Ladbrokes Tip: Barriers account for little in the Oakleigh Plate with double digits producing plenty of recent winners

The Group 1 Neds Oakleigh Plate is one of three elite level Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival races that runs at Caulfield Racecourse as part of Blue Diamond Stakes Day annually in late February. An open handicap sprint the clash takes place over 1100m and offers $500,000 in total prize money.

Running at the same meeting as the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 Neds Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) the event attracts a capacity field of 18 sprinters.

Many Oakleigh Plate horses come out of a run a week earlier in the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1000m) run down the Flemington straight; the last to complete the Oakleigh Plate – Lightning Stakes double was Fastnet Rock (2005).

The latst edition of the Oakleigh Plate ran on Saturday February 20, 2021 and resulted in a dead heat thriller between Celebrity  Queen and Portland Sky. 

Oakleigh Plate Race Facts

• Date: Saturday February 20, 2021
• Track: Caulfield Racecourse
• Distance: 1100m
• Conditions: Open Handicap
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $500,000
• First Run: 1884

2021 Oakleigh Plate Results

The official Oakleigh Plate 2021 Winner & Full Results will be published below on Saturday February 20, 2021.

• 1st: #7 Celebrity Queen
• 1st: #15 Portland Sky
• 3rd: #3 Kemalpasa

The 2021 Oakleigh Plate results saw an exciting dead heat between classy WA-trained mare Celebrity Queen who got up the inside to share top honours with the up-and-coming young colt Portland Sky. 

Oakleigh Plate Odds & Betting

Oakleigh Plate betting is usually an open affair with plenty of mixed form leading up to the race.

Recent Oakleigh Plate winners who won their last Group lead-up include Lankan Rupee (2014) and Shamal Wind (2015), so last start winners can dominate the markets.

Wide barrier draws don’t often have an impact on the Oakleigh Plate odds as plenty of winners have drawn wide including Pippie (14 in 2020), Booker (14 in 2019), Russian Revolution (10 in 2018), Flamberge (15 in 2016), Shamal Wind (14 in 2015), Mrs Onassis (11 in 2013) and Swiss Ace (18 in 2009).

Pippie ($12) was the last double-figure winner in Oakleigh Plate 2020 betting until 2021 when Portland Sky ($10) ran a dead-heat to share the top prize with Celebrity Queen ($9.50). 

2021 Oakleigh Plate Betting

The latest Oakleigh Plate odds for 2021 will be updated below the week of the race so bookmark this page to view the best available Group 1 racing odds on the autumn sprint.

A maximum of 18 starters line-up in the Oakleigh Plate field at Caulfield and the race recently ran at capacity in 2018 when the favourite Russian Revolution saluted, 2019 when Booker scored an upset win and again in 2020 when Pippie became the second mare to salute from barrier 14 in as many years.

There was yet another 18-starter Oakleigh Plate field in 2021 when Celebrity Queen and Portland Sky ran a dead-heat for first. 

Oakleigh Plate nominations close the Monday before the race followed by the final field of acceptances out on the Wednesday.

Lankan Rupee (2014) is one of the few recent favourites in Oakleigh Plate betting to salute for the punters. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.

The Oakleigh Plate field often features star stallions in the making and has been won by the likes of Snitzel (2006) and Fastnet Rock (2005).

Many horses also run first-up in the Oakleigh Plate field.

2021 Oakleigh Plate Field

The official Oakleigh Plate 2021 final field is announced by Racing Victoria on the Wednesday leading-up to Neds Blue Diamond Stakes Day and will be announced in full below.

The 2021 Oakleigh Plate field features 18 hopefuls with Ancestry the favourite, while Manikato Stakes third-placegetter Dirty Work has the inside run from barrier one. 

2021 Oakleigh Plate Nominations

The Oakleigh Plate 2021 nominations close the Monday leading-up to Blue Diamond Stakes Day, the full list of potential runners to be made available below.

The 2021 Oakleigh Plate nominations drew 20 entries with all-in betting led by the progressive Phillip Stokes-trained Ancestry first-up chasing a fifth consecutive win. 

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Oakleigh Tips

Favourites in the Oakleigh Plate tips have a poor recent record with only three saluting for the punters from 2008 – 2021, the most recent being Russian Revolution (2018).

A good Oakleigh Plate tip is to look at the better weighted runners in the race as only four horses have carried more than 55.5kg to victory from 2008-2021.

In-form mares are also worth including in Oakleigh Plate tipping with six winning from 2013 – 2021 including most recently Pippie (2020), Booker (2019) who also ran fourth in the 2018 Oakleigh Plate results and Celebrity Queen (2021) who had to share top honours with Portland Sky after running a dead-heat. 

2021 Oakleigh Plate Tips

The insider Ladbrokes’ Oakleigh Plate 2021 tips and betting selections will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for the short-distance specialists to back in the showdown.

• To Win: #7 Celebrity Queen ($9.50 at time of publish) 

Huge value for a number of these horses in a wide-open edition. It’s a big field and a real throw-the-dart affair, but like the price on this WA-trained mare with the ‘Wizard of the West’ William Pike – who has an excellent record in Melbourne – in the saddle. She’s drawn gate three, has speed and is two-from-two over the short distance. Coming interstate off an excellent prep in Perth that included a Group 1 Winterbottom second, so can hold her own here. 

Oakleigh Plate Form Guide

The Oakleigh Plate form guide shows punters the saddlecloth numbers, barriers, jockeys and trainers of all of the horses in the field.

This information can be used to guide Oakleigh Plate betting taking into account form facts including the excellent strike rate of sprinters drawn wider than barrier 10 and the poor record of favourites being successful.

Oakleigh Plate Form Facts

• Favourites in Oakleigh Plate betting have a poor recent record with Lankan Rupee ($4 in 2014) and Russian Revolution ($4.60 in 2018) the only ones to salute since Weekend Hussler (2008)
• Fastnet Rock (2005) was the last winner coming off a lead-up victory to get the job done until Lankan Rupee (2014), Shamal Wind (2015) and Portland Sky (2021) who ran a dead-heat with Celebrity Queen 
• Upset Oakleigh Plate results are common with plenty of roughie winners including Flamberge (30/1 in 2016)
• Seven of the 13 Oakleigh Plate winners from 2009-21 jumped from a double-digit barrier
• Six mares have won since Reactive (2004), most recently Sheidel (2017), Booker (2019), Pippie (2020) and Celebrity Queen (2021, dead heat with Portland Sky)

2021 Oakleigh Plate Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Oakleigh Plate 2021 form guide will be provided below once final acceptances are taken the Wednesday leading-up to Blue Diamond Stakes Day.

Oakleigh Plate Results

The Oakleigh Plate results and finishing order of the entire field is out when the event runs at Caulfield on Blue Diamond Stakes Day. The winning Oakleigh Plate quinella, trifecta, margins and times are all released as part of the results.

Recent Oakleigh Plate results show plenty of roughie shot winners scoring upsets including Eagle Falls ($21 in 2011), Woorim ($21 in 2012), Flamberge ($31 in 2016) and Booker ($18 in 2019).

The 2021 Oakleigh Plate results saw a dead-heat with Celebrity Queen and Portland Sky declared co-champions. 

Recent Oakleigh Plate Winners