2008 Epsom Handicap

The Epsom Handicap is one of the two great Group 1 handicap miles (1600m) run by the Australian Jockey Club. The race is held in October each year at Randwick during the Spring Racing Carnival.

Race Type: Group 1 Handicap
Distance: 1600m
Track: Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, New South Wales

The race is named after the famous Epsom Downs racecourse in the south of England where the highly prestigious three-year-old Classic the Epsom Derby has been contested since 1780. The first Epsom Handicap was run in 1865 and was won by a horse named Dundee. The race is for three year olds and up, and along with the Doncaster is regarded as one of Australia classic 1600m races, carrying prizemoney of $600,000.

Six horses have won the race in consecutive years – Masquerade (1882/1883), Melodrama (1907/1908), Chatham (1932/1933), Toi Port (1963/1964), the wonderful Super Impose (1990/1991) and Desert War (2004/2005). In addition Amounis won twice, but not consecutively, in 1926 and 1928.

The race was not ran in 2007 for the first time in its 142 year history, due to an outbreak of Equine Influenza that stopped horse movements in the area.
It is a race which has been contested by some of the best horses in Australia and many top class horses have carried huge weights to win.