Toorak Handicap 2021

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 Caulfield Guineas Day in mid-October each year. On a meeting that is headlined by four Group 1 races, the Toorak Handicap is worth $1,000,000 in prize money as of 2021 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  Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and the Group 1 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 season the 2021 Toorak Handicap ran on Saturday October 9, 2021 and was won by the four-year-old favourite I’m Thunderstruck. 

2021 Toorak Handicap Results

The full Toorak Handicap 2021 Results & Finishing Order will be detailed below when the race takes place on 2021 Caulfield Guineas Day, Saturday October 9, 2021.

• 1st: #11 I’m Thunderstruck 
• 2nd: #1 Tofane
• 3rd: #2 Superstorm

The $7.5 million Golden Eagle in Sydney on October 30 is next-up for impressive Toorak Handicap 2021 winner I’m Thunderstruck ($3.20F) who saluted for the punters defeating the top-weighted mare Tofane (2nd) and last year’s third placed Superstorm (3rd) rounding out the trifecta again. 

Toorak Handicap Race Info

• Date: Saturday October 9, 2021
• Track: Caulfield Racecourse
• Distance: 1600m
• Conditions: Handicap
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $1,000,000
• 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 six saluting for the punters from 2010-21 including He’s Our Rokkii ($2.60 in 2016), Land Of Plenty ($4.20 in 2018) and I’m Thunderstruck ($3.10 in 2021). 

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), while there was another outsider at the top of the results in 2020 with Mr Quickie ($21).

2021 Toorak Handicap Odds

The updated Toorak Handicap 2021 betting odds complete with links to our Group 1

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 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.

2021 Toorak Handicap Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Toorak Handicap 2021 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.

• To Win: #11 I’m Thunderstruck ($2.80 at time of publish) 

Hard to bet against the well-supported favourite who was so good running that good third to Sierra Sue in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) last time out. That race has been the key form race to follow into the Toorak where this four-year-old son of Shocking gets the gun run from a great barrier (4) carrying just 52kg. Four-year-olds and favourites have a top stride-rate in the Toorak, he has winning form over 1500m so should run out the mile and is well-weighted after doing it tough from a wider barrier last time out against a similar field.

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.

2021 Toorak Handicap Field

The official Toorak Handicap 2021 Final Field & Barriers are set for release on the Wednesday leading-up to Caulfield Guineas Day and will be listed in full below so stay tuned to see what gun spring milers make the field.

The 2021 Toorak Handicap field features a quality line-up of spring stars including the trifecta out of the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes last time out: Sierra Sue (1st), Dice Roll (2nd) and I’m Thunderstruck (3rd) with the latter hot favourite to win with the light weight this weekend in the rematch.

• Scratched: #7 Harbour Views (14); #9 Aysar (7)

2021 Toorak Handicap Nominations

The early Toorak Handicap 2021 Nominations are taken the Monday of race week and will be available below once announced.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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 five times from 2013-21
• 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

2021 Toorak Handicap Form Guide

A link to our detailed Toorak Handicap 2021 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 on 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