The Gai Waterhouse Classic is a Listed sprint for fillies and mares run and won at Ipswich Racecourse just outside of Brisbane at the tail end of the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival.
One of the key support races on the popular Ipswich Cup Day card, the event runs alongside the Listed $250,000 Ipswich Cup (2150m) and the Listed $200,000 Eye Liner Stakes (1350m).
Contested over 1200m as of 2022, the six furlongs sprint was previously run over 1350m and offers $160,000 in prize money, and is a quality handicap race open only to female gallopers.
The event is named in honour of Australian racing icon, prolific Sydney-based trainer Gai Waterhouse. The daughter of the late, great horseman Tommy (TJ) Smith, Waterhouse is known as the leading lady of racing in Australia and has prepared just shy of 150 Group 1 winners at time of publish.
She and co-trainer Adrian Bott enjoyed a breakthrough victory in her namesake race preparing the 2019 Gai Waterhouse Classic winner Ready To Prophet.
The latest edition of the Gai Waterhouse Classic ran on Saturday June 22, 2024 as part of Queensland’s Ipswich Cup Day and was won by the former Snowden-trained Extreme Choice four-year-old Wollombi ($12) who saluted first-up for her new trainer Tony Gollan.
2024 Gai Waterhouse Classic Results
The complete Gai Waterhouse Classic 2024 Results & Finishing Order will be listed below once the race takes place on Saturday June 22, 2024.
- 1st: #10 Wollombi
- 2nd: #3 Bezique
- 3rd: #11 Party For Two
2024 Gai Waterhouse Classic Odds
The season’s best Gai Waterhouse Classic 2024 betting odds and links to our markets on the field will be available right here as soon as released so stay tuned for the best Queensland winter racing odds online.
| 10. Wollombi (14) J: Vlad Duric 55.5kg 5746xT: Tony Gollan | ||
| 3. Bezique (16) J: Ryan Maloney 58kg 0x722T: Tony Gollan | ||
| 11. Party For Two (11) J: Nikita Beriman 54.5kg 9x135T: S O'Dea & M Hoysted | ||
| 4. Grey River (18) J: Justin Huxtable 58kg 74430T: Jon O'Connor | ||
| 14. Black On Beauty (3) J: Damien Thornton 53kg 926x1T: Tony Gollan | ||
| 6. Midnight In Tokyo (9) J: Martin Harley 57.5kg 1x313T: Annabel Neasham | ||
| 13. Typhoon Taavi (7) J: Angela Jones 54.5kg x6111T: Tony Gollan | ||
| 12. Lady Of Luxury (8) J: Bailey Wheeler 54.5kg 976x0T: Bjorn Baker | ||
| 17. Crazy Train (10) J: Ron Stewart 53kg 43303T: Matthew Dunn | ||
| 18. Burning Bell (12) J: Jim Byrne 54kg 61x16T: Toby Edmonds |
Gai Waterhouse Classic Race Info
- Date: Saturday June 22, 2024
- Track: Ipswich Racecourse
- Distance: 1200m
- Conditions: Quality Handicap – Fillies & Mares
- Status: Listed
- Prize Money: $160,000
Gai Waterhouse Classic Betting
Gai Waterhouse Classic betting markets are led by in-form winter sprinters with previous form in similar grade Queensland or interstate races.
Any interstate raiders making the trip up to the sunshine state for the event also sit high up the Gai Waterhouse Classic odds each season.
Lillemor ($4.20 in 2021), who came off a lead-up win in Sydney, was the last favourite in Gai Waterhouse Classic betting to salute for the punters.
Gai Waterhouse Classic Field
The Gai Waterhouse Classic race field attracts a quality line-up of fillies and mares coming off lead-up runs either in Queensland or interstate in similar grade and distance events.
Good potential lead-ups into the Gai Waterhouse Classic field include Brisbane’s Listed Daybreak Lover Stakes (1200m), which last produced a winner in Ready To Prophet (3rd in 2019), and the Listed Helen Coughlan Stakes (1200m).
Following a run in the Gai Waterhouse Classic field some of the better types may opt to back-up in the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) the next weekend at Eagle Farm.
Gai Waterhouse Classic nominations close the Monday before the race runs on the Saturday and final acceptances are out on the Wednesday.
2024 Gai Waterhouse Classic Field
The official Gai Waterhouse Classic 2024 Final Field & Barriers on the event will be provided in full below once announced on the Wednesday of race week so stay tuned to see the list of fillies and mares set to face off in the winter feature.
The 2024 Gai Waterhouse Classic field features a capacity field of fillies and mares to close the card on Ipswich Cup Day led in betting by Annabel Neasham’s Group 3 place-getter Midnight In Tokyo at time of publish.
| Entrant | Last 6 | Sex | Barrier | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Tashi (17) Scratched: | |||||
|
2. Eagle Nest
J: Michael Rodd
T: G Ryan & S Alexiou |
x90425 | M | 2 | 58.5kg | |
|
3. Bezique
J: Ryan Maloney
T: Tony Gollan |
10x722 | M | 16 | 58kg | |
|
4. Grey River
J: Justin Huxtable
T: Jon O'Connor |
x74430 | M | 18 | 58kg | |
|
5. You'll Be Mist
J: Jake Bayliss
T: Darryl Hansen |
10x106 | M | 19 | 58kg | |
|
6. Midnight In Tokyo
J: Martin Harley
T: Annabel Neasham |
21x313 | M | 9 | 57.5kg | |
|
7. Jaja Chaboogie
J: Michael Cahill
T: John Keys |
1400x0 | M | 6 | 57kg | |
|
8. Sneaky Paige
J: Cejay Graham
T: Brad Widdup |
55017x | M | 5 | 57kg | |
| 9. Le Melody (13) Scratched: | |||||
|
10. Wollombi
J: Vlad Duric
T: Tony Gollan |
35746x | M | 14 | 55.5kg | |
|
11. Party For Two
J: Nikita Beriman
T: S O'Dea & M Hoysted |
29x135 | F | 11 | 54.5kg | |
|
12. Lady Of Luxury
J: Bailey Wheeler
T: Bjorn Baker |
7976x0 | M | 8 | 54.5kg | |
|
13. Typhoon Taavi
J: Angela Jones
T: Tony Gollan |
5x6111 | M | 7 | 54.5kg | |
|
14. Black On Beauty
J: Damien Thornton
T: Tony Gollan |
x926x1 | M | 3 | 53kg | |
|
15. Blue Spinel
J: Mark Du Plessis
T: Tony Gollan |
11x309 | M | 1 | 53kg | |
|
16. Junqueira
J: Robbie Dolan
T: John O'Shea |
8145x5 | M | 15 | 53kg | |
|
17. Crazy Train
J: Ron Stewart
T: Matthew Dunn |
243303 | M | 10 | 53kg | |
|
18. Burning Bell
J: Jim Byrne
T: Toby Edmonds |
461x16 | M | 12 | 54kg | |
| 19. Centre Bounce (4) Scratched: | |||||
| 20. All Stashed Up (20) Scratched: | |||||
2024 Gai Waterhouse Classic Nominations
The Gai Waterhouse Classic 2024 early entries are taken on the Monday leading-up to the event with the full nominations to be published below.
| Last 10 | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x1211x5373 | ABOUNDING | F | 3 | Robert Heathcote | |
| 2 | 47×1211592 | ALL STASHED UP | M | 6 | Jennifer Fraser | 73 |
| 3 | 5x1110x722 | BEZIQUE | M | 4 | Tony Gollan | |
| 4 | x211x926x1 | BLACK ON BEAUTY | M | 5 | Tony Gollan | |
| 5 | 114x11x309 | BLUE SPINEL | M | 4 | Tony Gollan | 80 |
| 6 | 0x35461x16 | BURNING BELL | M | 5 | Toby Edmonds | 77.5 |
| 7 | 831×441120 | CENTRE BOUNCE | M | 4 | Matthew Dunn | 75 |
| 8 | 74×3243303 | CRAZY TRAIN | M | 6 | Matthew Dunn | 78 |
| 9 | 64x169x331 | DEEP ROUGE | M | 6 | Wayne Brown | |
| 10 | 1114×90425 | EAGLE NEST | M | 4 | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou | |
| 11 | 2x1221x611 | FANCIFY (NZ) | M | 4 | Michael Hickmott | |
| 12 | 5x16x74430 | GREY RIVER | M | 4 | Jon O’Connor | |
| 13 | 10291400×0 | JAJA CHABOOGIE | M | 7 | John Keys | 88 |
| 14 | 4x848145x5 | JUNQUEIRA | M | 4 | John O’Shea | 79.5 |
| 15 | 61624800×8 | LA SOEUR | M | 4 | Greg Ryan | 67 |
| 16 | 850x7976x0 | LADY OF LUXURY | M | 6 | Bjorn Baker | 83 |
| 17 | 3614×52880 | LE MELODY | M | 5 | Stephen Jones | 85 |
| 18 | x31221x313 | MIDNIGHT IN TOKYO | M | 4 | Annabel Neasham | 89.5 |
| 19 | 40x129x135 | PARTY FOR TWO | F | 3 | Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted | 84 |
| 20 | 11116×3899 | RUSSIAN ALLIANCE | F | 3 | Kevin Kemp | 80 |
| 21 | 5141980x9x | SHE MINE | F | 3 | Greg Ryan | 66 |
| 22 | 805x55017x | SNEAKY PAIGE | M | 5 | Brad Widdup | |
| 23 | 21x2477x13 | SPIRIT QUEEN | M | 4 | Tony Gollan | 75 |
| 24 | 412×121262 | TASHI | M | 4 | Peter & Paul Snowden | 94 |
| 25 | 12005×6111 | TYPHOON TAAVI | M | 5 | Tony Gollan | 83 |
| 26 | 17x435746x | WOLLOMBI | M | 4 | Tony Gollan | |
| 27 | 551910×106 | YOU’LL BE MIST | M | 5 | Darryl Hansen | 91 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
Gai Waterhouse Classic Tips
Good Gai Waterhouse Classic tips include backing mares coming off a top three run in Listed grade over at least 1200m in Brisbane or Sydney, and any past Ipswich winners.
Fillies also make a good Gai Waterhouse Classic tip with the three-year-olds boasting a good record. From 2009 – 2024 six fillies beat home the older mares, most recently Ready To Prophet in 2019.
In that time, only three of the 14 Gai Waterhouse Classic winners were over four-years-old, so sticking with the younger fillies and mares is a key tip.
2024 Gai Waterhouse Classic Tips
Our insider Gai Waterhouse Classic 2024 betting tips and Black-Type Queensland racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so you know what mares to get behind at the best odds on Ipswich Cup Day.
- To Win: #13 Typhoon Taavi ($8.50 at time of publish) – BET NOW
Wide open edition of the Gai Waterhouse at Ipswich, but have landed on one of the Tony Gollan contingent with this ultra-consistent daughter of I Am Invincible on a red hot streak. Hard to knock a mare going this good and she’s after her fourth win on the trot. The bonny and nicely-bred five-year-old has been carrying big weights to big wins in Brisbane this season and deserves a shot at Black-Type now. Two back she put nearly four lengths on her rivals in mid-April before a last start Eagle Farm victory at this distance by over two lengths in May. Freshened-up since, in on just 54.5kg, good draw and killer 1200m record (10:5-1-0). Can win.
Gai Waterhouse Classic Form Guide
The Gai Waterhouse Classic form guide features all the essential stats and info including the jockeys, trainers, barriers, weights and lead-up runs of the horses in the field.
Looking for three and four-year-old runners is key on the Gai Waterhouse Classic form guide, while the form facts also reveal wider barriers are a non-issue. From 2016 – 2024, five of the nine Gai Waterhouse Classic winners jumped from barrier 10 or wider including back-to-back wins from gate 14 with Maternal (2017) and Magic Alibi (2018).
The 2022 Gai Waterhouse Classic form was franked with the winner Centrefire returning the following January at the Gold Coast to win the inaugural $1 million Magic Millions The Syndicate in 2023.
2024 Gai Waterhouse Classic Form Guide
A link to our insider Gai Waterhouse Classic Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.
Past Gai Waterhouse Classic Results
Notable recent Gai Waterhouse Classic winners include Real Surreal (2015), Maternal (2017), Ready To Prophet (2019), and Centrefire (2022).
Recent Gai Waterhouse Classic winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2003 are detailed in the below table.
| Year | Winner | Second | Third |
| 2024 | Wollombi | Bezique | Party For Two |
| 2023 | Chassis | Better Get Set | Hellfest |
| 2022 | Centrefire | Maybe The Best | Majestic Shot |
| 2021 | Lillemor | Intrepidacious | Blazing Miss |
| 2020 | Solar Star | Jami Lady | Multaja |
| 2019 | Ready To Prophet | Organza | Skate To Paris |
| 2018 | Magic Alibi | Foxy Housewife | Plucky Girl |
| 2017 | Maternal | Kinshachi | Banda Spice |
| 2016 | Blueberry Hill | Elusive Catch | Echo Gal |
| 2015 | Real Surreal | Tukiyo | Fare Well |
| 2014 | Jazz Song | Griante | Breakfast In Bed |
| 2013 | Peron | Skating On Ice | Doubtfilly |
| 2012 | Gai’s Choice | Mascareri | Miss Barwang |
| 2011 | Born To Rock | Cicarelli | Flinders City |
| 2010 | Kryptelon | Beyonce’s Star | Paprika |
| 2009 | Dorf Command | Go Johemma | Kisani |
| 2008 | Bareena | Bella Valentina | Dance Girl Dance |
| 2007 | Lesmartre | Belles Opinion | Nepro |
| 2006 | Hasta La Ciao Ciao | Really Flying | Romare |
| 2005 | Au Chocolat | Kind Spirits | Charmview |
| 2004 | Star Of Flight | Paraca | Kind Spirits |
| 2003 | Ta Ta Tatiana | Irgunette | Feelers |
How do I bet on the 2024 Gai Waterhouse Classic?
Bet online or via the latest iOS/Android apps with Ladbrokes.
The first step is to create an account at ladbrokes.com.au. 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 2024 Gai Waterhouse Classic?
The best way to pick which horse will win the Gai Waterhouse Classic is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight the horse will carry (among other factors). Check out ladbrokes.com.au in the lead up to the race for full form information.