The fifth edition of The Big Dance runs on Tuesday November 3, 2026 at Royal Randwick on Golden Eagle Day, offering $3 million in stakes.
2026 The Big Dance Odds
The latest The Big Dance 2026 betting odds including pre-nomination futures markets on one of the seven-figure Sydney Spring Racing Carnival features will be provided below as soon as available.
The Big Dance 2025 Results
| 1. Gringotts (4) J: Nash Rawiller 62kg 10×52 T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 4. Vivy Air (16) J: Andrew Adkins 54.5kg 22×21 T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 8. Lugh (17) J: Regan Bayliss 53kg x4131 T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 16. Justadeel (1) J: Tyler Schiller 53kg x2131 T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes | ||
| 10. Matusalem (9) J: Zac Lloyd 53kg 13×40 T: Chris Waller | ||
| 11. Cristal Clear (13) J: Braith Nock 53kg 11126 T: Annabel & Rob Archibald | ||
| 12. Lord Of Biscay (5) J: Dylan Gibbons 53kg 2×363 T: Kris Lees | ||
| 3. Tavi Time (7) J: Jay Ford 57kg 12×45 T: Kris Lees | ||
| 6. Ruby Flyer (11) J: Jason Collett 54kg 91902 T: Brad Widdup | ||
| 2. Headley Grange (14) J: Adam Hyeronimus 61kg 16111 T: Joseph Pride | ||
| 14. Cranky Harry (10) J: Alysha Collett 53kg 02614 T: Matthew Dunn | ||
| 13. Time Quest (6) J: Ashley Morgan 53kg 70143 T: Matthew Smith | ||
| 15. Boys Night Out (18) J: Jake Bayliss 53kg 111×7 T: Matthew Dunn | ||
| 7. Lavish Empire (2) J: Tom Sherry 54kg 00×20 T: Peter Snowden | ||
| 5. Les Vampires (8) J: Winona Costin 54kg 11×05 T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | ||
| 19. Hot Bandit (12) J: Louise Day 53kg 1×893 T: Luke Pepper | ||
| 18. Aix En Provence (19) J: Dean Yendall 53kg 85411 T: Nacim Dilmi | ||
| 17. Super Helpful (20) J: Reece Jones 53kg 89534 T: B Joseph & P & M Jones | ||
| 20. Louie’s Legacy (15) J: Anna Roper 53kg 31764 T: B Joseph & P & M Jones | ||
| 22. Ring Ahoy (3) J: Siena Grima 53kg 074×4 T: David Hatch |
The Big Dance Tips
The Big Dance racing tips include looking for the winners of the standout lead-up Country Cup races, proven milers, and those from Sydney’s premier stables.
2026 The Big Dance Tips
Our expert team of tipsters will provide the 2026 The Big Dance betting tips below closer to the day, so stay tuned for the milers to back and sack this spring.
The Big Dance is a $3 million event run and won at Sydney’s Royal Randwick Racecourse on the first Tuesday of November that gained Listed status in 2024.
It was announced at the same time as the $2 million The Five Diamonds (1600m), a race open only to five-year-olds that will run at Rosehill on the Saturday after Sydney’s The Big Dance Day.
The Big Dance prize money for the opening edition in 2022 was $2 million before being boosted to $3 million for the second running in 2023.
Contested on the same date as Flemington’s famous Melbourne Cup race, The Big Dance takes place over 1600m and is a quality handicap event with a 62kg maximum weight.
A spot in The Big Dance field is restricted to horses contesting one of the selected Country Cups throughout the year.
For the 2026 The Big Dance field, there are 32 Country Cups designated as qualifiers held during 2024/25.
The Big Dance Info
- Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
- Track: Randwick Racecourse
- Distance: 1600m
- Conditions: 3YOs & Upwards – Quality Handicap
- Other Conditions: Restricted to horses contesting one 32 selected Country Cups
- Status: Listed
- Prize Money: $3 million
- First Run: 2022
2026 THE BIG DANCE PREVIEW
2026 THE BIG DANCE BETTING
2026 The Big Dance Results
The 2026 The Big Dance Results & Finishing Order will be available below once the first edition of the $3 million race is run and won on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
- 1st: TBD
- 2nd: TBD
- 3rd: TBD
The Big Dance Betting
The Big Dance betting markets are led by in-form Country Cups horses, especially those to have won one or more of the specified races marking their eligibility to contest the $3 million showdown..
Any runners proven in the big city with previous winning form at the Randwick track, and those with a strong strike-rate over the 1600m distance sit higher up The Big Dance odds for the spring.
The first and second place-getters out of The Big Dance Wild Card event on The Everest Day are also sure to feature highly in The Big Dance markets each season.
Gallopers proven in tougher grade, Black-Type events are also set to dominate betting on The Big Dance race, especially those that ran well over the winter prior in races like the Listed Scone Cup (1600m) – which is one of the official qualifying races – in May and Rosehill’s Listed W.J. McKell Cup (2000m).
In 2022 Rustic Steel – at generous Big Dance odds of $12 – became the first horse to complete the Scone Cup – Big Dance double.
There was another upset in 2023 with Attractable saluting at $19.
The Big Dance Field
The Big Dance race field features the season’s top performing Country Cup horses from mainly local Sydney-based stables and has a capacity of 20 starters.
The Big Dance field is restricted to the official winners and second placed horses of qualifying races, as specified by Racing NSW.
Some of the more notable qualifying races for The Big Dance field include the Scone Cup and Wagga Wagga Gold Cup.
Horses may contest multiple The Big Dance qualifying races, even if they have won an earlier qualifier.
Runners will also get a chance to earn a spot in The Big Dance field via The Big Dance Wild Card race run over the Randwick mile on The Everest Day in mid-October. The Big Dance Wild Card race will be open to any horse that has contested one of the qualifying races, without winning a qualifying race. The first and second placed horses from the race will qualify for the Big Dance.
A new lead-up into The Big Dance field where the form is tipped to hold up on the first Tuesday of November is the $1.5 million Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill won for the first time in 2023 by the ill-fated Cepheus.
Cepheus went on to carry the hefty 62kg top-weight in the 2023 Big Dance field and went down as the beaten favourite behind upset winner Attractable who came off a lead-up fourth in the Alan Brown Stakes. The much-loved warhorse would sadly pass away having to be euthanised after a trackwork incident the following spring.
Gringotts (2nd in 2024) was the last Alan Brown Stakes graduate to improve and win The Big Dance.
2026 The Big Dance Field
The official The Big Dance 2026 field and barriers will be announced the week of the race and published in full below.
The Big Dance 2026 final acceptances close at 9am on the Friday prior to the race.
The Big Dance 2026 final field features a capacity line-up of NSW Country gallopers including the defending Ciaron Maher trained champion Gringotts carrying the 62kg topweight.
2026 The Big Dance Nominations
Early The Big Dance 2026 nominations will be detailed below once confirmed.
Horses will automatically feature in The Big Dance nominations based on the results of the qualifying races before the official entries are taken.
The Big Dance Form Guide
The Big Dance race form guide lists the full line-up of runners, their connections (owner / jockey / trainer) that stand to win one of Australian racing’s newest prizes and gives a rundown on their lead-up form / career statistics.
The Big Dance form was franked in 2023 with the surprise champion Attractable running second the following month in the $2 million Group 2 The Ingham (1600m).
The 2024 The Big Dance winner, Gringotts, went on to frank the form with a next-up win in the $1 million The Gong at Kembla Grange before returning in the autumn of 2025 to enjoy a Group 1 George Ryder Stakes win in Sydney.
2026 The Big Dance Form
A link to our detailed The Big Dance 2026 form guide will be available below the week leading-up to the $3 million mile event at Royal Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day.
The Big Dance Bet Types
Win – The most basic type of bet. Put your money straight up on the runner that you think will win The Big Dance.
Place – Pick the horse that you think will finish in the top three positions but at lower odds.
Each-Way – Put equal amounts on a horse for the win and a place, the equivalent of two bets and you get paid out for both if it wins.
Quinella – Bet on the horses you think will finish first and second in either order. You can also pick for example one horse to finish 1st and then a combination. The fewer horses you pick the greater the dividend.
Exacta – An exacta also involves choosing horses that you think will finish first and second but it differs from a quinella in that it has to be the exact order you specify in the bet.
Trifecta – Very similar to an Exacta, but for the first, second and third placings in the correct finishing order. You can also Box Trifecta to finish in any of the first 3 combinations.
First Four – A First Four bet works the same as an Exacta and Trifecta but for the first four runners in finishing order.
The Big Dance Results
The Big Dance race results from Sydney are available on the first Tuesday of November each year.
The very first Big Dance winner was the Kris Lees-trained Rustic Steel at $12.
The second The Big Dance winner was $19 pop Attractable prepared by Sara Ryan.
The third The Big Dance winner was $5 shot Gringotts trained by Ciaron Maher and ridden by Tommy Berry.
Past The Big Dance Winners
Past The Big Dance winners and placegetters dating back to the race’s inauguration in 2022 are detailed in the table below.
| Year | Winner | 2nd | 3rd | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Gringotts | Vivy Air | Lugh | 1:35.64 |
| 2024 | Gringotts | Vivy Air | Suparazi | 1:34.43 |
| 2023 | Attractable | Cepheus | Super Helpful | 1:34.49 |
| 2022 | Rustic Steel | Cisco Bay | Sibaaq | 1:33.87 |
FAQ
When is The Big Dance 2026?
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
What is the prize money for The Big Dance 2026?
$3,000,000
Where is The Big Dance 2026?
Randwick Racecourse, Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031.
How do I bet on the 2026 The Big Dance?
Bet online or via the latest iOS/Android apps with Betcha.
The first step is to create an account at Betcha. The process is quick and easy!
Once you’ve created your account you can make a deposit via credit card, or any other of our secure payment methods. Next up, head to the racing page and find the race and runner that’s right for you.
Which horse will win the 2026 The Big Dance?
The best way to pick which horse will win The Big Dance is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight the horse will carry (among other factors). Check out Betcha in the lead up to the race for full form information.