Result: Warwoven won the 2026 Golden Rose for Bjorn Baker and Rachel King, from St Gotthard and Under Focus.
The Golden Rose is a Group 1 race for three-year-olds over 1400 metres at Rosehill Gardens. The 2026 Golden Rose is Race 8 on Saturday 26 September, scheduled for 4:05pm AEST, with $1 million in prizemoney and 13 accepted runners.
Guest House brings a Golden Slipper win and a record-breaking spring return. Warwoven arrives off victory in the Run To The Rose, while St Gotthard leads a five-horse Chris Waller team that also includes juvenile Group 1 winners Campione D’Italia and Tron Bolt.
Saturday asks which of these three-year-olds can turn their sprint form into a winning performance over 1400 metres. Warwoven has barrier one, Guest House starts from five and St Gotthard draws nine. The Golden Rose market on Punt Hub carries the current prices for Rosehill Race 8.
Golden Rose 2026 key facts
Race detail | 2026 Golden Rose |
|---|---|
Date | Saturday 26 September 2026 |
Venue | Rosehill Gardens, NSW |
Race | R8 Yulong Golden Rose |
Start time | 4:05pm AEST |
Distance and grade | 1400 metres, Group 1 |
Conditions | Three-year-olds, set weights |
Prizemoney | $1,000,000 |
Accepted field | 13 runners, all allotted 56.5kg |
All times are AEST.
Golden Rose 2026 field and odds
The accepted field below includes each runner’s barrier, trainer, jockey and allotted weight. Prices are the best displayed win odds on Punt Hub when checked at 4:38pm AEST on Thursday 24 September 2026.
No. | Horse | Barrier | Trainer | Jockey | Kg | Win odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Guest House | 5 | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | Zac Lloyd | 56.5 | $2.70 |
2 | Campione D’Italia | 7 | Chris Waller | Ben Melham | 56.5 | $26.00 |
3 | Tron Bolt | 11 | Chris Waller | Damian Lane | 56.5 | $14.00 |
4 | Warwoven | 1 | Bjorn Baker | Rachel King | 56.5 | $5.50 |
5 | St Gotthard | 9 | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 56.5 | $4.40 |
6 | Cormier | 6 | Paul Messara & Leah Gavranich | Aaron Bullock | 56.5 | $61.00 |
7 | Berzelius | 8 | Michael Freedman | Nash Rawiller | 56.5 | $61.00 |
8 | Stormy Marco | 12 | Chris Waller | Craig Williams | 56.5 | $34.00 |
9 | Under Focus | 4 | Kris Lees | Dylan Gibbons | 56.5 | $11.00 |
10 | Central Europe | 13 | Chris Waller | Tim Clark | 56.5 | $21.00 |
11 | Plagiarism | 3 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Regan Bayliss | 56.5 | $71.00 |
12 | Castillo King | 10 | Michael Freedman | Tommy Berry | 56.5 | $41.00 |
13 | Tenenbaum | 2 | Brad Widdup | Chad Schofield | 56.5 | $34.00 |
Prices can change. See the live Golden Rose odds comparison for the latest displayed market. The field remains subject to scratchings.
Golden Rose market overview
Guest House heads the market at a best displayed price of $2.70. St Gotthard is next at $4.40, followed by Warwoven at $5.50. Under Focus is $11.00 and Tron Bolt is $14.00.
The market puts the San Domenico winner against the first two home in the Run To The Rose. Those different lead-ups make the step to 1400 metres the central form question. All quoted odds in this preview come from the same 24 September snapshot.
Golden Rose contenders and form analysis
Guest House
The Mick Price and Michael Kent (Jnr) colt has already delivered on Rosehill’s biggest juvenile stage. He won the Golden Slipper in March, then resumed with victory in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes over 1100 metres. Those performances put proven achievement at the centre of his case.
His San Domenico win came in a course-record 1:02.41, and he has won both his races at Rosehill. This is his first race over 1400 metres. That is the key assessment: outstanding speed is established, but Saturday asks him to sustain it for longer. Zac Lloyd rides from barrier five.
Warwoven
Warwoven supplies the most immediate winning form through the Run To The Rose. Bjorn Baker’s colt won that Group 2 over 1200 metres, with Rachel King retaining the ride for the Golden Rose. Barrier one gives the partnership the inside starting position in a field of 13.
He beat St Gotthard by 0.37 lengths in that lead-up after racing second at both the 800-metre and 400-metre marks. Their rematch is one of the clearest form comparisons in the field, with Warwoven bringing the winning performance and St Gotthard a narrow margin to overturn.
St Gotthard
St Gotthard has two wins and a second from three starts. His narrow defeat when resuming in the Run To The Rose showed he could compete at Group 2 level, and he now gets his chance in a Group 1 with James McDonald aboard.
He was only 0.37 lengths behind Warwoven there. The proximity of that finish makes him a serious part of the same form line, rather than a runner who needs a completely different race to enter the discussion. Barrier nine presents McDonald with a different starting point from Warwoven’s inside draw.
Campione D’Italia and Tron Bolt
Waller also has two runners whose credentials already include Group 1 success as two-year-olds. Campione D’Italia has Ben Melham aboard from barrier seven, while Tron Bolt starts from gate 11 with Damian Lane.
Both finished seventh at their most recent start. Their juvenile achievements deserve respect, but those results leave them with something to improve on against opponents bringing stronger recent finishes. The distinction between established class and current performance matters here.
Under Focus
Under Focus was third in the Run To The Rose and has drawn barrier four for Kris Lees and Dylan Gibbons. He gets another meeting with Warwoven and St Gotthard, this time over 1400 metres. That recent placing makes him part of the central form line heading into Saturday.
Also in the field
Stormy Marco comes off a second placing and gives Waller another runner, with Craig Williams aboard from barrier 12. Central Europe completes the trainer’s five-horse team; the maiden has Tim Clark riding from the outside gate.
Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich prepare Cormier, who has Aaron Bullock aboard. Michael Freedman runs Berzelius and Castillo King, ridden by Nash Rawiller and Tommy Berry respectively. Plagiarism represents Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott with Regan Bayliss riding. Brad Widdup’s Tenenbaum has Chad Schofield and barrier two.
Golden Rose lead up races
The Run To The Rose is the central recent comparison for this edition. Warwoven won it, with St Gotthard second and Under Focus third. Guest House took a different route, returning successfully in the shorter San Domenico Stakes. The Golden Rose brings those preparations together at 1400 metres.
Historically, the Run To The Rose has also supplied Golden Rose winners. Paratroopers, Denman, Hallowed Crown, Exosphere, Astern and Bivouac completed the double. That history establishes the lead-up’s relevance; it does not settle which horse will win the next edition.
Golden Rose barriers and form factors
The draw separates the contenders
Warwoven has the inside gate and Tenenbaum starts alongside him in two. Guest House is in five, while Tron Bolt, Stormy Marco and Central Europe draw 11, 12 and 13. The contrast makes early positioning a particular point of interest for Waller’s wider-drawn runners.
A three-year-old race allows no defending champion
Because the Golden Rose is restricted to three-year-olds, a winner cannot return the following season to defend the title. Each edition tests a new crop. Comparisons with past winners are useful context, rather than evidence that this year’s field will produce the same shape of race.
Class meets a new distance
Guest House brings a Golden Slipper win, while Campione D’Italia and Tron Bolt were also Group 1 winners as juveniles. St Gotthard has raced only three times. The field therefore puts established top-level form against less-exposed talent, with 1400 metres adding another test to the comparison.
Golden Rose weights and conditions
The Golden Rose is a set-weights race for three-year-olds. Colts and geldings carry 56.5kg and fillies are allotted 54.5kg. The 13 accepted runners in this edition are all listed at 56.5kg, so no runner in this field receives a weight advantage over another.
Golden Rose prizemoney
The 2026 Golden Rose carries a total purse of $1 million, with $580,000 allocated to the winner. The published finishing-position allocations are:
First: $580,000
Second: $190,000
Third: $96,000
Fourth: $42,000
Fifth: $21,000
Sixth, seventh and eighth: $10,000 each
Ninth and tenth: $8,000 each
The official allocation also includes $15,000 for the Equine Welfare Fund and $10,000 for the Jockey Welfare Fund.
Why the Golden Rose matters
A spring Group 1 over 1400 metres is a significant test of a developing three-year-old. It brings together horses with juvenile Group 1 form and those progressing through shorter spring races, with neither profile entitled to take precedence without examining what the horse has done recently.
The roll of honour includes Zoustar, The Autumn Sun, Bivouac and Ole Kirk. That gives the race an obvious place in the breeding conversation, especially in a field containing 12 colts and one gelding. Success here is also a reference point for the rest of a horse’s spring.
Recent Golden Rose winners
2025, Beiwacht. Jockey: Adam Hyeronimus. Trainer: Chris Waller.
2024, Broadsiding. Jockey: James McDonald. Trainer: James Cummings.
2023, Militarize. Jockey: Joao Moreira. Trainer: Chris Waller.
2022, Jacquinot. Jockey: Damian Lane. Trainers: Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr).
2021, In The Congo. Jockey: Tim Clark. Trainers: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott.
2020, Ole Kirk. Jockey: Tommy Berry. Trainers: Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes.
2019, Bivouac. Jockey: Hugh Bowman. Trainer: James Cummings.
2018, The Autumn Sun. Jockey: Kerrin McEvoy. Trainer: Chris Waller.
2017, Trapeze Artist. Jockey: Tye Angland. Trainer: Gerald Ryan.
2016, Astern. Jockey: James McDonald. Trainer: John O’Shea.
Golden Rose winning jockeys and trainers
Waller’s four Golden Rose winners through 2025 are Zoustar, The Autumn Sun, Militarize and Beiwacht. That sequence gives his five runners in 2026 an experienced stable behind them, while their individual form remains the basis for assessing their chances.
James McDonald won aboard Exosphere in 2015, Astern in 2016 and Broadsiding in 2024. His booking on St Gotthard adds another established race-winning connection to this edition. There are no repeat-winning horses because of the race’s age restriction.
Golden Rose history
The race began in 1978 as the Peter Pan Stakes, with Kapalaran the inaugural winner. It was originally a 1500-metre Group 2 and adopted the Golden Rose name in 2003, when the distance became 1400 metres. It subsequently progressed through Listed, Group 3 and Group 2 status before becoming a Group 1 in 2009.
Equine influenza prevented the race being held in 2007. The postponed edition took place in 2008, a year with two runnings. Forensics won the autumn edition and Duporth won the spring edition.
Memorable Golden Rose winners
2025 Beiwacht’s record breaking win
Beiwacht led throughout under Adam Hyeronimus and defeated Wodeton by four and a quarter lengths, with Tempted third. His winning time of 1:20.79 set a Rosehill 1400-metre track record and gave Waller his fourth Golden Rose.
2018 The Autumn Sun
The Autumn Sun won the Golden Rose with Kerrin McEvoy aboard before adding the Caulfield Guineas that spring. His subsequent autumn included victories in the Randwick Guineas and Rosehill Guineas, illustrating how this race can sit within a much broader three-year-old campaign.
What else is on Golden Rose Day?
Golden Rose Day at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday 26 September 2026 includes the Golden Pendant, Shannon Stakes, Colin Stephen Quality and Heritage Stakes. The Golden Rose is Race 8 on a ten-race programme, with the first race scheduled for 11:55am AEST and the last for 5:25pm AEST.
R3, Colin Stephen Quality, 2400m, 1:05pm AEST
R6, Heritage Stakes, 1100m, 2:50pm AEST
R7, Golden Pendant, 1400m, 3:25pm AEST
R8, Golden Rose, 1400m, 4:05pm AEST
R9, Shannon Stakes, 1500m, 4:45pm AEST
How to watch the Golden Rose
GET TO THE TRACK! Tickets for Golden Rose Day at Rosehill Gardens are available through Ticketmaster via the Australian Turf Club.
But if you can't, here's where to watch:
Sky Racing and Sky Thoroughbred Central, check the raceday channel schedule.
Racing NSW’s race streaming service.
Golden Rose frequently asked questions
When and where is the 2026 Golden Rose?
The 2026 Golden Rose takes place at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney on Saturday 26 September. It is Race 8, scheduled for 4:05pm AEST.
What distance and conditions is the Golden Rose run under?
The Golden Rose is a Group 1 race over 1400 metres for three-year-olds at set weights. All 13 runners in the 2026 accepted field are allotted 56.5kg.
Who is favourite for the 2026 Golden Rose?
Guest House is the Golden Rose favourite at a best displayed price of $2.70 on Punt Hub, checked at 4:38pm AEST on Thursday 24 September 2026. St Gotthard is $4.40 and Warwoven is $5.50; prices can change.
How much prizemoney is the 2026 Golden Rose worth?
The 2026 Golden Rose offers $1 million in total prizemoney. The winner receives $580,000.
Who won the Golden Rose last year?
Beiwacht won the 2025 Golden Rose for Chris Waller and Adam Hyeronimus. He beat Wodeton by four and a quarter lengths, with Tempted third.
Where can I see the Golden Rose field and current odds?
The Punt Hub Golden Rose race page lists the runners and displayed bookmaker prices for Rosehill Race 8 on 26 September 2026. This preview includes the accepted field, jockeys, trainers, barriers and a dated market snapshot.