Bill Ritchie Handicap

The Bill Ritchie Handicap is a Group 3 race for 3yo and upward horses held each September in Sydney at Randwick racecourse during the Sydney spring racing carnival. The race is run over a distance of 1400 metres and worth $125,000 in prizemoney. The 2012 Bill Ritchie Handicap was won by Steps In Time from Said Com with Wild And Proud third.

This race was held at Rosehill for the 2011-2012 racing season and takes place on the same day as the Gr1 George Main Stakes. The winner is exempt from a ballot and penalty in the Epsom Handicap.

Bill Ritchie Handicap info
Date:	Saturday 21st September 2013
Track:	Randwick racecourse, Sydney
Distance:	1400 metres
Race Type:	3yo+ Handicap
Status:	Group 3
Prizemoney:	$125,000
2012 Winner:	Steps In Time

The Bill Ritchie Handicap is a handicap race over 1400m and can sometimes attract horses planning to progress to the Gr1 Epsom Handicap on the final day of the carnival over an extra 200 metres.

Generally won by a handy horse rather than a topliner, the Bill Ritchie Handicap has not been a great guide to the Epsom Handicap in recent times, although Captain Sonador (2010) managed to win the Epsom at his next start after running third in this race.

Races such as the Gr3 Newcastle Cameron Handicap at Newcastle and to a lesser extent the Gr2 Theo Marks Stakes at Rosehill are sometimes used as lead-up races to this event.

Steps in Time (2012) finished unplaced in the Gr3 Tramway Quality Hcp over 1400m at Warwick Farm prior to winning this race and recent Bill Ritchie Handicap winners include Thankgodyou’rehere (2011) and Drumbeats (2010).

2012 Bill Ritchie Handicap result
1. $6.00 Steps in Time 57.0 Jim Cassidy
2. $4.40 Said Com 55.5 Corey Brown
3. $8.00 Wild And Proud 56.5 Nash Rawiller

then followed
4. $5.50 Speediness 56.0 Glyn Schofield
5. $71.00 I Think I Do 54.5 Kerrin Mc Evoy
6. $6.50 Dare To Dream 54.5 James Mcdonald
7. $4.60 Torio'S Quest 56.5 Hugh Bowman
8. $26.00 Sainthood 54.5 Blake Shinn
9. $26.00 Herculian Prince 58.0 Nathan Berry

Margins: 1 1/4 len, Nose
Time: 1:23.15

Bill Ritchie Handicap recent winners & placegetters
Year	Winner	2nd	3rd	Time
2012	Steps In Time	Said Com	Wild And Proud	1:23.1
2011	Thankgodyou'rehere	Startsmeup	Miss Keepsake	1:22.2
2010	Drumbeats	Kenny's World	Captain Sonador	1:22.8
2009	McClintock	Walking Or Dancing	Faulconbridge	1:23.5
2008	Judged	Rockwood	Kiloton	1:23.1
2007	Race Not Run
2006	Coalesce	New Edge	Flaming	1:21.6
2005	Flaming	Devil	Messiaen	1:21.3
2004	Osca Warrior	Utzon	In a Bound	1:21.7
2003	Zabarra	Britt's Best	Forum Floozie	1:22.6
2002	Zabarra	This Manshood	Swiss Echo	1:23.8
2001	Fouardee	Defier	Adamantly	1:21.7
2000	Landsighting	Tie The Knot	Valuate	1:21.7
1999	Brave Prince	Al Mansour	Stanzaic	1:23.0
1998	Bezeal Bay	Deep Snip	Super Crest	1:22.8
1997	Holy Roller	Pimpala Son	Prairie	1:23.7
1996	Mamzelle Pedrille	Persian Flyer	Headstrong	1:23.2
1995	Monopolize	Juggler	Flight To Fantasy	1:22.6
1994	Rouslan	Over The Top	Big Dreams	1:22.2
1993	Belas Knap	Cohort	Telesto/Mighty Tango	1:21.6
1992	Prince Of Praise	East Ocean Friend	Stormy Guest	1:22.2
1991	Rechabite	Somalia	Be Able	1:24.0
1990	Our Poverty Bay	Remember Peter	Mocha	1:22.7
1989	Royal Reel	Our Palliser	Black Routine	1:23.5
1988	Pleasant Flight	Gold Trump	Regal Native	1:22.2