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2026 Empire Rose Stakes Preview
Scheduled to take place in either late October or early November of each year at the Flemington racecourse is the Empire Rose Stakes, a race that features on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, the Saturday before the Melbourne Cup takes place.
Created in 1988, this race was originally listed but was upgraded in 1995 to G3, then again in 1997 to G2, and finally, since 2004, has held G1 status. The race is open to fillies and mares aged three or older and is run over a 1,600m distance.
Caulfield the Key Feeder
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Empire Rose Stakes Information:
- Empire Rose Stakes Past Winners
- Empire Rose Stakes Trainer Statistics
- Empire Rose Stakes Jockey Statistics
You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Races Covered during the Melbourne Cup Carnival section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026 (UKGC Regulated)
How competitive is the Empire Rose Stakes market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 10 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2017, when the race had an over-round of 113%. The race in 2025 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 120%, whilst on average over the last 10 renewals of the Empire Rose Stakes, the over-round has been 117%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £117 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Empire Rose Stakes Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Empire Rose Stakes Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Empire Rose Stakes races over the last 10 renewals:
- Pride Of Jenni (1:34.42) in 2025
- Colette (1:34.84) in 2021
- Shillelagh (1:34.86) in 2018
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 10 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Empire Rose Stakes next time out, then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 10 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of +3.00. Remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.
The runner that holds the record over the past 10 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2022 renewal when Icebath from Brad Widdup under the guidance of Craig A Williams, won in a time of 1:37.81, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Pride Of Jenni, trained by Ciaron Maher and ridden by Declan Bates set the quickest time of 1:34.42 in the 2025 renewal.
Empire Rose Stakes Past Winners
Here are the Empire Rose Stakes' past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the race year, the winning horse, and the horse's age & weight. Also detailed are the stall from which the horse came and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Empire Rose Stakes are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 1:34.42 | Pride Of Jenni (AUS) 8yo 9-0 (7 of 11) 19/5 | Declan Bates Ciaron Maher (AUS) |
| 2024 1:35.93 | Atishu (NZ) 7yo 9-0 (9 of 13) 13/5F | James McDonald Chris Waller (AUS) |
| 2023 1:34.86 | Pride Of Jenni (AUS) 6yo 9-0 (16 of 16) 15/1 | Declan Bates Ciaron Maher & David Eustace (AUS) |
| 2022 1:37.81 | Icebath (NZ) 6yo 9-0 (3 of 16) 10/1 | Craig A Williams Brad Widdup (AUS) |
| 2021 1:34.84 | Colette (AUS) 5yo 9-0 (8 of 14) 12/1 | Damien Oliver James Cummings (AUS) |
| 2020 1:35.37 | Shout The Bar (AUS) 4yo 8-13 (11 of 13) 30/1 | Damien Oliver Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott (AUS) |
| 2019 1:37.78 | Melody Belle (NZ) 5yo 9-0 (13 of 16) 14/5F | Opie Bosson Jamie Richards (NZ) |
| 2018 1:34.86 | Shillelagh (NZ) 7yo 9-0 (9 of 16) 11/2 | James McDonald Chris Waller (AUS) |
| 2017 1:35.26 | Shoals (AUS) 3yo 7-12 (10 of 16) 19/5F | Dean Yendall Anthony Freedman (AUS) |
| 2016 1:35.56 | I Am A Star (NZ) 3yo 7-10 (10 of 15) 15/2 | Dean Yendall Shane Nichols (AUS) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Empire Rose Stakes have been based:
- AUS: 9 winners with an additional 20 placings from 140 runners
- NZ: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 5 runners
- SIN: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2025 Empire Rose Stakes Replay
Empire Rose Stakes Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Empire Rose Stakes over the last 10 renewals is Chris Waller, who has won the race twice, with those two winners coming from Shillelagh (2018) and Atishu (2024).
Here are some of the top Empire Rose Stakes trainer statistics over the last 10 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Waller | 19-2-6 | -8.90 | -6.52 |
| Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 5-1-1 | +26.00 | +14.00 |
| James Cummings | 5-1-1 | +8.00 | +3.20 |
| Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | 4-1-1 | +12.00 | +4.50 |
| Shane Nichols | 3-1-1 | +5.50 | +2.50 |
| Ciaron Maher | 3-1-2 | +1.80 | +6.78 |
| Brad Widdup | 2-1-1 | +9.00 | +4.00 |
| Jamie Richards | 2-1-1 | +1.80 | +0.40 |
| Anthony Freedman | 1-1-1 | +3.80 | +1.90 |
| Peter & Paul Snowden | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -4.50 |
Empire Rose Stakes Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the Empire Rose Stakes over the last 10 renewals, with James McDonald, Damien Oliver, Declan Bates, and Dean Yendall having all won the race twice. James McDonald winners have been Shillelagh (2018) and Atishu (2024). Damien Oliver winners have been with Shout The Bar (2020) and Colette (2021). Declan Bates' winners have been with Pride Of Jenni (2023 & 2025). Dean Yendall's winners have been with I Am A Star (2016) and Shoals (2017).
Here are some of the top Empire Rose Stakes jockey statistics over the last 10 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| James McDonald | 6-2-3 | +4.10 | +0.81 |
| Damien Oliver | 5-2-3 | +39.00 | +22.70 |
| Declan Bates | 4-2-2 | +16.80 | +7.78 |
| Dean Yendall | 4-2-3 | +9.30 | +5.90 |
| Craig A Williams | 8-1-2 | +3.00 | -1.50 |
| Opie Bosson | 2-1-1 | +1.80 | +0.40 |
| Mark Zahra | 8-0-2 | -8.00 | -6.68 |
| Damian Lane | 6-0-0 | -6.00 | -6.00 |
| John Allen | 5-0-2 | -5.00 | +2.85 |
| Hugh Bowman | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -1.50 |
2026 Empire Rose Stakes Trends
Favourites' finishing positions (oldest to latest): 12, 1, 11, 1, 7, 7, 4, 2, 1, 11
The percentage shown is the proportion of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well. The trend information is based on the available information on the Racing Post in terms of previous runs, etc.
- 10 / 10 (57%) - Highest Placed is G1
- 10 / 10 (66%) - Achieved an RPR of 100+ (Class)
- 10 / 10 (67%) - Ran over 5½f - 7f (Debut)
- 10 / 10 (71%) - Achieved an RPR of 101+ (Going)
- 10 / 10 (72%) - Within the first 10 of the market
- 10 / 10 (74%) - Ran in 5 - 11 races (Season)
- 10 / 10 (75%) - Ran in 3 - 6 races (180 Days)
- 10 / 10 (76%) - No bigger than 30/1
- 10 / 10 (77%) - Achieved an RPR of 101+ (Last 3)
- 10 / 10 (77%) - No bigger than 15/1 (LTO)
- 10 / 10 (78%) - Highest Run is G1
- 10 / 10 (82%) - Furthest Placed 1m - 1m4f
- 10 / 10 (86%) - Carried 119 - 126lbs (Debut)
- 10 / 10 (87%) - No bigger than 80/1 (Career)
- 10 / 10 (88%) - Furthest ran 1m - 1m4f
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2026 Empire Rose Stakes Runners & Shortlist
The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2026 renewal of the Empire Rose Stakes will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually made 48 hours before the race.
Empire Rose Stakes Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 5+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +36.20, is when runners had an NZ-bred dam.
❌ The worst-performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 career places in the class; when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-63.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 7 (3,2) [11 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 9 (2,13) [13 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 16 (8,14) [16 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 3 (15,4) [16 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 8 (3,12) [14 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Empire Rose Stakes is Caulfield; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Caulfield last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Randwick; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Randwick last time out.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Empire Rose Stakes:
- Pride Of Dubai (2 Wins)
- Savabeel (2 Wins)
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the Empire Rose Stakes; that stallion is Sebring, who has failed to produce a winner from 6 runners.
Looking at the winning odds over the last 10 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Shout The Bar in 2020, winning for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott at odds of 30/1 under the guidance of Damien Oliver. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 10 renewals, there have been 3 winning favourites in the race. All figures and trends above, such as the horse's previous runs, are based on the information that is available on the Racing Post.
Races Covered during the Melbourne Cup Carnival
Here are the other races that take place at the Flemington Racetrack during the Melbourne Cup Carnival that we also cover in our blogs.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Coolmore Stud Stakes | Tentyris (AUS) 3yo - 19/10 | Anthony & Sam Freedman Mark Zahra |
| Empire Rose Stakes | Pride Of Jenni (AUS) 8yo - 19/5 | Ciaron Maher Declan Bates |
| Victoria Derby | Observer (AUS) 3yo - 29/20 | Ciaron Maher Mark Zahra |
| Melbourne Cup | Half Yours (AUS) 5yo - 8/1 | Tony McEvoy & Calvin McEvoy Jamie Melham |
| Crown Oaks | Strictly Business (AUS) 3yo - 13/2 | Thomas D Carberry John Allen |
| VRC Champions Mile | Ceolwulf (NZ) 5yo - 4/1 | Joseph Pride Chad Schofield |
| VRC Champions Sprint | Giga Kick (AUS) 6yo - 4/1 | Clayton Douglas Mark Zahra |
| VRC Champions Stakes | Via Sistina (IRE) 7yo - 4/5 | Chris Waller James McDonald |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Empire Rose Stakes Preview are Andy and James. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for International racing.
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