Caulfield Sprint 2023

Ladbrokes Tip: The Caulfield Sprint is a lead-up to Flemington’s VRC Sprint Classic

The Caulfield Sprint is a Group 2 race contested at Caulfield Racecourse on Caulfield Cup Day in mid-October each Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

2022 Caulfield Sprint winner Asfoora. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Run over a short distance of 1000m the open handicap is held at the same Saturday meeting as the Group 1 $5 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) and along with the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) and Group 2 Tristarc Stakes (1400m) is one of the major support acts on the card. Other features on the line-up include the Group 3 Caulfield Classic, Group 3 Moonga Stakes and Group 3 Ethereal Stakes.

Offering $300,000 in prize money the Caulfield Sprint is a good lead-up for runners looking to back-up in tougher spring sprints during the carnival including the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds on Derby Day and the Group 1 VRC Sprint Classic (1200m) at Flemington on the first Saturday in November.

The last horse to complete the Caulfield Sprint – Coolmore Stud Stakes double was Sepoy (2011), while the Caulfield Sprint – VRC Sprint Classic double hasn’t been achieved since Rubitano (2002).

The latest edition of the Caulfield Sprint took place on Saturday October 21, 2023 as part of the Caulfield Cup Day 2023, was known as The McCafe Sprint and saw the Annabel Neasham-trained Doull ($13) enjoy a narrow upset in an exciting finish. 

2023 Caulfield Sprint Results

The full Caulfield Sprint 2023 Results & Finishing Order will be provided below once the race is run and won on Saturday October 21, 2023.

2023 Caulfield Sprint winner Doull lunged right on the line for a Group 2 upset on Caulfield Cup Day. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

• 1st: #7 Doull
• 2nd: #6 Spacewalk
• 3rd: #2 Generation

The Annabel Neasham-trained $1.2 million buy Doull ($13) celebrated his biggest win to date giving a late kick to lunge right on the line and deny the beaten favourite Spacewalk ($2.70F) victory in a narrow upset in the Caulfield Sprint 2023 results.

2023 Caulfield Sprint Odds

The updated Caulfield Sprint 2023 betting odds and links to our Group 2 Caulfield Sprint markets this Caulfield Cup Day will be available below the week of the race so stay tuned for access to the top spring racing offers.

Caulfield Sprint Race Info

• Date: Saturday October 21, 2023
• Track: Caulfield Racecourse
• Distance: 1000m
• Conditions: Handicap
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1983

Caulfield Sprint Betting

Caulfield Sprint odds are led each season by proven short-distance performers with winning form over 1000m – 1200m, betting opening at bookmakers around the country once the final field is released the Wednesday before Caulfield Cup Day.

Previous experience the Melbourne way of going in Group company, a good inside barrier draw and a top three run last time out also help a horse to move higher up the Caulfield Sprint betting markets.

Single and double-figure chances have recent winning form when in 2015 Lumosty ($4.60) and Éclair Choice ($26) ran a dead heat for first. Prior to that however the other most recent horse over $10 in betting to win the Caulfield Sprint was Biscayne Bay ($10 in 2006). In 2017 the Caulfield Sprint favourite Snitty Kitty was able to salute for the punters. Eduardo ($2.90 2018) made it back-to-back wins for the Caulfield Sprint favourites.

The favourites in Caulfield Sprint betting continued their dominance in 2019 when the co-favourites Miss Leonidas and God Of Thunder ran one-two respectively.

In 2021 Oxley Road won at $4, while Asfoora was at $4.20 in 2022.

Caulfield Sprint Tips

Good Caulfield Sprint tips include looking for runners that won’t find the short sprint too sharp, previous Group 1 / 2 performers coming off good spring form in Melbourne and those drawn close to the fence.

Favourites and runners under $10 in Caulfield Sprint betting also have a gun record in the race over the past decade so backing the top fancies in the markets is another tip to take to the bookies.

2023 Caulfield Sprint Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Caulfield Sprint 2023 betting tips and Group 2 Caulfield Sprint racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for the sprinters to back and sack this spring.

• To Win: #4 General Beau ($8 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Small field lacking a bit of class, but have landed on General Beau first-up with plenty of decent form lines from last prep for him to frank here. The Brazen Beau entire for Matthew Ellerton has a good record fresh (6:2-1-0) and plenty of form at the Caulfield track (12:3-2-1). This is a horse that hasn’t won in a long time with his last being back in September of 2021. He has been competitive in plenty since however, is a Group 1 place-getter, and his latest run in August’s Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap for fourth was good. Down in the weights with 53kg to kick off his spring, which is the lightest he’s carried for some time. Barrier one and Damian Lane are two other pluses. Horses have broken longer winning droughts, and think it might be his time here.

Caulfield Sprint Field

The Caulfield Sprint race field attracts a host of in-form short-distance specialists looking to back-up in an upcoming Group 1 feature in Melbourne during the spring.

2021 Caulfield Sprint Winner Oxley Road. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Runners come off a variety of different lead-ups into the Caulfield Sprint field including Moonee Valley’s Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) held at the start of October. In 2015 Ball Of Muscle ran second in the Moir Stakes and third in the Caulfield Sprint. That same form-line held in 2019 when the Moir runner-up Miss Leonidas went one better winning the Caulfield Sprint.

Another possible lead-up is the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) held at Flemington on Turnbull Stakes Day a fortnight earlier, which last produced a winner with Eduardo (2nd in 2018).

Earlier the Caulfield Sprint winner Sepoy (2011) came off a win in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley. That same year the Caulfield Sprint runner-up Curtana came off a Gilgai Stakes fourth and went on to run fourth in the Darley Classic (then the Patinack Classic) two starts later. The 2011 Caulfield Sprint third place-getter Mid Summer Music also ran third in the Darley Classic behind Black Caviar.

Caulfield Sprint graduates often back-up on Victoria Derby Day in the Group 2 Salinger Stakes (1200m), the double last achieved by Éclair Choice (2015) who ran a dead-heat with Lumosity in the first leg.

The Caulfield Sprint nominations close the Monday before the race runs on the Saturday followed by the final field and barriers out on the Wednesday.

2023 Caulfield Sprint Field

The official Caulfield Sprint 2023 Final Field & Barriers will be announced below the Wednesday leading-up to Caulfield Cup Day so bookmark this page to view what sprinters make the cut in the short-distance showdown.

The 2023 Caulfield Sprint – run in 2023 as the McCafe Sprint – field features just seven final acceptors with updated markets led by Exosphere four-year-old Spacewalk for Godolphin chasing a third win on the trot.

2023 Caulfield Sprint Nominations

The early Caulfield Sprint 2023 nominations are taken the Monday of race week and will be published below.

The 2023 Caulfield Sprint nominations are extended until 10:00am (AEDT) on Tuesday 17/10/2023. 

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Caulfield Sprint Form Guide

The Caulfield Sprint form guide provides punters with crucial information and statistics like the track / distance record of the runners in the race along with their jockeys, trainers and barriers. Mares have a good recent record in the race with Snitty Kitty (2017), Miss Leonidas (2019) and Asfoora (2022) the latest to salute, following on from Lumosty (=1st in 2015) and Miracles Of Life (=1st in 2014), so looking for the in-form female gallopers on the Caulfield Sprint form guide can prove profitable for punters.

Caulfield Sprint form has stacked up in better spring races a number of times in recent times including in 2011 when Sepoy won the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) next start as a three-year-old at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The last Caulfield Sprint winner to run top three in the Darley Classic in the same year was Sunburnt Land (3rd in 2008).

The 2022 Caulfield Sprint form was franked with the winner winner Asfoora going on to win a Group 3 at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival before returning in the following autumn to run third in the 2023 Oakleigh Plate, fourth in the Group 1 The Galaxy and then run fourth in the first edition of Perth’s $4 million The Quokka race.

2023 Caulfield Sprint Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Caulfield Sprint 2023 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Caulfield Sprint Results

Incredibly there have been two recent dead-heats in the Caulfield Sprint results. In 2015 Lumosty and Éclair Choice were tied for first place just 12 months after Miracles Of Life and Bel Sprinter were unable to be split on the line in the 2014 edition.

Other notable recent Caulfield Sprint winners include Snitty Kitty (2017) who set a race record,  Spirit Of Boom (2013), Sepoy (2011), and Jet Spur (2005).

Sepoy (2011) was the last three-year-old Caulfield Sprint winner.

Asfoora (2022) was the last Caulfield Sprint winning mare.

Past Caulfield Sprint Winners

Recent Caulfield Sprint winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.