Ladbrokes Tip: Graduates out of the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes have a dominant record in the Toorak Handicap

The Toorak Handicap is one of the key mile features of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival and runs over 1600m at Caulfield Racecourse on Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas Day in mid-October each year. On a meeting that is headlined by four Group 1 races, the Toorak Handicap is worth $500,000 in prize money and was first run in 1881 when Josephine won the inaugural edition. Open to horses aged three-years-old and above it has held Group 1 status since 1979 and is traditionally contested by horses that come via a lead-up run at the track in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m). Trust In A Gust (2014) was the last horse to do the Sir Rupert Clarke – Toorak Handicap double.

The other elite level races that run alongside the Toorak Handicap at the meeting are the: Group 1 Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas (1600m), the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) and the Group 1 Ladbrokes Caulfield Stakes (2000m) for possible Cox Plate horses.

Notable Toorak Handicap winners over the years include Royal Gem (1946), Galilee (1966), Leilani (1974), Roman Arch (2003), More Joyous (2010) and recent dual champ Solzhenitsyn (2012 & 2013).

This year the 2019 Toorak Handicap ran on Saturday October 12, 2019 and was won by valuable stud prospect Fierce Impact. 

2019 Toorak Handicap Results

The full Toorak Handicap 2019 Results & Finishing Order will be detailed below when the race takes place on 2019 Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas Day, Saturday October 12, 2019.

• 1st: #12 Fierce Impact
• 2nd: #5 Night’s Watch
• 3rd: #11 Age Of Chivalry

The Toorak Handicap 2019 results saw an upset win with the well-bred Deep Impact stallion Fierce Impact ($18) scoring a dominant 1.75 length win over the equal favourite Night’s Watch.

Toorak Handicap Race Info

• Date: Saturday October 12, 2019
• Track: Caulfield Racecourse
• Distance: 1600m
• Conditions: Handicap
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $500,000
• First Run: 1881

Toorak Handicap Betting & Odds

Toorak Handicap betting markets are traditionally led by horses that ran in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at the same track, which has produced six winners from 2012-18 including Trust In A Gust (2014) who completed the double.

Previous experience over the mile also bodes well for horses at the top of the Toorak Handicap odds.

Favourites in the Toorak Handicap betting odds have a solid record in the race over the past decade with five saluting for the punters from 2010-19 including He’s Our Rokkii ($2.60 in 2016) and Land Of Plenty ($4.20 in 2018).

Upsets though are also not uncommon with the longest priced Toorak Handicap winner in recent history being Allez Wonder ($41 in 2009). A roughie hope also saluted in 2019 with Fierce Impact ($18) defeating the equal favourite Night’s Watch ($7).

2019 Toorak Handicap Odds

The updated Toorak Handicap 2019 betting odds complete with links to our Group 1 Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas Day markets will be available below as soon as open so stay tuned for the best mile racing odds online.

Toorak Handicap tips that are the most likely to pay off are to take the best performers coming out of the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. In 2012 and 2013 Solzhenitsyn ran third in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes before his back-to-back Toorak victories, while Trust In A Gust won both races in 2014.

Other Toorak Handicap tips are to take a runner drawn in barrier 11, which produced two of the past four winners from 2011-2014, and look for the four-year-olds who have a dominant recent record in the Toorak Handicap results since 2005.

Looking over the history of the race, it is clear the wider-drawn horses and Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes placegetters are the best to back in Toorak Handicap tipping.

2019 Toorak Handicap Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Toorak Handicap 2019 betting tips will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for the milers to get behind at the best value Caulfield odds this spring.

Toorak Handicap Field

The Toorak Handicap field has a capacity of 18 starters, that maximum last lining up in 2008 when Alamosa won the classic before the race drew capacity starters again in both 2017 – when Japanese import Tosen Stardom saluted – and 2018 when the favourite Land Of Plenty got the job done for the punters. The Toorak Handicap field also ran at capacity in 2019 when the Japanese-bred gallopers won for the second time in two years via the Matthew Smith-trained Fierce Impact.

It is a race known for its big fields with no single figure fields lining-up in over 30 years. Final Toorak Handicap acceptances are taken on the Wednesday before the race and feature the best milers of the season. The nominations for the race close the Monday two days out from the field and barrier draw release every October.

Trust In A Gust (2014) completed the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes – Toorak Handicap double. Photo Credit: Race Horse Photos Australia.

Horses traditionally come into the Toorak Handicap field via a lead-up run in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and may continue onto the Melbourne Cup Carnival to contest later Group 1 features including the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) run at Flemington on the Saturday after the Melbourne Cup.

2019 Toorak Handicap Field

The official Toorak Handicap 2019 Final Field & Barriers are set for release on the Wednesday leading-up to Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas Day and will be listed in full below so stay tuned to see what gun spring milers make the field.

The 2019 Toorak Handicap field features a capacity line-up including Age Of Chivalry and Widgee Turf who ran second and third respectively in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes – a key lead-up into the mile feature.

Scratchings:

#16 Iconoclasm (21) drew the outside alley and has subsequently been scratched paving the way for UK raider Chief Ironside (2) to gain a start carrying only 52kg.

#9 Tom Melbourne (18) from the powerhouse Chris Waller stables is out of the race. The perennial runner-up’s withdrawal sees consistent Adelaide galloper Waging War get his chance with just 52kg in gate four.

#21e Twilight Run (5) failed to gain a run in the race as the third emergency.

Toorak Handicap Form Guide

The Toorak Handicap form guide features all the crucial information like saddlecloth numbers, jockeys, trainers and the allocated weights of all the horses in the field. Looking for horses that ran first three in their lead-up run is important as the Toorak Handicap form shows that gallopers that finished in the money last time out have the best record in the Group 1. Wide gates have produced as many winners as inside gates over the past decade.

Toorak Handicap Form Facts

• The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes has produced more Toorak Handicap winners than any other lead-up since 2011
• Favourites in Toorak Handicap betting saluted four times from 2013-19
• Four-year-olds have the best record overall in the Toorak Handicap results going back over the past 30 years
• More Joyous (2010) was the last mare to win the Toorak Handicap

2019 Toorak Handicap Form Guide

A link to our detailed Toorak Handicap 2019 Form Guide will be provided for punters the week of the race.

Toorak Handicap Results

The Toorak Handicap results and finishing order of all starters is known when the event runs as Caulfield Race 7 on Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas Day. You can find out the winner, quinella, trifecta, first four as well as the winning margin for any exotic bets placed on the spring major.

Toorak Handicap Winners