The Metropolitan

The Metropolitan usually follows the TAB Epsom Handicap on the racedaycard and therefore ensures a great day of racing at Randwick.

Some interesting facts that horse owners and trainers take into consideration leading into and after this race are:

• The winner of the Colin Stephen Quality (2,400m Group 3 Quality Handicap, held at Rosehill in September) is exempt from the ballot and penalty.
• The winner of the Kingston Stakes (2,000m Group 3 Set Weights and Penalties, held at Royal Randwick in September) is exempt from the ballot.
• The winner of the Newcastle Gold Cup (2,300m Group 3 Open, held at Broadmeadow in September)is exempt from the ballot.
• The winner will also receive a $500,000 bonus if they enter and win the Rosehill Gold Cup later in the year.
• Any other non-winner of the Metropolitan who goes on to run in and win the Rosehill Gold Cup will receive a $100,000 bonus.
• The winner of the Metropolitan is exempt from the ballot for the 2,000m $5 million LonginesQueen Elizabeth Stakes, held in the NSW Autumn Racing Carnival.

To demonstrate the popularity of Metropolitan, in 2019 there was 94 nominations that went into the ballot.

The field is limited to 18 runners, plus 4 emergencies.18 runners lined up in 2018 and 2020, 17 in 2021 and 2022.

The prize money for the Metropolitan is,needless to say,very useful with:

Although it is too early to know who the runners will be in the race, some interesting facts in trying to pick the winner are that the favourites have recently rarely won the race, plustaking a look at the leadup race, the Kingston Town Stakes has given some early indications: 

• 2022 Winner, No Compromise was just 6th
• 2021 Winner Montefilia was 2nd
• 2019 Winner Come Play With Me was 6th
• 2018 Winner Patrick Erin was 4th

The race will be held on Saturday 30th September, which, if you follow the big races of NSW or the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival, you will know is the same race day as $1.5m TAB Epsom and $750k Flight Stakes, both also Group 1 races.

Saturday 30th September is a really important date in the NSW Spring Carnival in Sydney schedule and will feature a number of other supporting races on the 10 race card.

Here is a simple strategy for deciphering the complex world of picking a bookie. At the end of the day it comes down to 2 things:

Firstly, which bookie is going to offer you the best value for betting with them on feature races such as the 2023 Metropolitanrace, bonus bets may come into play here. 

Secondly, which are your preferred markets or bets, that you wish to place on the race.

So you are trying to extract the most profit from your bets, if there are bonus bets on win odds for runners coming 2nd or 3rd or even 4th, then you have some additional cover that could be worth exploring with the compromise of possibly lower odds being available from those bookmakers.

Compare the odds for your picks across as many available horse racing betting sites as you can be bothered with or are already a member. For reference, we have a Bookmaker Review page that includes a pros and cons list for every single betting app that offers racing markets. Additionally, our bookmaker reviews include feature in-depth reviews of specific bookmakers that we care to highlight. Some of these bookmakers include PlayUp, Midasbet, PalmerBet, Unibet, and Winnersbet all of which I have included a sneak peak of their pros and cons lists. Be sure to click on any of these tables to visit our full betting sites reviews.

Bet on whichever available Australian bookmaker offers you the best price for your preferred bets on races. The longer you take to find the betting website and associated odds, the longer the process will take.

Another option is to simply bet with whichever bookie you are used to, or rather, most comfortable with. They may or may not offer the best odds, but it is a bookmaker than you know well and you can easily navigate their webpages to place bets.

Randwick Racecourse is one of the most well-known racing venues around the world. As the jewel race for stayers in the NSW Spring Carnival and home to the most of the biggest feature races in the country, the Metropolitan is in the capable hands of a terrific venue.

Visit our Randwick Racecourse feature length review for important information on the track’s history, biggest races, and differentiating factors in comparison to other esteemed racing venues across Australia.

The Metropolitan has a long history having first been run in 1863 and its timing means it can also provide possible Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup contenders.

Every race has been held a Royal Randwick race course, bar one in 1983 at Warwick Farm. There was no race in 2007 due to an outbreak of equine influenza.

The race has oscillated between 2,400m and 2,600m in the period since 1972, but settled on 2,400m in 2001.

There have been 6 two-time winners, Hayai (1984,1985), Tails (1969,1970), Murray Stream (1945,1947), Cagou (1913,1917) and Mooltan (1907,1908). 

More recently in 2005 Tawqeet won the Caulfield Cup after winning the Metropolitan, similarly Railings repeated the feat in 2006.     

The winner in 1992 was Te Akau Nick, it was Gai Waterhourse’s first Group 1 winner, Gai has now won the Metropolitan a record 8 times.

Saturday 30thSeptember 2023 with the running of 3 Group 1 races,TheMetropolitan, the TAB Epsom and the Kingston Stakes plus other Group 2 and Group 3 races will have an all-day electric atmosphere, with plenty of food stalls and entertainment on offer throughout the day for those visiting Royal Randwick racecourse.