Epsom Handicap 2026 - Barrier Draw & Final Field

Alex Marsh

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Last updated: Tue 29 Sep 2026 02:20

Alex Marsh 2 hours ago

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One of Sydney’s premier Group 1 mile races, the Epsom Handicap is a major feature of the spring carnival and will be run at Randwick on Saturday, October 3
Leading contenders will line up chasing one of Australian racing’s most prestigious handicap prizes
Barrier draw and final field is detailed below

Autumn Boy has drawn barrier one in the 2026 Epsom Handicap. (Getty)

The barrier draw for the 2026 Epsom Handicap is complete ahead of Saturday’s Group 1 mile at Randwick, with several of the leading chances drawing towards the inside while others have landed wide.

Epsom Handicap 2026 - Barriers & Final Field
Epsom Handicap History

Autumn Boy has come up with barrier one and will carry 55.5kg as he returns to Sydney following his second behind Sheza Alibi in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington. The Chris Waller-trained four-year-old has already performed strongly over the Randwick mile, finishing runner-up in both the Randwick Guineas and Doncaster Mile during the autumn.

Well Written has drawn barrier three with 55kg as the unbeaten New Zealand mare prepares for her Australian debut. The Stephen Marsh-trained four-year-old has won all seven starts, including the New Zealand 1000 Guineas and Proisir Plate, and arrives in Sydney as one of the more intriguing runners in the field.

Ceolwulf will carry the 59kg topweight from barrier seven after building steadily through his Sydney preparation. The Joseph Pride-trained gelding followed a second in the Chelmsford Stakes with a third behind Autumn Glow and Aeliana in the Seven Sunrise Stakes over the Randwick mile.

Attica has drawn barrier six with 51.5kg for Joseph Pride. The four-year-old finished third behind Headley Grange in the Tramway Stakes at Randwick earlier this month and now steps to 1600m under a light weight.

Idle Flyer has drawn barrier 18 and will carry 55kg. The Matthew Smith-trained mare finished fourth in the Seven Sunrise Stakes last start, finishing just behind Ceolwulf over the Randwick mile.

Lady Shenandoah has also drawn wide in barrier 16 with 55kg, while Militarize has barrier 19 and will carry 53.5kg.

Tom Kitten has secured barrier four with 57.5kg, while Declichy Boulevard has drawn barrier two with 50kg and Mr Miller will start from barrier five with 50kg.

Elsewhere, Fully Lit has barrier eight with 51kg, Vivy Air has drawn nine with 51kg and Encap will start from barrier 10 with 50kg, while Hellsing, God’s Window, Panova, Matcha Latte and Perfumist have all drawn outside barrier 10.

With Autumn Boy, Well Written and Tom Kitten among those drawing towards the inside, while Idle Flyer, Lady Shenandoah and Militarize have landed wider, the barrier draw has added another important piece to the picture ahead of Saturday’s $1.5 million Epsom Handicap over 1600m.

Epsom Handicap 2026 - Barriers & Final Field

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight
1	Ceolwulf (NZ)	Joseph Pride	Chad Schofield	7	59kg
2	Tom Kitten	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Adam Hyeronimus	4	57.5kg
3	Autumn Boy	Chris Waller	James McDonald	1	55.5kg
4	Idle Flyer	Matthew Smith	Jason Collett	18	55kg
5	Lady Shenandoah	Chris Waller	Tommy Berry	16	55kg
6	Well Written	Stephen Marsh	Zac Lloyd	3	55kg
7	Militarize (NZ)	Chris Waller	Tim Clark	19	53.5kg
8	Attica	Joseph Pride	Kerrin McEvoy	6	51.5kg
9	Vivy Air	Ciaron Maher	Reece Jones	9	51kg
10	Fully Lit	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Winona Costin	8	51kg
11	Hellsing (IRE)	Annabel & Rob Archibald	Braith Nock (a)	12	51kg
12	Perfumist (NZ)	Bjorn Baker	Rachel King	17	50kg
13	Matcha Latte	Nacim Dilmi	TBA	15	50kg
14	Panova	Chris Waller	TBA	14	50kg
15	Plymouth	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	Jackson Radley (a)	11	50kg
16	God's Window (GB)	Chris Waller	Siena Grima (a)	13	50kg
17	Declichy Boulevard	Chris Waller	TBA	2	50kg
18	Encap	Gary Portelli	Mollie Fitzgerald (a)	10	50kg
19	Mr Miller (NZ)	Chris Waller	TBA	5	50kg

Epsom Handicap History

The Epsom Handicap stands among Sydney’s most prestigious spring races, carrying a history that stretches back more than 150 years. First contested in 1863, the Group 1 handicap has long been a major fixture of the Sydney Spring Carnival and one of the country’s most sought-after mile prizes.

Run over 1600m for almost all of its history, the Epsom has built a reputation as one of Australian racing’s great tests for milers. The race was staged over 1800m for a short five-year period before returning to its traditional distance.

The event takes its name from England’s famous Epsom Downs Racecourse and has attracted generations of leading gallopers to Randwick. Its honour roll includes some of Australian racing’s biggest names, with Nightmarch, Sky High, Imposing, Super Impose and Winx among the champions to have won the race.

More than a century and a half after its inaugural running, the Epsom Handicap remains a key spring target, regularly bringing established Group 1 horses together with emerging performers looking to make their mark at the elite level.

Recent winners include Rediener in 2023, Ceolwulf in 2024 and Autumn Glow in 2025, with Autumn Glow the latest top-class galloper to add her name to the race’s distinguished honour roll.