Distance | 1600m |
Grade | Group 1 |
Track | Royal Randwick |
Prizemoney | $1,000,000 |
Class | Handicap, 3YO & above |
2017 winner | Happy Clapper ($2.40) |
The Epsom Handicap is a Group 1 race held at Randwick Racecouse each year in late September. The race is run over the 1600 metre course and is one of the major races on the Sydney and Australian racing calendars.
The race was first run back in 1863 since this time, there have been some memorable wins and all-time great winners.
The champion gelding Amounis won the race twice, and set the record for the fastest ever time in 1926 at 1:31.25.
The likes of Gunsynd, Super Impose, Desert War and the mighty mare Winx have all won the Epsom, but never bettered Amounis's time.
Another remarkable piece of history occurred in the 1896 edition, when the 11-year-old Indigenous jockey Jim McHugh rode 33/1 shot Robin Hood.
Despite the doubts and laughter coming from the jockey's room on race day, McHugh went on to pilot Robin Hood to victory, before weighing in at just 27kg.
In 2017, fan favourite Happy Clapper broke through for his maiden Group One victory, getting the better of second-placed specialist Tom Melbourne.
The Pat Webster trained runner was short priced favourite heading into the race ($2.40), and lived up to the expectation by becoming only the third horse in 20 years to carry at least 57kg to win the Espom.