The latest edition of the Darwin Cup ran on the sand track at Fannie Bay Racecourse on Sunday, August 2, 2026 and was won in an emphatic upset by the Michael Hickmott-trained Watadeel ($17) with hometown hoop Zac Spain in the saddle.
The Darwin Cup is the headline act of the Top End’s famous carnival, and Ladbrokes punters are already locked onto the latest Darwin Cup odds and insider Darwin Cup betting predictions as the field gears up for the iconic Fannie Bay showdown. Known for its unique dirt surface, fast‑run staying tempo and carnival‑charged atmosphere, the Darwin Cup consistently delivers unpredictable form lines, sharp market shifts and genuine value for punters who read the conditions right. With interstate raiders, local specialists and in‑form stayers all targeting the 2050m feature, the race is a key betting highlight of the winter — offering Ladbrokes customers premium insights into the upcoming spring racing carnivals, strong market engagement and high‑stakes opportunities throughout the NT’s biggest racing week.
Darwin Cup 2026 Results
The official 2026 Darwin Cup Results & Finishing Order will be provided below once the race is run and won on Sunday, August 2, 2026.
- #6 Watadeel
- #11 Rematch
- #3 Hadouken
Watadeel ($17) delivered a stirring boilover in the 2026 Darwin Cup results, powering home from a perfect stalking position to give Michael Hickmott a record‑setting fourth win in the Top End’s biggest race. Local rider Zac Spain — back in his hometown colours — peeled wide on the turn and swept past Rematch and Hadouken to score by nearly two lengths, capping an emotional moment for Hickmott, whose family was on course for the triumph. The tough Dundeel gelding, once a $115k yearling, has now banked more than $400k and reaffirmed his staying grit after bouncing back from a setback in the Chief Minister’s Cup, marking another milestone in Hickmott’s remarkable Fannie Bay legacy.
2026 Darwin Cup Odds & Finishing Order
The season’s top Darwin Cup 2026 odds and betting market links will be available below once open followed by the official finishing order after the event.
| 6. Watadeel (6) J: Zac Spain 54kg 46668T: Michael Hickmott | ||
| 11. Rematch (2) J: Robbie Dolan 54kg 0x512T: Chris Nash | ||
| 3. Hadouken (8) J: Paul Shiers 55kg 97×30T: Peter Robl | ||
| 8. Komachi (10) J: Kayla Crowther 54kg 86070T: Will Clarken & Charlotte Sorby | ||
| 12. Maxxi Bon (1) J: Richard Bensley 54kg 35311T: Chris Nash | ||
| 4. Magic Defense (12) J: Stan Tsaikos 54kg 41213T: Kerry Petrick | ||
| 2. Stormageddon (5) J: Joe Bowditch 55.5kg 50×04T: Michael Hickmott | ||
| 10. Wolfburn (3) J: Jarrod Todd 54kg 10054T: Gary Clarke | ||
| 7. Jimi Hendrix (11) J: Daniel Moor 54kg 460×2T: Michael Hickmott | ||
| 9. Leveraged Buyout (7) J: Jade Hampson 54kg 22511T: Dick Leech | ||
| 1. Casino Seventeen (4) J: Jason Lyon 63.5kg 980×3T: Chloe Baxter | ||
| 5. Venting (9) J: Aaron Sweeney 54kg 11301T: Kerry Petrick |
Darwin Cup Tips
Solid Darwin Cup tips include backing the Northern Territory-trained stayers, locking in the higher-rated horses, and looking at the autumn form in similar races as a guide.
Higher-weighted runners have a strong recent record and make a good Darwin Cup betting tip including wins by Ihtsahymn (60.5kg in 2019 and 61.5kg in 2020) and Playoffs (59.5kg in 2022).
2026 Darwin Cup Tips
Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Darwin Cup betting tips for 2026 will be detailed below listing the stayers to back and sack in the event this season so stay tuned.
FULL 2026 DARWIN CUP DAY PREVIEW, TIPS & BEST BETS
| 2. Stormageddon (5) J: Joe Bowditch 55.5kg 50×04T: Michael Hickmott |
| 9. Leveraged Buyout (7) J: Jade Hampson 54kg 22511T: Dick Leech |
| 4. Magic Defense (12) J: Stan Tsaikos 54kg 41213T: Kerry Petrick |
The event is the showcase race run by the Darwin Turf Club and, despite not holding Black-Type status, attracts plenty of attention both locally and across the nation each year. The bicentennial Darwin Cup in 1990 was the Northern Territory’s first $100,000 race, and the event now offers more double that with stakes set at $220,000.
The Darwin Cup is a handicap race run and won on the first Monday of August annually on the sand track at Darwin Racecourse, also known as Fannie Bay Racecourse, approximately seven minutes outside the city centre. Darwin Cup Day is the highlight of the wider Great Northern Darwin Cup Carnival that gets underway in early July with Darwin Guineas Day and offers just under $2 million in total prize money.
Other Carnival highlights include Ladbrokes Derby Day featuring the NT Derby (2050m) and the Ladbrokes Calcutta held the day before the Darwin Cup. Darwin Cup Day is big business in the Top End, and the Darwin Cup is not only the headline event at the meeting, but the Northern Territory’s leading sporting event attracting over 20,000 race-goers to the track every year.
The Darwin Cup was first run back in 1956 over 1200m (on an unfinished course) and was won by Satan’s Son who is the event’s only non-thoroughbred champion in history. A number of nice horses have won the Darwin Cup over the years including two-time champion, Perth expat Ihtsahymn, best known for his 2013 Group 1 Kingstown Town Stakes (1800m) victory in WA.
Hadouken (2024-25) is the latest dual Darwin Cup winner.
The Darwin racetrack, unlike those in the country’s southern states, has an oil mixed sand track, rather than a traditional turf overlay, and so past runs on the surface are key for horses contesting the Darwin Cup.
For the first time since 1994 trainer Dick Leech enjoyed the Alice Springs Cup – Darwin Cup double after his veteran eight-year-old Write Your Name ($7.50) dominated Monday’s 2023 Darwin Cup results with a runaway 3.5 length win in a record time of 2 minutes 2.94 seconds.
Darwin Cup Race Info
- Date: Sunday, August 2, 2026
- Track: Darwin Racecourse
- Course Type: Sand
- Distance: 2050m
- Conditions: Handicap
- Status: –
- Prize Money: $220,000
- First Run: 1956
Darwin Cup Betting
The Darwin Cup betting markets are dominated by in-form middle-distance gallopers coming off good lead-up runs in similar grade local events around the Northern Territory. Previous experience at Fannie Bay, runners proven at 2000m or further, and the higher weighted and rated horses are installed at shorter Darwin Cup odds each season.
Ihtsahymn (60.5kg in 2020 and 61.5kg in 2021) was the last Darwin Cup top-weight to win doing so on back-to-back years.
Ihtsahymn ($3.40 in 2020) for his second success was also the latest favourite in Darwin Cup favourite to salute for the punters.
There was a notable upset in 2026 with that year’s Darwin Cup winner Watadeel paying $17!
Darwin Cup Field
The Darwin Cup race field attracts a class line-up of mainly local staying types chasing the Top End’s biggest racing prize.
More interstate raiders are now looking at the Darwin Cup as a potential spring lead-up race however after the 2022 win by the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Playoffs from Victoria who was sent to trainer Gary Clarke for his win.
Many runners heading towards a start in the Darwin Cup field contest the Chief Minister’s Cup (1600m) run over the Darwin mile in mid-July on the second day of the Carnival. Highly Decorated (2021), Playoffs (2022) and Hadouken (2025) are the latest horses to complete the Chief Minister’s Cup – Darwin Cup double.
There is now a $100,000 bonus on offer to the owners of any horse who wins the Alice Springs Cup, Chief Minister’s Cup and Darwin Cup treble.
The Darwin Metric Mile (1600m) is another key lead-up for Darwin Cup horses each Carnival. Ihtsahymn (2019) was the last horse to complete the Metric Mile – Darwin Cup double, while Lotion also ran second in both events that season.
Following a run in the Darwin Cup field, a nice next-up option for gallopers is the Listed $150,000 Kalgoorlie Cup (2200m) in early October. In 2019, following his first of two Darwin Cup victories, Ihtsahymn finished a next-up third in that year’s Kalgoorlie Cup results.
The Darwin Cup nominations close a Monday in late July about two weeks out from the race followed by final acceptances on the Thursday prior to the event.
2026 Darwin Cup Field
The official Darwin Cup 2026 field of final acceptors is announced by the Darwin Turf Club on the Thursday prior to the race and will be published below along with the confirmed jockeys and barriers.
The 2026 Darwin Cup final field features a cracking line-up of in-form hopefuls led in betting by the Michael Hickmott-trained Stormageddon who gets up to his preferred trip off a close last start fourth in the Chief Minister’s Cup over the mile.
| Entrant | Last 6 | Sex | Barrier | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Casino Seventeen
J: Jason Lyon
T: Chloe Baxter |
x980x3 | G | 4 | 63.5kg | |
|
2. Stormageddon
J: Joe Bowditch
T: Michael Hickmott |
450x04 | G | 5 | 55.5kg | |
|
3. Hadouken
J: Paul Shiers
T: Peter Robl |
597x30 | G | 8 | 55kg | |
|
4. Magic Defense
J: Stan Tsaikos
T: Kerry Petrick |
141213 | M | 12 | 54kg | |
|
5. Venting
J: Aaron Sweeney
T: Kerry Petrick |
011301 | G | 9 | 54kg | |
|
6. Watadeel
J: Zac Spain
T: Michael Hickmott |
446668 | G | 6 | 54kg | |
|
7. Jimi Hendrix
J: Daniel Moor
T: Michael Hickmott |
6460x2 | G | 11 | 54kg | |
|
8. Komachi
J: Kayla Crowther
T: Will Clarken & Charlotte Sorby |
986070 | G | 10 | 54kg | |
|
9. Leveraged Buyout
J: Jade Hampson
T: Dick Leech |
122511 | G | 7 | 54kg | |
|
10. Wolfburn
J: Jarrod Todd
T: Gary Clarke |
710054 | G | 3 | 54kg | |
|
11. Rematch
J: Robbie Dolan
T: Chris Nash |
20x512 | G | 2 | 54kg | |
|
12. Maxxi Bon
J: Richard Bensley
T: Chris Nash |
635311 | G | 1 | 54kg | |
| 13. Vega Magnifico (15) Scratched: | |||||
| 14. Zondee (4) Scratched: | |||||
| 15. Alpine Flyer (14) Scratched: | |||||
2026 Darwin Cup Nominations
Nominations for the 2026 Darwin Cup close on a Monday in late July.
Darwin Cup Form Guide
The Darwin Cup form guide features all the must-know information for punters including the saddlecloth numbers, jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up form of the runners in the race.
The form out of the Darwin Cup has gone on to hold-up in tougher grade interstate races a number of times over the years including when dual champ Hawks Bay ran second in the Group 2 Crystal Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley that October following his first success in 2011.
2026 Darwin Cup Form Guide
A link to our detailed Darwin Cup 2026 form guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.
COMPLETE 2026 DARWIN CUP FORM GUIDE & RACE COMMENTARY
Past Darwin Cup Results
Darwin Cup results have been dominated by locally-trained stayers and those under $10 in betting in recent years.
Notable recent dual Darwin Cup winners include the Peter Roble-trained Hadouken (2024-25), Rob Gulberti-trained Ihtsahymn (2019-20) and the Neil Dyer-trained Hawks Bay (2011-12).
Recent Darwin Cup Winners
Satan’s Son (1956) was the Darwin Cup winner. The horse, the sole non-thoroughbred Darwin Cup winner in history, was owned and trained and ridden by Peter McCracken. He won in just 126 seconds with the race contested over only 1200m due to the Fannie Bay track being unfinished at the time.
One of the most famous Darwin Cup winners was the 1972 champ Son OF Cyrus whose victory was called by premier Australian race caller, John Russell.
The Nicole Irwin-trained Highly Decorated became the latest horse to add their name to the Darwin Cup winners list in 2021 leading from barrier to box and extend his winning streak to seven on the trot.
Write Your Name (2023) holds the current Darwin Cup race record winning in a smart 2 minutes 2.94 seconds.
See below for a full list of past Darwin Cup winners from the race’s inauguration in 1956 to the present.
| Year | Winner |
| 2026 | WATADEEL |
| 2025 | HADOUKEN |
| 2024 | HADOUKEN |
| 2023 | WRITE YOUR NAME |
| 2022 | PLAYOFFS |
| 2021 | HIGHLY DECORATED |
| 2020 | IHTSAHYMN |
| 2019 | IHTSAHYMN |
| 2018 | ZAHSPEED |
| 2017 | ROYAL REQUEST |
| 2016 | CANNY BALLAD |
| 2015 | LIGHTINTHENITE |
| 2014 | PRETTY BLONDE |
| 2013 | NOT RUN |
| 2012 | HAWKS BAY |
| 2011 | HAWKS BAY |
| 2010 | SHOOT OUT LOUD |
| 2009 | ACTIVATION |
| 2008 | CLUB LIQUID |
| 2007 | GENERAL MARKET |
| 2006 | NOZI |
| 2005 | LANSON |
| 2004 | MR. TAMBOURINEMAN |
| 2003 | WILD HEART |
| 2002 | BRAVE DECISION |
| 2001 | MCJOEY |
| 2000 | STAR BULLET |
| 1999 | ON THE BEAM |
| 1998 | BELLILE |
| 1997 | TUCKER BOX |
| 1996 | VENTILAGO |
| 1995 | LOTHAWAY COUNTY |
| 1995 | KINGSTON RESERVE |
| 1994 | LOTHAWAY COUNTY |
| 1993 | INSTANT POLICY |
| 1992 | CLAM’S COMET |
| 1991 | SILVER SHARK |
| 1990 | LORD CHAMBERLAIN |
| 1989 | BRINNEY |
| 1988 | TEMPLEMAN |
| 1987 | SCARVILA |
| 1986 | FLAUGH-A-BALLAGH |
| 1985 | RARE METAL |
| 1984 | KERR STREET |
| 1983 | KERR STREET |
| 1982 | PLAIN MICK |
| 1981 | THURSO |
| 1980 | NASTARSE |
| 1979 | CHOSEN |
| 1978 | VERNAL |
| 1977 | FINAL HOPE |
| 1976 | LORD TINY |
| 1975 | LORD TINY |
| 1974 | CHATTEL |
| 1973 | HEPBURN |
| 1972 | SON OF CYRUS |
| 1971 | APIAN |
| 1970 | RAY WIT |
| 1969 | LITTLE RASCAL |
| 1968 | THE YANK |
| 1967 | INCISIVE |
| 1966 | BONTEENA |
| 1965 | DARINGMAN |
| 1964 | SAND BOY |
| 1963 | HALF HOUR |
| 1962 | WOOD |
| 1961 | WOOD |
| 1960 | WOOD |
| 1959 | WOOD |
| 1958 | BRIGHT GUN |
| 1957 | DAWN SHADOW |
| 1956 | SATANS SON |
FAQ
How do I bet on the 2026 Darwin Cup?
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 Darwin Cup?
The best way to pick which horse will win the Darwin Cup 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.
When is the Darwin Cup 2026?
The 2026 Darwin Cup is scheduled to run on Monday August 3 at Fannie Bay Racecourse as the highlight of the Northern Territory's greater Darwin Cup Carnival. It is set to run as Darwin Race 10 as the card closer at 5:30pm (local time) / 6:00pm (AEST).
What is the prize money for the Darwin Cup 2026?
The 2026 Darwin Cup prize money is set at $220,000 which is paid from 1st to 6th place including $145,200 going to the Darwin Cup winner.
Where is the Darwin Cup 2026?
The 2026 Darwin Cup will run at Fannie Bay Racecourse in the Northern Territory, which is located at Darwin Turf Club, Buntine Drive, Fannie Bay, SA 0820.
What distance is the Darwin Cup run over?
The Darwin Cup is run over 2050 metres, a staying trip that perfectly suits the fast‑run, pressure‑packed style of racing at Fannie Bay. This distance is a key factor for Ladbrokes punters analysing early Darwin Cup odds and shaping confident Darwin Cup betting plays, with proven dirt‑track stayers often gaining a market edge.
How many horses run in the Darwin Cup?
The Darwin Cup field has a limit of 12 starters plus three emergencies that can gain a run should any of the original 12 Darwin Cup final acceptors scratch out before the official scratching time on race morning.
Who won the 2026 Darwin Cup?
The 2026 Darwin Cup was won by seven-year-old Dundeel gelding Watadeel at $17 for trainer Michael Hickmott who celebrated his record fourth win in the event. Local jockey Zac Spain rode the 2026 Darwin Cup winner to victory on 54kg from barrier 6 saluting by 1.83 lengths in a time of 2:03.85.
Who won the 2025 Darwin Cup?
The 2025 Darwin Cup was won by seven-year-old Real Impact gelding Hadouken who successfully defended his title at $3.50 for trainer Peter Robl with jockey Blake Shinn aboard on 58.5kg from barrier 2 to win by 0.43 lengths on a Good rated track in a time of 2:03.52.