This season the Underwood Stakes 2026 runs on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at Caulfield Racecourse as a lead-up to the spring majors like the Cox Plate.
The Underwood Stakes fires up the middle‑distance action in Melbourne each spring, and Ladbrokes punters are already zeroing in on the latest Underwood Stakes odds and expert Underwood Stakes betting tips as the weight‑for‑age stars step out. Run over a testing 1800 metres, this Group 1 is a major checkpoint for Cox Plate contenders and elite WFA performers building through their campaigns. With big stables unveiling headline runners, market movers shaping early value, and proven middle‑distance guns returning to peak fitness, the Underwood Stakes delivers high‑class racing, strong turnover and serious spring intel — giving Ladbrokes customers a powerful read on which horses are ready to explode heading into the carnival.
2026 Underwood Stakes Odds
The spring’s best Underwood Stakes 2026 betting odds and links to our Group 1 Melbourne racing markets will be provided below once open so stay tuned for access to the top weekend odds and offers.
| 1. Sir Delius | ||
| 2. Aeliana | ||
| 3. Birdman | ||
| 4. Cosmic Crusader | ||
| 5. Lindermann | ||
| 6. Tom Kitten | ||
| 7. Well Written | ||
| 8. Yellow Jersey | ||
| 9. Buckaroo | ||
| 10. Getta Good Feeling | ||
| 11. Green Spaces | ||
| 12. Light Infantry Man | ||
| 13. Ohope Wins | ||
| 14. Pericles | ||
| 15. Shes A Hustler | ||
| 16. Barnavara | ||
| 17. Half Yours | ||
| 18. Litzdeel | ||
| 19. Machine Gun Gracie | ||
| 20. Thebudgiesmugla |
Underwood Stakes Tips
Underwood Stakes betting tips are usually headed by the top four-year-olds in the race as every Underwood winner from 2008 – 2013 won as a 4YO before Foreteller broke the streak winning as an eight-year-old in 2014.
Since then, the older horses have prevailed with Mourinho (8yo in 2015) and Black Heart Bart (6yo in 2016), but Bonneval (4YO in 2017) returned the younger gallopers to winning form in 2017. The 2018 Underwood Stakes winner was European expat Homesman who saluted as a five-year-old.
Black Heart Bart won his second Underwood Stakes as a veteran nine-year-old in 2019, while the four-year-olds were back in winning form in 2020 with Russian Camelot.
In 2021 European expat Zaaki won the Underwood Stakes as a lightly raced seven-year-old.
Alligator Blood then went back-to-back in 2022 and 2023 as a six and then seven-year-old respectively.
Buckaroo won the 2024 Underwood Stakes as a six-year-old before his second to five-year-old import Sir Delius in 2025.
Underwood Stakes tipping also favours horses drawn in a single digit barrier with only three of the winners from 2008- 2025 saluting from a wide barrier with the latest being Buckaroo (barrier 10 in 2024) and Sir Delius (barrier 10 in 2025).
Any Kiwi-trained horses could also feature prominently in the Underwood tips as New Zealand horses have a strong record in the race with four wins since 2011 with Lion Tamer (2011), Ocean Park (2012), It’s A Dundeel (2013), and the mare Bonneval (2017). In 2021 the Kiwi-trained mare Probabeel was brave running second to the standout champion Zaaki.
2026 Underwood Stakes Tips
Our Ladbrokes’ insider Underwood Stakes 2026 betting tips and Melbourne racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for the horses to back and sack in the Caulfield Cup lead-up race.
Ladbrokes Tip: The John F Feehan Stakes is the best guide to the Underwood Stakes results
The Underwood Stakes is a weight-for-age race for staying types held at Caulfield Racecourse* in late September or early October each Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. Held over 1800m under weight-for-age conditions the classic is open to horses aged three and over and is currently worth $1 million.
*In 2021 and 2022 the Underwood Stakes ran at Sandown Hillside. In 2023 the Underwood Stakes Day card returned to Caulfield Racecourse having run at Sandown the past two years.
First run in 1924 the opening two editions of the Underwood were both won by Whittier (1924 & 1925).
Other notable Underwood Stakes winners over the years include Phar Lap (1931), triple champion Ajax (1938, 1939, 1940), Rain Lover (1969), Bonecrusher (1986), Jeune (1994), Octagonal (1996), Northerly (2001 & 2002), So You Think (2010), It’s A Dundeel (2013), and Zaaki (2021).
It has been run as a Group 1 major since 1979 and often attracts graduates of the Memsie Stakes.
The Underwood Stakes is the feature race at the meeting in Melbourne with racing in Sydney on the same day dominated by the $1 million 7 Stakes at Randwick.
In a calendar adjustment, the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m), a significant spring handicap, will move back from mid-November to its former position on Underwood Day in September. This relocation will once again make the September meeting a feature Group 1 double-header with the Underwood Stakes and renew its established link with the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m), which takes place three weeks later on Caulfield Guineas Day.
The other key races on the Underwood Stakes Day card are the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) and the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m).
In 2020 the Underwood Stakes ran on a Saturday and was won by odds-on favourite Russian Camelot who went on to frank the form with a next-up Caulfield Stakes second and third in that year’s Cox Plate trifecta.
In 2023 Alligator Blood successfully defended his title to become the 13th multiple Underwood Stakes winner in history and the first to go back-to-back since Northerly (2001-02).
Underwood Stakes Race Info
- Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
- Track: Caulfield Racecourse
- Distance: 1800m
- Conditions: Weight-for-age
- Status: Group 1
- Prize Money: $1,000,000
- First Run: 1924
2026 Underwood Stakes Results
The official Underwood Stakes 2026 results and finishing order will be provided below once the race is run and won on Saturday, September 19, 2026.
Underwood Stakes Betting
Underwood Stakes betting markets really heat up the week of the race and are led by horses that ran top four in their final lead-up. Only two Underwood Stakes winner has finished worse than fourth in their previous run since 1997, the latest being Black Heart Bart (2019).
Plenty have won their lead-up race including Kiwi raider Ocean Park who took out the Group 1 Challenge Stakes back home and Bonneval (2017) who backed-up from a win in the Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) – now run as the Feehan Stakes and most recently Zaaki who won the Tramway Stakes first-up ahead of his win as the $1.18 favourite in the Underwood Stakes in 2021.
In 2024 Buckaroo backed-up for a Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes win over the mile at Randwick in Sydney to win the Underwood.
The Memsie Stakes meanwhile has produced a number or recent Underwood Stakes winners with the last to do the double being So You Think (2010). Black Heart Bart (2016) was the first favourite Underwood Stakes betting to salute for the punters since So You Think six years earlier. He also won again three years later in 2019 at $101!
Russian Camelot ($1.55 in 2020) followed by Zaaki ($1.18 in 2021) and then Alligator Blood ($3.60 in 2023) for his second victory in the event are the latest Underwood Stakes favourites to win.
Underwood Stakes Field
The Underwood Stakes race field traditionally attracts 10 or more starters including a full 16 in 2004 when Elvstroem saluted as a four-year-old, but in 2017 ran under that with just eight starters. The following spring the 2018 Underwood Stakes field also drew a small line-up of only nine hopefuls, before Zaaki scared off the bulk of the rivals with just five horses in the 2021 Underwood Stakes field.
There was another small six-horse Underwood Stakes field in 2022 with Zaaki returning only to run third behind Alligator Blood, while in 2023 Alligator Blood defended his title against a near capacity field of 14 rivals.
The 2024 Underwood Stakes field ran with 12 horses, while 11 lined up in 2025 when Buckaroo ran second in a failed title defence behind Sir Delius.
The field for the Underwood Stakes race is released on the Wednesday before the race runs as the marquee of that weekend’s Melbourne race meeting and features the season’s top weight-for-age hopes, many heading towards the Ladbrokes Cox Plate in a month’s time at Moonee Valley.
Horses traditionally come into the Underwood Stakes field via an earlier Melbourne lead-up run in a race like the Group 2 Feehan Stakes (1600m) or the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) run at Moonee Valley and Flemington respectively.
Alligator Blood (2nd in 2022 and 2023) was the last Makybe Diva Stakes graduate to win the Underwood Stakes.
2026 Underwood Stakes Field
The official Underwood Stakes 2026 Final Field & Barriers will be announced by Racing Victoria on the Wednesday of race week and will be provided in full below so stay tuned to see what Caulfield Cup hopefuls line-up in the weight-for-age Group 1.
2026 Underwood Stakes Nominations
The Underwood Stakes 2026 nominations are taken on the Monday of race week and usually feature staying types eyeing runs in upcoming classic spring races like the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate.
Underwood Stakes Form Guide
The Underwood Stakes form guide is a must view reference for punters with all the info from saddlecloth and barrier numbers to the horse’s lead-up form listed.
Favourites in Underwood Stakes betting have a pretty poor recent record with Black Heart Bart (2016), Russian Camelot (2020), Zaaki (2021), Alligator Blood (2023) for his second and Sir Delius (2025) the only ones to salute since So You Think (2010), so the form guide can be a great way to uncover the value in the market by looking at proven weight-for-age types with winning form up to at least a mile.
The 2021 Underwood Stakes form was franked with the winner Zaaki, scratched from the Cox Plate that year on race morning as the favourite, going on to win Flemington’s Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes that spring before returning in 2022 to win the The All-Star Mile the following autumn.
After his third in the 2022 Underwood Stakes Zaaki would continue on to successfully defend his Mackinnon Stakes (VRC Champions Stakes) title that Melbourne Cup Carnival. The 2022 Underwood Stakes form was further franked with the winner Alligator Blood also saluting at headquarters that November in the Group 1 Champions Mile (1600m).
In 2023 Alligator Blood won the Underwood Stakes and then the Group 1 Might And Power (2000m), while the form was franked by sixth placegetter Without A Fight who went on to win the Group 1 $5 million Caulfield Cup a month later before his win in that year’s Melbourne Cup race.
Alligator Blood would go on to frank the Underwood form in 2023 with thirds in the Cox Plate and Champions Mile that spring.
The 2024 Underwood Stakes form was franked by the winner Buckaroo who went on to run second in both the Turnbull Stakes and Caulfield Cup that spring.
Sir Delius added his name to the honour roll in 2025, becoming the latest galloper to sweep the Underwood Stakes – Turnbull Stakes double — a proven spring launching pad.
Underwood Stakes Form Facts
- Since 2010 only five favourite in Underwood Stakes betting have saluted for the punters.
- From 2008-2025 just three Underwood Stakes winners jumped from a double-digit barrier with It’s A Dundeel (12 of 14 in 2013), Buckaroo (10 of 12 in 2024) and Sir Delius (10 of 11 in 2025).
- New Zealand-trained horses won the Underwood Stakes three times on the trot from 2011-13 and again in 2017.
- Tristarc way back in 1985 was the last Underwood Stakes winning mare before Bonneval (2017) broke the drought.
2026 Underwood Stakes Form
A link to our detailed Underwood Stakes 2026 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.
Past Underwood Stakes Results
The Underwood Stakes race results list the exact finishing order of all the starters plus any horses scratched from the original final field. You can see where your selections finished after the event runs late on the card on Underwood Stakes Day and also view the winning time and margin for any exotic bets.
Upset Underwood Stakes results have been common in the past decade including the 2015 win by Mourinho at odds of 16/1.
Notable recent Underwood Stakes winners include Black Heart Bart (2016, 2019), It’s A Dundeel (2013), So You Think (2010), Russian Camelot (2020), Zaaki (2021), and the latest two-time champion Alligator Blood (2022, 2023).
Bonneval (2017) was the last Underwood Stakes winning mare.
Russian Camelot (2020) was the last three-year-old Underwood Stakes winner.
Oliver Twist holds the current 1800m Underwood Stakes race record winning in 2000 in a time of 1 minute 47:63 seconds.
Recent Underwood Stakes Winners
Recent Underwood Stakes winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2001 are detailed in the below table.
| Year | Winner | Second | Third | Winning Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2025 | Sir Delius | Buckaroo | Golden Path | 1:49.12 |
| 2024 | Buckaroo | Huetor | Pericles | 1:49.00 |
| 2023 | Alligator Blood | Tuvalu | Duais | 1:48.53 |
| 2022 | Alligator Blood | Mo’unga | Zaaki | 1:48.98 |
| 2021 | Zaaki | Probabeel | Superstorm | 1:49.20 |
| 2020 | Russian Camelot | Humidor | Arcadia Queen | 1:50.8 |
| 2019 | Black Heart Bart | Homesman | Gailo Chop | 1:49.2 |
| 2018 | Homesman | Tosen Basil | Humidor | 1:48.7 |
| 2017 | Bonneval | Hartnell | Gailo Chop | 1:48.4 |
| 2016 | Black Heart Bart | He Or She | Lucia Valentina | 1:50.6 |
| 2015 | Mourinho | Fawkner | The Cleaner | 1:48.8 |
| 2014 | Foreteller | Happy Trails | Crackerjack King | 1:50.2 |
| 2013 | It’s A Dundeel | Atlantic Jewel | Dear Demi | 1:54.7 |
| 2012 | Ocean Park | Voila Ici | December Draw | 1:51.4 |
| 2011 | Lion Tamer | Southern Speed | Midas Touch | 1:50.0 |
| 2010 | So You Think | Dariana | Metal Bender | 1:49.5 |
| 2009 | Heart Of Dreams | Whobegotyou | Predatory Pricer | 1:49.5 |
| 2008 | Weekend Hussler | Pompeii Ruler | Littorio | 1:49.8 |
| 2007 | Rubiscent | Miss Finland | Marasco | 1:49.0 |
| 2006 | El Segundo | Polar Bear | Molotov | 1.49.5 |
| 2005 | Perlin | Our Smoking Joe | Shes Justa Tad | 1.52.7 |
| 2004 | Elvstroem | Shes Archie | Delzao | 1.50.0 |
| 2003 | Mummify | Grey Song | Aint Seen Nothing | 1.49.5 |
| 2002 | Northerly | Magical Miss | Don Eduardo | 1.48.9 |
| 2001 | Northerly | Universal Prince | Kaapstad Way | 1.50.2 |
FAQs
How do I bet on the 2026 Underwood Stakes?
Bet online or via the latest iOS/Android apps with Ladbrokes.
The first step is to create an account at Ladbrokes. 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 Underwood Stakes?
The best way to pick which horse will win the Underwood Stakes is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight the horse will carry (among other factors). Check out Ladbrokes in the lead up to the race for full form information.
When is the Underwood Stakes 2026?
The 2026 Underwood Stakes is set to run on Saturday September 19 at Caulfield during the early stages of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
What is the prize money for the Underwood Stakes 2026?
The 2026 Underwood Stakes prize money is set at $1 million which is paid from 1st to 8th place including $600,000 going to the Underwood Stakes winner.
Where is the Underwood Stakes 2026?
The 2026 Underwood Stakes is set to run a Melbourne's Caulfield Racecourse, home to many iconic races including the Caulfield Cup each October, which is located at Gate 2, Station St, Caulfield East VIC 3145.
What distance is the Underwood Stakes run over?
The Underwood Stakes is run over 1800 metres, a key middle‑distance spring contest that regularly shapes elite weight‑for‑age form for Ladbrokes punters assessing Underwood Stakes odds and sharpening their Underwood Stakes betting plays.
How many horses run in the Underwood Stakes?
The Underwood Stakes typically attracts a field of around 10–14 runners, depending on acceptances in a given year. As a Group 1 weight‑for‑age event, it usually assembles a compact but high‑quality line‑up of proven and emerging middle‑distance stars — ideal for Ladbrokes punters checking out the Underwood Stakes betting odds and sharpening their Underwood Stakes betting predictions.
Who won the 2025 Underwood Stakes?
The 2025 Underwood Stakes was won by five-year-old Frankel horse Sir Delius at $2.10 favouritism for trainers Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott with jockey Craig Williams aboard on 59kg from barrier 10 to win by 0.46 lengths on a Good (3) track in a time of 1:49.12.