Australian Guineas 2024

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

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

2022 Australian Guineas winner Hitotsu. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

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).

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.

As of 2024 the Australian Guineas winner earns a guaranteed start in the All-Star Mile race.

The latest edition of the Australian Guineas ran on Saturday March 2, 2024 and was won in a gutsy upset by the Ciaron Maher-trained improver Southport Tycoon ($19) who was overs off a couple of nice lead-up runs. 

2024 Australian Guineas Results

The 2024 Australian Guineas Results & Finishing Order will be published as soon as the race runs on Saturday March 2, 2024.

2024 Australian Guineas winner Southport Tycoon has earned an All-Star Mile start should connections accept. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

• 1st: #12 Southport Tycoon
• 2nd: #2 Veight
• 3rd: #1 Riff Rocket

A potential run in the $3.65 million All-Star Mile field could be on the cards for the progressive Ciaron Maher-trained colt Southport Tycoon ($19) who was given a 10/10 ride by the in-form Jamie Kah to score a massive upset in the 2024 Australian Guineas results third-up at Flemington.

2024 Australian Guineas Odds

The Australian Guineas 2024 odds will be listed below for this Flemington Group 1 mile clash.

Australian Guineas Race Info

• Date: Saturday March 2, 2024
• 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 five winners from 2007 – 2024 including the latest Hey Doc (2017) who broke a favourites’ drought in the race going back to 2008 followed by gun filly Mystic Journey ($4 in 2019) and then Alligator Blood ($2.70 in 2020).

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.

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

Ferlax (2013) won the Australian Guineas in an upset at odds of 16/1. Photo: Sarah Ebbett.

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.

2024 Australian Guineas Field

The official Australian Guineas 2024 Final Field is set for release at 9:30am (local time) on Wednesday the 28th of February, 2024.

The 2024 Australian Guineas field features a smart line-up of three-year-old staying types including VRC Derby winner Riff Rocket coming off a Group 3 CS Hayes win at the track and King Colorado who ran second to him in that important lead-up.

2024 Australian Guineas Nominations

The 2024 Australian Guineas nominations are taken the Monday of race week with the official early entries to be updated below.

Chris Waller’s Victoria Derby champion Riff Rocket is favourite to keep the wins coming after his impressive CS Hayes win fresh last time out heading the Australian Guineas 2024 nominations for Flemington this weekend.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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).

2023 Australian Guineas winning filly Legarto. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

2024 Australian Guineas Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Australian Guineas 2024 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.

• To Win: #1 Riff Rocket ($2.35 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Stellar edition of the Australian Guineas with a host of in-form hopefuls with genuine claims at the Group 1. That said, more than happy to stick with Chris Waller’s star in the making, Riff Rocket, following his impressive first-up Group 3 CS Hayes win over 1400m. The spring’s Group 1 VRC Derby winner surprised a few with that terrific run fresh and will only improve getting out over further. He’s an elite level winner at this track, the CS Hayes has been a good Australian Guineas form race in recent years, and from a mid-field draw with C. Williams in the saddle again he can salute and keep the wins going up to a mile now. Back don’t sack.

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 five favourites saluted from 2007 – 2021 most recently Alligator Blood ($2.70 in 2020).

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 place-getter Attrition who returned to win the spring’s Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) that year.

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) and then Alligator Blood (2020).
• 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.

2024 Australian Guineas Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Australian Guineas 2024 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

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 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 place-getters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.