Russell Balding Stakes Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2025

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, including some of the best Rosehill tips going around.

Each year, our experts crunch the numbers and provide their best bet, next bet and best roughie, so there’s something for everyone. It’s not race week for the Russell Balding Stakes just yet, so our experts are holding off providing their tips for now.

While our 2025 Russell Balding Stakes tips aren’t available, you can check out what we put together for the race in 2024:

Russell Balding Stakes Best Bet - Bella Nipotina

This one was pretty easy for me. There’s a lot of talent in this one but Bella Nipotina is clearly the one to beat and it would take a massive effort from one of the competitors for her to not take the chocolates. The four-time Group 1 winner is unsurprisingly the favourite, with odds of $2.45 at PlayUp.

We saw some of her best work last time out in The Everest when she beat Giga Kick home by 0.2L. She was wide with no cover in that one, so it just shows how much fight the 7YO has in her. Gets favourable Soft track conditions and has the all-important class factor. It’s about how far she wins, not if she wins, I think.

Russell Balding Stakes Next Best - Sunshine In Paris

I’ve liked Sunshine In Paris for a while now and if Bella Nipotina has an off day, I reckon Sunshine In Paris is the one who will capitalise. Another coming through The Everest, where she finished fifth, 1.5L off Bella Nipotina. The Group 1 winner comes into the Russell Balding Stakes with a recent win under her belt in the Group 2 Sheraco Stakes in September.

The 5YO is currently on the second line of betting with PlayUp and has odds of $5.00. She has three starts here at the Rosehill track and has won twice. Gets a wide gate, so will need a little luck on her side but she’ll have some of the fastest closing speed of the race, so watch for her late.

Russell Balding Stakes Best Roughie - King Of Sparta

There were a few contenders for the best roughie, in my opinion, so it was a little tricky for me to choose just one. In the end, I’ve landed with King Of Sparta. The 6YO most recently finished fourth in the Group 3 Sydney Stakes and it was the way he hit the line that caught my eye.

King Of Sparta has odds of $9.50 to win the Russell Balding Stakes, at the time of writing (thanks to PlayUp). He’s got the talent to mix it with the best of them and I think we’ll see a lot of improvement here. It might not be enough to win this one, but it’s good enough for a top-three finish in my eyes.

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. See that it’s currently not race week, we don’t know which runners will line up for the race in 2025. However, if the race’s brief history is anything to go by, we can expect a high-quality field.

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.

We will have to wait until later for the 2025 Russell Balding Stakes field, but we can showcase all the runners that featured in the race in 2024 here:

For the Russell Balding Stakes in 2024, we saw a field of 12 runners confirmed, with no emergencies listed either. In the end, we saw one pre-race scratching, with Tamerlane pulling out of the race. This meant the size of the field dropped down to just 11.

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 (2024) - 7YO mare, barrier 3, weight 56.5kg, starting price $2.50.
• 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 & 2024

Bella Nipotina is the first multiple winner of the Russell Balding Stakes. She won the 2023 race with odds of $10 and then backed it up again in 2024 when she jumped as the $2.50 favourite. The multiple Group 1 winner has almost $19 million in prize money at the time of writing and a career record of 56:11-13-12.

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 all their markets for the Russell Balding Stakes. So, if you’re thinking about placing a bet on the race, you might have to hold off a little longer, when it’s closer to race day.

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.

We will list the 2025 Russell Balding Stakes odds as soon as we can. In the meantime, check out the odds for every runner in the race in 2024:

*Odds correct as of 31/10/2024.

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.
• Bella Nipotina made history in 2024, becoming the first-ever multiple winner of the Russell Balding Stakes. Like many other winners of this race, she contested The Everest in the lead-up and she won that race as well!

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 Russell Balding Stakes was won by Bella Nipotina, who successfully defended her crown after winning the race in 2023. It was pretty much one-way traffic for the 7YO mare, who jumped as favourite and finished 1.8L ahead of Sunshine In Paris.

Wrapping up the final minor placing was Lady Laguna, who was a further 3.1L off the pace. In the end, the 2024 Russell Balding Stakes was run in a time of 1:14.96 and there was a total distance of 16.8L that split the first and last runners across the finishing post.

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 here:

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 here.