William Reid Stakes 2026 - Barrier Draw & Final Field

Bets.com.au Staff

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Last updated: Wed 18 Mar 2026 00:17

Bets.com.au Staff 18 Mar 2026

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The barrier draw has been completed for the 2026 William Reid Stakes
This Group 1 will be contested on Saturday, March 21 at Caulfield
The final field is detailed below

Jimmysstar has drawn barrier one in the 2026 William Reid Stakes. (Getty)

Due to renovations at Moonee Valley, the 2026 William Reid Stakes will be run at Caulfield on Saturday, March 21, adding a unique twist to one of the sprinting calendar’s premier Group 1 contests.

William Reid Stakes 2026 - Barriers & Final Field
William Reid Stakes Winners

Jimmysstar (barrier 1) heads into the race following a standout 2025 campaign, where the gelding produced a string of high-level performances, including three Group 1 victories, two of which came at Caulfield in the Oakleigh Plate and the C.F. Orr Stakes.

The consistent performer has been kept up to the mark with two sharp jump-outs at Cranbourne ahead of his return and boasts an excellent first-up profile, having recorded five wins and a second placing from seven fresh attempts.

Angel Capital (barrier 6), a dual Group 1 placegetter and four-time stakes winner, improved sharply off a first-up miss when finishing third in the Newmarket Handicap on March 7 and shapes as one of the key contenders.

Jigsaw (barrier 11) is in career-best form as a seven-year-old, having won his past five attempts including a Group 1 victory in New Zealand back in January before a dominant all-the-way victory in the VOBIS Gold Sprint last Saturday.

While his most recent wins have come over 1100m, including a return triumph in the Oakleigh Plate on February 21, Tropicus (barrier 2) did salute over this track-and-trip last year at Group 3 level in comfortable style and leading throughout, and he has won a jump-out since his Group 1 success last month.

Baraqiel (barrier 5) was competitive on return via a fourth-of-eight finish in the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning, and all eight of his victories have come around a bend, including a second-up triumph in the Group 1 Moir Stakes last campaign, while he has completed two jump-outs since his February resumption.

William Reid Stakes 2026 - Barriers & Final Field

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight
1	Jimmysstar (NZ)	Ciaron Maher	Mark Zahra	1	58.5kg
2	Jigsaw	Cindy Alderson	Logan Bates (a)	11	58.5kg
3	Rey Magnerio	Robbie Griffiths	William Pike	7	58.5kg
4	Angel Capital	Chris Waller	Jye McNeil	6	58.5kg
5	Baraqiel	Leon & Troy Corstens & Will Larkin	Ben Allen	5	58.5kg
6	Airman	Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes	TBA	9	58.5kg
7	Tropicus	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Jamie Mott	2	58.5kg
8	Magic Time	Grahame Begg	Michael Dee	10	56.5kg
9	Charm Stone	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	Thomas Stockdale	3	56.5kg
10	Benedetta	Ciaron Maher	Daniel Stackhouse	4	56.5kg
11	Devil Night	Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes	Beau Mertens	8	56kg

William Reid Stakes Winners

The William Reid Stakes is one of Australia’s premier 1200m weight-for-age sprint races and is traditionally run at Moonee Valley during the Autumn Carnival, where it has long served as the headline event on the venue’s final night meeting of the season, although it now features on a daytime metropolitan program in Melbourne.

With redevelopment works underway at Moonee Valley, the 2026 edition of the William Reid Stakes will instead be staged at Caulfield.

First run in 1925, the William Reid Stakes boasts a rich history, highlighted by Manikato, who remains the race’s most successful performer after winning five consecutive editions from 1979 to 1983.

Other notable winners include Comic Court, Vo Rogue, Miss Andretti, Apache Cat and Black Caviar, with the race elevated to Group 1 status in 1987.

Recent editions have been claimed by Imperatriz, who won back-to-back in 2023 and 2024, and Schwarz, who secured victory in 2025.