Australian Guineas 2021

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.

It is the sole elite level feature on the Flemington card at the meeting that is held a week before ‘Super Saturday’ back at the track that is host to the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) and Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m).

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.

This year’s Australian Guineas ran on Saturday February 27, 2021 and saw Lunar Fox become the country’s longest-priced Group 1 winner in history at 300/1. 

Australian Guineas Race Info

• Date: Saturday February 27, 2021
• Track: Flemington Racecourse
• Distance: 1600m
• Conditions: 3YO – Set Weights
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $1 million
• First Run: 1986

2021 Australian Guineas Results

The 2021 Australian Guineas Results & Finishing Order will be published as soon as the race runs on Saturday February 27, 2021.

• 1st: #6 Lunar Fox
• 2nd: #4 Cherry Tortoni
• 3rd: #2 Tagaloa 

Foxedge colt Lunar Fox went around at 300/1 but scored a massive upset when defeating Cherry Tortoni ($10) and the beaten favourite Tagaloa ($3.50) in the surprise 2021 Australian Guineas results. 

Australian Guineas Odds & 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 – 2021 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. 

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!

2021 Australian Guineas Betting

The Australian Guineas 2021 odds will be listed below for this Flemington Group 1 mile clash.

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

The Australian Guineas 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.

2021 Australian Guineas Field

The official Australian Guineas 2021 Final Field is set for release at 9:30am (local time) on February 24, 2021 following the early nominations in late January and the Australian Guineas First Acceptances a month later in February. 

A capacity line-up of three-year-old milers is engaged in the 2021 Australian Guineas field with The Vanity winning filly Zou Dancer taking on the boys including CS Hayes champ Tagaloa who leads betting. 

2021 Australian Guineas First Acceptances

The official Australian Guineas 2021 First Acceptances close on Tuesday February 16, 2021  and will be provided below. 

The 2021 Australian Guineas first acceptances are now out with 28 three-year-olds still in the mix including recent Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes winner Tagaloa and classy filly Zou Dancer who beat Personal home in the Group 3 The Vanity at the same meeting. 

2021 Australian Guineas Nominations

The early 2021 Australian Guineas nominations are taken around a month before the Group 1 feature and attract around 100 smart three-year-old milers.

The 2021 Australian Guineas nominations close on Monday, January 18, 2021 and will be published below. 

Hawkes Racing’s Golden Rose – Caulfield Guineas champion Ole Kirk headlines the 122 Australian Guineas 2021 nominations taken by Racing Victoria this autumn. 

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.

2021 Australian Guineas Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Australian Guineas 2021 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: #16 Zou Dancer ($5 at time of publish) 

Tipping Zou Dancer to emulate Mystic Journey (2019) and beat the boys in the Australian Guineas from her good gate eight draw this weekend. She was excellent taking out The Vanity last time out and think that form over the CS Hayes will stack-up here. She’s the value against Tagaloa and co and has Jamie Kah aboard in another plus. 

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.

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 

2021 Australian Guineas Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Australian Guineas 2021 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 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 Alligator Blood (2020), Mystic Journey (2019), Mosheen (2012), Heart Of Dreams (2009), Miss Finland (2007) and Apache Cat (2006).

Australian Guineas Winners