The Craven Plate is a Group 3 staying event hosted by the Australian Turf Club (ATC) at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

2024 Craven Plate Results

• 1st: #3 Lindermann ($4.20)
• 2nd: #7 Spirit Ridge
• 3rd: #6 Democracy Manifest

Lonhro five-year-old Lindermann ($4.20) just got in time after a messy run down the straight to salute for Chris Waller in the 2024 Craven Plate results with the galloper looking back to his best and returning to winning form with Joao Moreira aboard.

Held towards the end of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival on a Saturday in mid to late October, the Craven Plate is a genuine distance race, which provides local stayers with a final run over a decent distance before heading to Victoria for the major feature days of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

Previously held over 2000m, it is now run over 1800m having been decreased in distance ahead of the 2022 edition.

The Craven Plate is raced under weight for age conditions and pays a lucrative $750,000 prize money. As of 2023 it runs on the same card as the Group 2 $2 million The Invitation race and Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m).

The Craven Plate is also one of four lead-up races that offers a lucrative bonus to any horse that can win it plus Rosehill’s $750,000 Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m) on Golden Eagle Day. In 2019 the Craven Plate runner-up Tally went on to win the inaugural edition of the Rosehill Gold Cup.

Think It Over (2021) was the last horse to complete the lucrative Craven Plate – Rosehill Gold Cup double.

The Craven Plate form from 2020 was franked with the upset winner Think It Over going on to run third in that year’s $1 million The Gong before winning the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes the following autumn in 2021.

In 2021 Think It Over went back-to-back in the Craven Plate saluting as the odds-on favourite before his Rosehill Gold Cup win that spring.

Think It Over further franked the Craven Plate form returning in the autumn of 2022 for a stellar campaign headlined by a Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) second in Melbourne and victory in the Group 1 $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) in Sydney.

The 2022 Craven Plate winner Cascadian franked the form the next autumn with a $5 million The All-Star Mile second, Group 1 Australian Cup victory at Flemington and third in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes in 2023.

This 2024 Craven Plate ran on Saturday October 26, 2024 at Randwick Racecourse offering $750,000 and was won narrowly by the Chris Waller-trained Lindermann ($4.20). 

2024 Craven Plate Finishing Order

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2024 Craven Plate Betting Odds

The full Craven Plate 2024 betting odds available online on the Craven Plate field will be available at Ladbrokes.com.au and published here at Races.com.au.

Think It Over ($1.75 in 2021) and Cascadian ($1.75 in 2022) are the last favourites in Craven Plate betting to salute for the punters.

2024 Craven Plate Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Craven Plate 2024 Tips on the lucrative WFA showdown in Sydney this October.

• To Win: #2 Fawkner Park ($4.40 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Plenty of prize money on offer in the Craven Plate with a field of the season’s second-tier stayers facing off including the favourite Fawkner Park who looks the one to beat second-up now and ready to return to his form of last campaign. The Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald-trained Zoffany six-year-old was excellent last prep running under a half-length third in Brisbane’s Group 1 Doomben Cup before going out a winner in the Group 2 The Q22 by nearly four lengths. Fresh over 1800m in the Underwood at Caulfield he was unplaced behind Buckaroo. That form has been firmly franked however and he’ll be fitter for the run, better the Sydney way, and improving enough to win here.

2024 Craven Plate Form Guide

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2024 CRAVEN PLATE FORM GUIDE

2024 Craven Plate Field

The Craven Plate field attracts an increasingly high quality of spring stayers thanks to the boosted prize money on offer.

Horses may come into the Craven Plate field via a lead-up run in a race like the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) or the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington earlier in the spring.

Other good lead-up races into the Craven Plate include the Group 2 Hill Stakes (1800m) – now worth $2 million in prize money or the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield.

Moriarty (2014), Classic Uniform (2017), Think It Over (2021) and Cascadian (2022) are the latest horses to complete the Hill Stakes – Craven Plate double.

The Craven Plate 2024 field and barrier draw will be released by Racing NSW on the Wednesday of race week and published in full below for punters.

The 2024 Craven Plate final field features a field of spring stayers led in betting by the winter’s impressive The Q22 champ Fawkner Park.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2024 Craven Plate Nominations

Early nominations for the Craven Plate in 2024 close the Monday leading-up to the race and will be updated below once announced.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Craven Plate History

The Craven Plate was inaugurated in 1867, making it one of the oldest races in the country. Interestingly, the Craven Plate has a fairly consistent history. Throughout the many years it has ran, it has remained around the 2000m mark. Between 1867 and 1971 the Craven Plate was held over 10 furlongs, which is approximately 2000m. In 1972, the conversion to metric saw the Craven Plate rounded to an even 2000m. In 2001, for a year, the Craven Plate was held over 1800m. In 2002, it returned to 2000m before being dropped back to 1800m ahead of the 2022 race.

From its inception to 1978 the Craven Plate was regarded as a Principal event. Strangely, in 1979 the decision was made not to hold the race. That decision held until 1984 when the Craven Plate was reintroduced as a listed event. In 1993, an upgrade saw the Craven Plate run as a Group 3 event, a status it has retained since.

Known as the Craven Plate from the outset, very few name changes have befallen this long-abiding event. Given the prefix “AJC” between 1868 and 1999, the Craven Plate was for a year known as the AJC Queen’s Cup in 2000. In 2001, it was referred to as the AJC Japan Trophy Race. From 20002 onwards, the Craven Plate has returned to its original name.

The Craven Plate has acquired a reputation as an important stepping-stone in the career of great horses. Some notable Craven Plate winners include Glencoe (1869), Chester (1878), Carbine (1890), Wakeful (1902), Gloaming (1919 & 1922), Phar Lap (1929-1931), Flight (1943 & 1945) Tulloch (1960), Ming Dynasty (1978), and Honorius (2013).

Craven Plate results and winning times since 2000 are provided below.

In 2020-21 Think It Over became the latest dual winner of the Craven Plate.

Craven Plate Results