Australian Guineas 2024

Australian Guineas

Preview, Trends & Analysis

The Rundown

The Australian Guineas is one of the most prestigious Group 1 mile races at Flemington on the yearly racing calendar.  

Held during the Autumn Carnival, the race boasts prize money totalling $1 million (AUD) which includes $600,000 to the winner.  

The race is restricted to three-year-olds with the colts and geldings typically receiving 56.5kgs while any fillies competing in the event are ordained with 54.5kgs to carry.  

Inaugurated in 1986, the first winner of the race was the Angus Armanasco-trained True Version.   

The traditional pathways for this race are usually the Manfred Stakes (1200m) and Autumn Stakes (1400m) both run at Caulfield and Colin Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington the fortnight prior.   

The course layout for this race is not ideal for horses drawn too wide as there is very little time from when the gates first open to hitting the first part of cornering for the race.  

And with a 450 metre straight to negotiate, most runners will usually get enough time to navigate their way through and find their runs.  

With the field usually at full capacity, the Australian Guineas always makes for an enthralling race and this year will be no exception.  

The Famous Winners and Record Results

Many champion horses have graced the turf at Flemington for this race and have gone on to have spectacular racing careers.  

The most jaw-dropping win in this race was this year’s edition with Lunar Fox winning at the incredible odds of $301 defeating runner-up Cherry Tortoni and the favourite Tagaloa.   

Other famous victories include the New Zealand colt Zabeel who took out the 1990 edition of the Australian Guineas and has gone on to be a breeding sensation.  

The Lee Freedman-trained and Lloyd Williams-owned Mahogany (1994) who would then go on to win the AJC Derby and Lightning Stakes.  

Other famous winners include Apache Cat (2006), Miss Finland (2007), Shamus Award (2014).  

Freedman and the late Colin Hayes are the most successful trainers in the race having won it three times each.  

Of the current jockeys who are still riding professionally, Damien Oliver and Craig Newitt reap the most success in the race having won on two occasions.  

With most winners of the race hailing from either Victoria or New South Wales, the last two years has thrown up winners stabled out of Queensland and Tasmania.  

The 2020 winner Alligator Blood was based in the Sunshine Coast under the tutelage of David Vandyke at the time of his win, and 2019 winner Mystic Journey would make the trip across Bass Strait on the Spirit of Tasmania from her stables in Devonport.  

In 2022, Hitotsu made history by being the inaugural first-up winner of the VRC Derby. He went on to frank the Australian Guineas form before winning the Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) the following start in Sydney. 

The New Zealand-trained filly Legarto won the event in 2023, the 38th running surpassed by the race fall of two horses, and became the longest-priced Australian Group 1 victor in history. 

The Statistics

The Australian Guineas Recent Winners

Year  Winner Trainer Jockey Odds 
2023 Legarto Ken & Bev Kelso Michael Dee $6.2
2022 Hitotsu Ciaron Maher & David Eustace John Allen $8.6
2021 Lunar Fox Paul Preusker Michael Dee $301 
2020 Alligator Blood David Vandyke Ryan Maloney $2.70 
2019 Mystic Journey Adam Trinder Anthony Darmanin $4 
2018 Grunt Mick Price Damien Oliver $5 
2017 Hey Doc Tony McEvoy Luke Currie $3.5 
2016 Palentino Darren Weir Mark Zahra $9 
2015 Wandjina Gai Waterhouse Brett Prebble $8 
2014 Shamus Award Danny O’Brien Craig Williams $4 
2013 Ferlax Jim Conlan Stephen Baster $13 
2012 Mosheen Robert Smerdon Danny Nikolic $5 
2011 Shamrocker Danny O’Brien Glen Boss $31 
2010 Rock Classic Bart Cummings Michael Rodd $16 

The Questions

When is the Australian Guineas held?

The race will be run and won on the 2nd of March at Flemington.

Are there any other races on the day?
  • There are fiver other races that will accompany the Australian Guineas in 2024. Most notably, the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) and the $500,000 Inglis Dash (1100m) for the three-year-olds up the straight.  
How do I bet on the Australian Guineas?
  • Punch in betdeluxe.com.au to your browser and find your home for all your different types of ways to bet not only on Blue Diamond Day but every race across Australia.  

 

Where do the winners of the Australian Guineas race next?

The winner of the race may head towards the All Star Mile in March at Moonee Valley or potentially the Randwick Guineas in Sydney.  

How To Bet On The Australian Guineas

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