betfocus and PuntCity. New bookies are known to offer something new and exciting and are usually on the cutting edge of technology, so it’s worth checking them out.

On top of this, it’s a good idea to look through all the markets available with each bookie. Some of the more established bookies may offer a wider range of markets. However, you’ll find the main markets available with most bookies like:

• Fixed Win/ Place
• Quinella
• Exacta
• Trifecta
• First Four
• Quaddie

Each year, the Russell Balding Stakes field is confirmed during race week. As it’s not yet race week, we don’t know which runners will line up for the Russell Balding Stakes in 2024. It’s not all doom and gloom though, as we’ve left up the field for the race in 2023, so you can see the runners that took part previously.

Before the final field is confirmed, you’ll notice that some bookies will open up “Before Noms” markets, which will give you an indicator of which runners are more likely to make an appearance in the Russell Balding Stakes because they are favoured in the market. So, if you can’t wait for the final field to be announced, check out the odds, if they are available.

As promised, we’ve listed the entire field that took part in the 2023 race, which you can see below (we will replace this table with the 2024 field as soon as we can):

For the Russell Balding Stakes in 2023 (when it was known as the Giga Kick Stakes) there was a small field of just nine runners confirmed. This was later cut to eight as there was one pre-race scratching of Love Tap and there weren’t any emergencies listed to take his place.

If you’re relatively new to the world of horse racing, it’s important to note that scratchings happen quite regularly. It doesn’t matter if it’s the biggest race of the year, with heaps of prize money on the line, scratchings still occur. There are many reasons why a horse may be scratched, for example, if the runner was a dual acceptor or on vet’s advice.

It’s important to keep an eye on scratchings for the race as well as the barrier draw. The barrier each runner jumps from can have a major impact on how the race plays out. On top of this, some horses have a running style that is better suited to an inside or wider barrier.

If you’re thinking about placing some cheeky bets on the upcoming Russell Balding Stakes, one of the best things you can do is to check out the form guide. Even though the race has only been running for a handful of years now, it’s a good idea to look at the form guide to see if any patterns or trends have emerged.

These patterns and trends can help point you in the direction of the next winner. Now, you don’t even have to lift a finger when it comes to the Russell Balding Stakes form guide, we’ve done all the work for you, looking into all the key form indicators, so all you need to do is continue reading on.

With the recent rejig of the calendar, the Russell Balding Stakes now takes place two weeks after The Everest. The Everest is a fairly solid form line to look into, with many of the previous winners of the Russell Balding Stakes competing in that race beforehand.

Some of the other lead-up races you should look into include; The Kosciuszko, The Shorts, Premiere Stakes and the Sydney Stakes. All these races take place at Randwick Racecourse and over a similar distance, making them a solid lead-up race.

It’s difficult to find any real patterns that have emerged, seeing as though the race has only been running for a handful of years, but you should always look into gallopers that have genuine Group 1 and Group 2 form. Also, look into runners who have success at Randwick and at a similar distance as the Russell Balding Stakes.

Here are some key facts about all the past winners of the Russell Balding Stakes that are important to note in your decision of who to bet on in the upcoming race:

• Bella Nipotina (2023) - 6YO mare, barrier 8, weight 56.5kg, starting price $10.
• Private Eye (2022) - 5YO gelding, barrier 11, weight 58.5kg, starting price $5.50.
• Eduardo (2021) - 8YO gelding, barrier 4, weight 58.5kg, starting price $3.00.
• Gytrash (2020) - 5YO gelding, barrier 8, weight 58.5kg, starting price $3.60.
• Pierata (2019) - 5YO horse, barrier 11, weight 58.5kg, starting price $2.60.

Even though the Russell Balding Stakes has only been around for a handful of years, we’ve always seen the best horses competing. We see a lot of runners come through The Everest, which is the Richest Turf Race in Australia. The race sees the best sprinters in the world compete, but only the best of the best can go on to win.

Unlike some of the other races on the calendar, we don’t have to make any tough decisions here on which horses to feature in this section. We’ve gone through all the Russell Balding Stakes horses who have triumphed and provided more information on their respective racing careers. Here’s all the details:

Pierata - 2019

Pierata won the inaugural edition of the Russell Balding Stakes (then known as the Redzel Stakes) in 2019 after finishing 1.6L off the pace in fifth place in The Everest. The stallion finished his career with a record of 26: 9-7-2, which included one victory at Group 1 level, which was the All Aged Stakes.

Gytrash - 2020

The 2020 winner of the Russell Balding Stakes (then known as the Yes Yes Yes Stakes) was Gytrash. Much like Pierata, Gytrash competed in The Everest before stepping up in the Russell Balding Stakes. Gytrash finished second in The Everest and won over $4 million in prize money thanks to a career record of 28:10-6-7, which included a Group 1 victory.

Eduardo - 2021

Eduardo won the 2021 Russell Balding Stakes when it was known as the Classique Legend Stakes. The gelding finished third in The Everest before winning the Russell Balding Stakes. Eduardo won two Group 1 races throughout his career, including the Doomben 10,000 and The Galaxy. If you want to learn more about these races, check out our Group One races list.

Private Eye - 2022

Private Eye got the chocolates in the 2022 Russell Blading Stakes (then known as the Nature Strip Stakes) after finishing second in The Everest. So far, the gelding has amassed almost $10 million in prize money and has a career record of 35:11-5-3, which includes a victory in the Epsom Handicap.

Bella Nipotina - 2023

Bella Nipotina, the 2023 winner of the Russell Balding Stakes (then known as the Giga Kick Stakes), didn’t contest The Everest before this race. Instead, she raced in the Sydney Stakes and finished third. She has a Group 1 race record of 22:2-6-2, so far and has over $9 million in prize money.

Before you go off placing any bets on the Russell Balding Stakes, it’s a good idea to check out the odds on offer. We also think it’s a good idea to look into different bookie’s odds, as it is known that different bookies will offer different odds for the same runner. By checking multiple bookies you are ensuring you’re getting the most bang for your buck.

The closer we get to the Russell Balding Stakes, the more horse racing markets will open up. The first market that will open is the Fixed Win/ Place market and then you’ll see more markets become available, especially during race week. 

Our favourite bookie, PlayUp, is yet to release their initial market for the race. We will keep an eye on things though and bring you all the odds information you’ve been looking for when it becomes available. The odds will be displayed in this section below soon!

A good time to bet on the Russell Balding Stakes is when the market is listed as “Before Noms”. We think this because you’ll usually find better odds for the runner you’re looking at and if the horse you bet on doesn’t make the final field, you’ll get your stake back.

Check back again here soon as we will list all the Russell Balding Stakes odds from PlayUp when they become available.

The previous concept of naming the race after the latest winner of The Everest was unique, to say the least, but now things have changed and the race will now be known each year as the Russell Balding Stakes. There isn’t a long history associated with the Russell Balding Stakes, with the first edition of the race taking place in 2019.

However, in just a handful of years, the race has become a staple in Sydney’s Spring Racing Carnival, which is one of the biggest horse racing carnivals of the year. The $3 million in prize money also ensures we always see some of the best horses compete each year.

Let’s take a look back at some of the notable events to take place during the Russell Balding Stakes so far in its short history:

• The 2019 race featured 13 horses, including some graduates from The Everest. The winner, Pierata, was a 5YO stallion who jumped out of gate 11 as the favourite. Before winning the inaugural Russell Balding Stakes, Pierata finished fifth in The Everest.
• Gytrash, the 5YO super talented gelding, claimed victory in the second edition of the Russell Balding Stakes. He leapt out of gate 8 as a marginal favourite. Gytrash took first place in The Everest on his previous outing two weeks before this race.
• Eduardo, who triumphed in 2021, started from gate 4 and was the $3.00 favourite. Before winning the Russell Balding Stakes, the horse placed third in The Everest.
• Private Eye, a 5YO horse that won the Russell Balding Stakes in 2022, leapt from gate 11 as a $5.50 near favourite. The horse's most recent start in The Everest resulted in a second-place finish.
• The 2023 winner of the Russell Balding Stakes, Bella Nipotina, overcame the odds, winning from gate seven with odds of $10. Unlike in previous editions of the Russell Balding Stakes, Bella Nipotina didn’t contest The Everest.

Each year promises to be a thrilling race thanks to the high calibre of runners that compete. So, it’s only understandable that many want to find the Russell Balding Stakes results as soon as possible. We’ve got all the information you’ve been looking for, including the finishing order of the whole field and a race replay.

The 2023 Russell Balding Stakes (then known as the Giga Kick Stakes) was won by Bella Nipotina by the narrowest of margins, 0.1L. Bella Nipotina beat the two more favoured runners in the market and was listed at $10 herself before the race. Private Eye, the pre-race second-favourite, finished in second place.

The heavy pre-race favourite, Think About It, finished in third place, a further 1.4L off the leader. The Russell Balding Stakes was run in a time of just 1:15.50 and 4.08L split the first and last runner across the finishing line.

The finishing order of the entire field for the Russell Balding Stakes can be seen below:

Now is the time to relive all the action! You can find the full race replay of the Russell Balding Stakes below:

Each year we see some pretty epic editions of the Russell Balding Stakes. Some of the greatest ever have etched their spot in history on the honour roll including:

As the Russell Balding Stakes is still a fairly new race, many have questions about it. We’ve gone through and found some of the most common questions people have about the race and answered them in our Russell Balding Stakes FAQs section below.