THE METROPOLITAN News Stories

The Metropolitan is the premier staying race of the Sydney Spring Carnival. It is contested over 2,400 metres on Epsom Handicap day in early October, and provides a route for Sydney-based horses looking to feature in the Melbourne Cup.

The race was first contested all the way back in 1863, known then as the Great Metropolitan Stakes. That running as well as every edition until 1891 was held over the distance of two miles. However, since 1891, the race distance has always remained around the mile-and-a-half mark that it sits at today.

Despite being 800 metres shorter than the original version, The Metropolitan remains one of Australia's toughest staying races. This is especially true for horses who have to lump a big weight under the handicap conditions. 

Another factor that can contribute to the difficulty of The Metropolitan is the Randwick track. The 2,400 metre start allows the horses only a short dash before hitting the bend out of the home straight. Those drawn out wide may be forced to cover plenty of extra ground, which would go a long way to cutting short their winning chance.

In the last decade, the race has thrown up a good mix of winners. Favourites, horses in double figure odds, and long shots have all had success. This is testament to the handicap conditions, where all horses come in with a theoretically equal chance of winning.