The Doncaster Handicap is a Gr 1 Australian horserace contested
by? three-year-old thoroughbreds and older every year at Royal
Randwick Racecourse in Sydney over 1600m (1 mile). The race is also
known as the Doncaster Mile and with a purse of AUD$2 million is
Australia's richest race over a mile.
Traditionally the Doncaster Handicap was held on Easter Monday, but
more recently it was pushed back to the third Saturday in April.
Inaugurated in 1865, the Doncaster Handicap has a long and rich
heritage and has been contested and won by many of Australia's
finest thoroughbreds, including Super Impose.
Top-rated gelding Super Impose made history when he won both the
Doncaster Handicap and the coveted Epsom Handicap in 1991 and 1992.
The Epsom Handicap is another of Australia's most auspicious horse
races, which is also contested each year at Royal Randwick
Racecourse as part of its Spring Carnival.
Another top Doncaster Handicap victor is Sunline, who won this race
in 1999 and 2002 and then went on to triumph in the All Aged Stakes
in 2000 and 2002, the Coolmore Classic in 2000 and 2002, the Waikato
Sprint in 2001 and 2002, the Hong Kong Mile in 2000 and the Manikato
Stakes in 2000.
A more recent standout is 2007 Doncaster Handicap winner Haradasun,
who went on to win the George Ryder Stakes (Gr 1) at Rosehill
Gardens in Sydney in 2007, as well as the internationally acclaimed
Queen Anne Stakes? (Gr 1) at Ascot Racecourse in England in
2008. |
