TJ Smith Stakes Preview and Tips 05/04/25

Racing at Randwick Racecourse doesn’t get much bigger than this, it’s Day One of The Championships. We get four Group One races plus the Country Championships Final as well! The feature of the day is the Doncaster Mile, but there are other key Group One races like the TJ Smith Stakes, the Australian Derby and the Inglis Sires Produce Stakes.

For the TJ Smith Stakes specifically, we see a field of 13 runners confirmed, all vying for the lion’s share of the $3 million in prize money that’s on the line. It’s a fairly open field at the time of writing, with six of the 13 runners in the field listed with single-digit odds. Favouritism with PlayUp currently lies with Joliestar.

It’s going to be a massive day of racing but my Saturday tips here at OnlyRacing have all the key races covered. I’ve got tips for the TJ Smith Stakes along with all the other key races as well. My best bets for the TJ Smith Stakes have arrived, so keep reading to see which runners you should take a second look at.

The race tempo looks to be as fast as Overpass wants to take it with the gelding looking like the only runner with true barrier speed and he jumps from barrier two which certainly helps. Don’t be surprised to see the likes of Magic Time and I Am Me look to nail a position near the front of the field as well.

Joliestar, who is the current favourite with PlayUp, jumps from barrier four and will probably settle in around the middle of the field. The draw has worked well for Joliestar, who can easily get some cover and wait for the final stages of the race to peel out and charge down. Briasa is another that has drawn well and will likely follow a similar race pattern to Joliestar.

Another open field to contend with for the TJ Smith Stakes. With plenty of genuine winning chances, it was a bit difficult to nail down the runner for my top spot, but in the end, I’ve sided with Jimmysstar. The gelding is currently on the equal-fourth line of betting with PlayUp, going around with odds of $8.50 for the win.

He tackles the TJ Smith third-up after winning in the Oakleigh Plate to kick his prep off in the best way possible. Last time out, he finished third in the William Reid Stakes, behind Schwarz and Benedetta. It’s looking like a Soft rated track for the race and the 5YO has a decent Soft record of 7:3-1-2. Ethan Brown sticks and barrier nine isn’t the worst for him.

Hard to go past Briasa as my safe bet for the TJ Smith Stakes on Saturday. We last saw the gelding in The Galaxy where he finished fourth out of 13 runners. This is the first time we’ll see the 4YO in WFA conditions, but I reckon he is up for the challenge. If you’re interested in getting on Briasa, you can get him for $5.00 at Bet365, at the time of writing.

Gets out to 1,200m here, which I think suits and he does get a kinder draw compared to The Galaxy, so that’s another big tick in the win colour. Tyler Schiller, who has been with Briasa for the last three races, saddles up again. If he can handle the extra weight, he might provide too good on Saturday.

There is a lot of value in Sunshine In Paris. I’m actually pretty surprised that we are getting double-digit odds for her. I know that it’s a pretty quality field, but she is a classy runner and she should certainly be closer to favouritism in my eyes. So, get while the going is good and you can pick up Sunshine In Paris with odds of $10 to take the win, thanks to Dabble.

The 5YO comes into this one second-up after taking on the Canterbury Stakes last time out and finishing fourth out of 11 runners. In that one, she was held up but did finish strongly and put in a fast closing sectional. Keeping her on the fresher side should work wonders. She also has a good decent record over the current favourite, Joliestar.

The multiple Group 1 winner, Overpass, has to be considered one of the main chances in the TJ Smith Stakes and he is currently on the third line of betting with QuestBet, going around with odds of $6.00. Overpass comes into this one fresh and we haven’t seen the 6YO since November.

His last race was in the Winterbottom Stakes, where he won by 0.8L. He has had two trials in Sydney since then, both of which he has won, so he looks ready to go. Maps to take the lead in this one and he could dictate things out front when jumping from barrier two. He is another with a brilliant Soft record as well, at 7:5-1-0.

Not a massive roughie, but I really do like the look of Switzerland and he is good enough to give this a red-hot crack in my eyes. Gets in lighter at the weights as a 3YO and you can pick up odds of $15 for Switzerland to win the TJ Smith Stakes on Saturday, thanks to Bet Right.

We haven’t seen him at his best so far this prep but he does draw well and the Group 1 winner knows what it takes to pull out a win. Draws pretty well for this one and has been back at the trials since his last run in the Canterbury Stakes where he finished sixth out of 11 runners.

All my TJ Smith Stakes horse racing tips and their odds can be found here:

Bookmaker	Tip	Odds
	Jimmysstar (win)	$8.50
	Briasa (each-way)	$5.00/$2.00
	Sunshine In Paris (each-way)	$10/$3.30
	Overpass (place)	$2.25
	Switzerland (place)	$4.20