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The Championships: NSW horse racing carnival

The Championships

As far as the Australian horse racing calendar is concerned there are only two seasons – spring and autumn, and although The Championships were only inaugurated in 2014, they are elevating the Sydney autumn carnival into the same stratosphere as Melbourne’s spring.

Held at the prestigious Royal Randwick racecourse, The Championships is a ‘crown jewel’ for the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. The Championships act as a grand final across a number of different weights, ages and sexes to determine who the best horses in the country truly are.

There is over $20 million in prize money on offer across a plethora of group races (including four Group 1 races on each of the two days) which draws the best racehorses from around Australia to compete in top quality races against the best the international scene has to offer.


How to bet on The Championships

All of our suggested online bookmakers offer markets on every race during The Championships, with plenty of markets opening in the months leading into the carnival.

The Championships Horse race


When is The Championships?

The Championships in 2024 is scheduled for the beginning of April, with Day 1 set down for April 1 and Day 2 to be held a week later on April 7.


Where are The Championships

Royal Randwick plays host to The Championships each year and has been the location for many a racing highlight during The Championships. Whether it has been the almighty Winx amazing punters, or Nature Strip lighting up the turf, Randwick is truly the home of racing in NSW.


Group 1 Races held at The Championships

With an incredible eight Group 1 races split across the two days at Royal Randwick, race goers will be treated to a spectacular display from some of the world’s very best sprinters and stayers across a variety of distances.

Day One


Day Two


Nathan Berry Medal

Nathan Barry MedalNamed after the late Nathan Berry, the Nathan Berry Medal is awarded to the most successful jockey over the two days of The Championships held at Royal Randwick in early April each year.

Berry, who tragically passed away in April 2014 was a popular jockey in the NSW locker room and with twin brother Tommy Berry deemed one of the best jockey’s in the country, the Berry legacy is further etched into Australian Racing folklore with the Nathan Berry Medal.

The Nathan Berry Medal is awarded to the most jockey who records the most points over the two days of The Championships.

The point score is determined on a 3-2-1 basis across the eagerly anticipated 12 Group races which includes the Finals of the Country and Provincial Championships, with the winner announced at the completion of Day 2 of The Championships.

Three points are awarded to the jockey winning the race, with second and third places picking up two points and one point respectively.