26 Sep, 2020
Two superbly bred Hawkes Racing colts have fought out the finish of the Group One Golden Rose as Rothfire's Everest campaign came under a cloud. The Queensland flyer, who started an odds-on favourite, punctured late t... Continue Reading
The Toorak Handicap is a 1600m Group 1 race held at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne. It has a total prize pool of $500,000 and many horses who compete in the race go on to feature in the Emirates Stakes later in spring. In 2020, the Toorak Handicap will be run on Saturday, October 10, the same day as three other Group 1s at Caulfield.
Fierce Impact won the 2019 edition of the Toorak Handicap for trainer Matthew Smith. Night’s Watch and Age Of Chivalry finished second and third respectively, while Sikandarabad rounded out the first four. After winning the Toorak Handicap, Fierce Impact went on to claim victory in the $2 million Kennedy Cantala.
Some of the greats of the turf have won the Toorak Handicap, which is no surprise considering its rich history. Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup winner Galilee won the race in 1966 and a year later two-time Cox Plate winner Tobin Bronze claimed victory. More recently we’ve seen the likes Divine Madonna and More Joyous cross the line in first.
Fierce Impact takes out the Toorak Handicap with an excellent ride and training performance. @CWilliamsJockey @mcsmithracing pic.twitter.com/kisZ00fWSG
— Racing.com (@Racing) October 12, 2019
There have been five runners who have won the Toorak Handicap – Caulfield Cup double. The first to do it was The Trump in 1937, however, no horse has done it since Leilani in 1974.
Darren Weir had experienced great success in the Toorak Handicap before he was banned from the sport. He trained four winners between 2014 and 2018, with the David Hayes-trained He’s Our Rokkii spoiling a potential five-peat in 2016.
In 2019, Fierce Impact clocked 1:135.19 to win the Toorak Handicap. It was a decent time but not the best the race has seen over the last 20 years. That honour belongs to Land Of Plenty, who in 2018 ran the Caulfield 1600m in 1:34.52.
As one of the leading mile races in the Spring Racing Carnival, there should be no surprise that the Toorak Handicap field is normally very strong. It is also normally large, and its size can make it difficult for punters to find a winner. In 2020 nominations for the race close October 5 and final acceptances are on October 7.
Despite the quality of runners and the size of the fields, the Toorak Handicap has actually been relatively kind to punters in recent years. From the last five editions of the race, four of the winners have had starting prices of $10 or less. The outlier is 2019 winner Fierce Impact, who had a starting price of $18.
| PLACE | HORSE | TRAINER | JOCKEY | SP |
| 1 | Fierce Impact | Matthew Smith | Craig Williams | $18 |
| 2 | Night’s Watch | Chris Waller | James McDonald | $7 |
| 3 | Age Of Chivalry | Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra | Kerrin McEvoy | $9 |
| 4 | Sikandarabad | David Hayes | Mark Zahra | $13 |
| 5 | Waging War | Leon Macdonald & Andrew Gluyas | Raquel Clark | $7 |
| 6 | Cliff’s Edge | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | John Allen | $26 |
| 7 | Madison County | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Damian Lane | $16 |
| 8 | Miss Siska | Grahame Begg | Dean Yendall | $26 |
| 9 | Widgee Turf | Patrick Payne | Billy Egan | $12 |
| 10 | Mahamedeis | Nick Ryan | Ben Melham | $15 |
| 11 | Streets Of Avalon | Shane Nichols | Zac Spain | $51 |
| 12 | Princess Jenni | David Brideoake | Damien Oliver | $7.50 |
| 13 | Chiefs Ironside | David Menuisier | Anthony Darmanin | $26 |
| 14 | So Si Bon | David Hayes | Luke Nolen | $21 |
| 15 | Amphitrite | David Hayes | Jamie Kah | $17 |
| 16 | Order Again | Brian J Smith | Larry Cassidy | $101 |
| 17 | Wyndspelle | Johno Benner | Michael Dee | $61 |
| 18 | Dyslexic | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Damien Thornton | $31 |
2019 – Fierce Impact (1:35.19)
2018 – Land Of Plenty (1:34.5)
2017 – Tosen Stardom (1:35.86)
2016 – He’s Our Rokkii (1:36.18)
2015 – Lucky Hussler (1:34.57)
2014 – Trust In A Gust (1:35.20)
2013 – Solzhenitsyn (1:36.40)
2012 – Solzhenitsyn (1:35.25)
2011 – King Mufhasa (1:36.29)
2010 – More Joyous (1:35.40)
