Randwick Guineas & Canterbury Stakes 2026 - Group 1 Fields Finalised

Bets.com.au Staff

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Last updated: Tue 03 Mar 2026 23:05

Bets.com.au Staff 03 Mar 2026

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Group 1 Randwick Guineas features top three-year-olds including Autumn Boy, Sheza Alibi, and Ninja
Canterbury Stakes sees high-caliber contenders like Joliestar and Lady Shenandoah in a thrilling 1300m WFA event
The March 7 program promises high-quality racing with stellar fields across the card

Joliestar winning the 2026 Expressway Stakes. (Getty)

Randwick hosts another major autumn meeting this Saturday, with the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) and Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) headlining a strong Sydney program.

Randwick Guineas
Randwick Guineas 2026 - Barriers & Final Field
Canterbury Stakes
Canterbury Stakes 2026 - Barriers & Final Field

Included are both Group 1 line-ups, as well as the fields for all races on the metropolitan card, setting the stage for a high-quality day of racing.

Randwick Guineas

The 1600m Randwick Guineas brings together a high-quality field of three-year-olds, forming one of the headline features on the Randwick card.

Autumn Boy (barrier 3) relished the step to 1600m when rounding out his spring campaign with victory in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas, bouncing back from a somewhat plain effort in the Golden Rose earlier in the preparation.

The Chris Waller-trained colt returned this campaign with a strong closing third over 1400m in the Hobartville Stakes, and the rise back to a mile appears ideal for the progressive three-year-old.

Sheza Alibi (barrier 4) rounded out her spring with back-to-back Group victories, including a dominant 5.75-length win in the Sandown Guineas before a spell.

Prepared by Peter G Moody and Katherine Coleman, the filly resumed with a stylish victory at Caulfield on February 21 and now takes on the boys at Group 1 level.

Ninja (barrier 8) was runner-up as favourite in the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas after covering ground and encountering interference, having previously been dominant in the Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate at Eagle Farm.

He returned to winning form at his latest outing when successful in the Hobartville Stakes and brings strong race fitness into the mile.

Godolphin colt Attica (barrier 9) is impeccably bred as a son of Lonhro and the first foal out of six-time Group winner Savatiano.

The three-year-old showed above-average ability in his first campaign, winning three of four starts, including a Group 1 success in the Spring Champion Stakes, and he resumes off a fourth placing in the Hobartville Stakes.

Randwick Guineas 2026 - Barriers & Final Field

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight
1	Autumn Boy	Chris Waller	James McDonald	3	56.5kg
2	Attica	Joseph Pride	Adam Hyeronimus	9	56.5kg
3	Ninja	Michael Freedman	Tommy Berry	8	56.5kg
4	Rivellino	Kris Lees	Jason Collett	5	56.5kg
5	Green Spaces	Bjorn Baker	Rachel King	7	56.5kg
6	Providence	Chris Waller	Chad Schofield	2	56.5kg
7	Decorum	Michael Freedman	Nash Rawiller	6	56.5kg
8	Dusty Bay	Tracey Bartley	—	1	56.5kg
9	Sheza Alibi	Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	Luke Nolen	4	54.5kg

Canterbury Stakes

The Canterbury Stakes is the other Group 1 feature on the Randwick program, assembling a high-class weight-for-age field over 1300m.

Joliestar (barrier 4) closed her spring campaign with a fifth and a third but had won her previous two starts, including a Group 1 triumph in the Kingsford-Smith Cup, while her first Group 1 success of 2025 came in the Newmarket Handicap.

The Chris Waller-trained mare resumed in excellent order when taking out the Group 2 Expressway Stakes on February 14.

Lady Shenandoah (barrier 9) also comes through the Expressway Stakes, finishing third in that Group 2 contest, and the additional 100m appears favourable for the four-year-old.

She was unbeaten throughout her three-year-old season before encountering mixed fortunes last spring, which began with a luckless second in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes.

Gringotts (barrier 8) has built a consistent record with 12 wins and nine placings from 26 starts and confirmed his weight-for-age credentials when victorious in last autumn’s Group 1 George Ryder Stakes.

Napoleonic (barrier 7) has opened his 2026 campaign with runner-up finishes in both the Eskimo Prince Stakes and Hobartville Stakes, having been spelled following a dominant Group 3 victory at Moonee Valley during the spring.

Linebacker (barrier 6) also warrants respect, with last year’s Randwick Guineas winner recently successful in a summer trial, while his latest race-day victory came over this track and distance when surging clear in the Silver Eagle in October.

Canterbury Stakes 2026 - Barriers & Final Field

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight
1	Gringotts (NZ)	Ciaron Maher	Tommy Berry	8	59kg
2	Headley Grange	Joseph Pride	Chad Schofield	10	59kg
3	Linebacker (NZ)	John O'Shea & Tom Charlton	Dylan Gibbons	6	59kg
4	Yorkshire	John O'Shea & Tom Charlton	Jason Collett	5	59kg
5	Encap	Gary Portelli	—	1	59kg
6	Joliestar	Chris Waller	James McDonald	4	57kg
7	Lady Shenandoah	Chris Waller	Nash Rawiller	9	57kg
8	Beiwacht	Chris Waller	Adam Hyeronimus	3	56kg
9	Napoleonic	John O'Shea & Tom Charlton	Zac Lloyd	7	56kg
10	Nepotism	Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes	Tyler Schiller	2	56kg