The Epona Stakes is a Group 3 race for fillies & mares only that takes place in March each year at Rosehill racecourse in Sydney, New South Wales during the Sydney autumn racing carnival. The race is run over a distance of 1900 metres and has prizemoney of $125,000. The 2012 Epona Stakes was won by Fibrillation from Crafty Irna with Once Were Wild third.
Previously a listed race up until 2011, the Epona Stakes was upgraded to Group 3 status for the 2011/2012 racing season and is held on the same day as the Gr1 Rosehill Guineas.
The Epona Stakes is a middle distance race for 3yo & upward females and suits those fillies who may be heading on to the better black type races ahead such as the Gr1 Storm Queen Stakes over 2000m, the Gr3 Adrian Knox Stakes over 2000m, or the premier fillies distance race of the autumn, the Gr1 AJC Australian Oaks over 2400m.
Generally a race for more than handy staying types rather than the elite, the better mares contesting this event might use the Epona Stakes as a lead-up race to the major distance event of the Sydney autumn carnival, the Gr1 Sydney Cup over 3200m at Randwick on the final Saturday of the carnival.
Divine Rebel (2009) finished runner-up in the Sydney Cup in consecutive years (2009 & 2010), while Jessicabeel (3rd in 2010) managed to go on and take out the Sydney Cup after finishing third in this race.
Fibrillation (2012) won the listed Apiration Stakes over 1600m at Randwick on her way to winning this event and recent Epona Stakes winners have been Montana Flyer (2010-2011) and Neroli (2009).
2012 Epona Stakes result
1. $13.00 Fibrillation 56.5 Brenton Avdulla
2. $3.60 Crafty Irna 57.0 Hugh Bowman
3. $18.00 Once Were Wild 58.5 Nash Rawiller
then followed
4. $15.00 Tigress Lily 55.0 Blake Shinn
5. $13.00 Fill The Page 56.5 Tommy Berry
6. $11.00 Brightest 55.0 Rod Quinn
7. $8.00 Vintedge 57.5 Dwayne Dunn
8. $51.00 Sharp Princess 56.5 Michael Rodd
9. $13.00 Dancing Attendance 55.0 Nathan Berry
10. $71.00 Mirrasalo 57.0 Christian Reith
11. $26.00 Mirjulisa Lass 58.5 Damien Oliver
12. $5.00 Foxstar 56.0 Corey Brown
13. $101.00 All In Latin 55.0 Kathy O'Hara
14. $21.00 Galizani 57.0 Jim Cassidy
