Ladbrokes Tip: Recent Aurie’s Star Handicap winners have won next-up in Sydney Group races.
The Aurie’s Star Handicap is the first Group race of the new racing season held in Melbourne and takes place in early August at Flemington Racecourse. Holding Group 3 status the open handicap sprint is contested over 1200m down the famous Flemington ‘Straight Six’ track and offers a total of $200,000 in prize money as of 2021.
2022 Aurie’s Star Handicap winner Sirius Suspect. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Officially held during the winter racing season, the Aurie’s Star Handicap makes a good starting point for Melbourne and Sydney Spring Racing Carnival hopefuls. Often graduates out of the Aurie’s Star Handicap race at Flemington step-up in distance and target the season’s first elite level race, the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield. In 2019 the upset Aurie’s Star winner So Si Bon went on to run second in the Memsie Stakes.
Some horses may also opt to come out of the Aurie’s Star and drop down in distance on Memsie Stakes Day for the Group 3 The Heath 1100 Stakes (1100m).
The next edition of the Aurie’s Star Handicap runs on Saturday, August 3, 2024 at Flemington Racecourse.
2024 Aurie’s Star Handicap Odds
The latest Aurie’s Star Handicap 2024 odds and betting market links on the Flemington Group 3 sprint will be available below as soon as markets open on the August showdown.
Aurie’s Star Handicap Race Info
- Date: Saturday, August 3, 2024
- Track: Flemington Racecourse
- Distance: 1200m
- Conditions: Open Handicap
- Status: Group 3
- Prize Money: $200,000
- First Run: 1996
2024 Aurie’s Star Results
The full Aurie’s Star Handicap results and finishing order for 2024 will be updated right here once the Group 3 takes place on Saturday, August 3, 2024 at Flemington.
2023 Aurie’s Star Handicap winner It’sourtime swept late to salute for the punters down the outside. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
- 1st: TBD
- 2nd: TBD
- 3rd: TBD
Aurie’s Star Betting
Proven sprinters with a strong record over the distance (1200m) sit high up the Aurie’s Star Handicap betting markets, especially those with past experience down the famous Flemington straight.
Favourites have a dominant recent record in the race including odds-on favourites in the Aurie’s Star Handicap betting markets.
Shorter Aurie’s Star Handicap odds are usually offered for the class horses in the race, especially any previous Group 1 performers. For example, the 2018 Aurie’s Star Handicap was won by Hey Doc who had saluted in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at the track during that year’s autumn carnival.
That said, upsets do occur with the longest-priced Aurie’s Star Handicap winner in recent history being So Si Bon (2019) who jumped at $21 Aurie’s Star odds.
It’sourtime ($3.90 in 2023) was the last Aurie’s Star Handicap favourite to win.
2019 Aurie’s Star Handicap winner So Si Bon. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Aurie’s Star Handicap Field
The Aurie’s Star Handicap race field attracts a quality line-up of early season spring sprinters, many of which have upcoming Group 1 ambitions over the coming Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
The majority of horses in the Aurie’s Star Handicap field are resuming racing. There are however a number of potential lead-up races held over the winter that gallopers may have contested on their way to the Aurie’s Star Handicap field including Caulfield’s Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) over 100m shorter in mid-July.
Another potential lead-up into the field for the Aurie’s Star Handicap is the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m), contested over the same distance at Caulfield Racecourse in late July.
The 2018 Aurie’s Star Handicap winner Voodoo Lad improved on a lead-up second in the Bletchingly Stakes before his win in the Group 3 event. Voodoo Lad also won the Sir John Monash Stakes earlier that winter and went on to take out the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) in Perth that December. The 2021 Aurie’s Star Handicap winner The Astrologist meanwhile improved on a lead-up third in the Bletchingly Stakes to salute in the Flemington sprint feature.
More recently, It’sourtime (3rd in 2023) improved on a Bletchingly placing to win the Aurie’s Star Handicap as the favourite.
Horses out of the Aurie’s Star Handicap field may go on to contest Caulfield’s Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) or be kept at the traditional 1200m sprint distance over the carnival season. In 2017 Hey Doc won the Aurie’s Star Handicap before a Memsie Stakes fourth. He would also go on to win the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Eve as a $21 roughie.
The race nominations close the Monday of race week with the final field and barrier draw released the Wednesday before the race takes place that Saturday.
2024 Aurie’s Star Handicap Field
The Aurie’s Star Handicap 2024 Final Field & Barriers are set for release on the Wednesday leading-up to the race and the full list of acceptors and gates will be detailed below once announced.
2024 Aurie’s Star Handicap Nominations
Nominations for the Aurie’s Star Handicap 2024 are announced by the VRC the Monday of race week with the complete list of early entries to be published here.
Aurie’s Star Handicap Tips
Good Aurie’s Star Handicap tips to consider each season include looking for the proven Flemington straight track performers in the field coming off a strong lead-up that are well-weighted in the handicap feature.
Another top Aurie’s Star Handicap betting tip is to lock-in the favourites in the markets with punters’ picks boasting a strong recent record in the race. Previous Group 1 winners and those with a gun first-up record when resuming in the spring lead-up also make good Aurie’s Star betting tips.
2024 Aurie’s Star Handicap Tips
Our insider Ladbrokes’ 2024 Aurie’s Star Handicap betting tips will be detailed below the week of the race.
Aurie’s Star Handicap Form Guide
The Aurie’s Star Handicap form guide is released when the field comes out the Wednesday of race week and details all the information from jockeys, trainers, barriers and weights to the lead-up runs and track / distance records of the sprinters in the field.
Over the years the Aurie’s Star Handicap form has stacked up in later spring Group races in both Sydney and Melbourne including the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) that the 2011 winner Temple Of Boom took out two starts later.
Temple Of Boom also ran second in the 2012 Aurie’s Star Handicap before a second in the Group 3 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) at the same track next start. The 2012 Aurie’s Star third place-getter Zamorar meanwhile came off a Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) second and also ran second in the Group 2 PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m) next start.
The 2021 Aurie’s Star Handicap form was franked with the winner The Astrologist going on to record placings in the 2022 Newmarket Handicap (2nd) and 2022 The Goodwood (3rd) at Group 1 level the following year.
2024 Aurie’s Star Handicap Form
A link to our detailed Aurie’s Star Handicap 2024 Form Guide and betting preview will be provided for punters the week of the race.
Results of the Aurie’s Star Handicap
The Aurie’s Star Handicap race results have been dominated by single-figure chances and notable recent Aurie’s Star Handicap winners include The Astrologist (2021), Tiger Tees (2014), Temple Of Boom (2011), and, Mic Mac (2009).
There has been plenty of classy Aurie’s Star Handicap winners in the past few years including Hey Doc (2017) and Voodoo Lad (2018) who both went on to enjoy Group 1 wins.
In 2020 the Aurie’s Star Handicap results saw the 2018 runner-up Home Of The Brave atone and hand jockey Damien Oliver with a record fifth win in the race.
No horse has won the Aurie’s Star Handicap more than once to date.
Hula Wonder (1999) was the last Aurie’s Star Handicap winning mare.
It’sourtime holds the current 1200m Aurie’s Star Handicap race record winning in 2023 in a time of 1 minute 08.68 seconds.
Past Aurie’s Star Handicap Winners
Recent Aurie’s Star Handicap winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2008 are detailed in the below table.
Year |
Winner |
2nd |
3rd |
Time |
2024 |
TBD |
TBD |
TBD |
TBD |
2023 |
It’sourtime |
Umgawa |
Chassis |
1:08.6 |
2022 |
Sirius Suspect |
Stageman |
Shooting For Gold |
1:09.9 |
2021 |
The Astrologist |
Romancer |
Too Good Too Hard |
1:10.5 |
2020 |
Home Of The Brave |
Great Again |
Game Keeper |
1:10.5 |
2019 |
So Si Bon |
Malibu Style |
Sesar |
1:11.0 |
2018 |
Voodoo Lad |
Home Of The Brave |
Brave Song |
1:09.6 |
2017 |
Hey Doc |
Cannyescent |
Grande Rosso |
1:09.9 |
2016 |
Sooboog |
Dibiyani |
Tashbeeh |
1:10.0 |
2015 |
Shiraz |
Play Master |
Le Bonsir |
1:09.4 |
2014 |
Tiger Tees |
Mr Chard |
Zamorar |
1:09.8 |
2013 |
Broken |
Temple Of Boom |
Cavallo Nero |
1:12.5 |
2012 |
Shanghai Warrior |
Golden Archer |
Zamorar |
1:11.4 |
2011 |
Temple Of Boom |
Rekindled Interest |
Offenders |
1:10.5 |
2010 |
Elusive Touch |
Leica Larrikin |
Beltrois |
1:11.1 |
2009 |
Mic Mac |
All American |
El Segundo |
1.09:6 |
2008 |
Grand Duels |
Stavka |
Valedictum |
1.10:4 |
FAQ
When is the Aurie’s Star Handicap 2024?
Saturday, August 3, 2024
What is the prize money for the Aurie’s Star Handicap 2024?
$200,000
Where is the Aurie’s Star Handicap 2024?
Flemington Racecourse, 448 Epsom Rd, Flemington VIC 3031.