Sweet Embrace Stakes

The Sweet Embrace Stakes is a Group 2 race for two-year-old fillies and has been an important qualifying race for the Golden Slipper Stakes since its inception by the Sydney Turf Club in 1979.

The Sweet Embrace Stakes is run over 1200m under set weight conditions and is named after Sweet Embrace, the winner of the 1967 Golden Slipper Stakes.

The winner of the Sweet Embrace Stakes receives ballot exemption from the Golden Slipper Stakes.

The Sweet Embrace Stakes became a Listed Race in 1979. It was run as a Group 3 event from 1987 until 2012 when it was promoted to Group 2 status.

The Sweet Embrace Stakes was first run at Canterbury from 1979 until 1996. In 1979 and 1980 it was run under handicap conditions but became a set weights race in 1981.

From 1997-1999 the Sweet Embrace Stakes was run at Rosehill but returned to Canterbury from 2000 until 2005. Since 2006 the Sweet Embrace Stakes has been mainly at Randwick and Warwick Farm. It's now at Randwick.

The 2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes was worth $300,000 in prizemoney.

There have been four two-year-olds complete the Sweet Embrace Stakes/Golden Slipper Stakes double - Dark Eclipse (1980), Ha Ha (2001), Crystal Lily (2010) and Fireburn (2022).

Other notable winners of the Sweet Embrace Stakes include Black Shoes, Purpose, Speed Check, A Little Kiss, Paklani, Skating, Victory Vein, Seabrook, Fireburn and Manaal.

The 2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes was won by Manaal from Fly Fly and Extreme Diva.