2024 The Ingham: Race History

Always a great race is The Ingham run at Randwick on Saturday.

2024 THE INGHAM - RACE HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

The Ingham is a Group 2 race run under Quality Handicap conditions for the milers at Randwick conducted by the Australian Turf Club.

The Ingham is run over 1600m. It was first run in 1892 and was won by Two Up.

It became known as The Ingham in 2022 after always being the Villiers.

Early runnings of the Villiers Stakes were at 1200m but all bar one running since 1901 was over the mile.

The Villiers Stakes was a Principal race to 1979 then was Group 3 before becoming a Group 2 in 1986.

The race was run at Warwick Farm in 2001, 2011 and 2012.

Horses often run well in the Doncaster after winning the Villiers as they are exempt from the ballot.

Festival Stakes/Villiers Stakes double – Monton (2011), Utzon (2006), Ike's Dream (2004) and Castanea (1965).

Sense Of Occasion in 2016 would go on to place in the Doncaster first up and then behind Winx in the Queen Elizabeth before getting his Group 1 in the Doomben Cup.

Ike's Dream held the famous Randwick mile track record until beaten recently in 2018. She set it in winning the 2004 Villiers by running 1:33.13.

Happy Clapper not only won a Villiers but also a Doncaster and an Epsom showing his love of the Randwick mile. He is the only horse to do that treble and now has a Bar named after him in the new Winx Stand.

In 2005 Aqua D'Amore won the Villiers over the mile and then nine days later took out the Summer Cup over 2400m.

Honor In War won the first major race in Sydney conducted post EI. It was held back to the start of January and was run over 1400m due to horses perhaps not having the grounding for the mile after the outbreak. It was also noteworthy that Takeover Target was first over the line but lost on protest.

The Ingham was worth $2,000,000 in 2024.

Notable winners of the Villiers Stakes/Ingham include Sense Of Occasion (2016), Happy Clapper (2015), Aqua D'Amore (2005), Ike's Dream (2004), Final Fantasy (1999), Referral (1998), Aunty Mary (1994), Soho Square (1992), Card Shark (1987), Roman Artist (1986), Rising Prince (1984), Oncidon (1973), Castanea (1965), Caesar (1958), Raconteur (1953), Carioca (1952), Bernborough (1945), Yaralla (1941) and Cetigne (1917).

The 2023 Ingham was won by Loch Eagle from Attractable and Lion's Roar.