, Festival Stakes - Rosehill Racecourse - Sydney Racing Carnival
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Festival Stakes Preview

The Festival Stakes is a Group 3 quality handicap event for 3yo & upward gallopers and takes place in December at Rosehill racecourse in Sydney, New South Wales. The race is run over a distance of 1500 metres and worth $160,000 in prize money. The 2019 Festival Stakes was won by Ranier from Live And Free with Cellarman third.

A listed race over 1400 metres up until 2015, the Festival Stakes was awarded Group 3 status for the 2016-2017 racing season and incurred a distance increase to 1500 metres.

Festival Stakes info

Date: Saturday 27th November 2021
Track: Rosehill racecourse, Sydney
Distance: 1500 metres
Race Type: Quality Handicap
Status: Group 3
Prize Money: $160,000
2019 Winner: Ranier

The Festival Stakes is raced under handicap conditions and provides the perfect lead up to the Gr2 Villiers Stakes at Randwick. The last galloper to achieve the Festival Stakes & Villiers Stakes double was Monton (2011), with Utson (2006) and Ike's Dream (2004) prior to that.

A more than handy field will generally assemble for this race with winners and placegetters likely to figure in similar type races over the Christmas period.

It's worth noting that recent winners Mighty Lucky (2015) and I'm Imposing (2014) both went on to win the Gr3 Summer Cup on Boxing Day at Randwick after running fifth and second respectively in the Villiers Stakes beforehand.

My Nordic Hero (2018) ran second in the November Hcp over 1400m at Rosehill before scoring a stylish victory in this event for the Chris Waller stable.

Recent Festival Stakes winners include Testashadow (2017), who incidentally finished unplaced in the November Hcp before winning here, and Sweet Redemption (2016).

2019 Festival Stakes result

1. $6.00 Ranier 53.0 Ms Kathy O'Hara
2. $8.00 Live And Free 53.5 Brenton Avdulla
3. $26.00 Cellarman 59.0 Hugh Bowman

then followed
4. $12.00 Invincible Gem 59.0 Ms Rachel King
5. $15.00 Siren's Fury 55.0 Tim Clark
6. $6.00 Bobbing 53.0 James Innes Jnr
7. $7.50 Renewal 57.5 Tommy Berry
8. $91.00 Hogmanay 53.0 Jay Ford
9. $101.00 Mr Garcia 55.0 Christian Reith
10. $14.00 Sambro 56.5 James McDonald
11. $7.50 Moss Trip 57.0 Nash Rawiller
12. $51.00 Testashadow 53.0 Deanne Panya
13. $6.50 Don't Give A Damn 54.0 Glyn Schofield

Margins: 0.1 len, 1.8 len
Time: 1:29.46

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Festival Stakes winners & placegetters

Year Winner 2nd 3rd Time
2019 Ranier Live And Free Cellarman 1:29.4
2018 My Nordic Hero Goodfella Chamois Road 1:29.1
2017 Testashadow Mister Sea Wolf Red Excitement 1:31.6
2016 Sweet Redemption Hazzabeel Red Excitement 1:29.6
2015 Mighty Lucky It's Somewhat Peace Force 1:29.4
2014 I'm Imposing Estonian Princess Strawberry Boy 1:28.5
2013 White Sage Terravista Alma's Fury 1:30.0