Australian Guineas

Ladbrokes Tip: Only three Australian Guineas winner has jumped from a double-digit barrier in over 30 years

The latest edition of the Australian Guineas ran on Saturday, February 28, 2026 at Flemington Racecourse and saw Ciaron Maher’s VRC Derby champ from the spring, Observer ($1.85F), fly up the inside to score a half-length win for the punters.

2026 Australian Guineas Results

The 2026 Australian Guineas Results & Finishing Order will be published as soon as the race runs on Saturday, February 28, 2026.

The autumn options have opened right up for Ciaron Maher’s very talented young stayer Observer ($1.85F) who was enormous up the inside late to post his fourth win on the trot saluting for the punters at Flemington in the 2026 Australian Guineas results. The VRC Derby champ proved too strong for his fellow three-year-olds backing up from a win fresh in the Autumn Stakes to relish the step-up to a mile off another perfectly timed ride by Ethan Brown and earn talks of a potential Group 1 Australian Cup run back at the track on March 28 against the older horses.

2026 Australian Guineas Odds

The Australian Guineas 2026 odds will be listed below for this Flemington Group 1 mile clash followed by the official Australian Guineas results after the event.

Australian Guineas Tips

Australian Guineas tips include looking for previous Group 1 winners, horses coming off good lead-up form in races like the CS Hayes Stakes or The Vanity, looking at the form for runners proven over the mile and backing the colts and geldings as the fillies have a poor record over the boys.

In 2023 Legarto became just the sixth filly in history to win the Australian Guineas and the first since Mystic Journey (2019).

2026 Australian Guineas Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Australian Guineas 2026 betting tips and exotic selections on the three-year-olds’ feature in Melbourne this autumn will be available the week of the race so stay tuned for the gallopers to back and sack.

The Australian Guineas is a Group 1 race for three-year-old runners held at the famous Flemington Racecourse on a Saturday in late February or early March during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.

It is the sole elite level feature on the Flemington card at the meeting that is held a week before Newmarket Handicap Day back at the track that is host to the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) and, as of 2025, the now Group 1 The All-Star Mile (1600m). 

Run over 1600m the Australian Guineas is open to both the colts and geldings as well as the fillies and is a set weights race. The mile classic offers a total of $1 million in prize money including $600,000 to the Australian Guineas winner and connections.

Australian Guineas Day is also host to the Restricted $1 million Inglis Sprint (1200m) and the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m). 

Australian Guineas Race Info

• Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026
• Track: Flemington Racecourse
• Distance: 1600m
• Conditions: 3YO – Set Weights
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $1 million
• First Run: 1986

Australian Guineas Betting

Australian Guineas odds and betting traditionally favour proven gallopers that have winning form over the distance.

Favourites in Australian Guineas betting only have a fair recent record in the race with just six winners from 2007 – 2026 including in recent years Hey Doc (2017) who broke a favourites’ drought in the race going back to 2008 followed by gun filly Mystic Journey ($4 in 2019), Alligator Blood ($2.70 in 2020) and Observer ($1.85 in 2026).

In 2021 Lunar Fox ($301) made history as the country’s longest-priced Group 1 winner with his upset Australian Guineas victory at the blowout odds.

In 2023 another triple-figure roughie, Japanese Emperor ($101), ran third in the Australian Guineas trifecta.

There was yet another upset Australian Guineas result in 2024 with Southport Tycoon good winning at a big price of $19, and again in 2025 with Feroce at $14. 

Previous Group 1 winners are usually high up the Australian Guineas markets as are those drawn well with just three winners in over 30 years getting the job done from a barrier wider than 9 when Mosheen won from 16 of 16 in 2012, Palentino won from 15 of 15 in 2016, and Grunt scored from the outside gate 16 of 16 in 2018.

Last start winners have a good record in the Australian Guineas and a good lead-up races include the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1200) for the colts and geldings, and the Group 3 The Vanity (1200m) for the fillies both held at Flemington two weeks earlier.

Futures Australian Guineas betting offering all-in prices open as soon as the nominations are out over a month before Australian Guineas Day and offer punters top early prices for their favourite three-year-olds!

Australian Guineas Field

The Australian Guineas race field has a capacity of 16 starters plus four emergencies and attracts the season’s most promising three-year-old milers.

The race was run at capacity in 2017 when Hey Doc saluted on the back of a lead-up CS Hayes Stakes victory at the track, in 2018 when Grunt defeated 15 rivals to also do the CS Hayes – Australian Guineas double and again in 2019 when Mystic Journey became the first Tasmanian-trained Group 1 winner in over 100 years.

The smallest Australian Guineas field in recent history was six starters in 1999 with Dignity Dancer won as the race favourite. Australian Guineas nominations close in late January each year followed by first acceptances a month later in February.

One of the first early lead-up races into the Australian Guineas field is the Group 3 Manfred Stakes (1200m) with Mosheen (2012) the only runner to do the double to date.

In 2024 Southport Tycoon improved on a lead-up second in the Group 2 Autumn Stakes (1400m) to become the first Australian Guineas winner since Heart Of Dreams (2009) 15 years earlier to come via that lead-up run at Caulfield.

Observer (2026) was the last three-year-old to complete the Autumn Stakes – Australian Guineas double.

2026 Australian Guineas Field

The official Australian Guineas 2026 Final Field is set for release at 9:30am (local time) on the Wednesday of race week.

The Australian Guineas 2026 final field features 10 top young milers including the versatile Ciaron Maher-trained VRC Derby champ Observer chasing his fourth win on the trot after a huge returning win in the Autumn Stakes.

Flemington R8 - Australian Guineas (G1)

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. Observer J: Ethan Brown T: Ciaron Maher	2311x1	C	6	57kg
	2. Planet Red J: Jamie Melham T: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr	1432x2	G	9	57kg
	3. West Of Swindon J: Ben Allen T: Ciaron Maher	2194x6	C	3	57kg
	4. Sixties J: Damian Lane T: Chris Waller	515x11	C	10	57kg
	5. Bingi J: Luke Cartwright T: Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	3177x9	C	2	57kg
	6. Officiate J: Ben Melham T: Chris Waller	2130x5	C	4	57kg
	7. Romantic Encounter J: Daniel Stackhouse T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes	120x94	C	5	57kg
	8. Victorious Spirit J: Zac Spain T: Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	231x3	G	7	57kg
	9. Onavuitton J: Thomas Stockdale T: Simon Zahra	63x14	G	8	57kg
	10. Express Class J: Patrick Moloney T: Gerard Moloney	36x967	G	1	57kg

View Results

2026 Australian Guineas Nominations

The 2026 Australian Guineas nominations are taken the Monday of race week with the official early entries to be updated below.

2026 Australian Guineas nominations extended until 10:00am (AEDT) – 24/02/2026 

The Australian Guineas 2026 nominations attracted a quality line-up of three-year-olds including the spring’s VRC Derby champ Observer coming off a win fresh in the Group 2 Autumn Stakes and Chris Waller’s in-form CS Hayes winner Sixties chasing a hat-trick.

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	13177×9	BINGI	C	3	Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	67
2	136×967	EXPRESS CLASS	G	3	Gerard Moloney	70
3	14132	LANCELOT DU LAC	C	3	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	72
4	215x2311x1	OBSERVER	C	3	Ciaron Maher	107
5	8x2130x5	OFFICIATE	C	3	Chris Waller	70
6	63×14	ONAVUITTON	G	3	Simon Zahra	68
7	1x1432x2	PLANET RED	G	3	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	98
8	120×94	ROMANTIC ENCOUNTER (NZ)	C	3	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	75
9	821515×11	SIXTIES	C	3	Chris Waller	90
10	13×5	TOP REWARD	C	3	Clayton Douglas	68
11	231×3	VICTORIOUS SPIRIT	G	3	Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	70
12	20x42194x6	WEST OF SWINDON	C	3	Ciaron Maher	84

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Australian Guineas Form Guide

The Australian Guineas form guide lists all of the crucial information punters need to know before placing a bet including saddlecloth numbers, lead-up runs, jockeys, trainers and the barriers for all the horses in the field.

Important Australian Guineas form facts to note include the poor record of fillies in the race, the fact just three runners have jumped from wider than barrier nine to win the race in 30 years, and that just six favourites saluted from 2007 – 2026.

Local runners from Melbourne have a strong record as the Sydney-trained three-year-olds usually opt to stay at home to contest the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) held the Saturday after.

The Australian Guineas 2023 form was franked with the winner Hitotsu, the VRC Derby winner who made history as the inaugural first-up winner of the Australian Guineas, going on to claim the Group 1 Australian Derby next start over 2400m in Sydney.

The 2023 Australian Guineas form was franked by the second placegetter Attrition who returned to win the spring’s Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) that year.

The 2024 Australian Guineas form was franked with the winner Southport Tycoon going on to win that year’s Group 1 Manikato Stakes in the spring, while the runner-up Veight won Sydney’s Group 1 George Ryder Stakes at his next start.

The form was further boosted with third placegetter Riff Rocket improving to complete the Rosehill Guineas – Australian Derby double that autumn!

Australian Guineas Form Facts

• Australian Guineas betting favourites have an improving record in the race over the past decade with Hey Doc (2017) the first since Light Fantastic (2008) to salute for the punters followed by Mystic Journey (2019), Alligator Blood (2020) and Observer (2026).
• Three-year-olds coming off a top four finish have dominated the Australian Guineas winners’ list over the past 20 years.
• The CS Hayes Stakes produced four straight Australian Guineas champions from 2015-18 including Wandjina (2015), Hey Doc (2017) and Grunt (2018) who all did the double; Alligator Blood (2020) also recently completed the CS Hayes – Australian Guineas double while in 2021 Lunar Fox won the Group 1 at 300/1 improving on a CS Hayes 12th. Feroce (3rd in 2025) was the last CS Hayes graduate to go on and win the Australian Guineas. 

2026 Australian Guineas Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Australian Guineas 2026 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2026 AUSTRALIAN GUINEAS FORM GUIDE

Past Australian Guineas Results

Double figure winners feature highly in the Australian Guineas race results over the past decade or so with the longest priced to win in recent years being shock champion Lunar Fox ($301 in 2021).

Notable recent Australian Guineas winners include that season’s Victoria Derby champion Observer (2026), the visiting Kiwi filly Legarto (2023), Hitotsu (2022), Alligator Blood (2020), Mystic Journey (2019), Mosheen (2012), Heart Of Dreams (2009), Miss Finland (2007), and Apache Cat (2006).

Recent Australian Guineas Winners

Past Australian Guineas winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.

Year	Winner	Runner-Up	Third	Time
2026	Observer	Planet Red	Sixties	1:35.70
2025	Feroce	Savaglee	Goldrush Guru	1:35.46
2024	Southport Tycoon	Veight	Riff Rocket	1:35.48
2023	Legarto	Attrition	Japanese Emperor	1:36.3
2022	Hitotsu	Lightsaber	Bon’s A Pearla	1:36.8
2021	Lunar Fox	Cherry Tortoni	Tagaloa	1:35.8
2020	Alligator Blood	Superstorm	Soul Patch	1:34.9
2019	Mystic Journey	Hawkshot	Amphitrite	1:35.7
2018	Grunt	Peaceful State	Bring Me Roses	1:34.9
2017	Hey Doc	Prized Icon	Snitzon	1:34.0
2016	Palentino	Tarzino	Risque	1:35.2
2015	Wandjina	Alpine Eagle	Stratum Star	1:35.1
2014	Shamus Award	Criterion	Thunder Fantasy	1:36.4
2013	Ferlax	You’re So Good	Sheer Talent	1:35.0
2012	Mosheen	Strike The Stars	Mister Milton	1:37.0
2011	Shamrocker	Bullbars	Playing God	1:35.3
2010	Rock Classic	Set For Fame	Linton	1:36.8
2009	Heart Of Dreams	Von Costa De Hero	Lucky Thunder	1:35.8
2008	Light Fantastic	Marching	Playwright	1:36.4
2007	Miss Finland	Casino Prince	Jokers Wild	1:36.0
2006	Apache Cat	Darcy Brahma	Thin And Crispy	1:34.0
2005	Al Maher	Danehill Express	Econsul	1:34.4
2004	Reset	Starcraft	Under The Bridge	1:34.5
2003	Delago Brom	Tycoon Ruler	Thorn Park	1:35.9
2002	Dash For Cash	Royal Code	Ustinov	1:35.3
2001	Mr Murphy	Neptunes Journey	Outgate	1:34.4
2000	Pins	Freemason	Hades	2:02.3

FAQ

Who won the 2026 Austrlaian Guineas?

The 2026 Australian Guineas was won by three-year-old Ghaiyyath colt Observer at $1.85 favouritism for trainer Ciaron Maher with jockey Ethan Brown aboard on 57kg from barrier 6 to win by 0.5 lengths on a Good (4) track in a time of 1:35.70.

Who won the 2025 Australian Guineas?

The 2025 Australian Guineas was won by Feroce at $14 for trainer Dominic Sutton with jockey Billy Egan aboard on 57kg from barrier 9 to win by 0.75 lengths in a time of 1:35.46.

When is the Australian Guineas 2026?

Saturday, February 28, 2026

What is the prize money for the Australian Guineas 2026?

$1,000,000

Where is the Australian Guineas 2026?

Flemington Racecourse, 448 Epsom Rd, Flemington VIC 3031.

How do I bet on the 2026 Australian Guineas?

Bet online or via the latest iOS/Android apps with Ladbrokes.
The first step is to create an account at ladbrokes.com.au. The process is quick and easy!
Once you've created your account you can make a deposit via credit card, or any other of our secure payment methods. Next up, head to the racing page and find the race and runner that's right for you.

Which horse will win the 2026 Australian Guineas?

The best way to pick which horse will win the Australian Guineas is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight the horse will carry (among other factors). Check out ladbrokes.com.au in the lead up to the race for full form information.