The Hunter 2024

The Hunter race officially gained Group 2 status ahead of the 2024 edition

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The Hunter is one of the more recent feature races announced by Racing NSW that debuted in 2019 making the wider Sydney Spring Racing Carnival the country’s richest racing festival with close to $60 million in prize money on offer over six weeks.

2021 The Hunter winner Lost And Running. Photo: Steve Hart.

Built around the running of the world’s richest turf race – the now Group 1 $20 million The Everest in October – are a host of recently added races giving Sydney punters plenty to stick around for as Melbourne host their Cup Carnival.

After a host of majors running at Randwick and Rosehill, the spring racing action in Sydney moves further out to Newcastle Racecourse for The Hunter in mid to late November.

One of the growing number of seven-figure Sydney spring races, The Hunter offers $1 million in total prize money and the quality handicap runs over 1300m.

The race became a black-type event upgraded to Group 2 status ahead of the 2024 edition. 

It is accompanied on the breakthrough stand-alone Newcastle metropolitan meeting on The Hunter Day by the Group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m), previously held in September on Newcastle Cup Day.

The Hunter at Newcastle’s Broadmeadow track along with the proceeding Group 3 $1 million The Gong (1600m) a week later at Kembla Grange in Wollongong are the richest Sydney races held outside the city’s two major racetracks.

There is a possible progression for horses that line-up in The Everest field to back-up in The Hunter putting the spotlight on racing in Newcastle after the bigger spring races of the carnival and allowing NSW to retain the top-tier sprinters for a few more weeks post-Everest.

Lost And Running (4th in 2021) is the latest The Everest graduate to win The Hunter having also run second in that year’s Winners Stakes.

One of the early lead-up races for female gallopers targeting The Hunter is August’s Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1100m) run at Randwick, a double completed in 2020 by Sweet Deal.

The next edition of the now Group 2 The Hunter race takes place at Newcastle Racecourse on Saturday November 16, 2024. 

2024 The Hunter Odds

The Hunter Info

• Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
• Track: Newcastle Racecourse
• Distance: 1300m
• Conditions: Quality Handicap
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $1 million
• First Run: 2019

2024 The Hunter Results

The official The Hunter 2024 Results & Finishing Order will be published below as soon as the race is run and won on Saturday November 16, 2024.

• 1st: TBD
• 2nd: TBD
• 3rd: TBD

The Hunter Betting

Betting on The Hunter race heats up in late October as the $1 million race approaches and the horses targeting the race come forward.

The Hunter betting firms on horses that run well at the track earlier in the season in the Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1500m) in September’s Newcastle Cup Day.

Any past Group 1 performers and gallopers that ran well in the $3 million Russell Balding Stakes (1300m) – formerly the Winners Stakes – at Rosehill on the Saturday prior to the Melbourne Cup are also likely to be installed at shorter The Hunter betting odds. Lost And Running (2nd in 2021) is the latest The Hunter winner to come off a run in the then Winners Stakes.

In the inaugural edition of the race, favourite backers were in luck with the top fancy in The Hunter betting Savatiano ($4.60) saluting in 2019.

There was an upset the following year with Newcastle specialist Sweet Deal ($10 in 2020) winning to make it back-to-back The Hunter victories for the mares.

Lost And Running ($2.50 in 2021) and Vilana ($4.80 in 2022) are the latest The Hunter favourites to salute for the punters.

The Hunter Field

The Hunter race field attracts a quality line-up of both local and visiting gallopers with the 1300m distance open to attracting both sprinters as well as middle-distance horses.

There are a host of possible lead-up races for gallopers heading into The Hunter field including Randwick’s Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) on Spring Champion Stakes Day. For NSW country-trained horses, the $2 million The Kosciuszko (1200m) could be a potential target on The Everest Day for a number of The Hunter horses.

The inaugural The Hunter winner Savatiano came off an unplaced run in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington over the Melbourne Cup Carnival before relishing a drop in grade to win the lucrative feature.

In 2023 The Hunter winner Coal Crusher came via a lead-up win in Rosehill’s $3 million Winners Stakes (now Russell Balding)

Horses out of The Hunter field may also opt to back-up the following Saturday and drop in distance for a shot at the Gorup 3 $300,000 The Warra (1000m) at Kembla Grange.

2024 The Hunter Field

The official The Hunter 2024 Field & Barriers are set for release on the Wednesday of race week and will be listed below once final acceptances close.

The 2024 The Hunter final field features a class line-up of sprinters led in betting by Team Hawkes’ Smart Missile four-year-old Briasa coming off a three-length win at Randwick’s Kensington track and the widely drawn The Kosciuszko winner Far Too Easy. 

2024 The Hunter Nominations

Early The Hunter 2024 nominations are open until 11am (local time) on the Monday of race week with the full nominees to be detailed right here as soon as announced by the Newcastle Jockey Club.

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

The Hunter Tips

Top The Hunter racing tips include looking for in-form local hopes with a top Newcastle race record and to get behind any Group race graduates out of the earlier Sydney Spring Racing Carnival features.

Watching for any country horses out of The Kosciuszko who continue onto The Hunter is another good tip as is watching for horses with a strong record over the 1200m – 1400m distance.

Any mares coming off a run in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes are also a nice tip after the success of Savatiano in 2019.

2024 The Hunter Tips

Our insider Ladbrokes’ The Hunter 2024 tips and Newcastle spring racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so bookmark this page for the horses to get behind in the $1 million race this November.

• To Win: #3 Rustic Steel ($20 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Top edition of the now Group 2 The Hunter and happy to tip an upset with track specialist Rustic Steel looking outstanding value at $20 at time of publish. The Kris Lees-trained local Deep Field seven-year-old has a terrific Newcastle record (5:3-0-1) and has winning form up to a mile. Has the confidence of a record-breaking Hawkesbury win over 1500m in the Listed Ladies’ Day Cup with 59kg defeating Bandersnatch by a length. Recent form prior to that has been disappointing but happy to forgive fit now at his pet track drawn a dream barrier three gate and back to 57.5kg for Tim Clark. Huge value. 

The Hunter Form

The Hunter form guide provides all the race info needed to place a bet including the saddlecloth numbers, jockeys, trainers, lead-up form and track / distance stats on the horses in the field.

The Hunter form from 2020 was franked the following winter with the winner Sweet Deal running third in Brisbane’s Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara in 2021.

The 2023 The Hunter form was franked the following summer with the runner-up King Of Sparta going on to win the $1 million Magic Millions Snippets at the Gold Coast in January of 2024. 

2024 The Hunter Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive The Hunter 2024 form guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

The Hunter Results

The Hunter results listing all past The Hunter winners from the race’s inauguration in 2019 to the present are detailed in the below table.

The Hunter race record belongs to Coal Crusher who set a track record in 2023 winning in 1 minute 15.49 seconds.

The Hunter Winners

FAQ

When is The Hunter 2024?

What is the prize money for The Hunter 2024?

$1,000,000

Where is The Hunter 2024?

Newcastle Racecourse, 100, Darling Street, Broadmeadow New South Wales, 2292.