We will have expert tips for the Sydney Cup available when the final-field markets are released by bookmakers.

Futures markets are open for the staying feature in the months leading up to The Championships.

The Sydney Cup is a major part of The Championships calendar and it's the longest-running race in the history of the Australian Turf Club at Randwick.

First run in 1862 with only nine runners, the Sydney Cup has since expanded to be one of the premier staying races in Australia and although it never reached the heights of the Melbourne Cup, it's still an eagerly-anticipated race.

It was given Group 1 status in 1980 when Kingston Town was victorious before it went on to win the first of three consecutive Cox Plates.

Only two three-year-old's have won the Sydney Cup, with Tie The Knot being the most famous name attributed.

Due to the distance of the race, more and more international runners are trying their hand at winning the 3200m feature. 

2017 winner Polarisation won for Charlie Appleby, but it was techincally the second time it won the race. The first edition of the 2017 race was abandoned mid-race after a nasty fall blocked the track, but only some of the jockeys receieved the message.

Polarisation won the race and had to repeat the effort seven days later.

Betting staying races in Australia can be tough due to the lack of local entries, but European form often stacks up well.

There haven't been many Australian-bred runners in recent history and it would pay to put a line through the local runners.

Despite Tie The Knot winning twice in the 1990's, this race isn't suited towards the middle distance thoroughbreds. 

Past winners such as The Offer, Gallante and Mourayan are dead-set staying types which would struggle to run within 10 lengths of the winner over 2000m.

Punters should stick with the tried-and-tested staying types and there's always good value on offer from the bookmakers.

Punters don't often have big bets in the Sydney Cup, which results in an even market for all levels of bettors.

The Sydney Cup and the Melbourne Cup are the only two races to be run over two miles at Group 1 level in Australia.

Chris Waller trained the quinella in 2015 when Grand Marshal defeated crowd favourite Who Shot Thebarman.

Who Shot Thebarman was also involved in the failed first running of 2017. Rival runner Almoonqith fatally broke down mid-race and subsequently took out the Waller-trained runner.