Epsom Handicap 2026: Autumn Boy, Well Written and Handicap Weights

Epsom Handicap 2026: what it is and who drew where

The Epsom Handicap 2026 is a Group 1 handicap over 1600m (one mile) at Royal Randwick in Sydney, run on Saturday October 3 for about A$1.5 million. A handicap means the horses carry different weights, set by a handicapper to give every runner a theoretical chance. The barrier draw was released on Tuesday September 29 and locked in a 19-horse field.

Here is what the draw produced:

• Autumn Boy (trainer Chris Waller, jockey James McDonald, 55.5kg) drew barrier 1 and is the favourite.
• Well Written, the unbeaten New Zealand mare trained by Stephen Marsh, drew barrier 3 at 55kg.
• Ceolwulf, the 2024 winner and topweight at 59kg, drew barrier 7.
• Attica carries 51.5kg from barrier 6, and Godolphin's Tom Kitten is in barrier 4.

Waller has seven of the 19 runners. Alongside Autumn Boy, he saddles Militarize (barrier 19), Lady Shenandoah, Panova, God's Window, Declichy Boulevard and Mr Miller.

Waller's Epsom record, checked

Waller has won the Epsom Handicap six times. Autumn Glow gave him his sixth last year, carrying 54.5kg and winning by about 1.4 lengths. This week's race previews say a seventh would draw him level with Gai Waterhouse and her father T J Smith, who share the race record on seven wins each.

Older record lists show fewer wins for Waterhouse, so we have used the figure that this week's previews repeat.

Autumn Boy comes in off a second in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on September 12, after an eighth in the Memsie Stakes. Well Written is the runner with the clean sheet, and the race sets a Sydney-trained favourite against a visiting New Zealander.

What is a handicap race?

In most top-level races, the best horse is simply expected to win. In a handicap race, an official handicapper rates every horse and assigns a weight: the total it carries, including the jockey and saddle. Better-rated horses carry more, and lesser-rated horses carry less.

The idea is that, on paper, the whole field finishes close together. That is why a Group 1 handicap can be so open, with a big field of well-matched runners.

Weights in Australia are in kilograms, and there are minimum weights. In this year's field the lightest weights sit around 50kg, while Ceolwulf carries 59kg at the top.

Handicap weights explained

Think of weight as a dial the handicapper turns after each run:

1. Wins and big runs push a horse's rating up, so it carries more next time.
2. Poor runs can bring the weight down.
3. Age and sex matter: mares often get a weight allowance against male horses.
4. Apprentice claims can reduce the weight when a young jockey rides.

Weight is a real physical load on a horse racing at speed. Over a mile, a few kilograms can be the difference between finishing in front of a rival and behind it. That is why a topweight like Ceolwulf has to be a genuinely better horse than those carrying less.

To see how top-tier races are labelled, our guide to what a Grade 1 race means explains Group and Grade. Group 1 is the top tier.

How the barrier draw shapes a mile

Barriers are the starting stalls, numbered from the inside rail outward. In a 19-horse field, the draw decides where each horse starts, and that changes the trip it gets.

• Inside barriers (like 1) save ground and sit close to the rail. The risk is getting boxed in behind slower horses with nowhere to go.
• Middle draws (like 3 to 7) give a jockey choices: go forward, sit, or slide across.
• Wide barriers (like 19) usually mean covering extra ground, or spending energy to cross the field.

Autumn Boy's camp was relaxed about gate 1. Assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said you hope not to draw the widest gates but also hope not to be on the very inside, and you take what you're given. The draw is one piece of the puzzle, alongside weight, pace and the horse's condition.

The Sydney spring carnival

The Epsom Handicap is one of the big days of the Sydney spring carnival, the run of Group 1 races at Randwick from late September into October. It is open to three-year-olds and older, so it is a mile test that mixes young stars with established horses rather than juveniles. For the juvenile side of the sport, see our piece on two-year-old racehorses.

The carnival also includes The Everest, the A$20 million sprint. We covered it in The Everest 2026, including its slot system.

What to watch on Saturday

• The early speed. Does anyone go forward from a wide gate, and does Autumn Boy find a run from the rail?
• Well Written's biggest test. An unbeaten record is impressive, but a Group 1 field of 19 means more traffic and pressure.
• Ceolwulf under 59kg. The topweight has the most to carry. Watch how he travels in the middle of the race.
• Waller's seven runners. With so many, he may have several different race plans.

For beginners, our glossary helps with terms like barrier and topweight. New to the horse world? Start at Get started.

This article gives no odds or betting tips. The race has not been run yet, so nothing here is a result. Check official Racing NSW and broadcaster pages for the final field, scratchings and track condition.