The Quokka

The $5 million The Quokka race serves as a good lead-up to the summer’s Winterbottom Stakes race

The fourth edition of the $5 million The Quokka ran at Ascot Racecourse in Perth on Saturday, April 18, 2026 as The BYD Quokka and was won in a huge all-the-way performance by the flying Cindy Alderson-trained Jigsaw ($4F) who made it seven straight as the first favourite to salute in the event’s history.

2026 The Quokka Results

The official The Quokka 2026 results and finishing order will be known on Saturday, April 18, 2026 and published below.

Cindy Alderson’s flying seven-year-old, Jigsaw ($4F), was huge saluting for the punters with his brave all-the-way victory in the 2026 The Quokka results. The last start William Reid Stakes champion extended his winning streak to make it seven straight off another well-rated ride by apprentice Logan Bates who crossed from the wide gate and lead from barrier to box, only briefly relinquishing the lead in a tense moment close to the finishing line before the horse fought back and held off Rey Magnerio in the $5 million feature with the filly Talkanco running third.

2026 The Quokka Odds

The updated The Quokka 2026 betting odds will be provided below once racing markets open for the multi-million dollar Perth race followed by the official The Quokka finishing order after the event.

The Quokka Tips

The Quokka tips favour proven Group 1 sprinters, locals with a strong Ascot track record, and any graduates from the previous year’s Winterbottom Stakes.

2026 The Quokka Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive The Quokka 2026 racing tips will be detailed below a few days out from event so bookmark this page to see the sprinters to back and sack in the short-distanced clash.

The Quokka is a new slot-race held at Ascot Racecourse in Perth for the first time in April of 2023 when won by the Bjorn Baker-trained Overpass in a thrillingly narrow upset.

The now $5 million feature is the richest race held in Western Australia and is a sprint event run over 1200m.

It is also Australia’s fifth richest horse race after increasing from $4 million to $5 million in stakes ahead of the second edition.

The Quokka Day takes place on a Saturday in mid to late April, currently on the same date Sydney hosts the Group 1 All Aged Stakes and Group 1 Champagne Stakes.

The attention then heads west for The Quokka, which is a weight-for-age showdown.

The Quokka field is open to 13 slot holders at a cost of $200,000 each.

In a huge $5.5 million initiative by Perth Racing, The Quokka forms part of The Western Trilogy series, which brings thoroughbred, harness and greyhound races together for Australia’s first tri-code slot-racing event.

The race is named in honour of the quokka, dubbed the “happiest animal on Earth”, for which the state’s Rottnest Island is famous for.

The other races making up the massive autumn racing weekend are The Nullarbor (harness racing) and The Sandgroper (greyhounds).

The Quokka Day also features the Group 2 $500,000 Karrakatta Plate (1200m) for two-year-olds.

The Quokka joins a growing list of popular slot-racing events in Australia that have been boosted in popularity since Racing NSW introduced the now world-famous $20 million The Everest (1200m) which now holds Group 1 status.

Overpass successfully defended his The Quokka title in 2024.

Overpass also went on to defend his Winterbottom Stakes title in 2024.

In 2025 Jokers Grin became the second horse to win The Quokka race and the first locally trained champion of the lucrative event.

The 2026 Quokka belonged to Jigsaw, who stretched his winning streak to seven and delivered Ladbrokes slot holders back‑to‑back victories following their 2025 triumph with Jokers Grin.

The Quokka Race Info

• Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
• 2026 Race Name: The BYD Quokka
• Track: Ascot Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Special Conditions (Slot-Race)
• Prize Money: $5,000,000
• First Run: 2023

The Quokka Betting

The Quokka betting odds are dominated by Perth’s best sprinters and star interstate raiders travelling over for the now $5 million WFA feature.

Horses that perform well in the summer’s Perth Festival of Racing events including the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) sit higher up The Quokka markets for the autumn.

There was an upset in the inaugural edition in 2023 with Overpass saluting at The Quokka odds of $12.

Overpass (2023) completed The Quokka – Winterbottom Stakes double and also finished runner-up in that year’s Group 1 Doomben 10,000 results in Brisbane.

Overpass returned to successfully defend his The Quokka title in 2024 at $6 defeating the beaten favourite Amelia’s Jewel for the second year in a row.

There was a blowout The Quokka result in 2025 with Jokers Grin winning at $21 while the dual defending champion Overpass ($2.05F) ran fifth.

In 2026, Jigsaw ($4) became the first The Quokka favourite in history to salute for the punters.

The Quokka Field

The Quokka race field features 13 sprinters with spots in the event open for slot holders at $200,000 each.

Horses that perform well in prominent Australian Group 1 races including the Winterbottom Stakes (1200m), Lightning Stakes (1000m), Oakleigh Plate (1100m), Newmarket Handicap (1200m), William Reid Stakes, and the VRC Classic (1200m) during the Melbourne Cup Carnival are likely to be considered for a The Quokka slot.

Another good guide to The Quokka field is Perth’s Group 3 $1.5 million The Gold Rush (1400m) run in December.

Potential lead-up races into The Quokka field include the local Group 3 Roma Cup (1100m) and Sydney’s Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m).

In 2025, Jokers Grin improved on a 2nd in the Roma Cup at the track to win The Quokka in a notable upset.

In 2026, Jigsaw won his seventh race on the trot and completed the William Reid Stakes / The Quokka double.

2026 The Quokka Race Field

The official The Quokka 2026 field of final acceptances and barriers will be published below once confirmed.

The 2026 The Quokka final field features a capacity line-up of top-line sprinters including Cindy Alderson’s last start Group 1 William Reid Stakes champ Jigsaw chasing his incredible seventh win on the trot, Steve Wolfe’s Group 3 Roma Cup champ Rope Them In up in grade, The Galaxy runner-up Jedibeel, and the Bjorn Baker-trained Caballus coming off a Group 1 Newmarket Handicap win at HQ.

Ascot R8 - The Byd Quokka

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. Jigsaw J: Logan Bates T: Cindy Alderson	11x111	G	13	58.5kg
	2. Caballus J: Tommy Berry T: Bjorn Baker	181x21	G	9	58.5kg
	3. Rey Magnerio J: William Pike T: Robbie Griffiths	1331x6	G	5	58.5kg
	4. Magnificent Andy J: Brad Parnham T: Stephen Miller	15457x	G	2	58.5kg
	5. Jedibeel J: Tyler Schiller T: Brad Widdup	409x42	G	7	58.5kg
	6. Spywire J: John Allen T: Ciaron Maher	361571	G	1	58.5kg
	7. Oscar's Fortune J: Patrick Carbery T: Dion Luciani	264x13	G	12	58.5kg
	8. Rope Them In J: Shaun Mcgruddy T: Steve Wolfe	1249x1	G	10	58.5kg
	9. West Star J: Clint Johnston-Porter T: Simon A Miller	3x09x8	G	4	58.5kg
	10. Sisu Warrior J: Shaun O'donnell T: Dion Luciani	8674x1	G	8	58.5kg
	11. Smooth Chino J: Mark Zahra T: Indianna Weinert	x111x2	G	11	58.5kg
	12. Talkanco J: Lucy Fiore T: Daniel & Ben Pearce	22x224	F	3	54.5kg
	13. Luana Miss J: Chris Parnham T: Trevor Andrews	2117x4	F	6	54.5kg
	14. Repossession (14)  Scratched:
	15. Cessation (15)  Scratched:
	16. Cut The Talk (16)  Scratched:
	17. Sky Duke (17)  Scratched:

View Results

2026 The Quokka Slot Holders (Horse)

• Woodbridge & JLS Thoroughbreds (Talkanco)
•  TABtouch (Luana Miss)
• Sportsbet (Rey Magnerio)
• RAM Racing Syndicate #1 (Caballus)
• Unitbet / Chief Racing (Smooth Chino)
• Ladbrokes (Jigsaw)
• Magic Bloodstock Racing (West Star)
• Trackside NZ / Perth Racing (Jedibeel)
• Rapid Equine Breeding (Rope Them In)
• Trucking Nominees / Morton Racing (Magnificent Andy)
• Peters Investments (Oscar’s Fortune)
• RAM Racing Syndicate #2 (Spywire)
• Seacorp / Hallowell (Sisu Warrior)

Confirmed 2026 The Quokka Horses

Below punters can stay up to date with the latest confirmed The Quokka horses in 2026 that have secured a slot in the feature race at Ascot.

No. 1 JIGSAW

• Slot Holder: Ladbrokes
• Age & Gender: 7YO Gelding
• Breeding: by MANHATTAN RAIN from DEMANDZ (NZ)
• Trainer: Cindy Alderson
• Jockey: Logan Bates (a)
• Barrier: 13
• Owners: Ms C M Alderson, Mr M C Price

No. 2 CABALLUS

• Slot Holder: RAM Racing Syndicate #1
• Age & Gender: 5YO Gelding
• Breeding: by I AM INVINCIBLE from CALMING INFLUENCE
• Trainer: Bjorn Baker
• Jockey: Tommy Berry
• Barrier: 9
• Owners: Mr S G Darby, Mr R P Commisso, Mr S Ducat, Mr C J Houghton, KB JR Racing, Hekou Racing, Mr N Laygan, Mr J F Neilsen, Mrs M J Neven, Mr G J Pratley, Mr M Sultana, Mr D Constantin, Darby Racing Caballus

No. 3 REY MAGNERIO

• Slot Holder: Sportsbet
• Age & Gender: 6YO Gelding
• Breeding: by MAGNUS from LUCHARDO
• Trainer: Robbie Griffiths
• Jockey: William Pike
• Barrier: 5
• Owners: Mr R D Griffiths, Mr D P Goss, CVT Racing Club, Mr G Russo, M B S Racing No. 2, Mr S G Apperley, Eugene Berry Racing, Mrs P N Curran, Irish Rovers, Mr G D Malloch, Mr S Vasiljevic, Ms N Whyte, Miss S Vasiljevic, Miss P Vasiljevic, The Perfect Martini , S F Racing, Mr S I Mcrobert

No. 4 MAGNIFICENT ANDY

• Slot Holder: Rapid Equine Breeding
• Age & Gender: 5YO Gelding
• Breeding: by PLAYING GOD from LEAD ROPE
• Trainer: Steve Wolfe
• Jockey: Brad Parnham
• Barrier: 2
• Owners: Mr S J Wolfe, Mr R P Webb, Mr J M Monterrubio, Mr T Fassom, Mr R Tan, Mr L A Putland, Mrs A L Jones, Mr B K Willison, Mr G C Dickie, Mr N W Carter, Mr P N Carter, Circle Of Trust

No. 5 JEDIBEEL

• Slot Holder: Trackside NZ / Perth Racing
• Age & Gender: 6YO Gelding
• Breeding: by SAVABEEL from STARRY (NZ)
• Trainer: Brad Widdup
• Jockey: Tyler Schiller
• Barrier: 7
• Owners: Mr M J Gregg, Mr L Sheridan, Mulberry

No. 6 SPYWIRE

• Slot Holder: RAM Racing Syndicate #2
• Age & Gender: 4YO Gelding
• Breeding: by TRAPEZE ARTIST from SECRET TRAIL
• Trainer: Ciaron Maher
• Jockey: John Allen
• Barrier: 1
• Owners: Mr A Kheir, Mr J A O’Neill, A K Racing, Mr R M Anderson, Mr R El Daghl, Widden Stud Pty Ltd, Bromfield Park Pty Ltd, Mr L Caminiti, Deg Racing, Mr G J P Van Ameyden, Mr Z Zhang, Mr B C Carty, Mr D Edmonds, Mr J M Simmons, Ms S M Fitzgerald, Ciaron Maher Racing, Dugga’s Bloodstock

No. 7 OSCAR’S FORTUNE

• Slot Holder: Peters Investments
• Age & Gender: 5YO Gelding
• Breeding: by RICH ENUFF from OSCAR AWARD
• Trainer: Dion Luciani
• Jockey: Patrick Carbery
• Barrier: 12
• Owners: Loloma Farms Pty Ltd

No. 8 ROPE THEM IN

• Slot Holder: Rapid Equine Breeding
• Age & Gender: 5YO Gelding
• Breeding: by PLAYING GOD from LEAD ROPE
• Trainer: Steve Wolfe
• Jockey: Shaun McGruddy
• Barrier: 10
• Owners: Mr S J Wolfe, Mr R P Webb, Mr J M Monterrubio, Mr T Fassom, Mr R Tan, Mr L A Putland, Mrs A L Jones, Mr B K Willison, Mr G C Dickie, Mr N W Carter, Mr P N Carter, Circle Of Trust

No. 9 WEST STAR

• Slot Holder: Magic Bloodstock Racing
• Age & Gender: 4YO Gelding
• Breeding: by PLAYING GOD from JESTER DERRIERE
• Trainer: Simon A Miller
• Jockey: Clint Johnston-Porter
• Barrier: 4
• Owners: Mr D F Harris, Ms H Y Chan, Mrs S J Wright, Mr G M Wright, Esquin, Mr F F Fairthorne, Mr G R Butler, Mr C W Chalwell

No. 10 SISU WARRIOR

• Slot Holder: Seacorp / Hallowell
• Age & Gender: 6YO Gelding
• Breeding: by GOLD STANDARD from PORTO CRISTO
• Trainer: Dion Luciani
• Jockey: Shaun O’Donnell
• Barrier: 8
• Owners: Mt Hallowell Stud

No. 11 SMOOTH CHINO

• Slot Holder: Unitbet / Chief Racing
• Age & Gender: 4YO Gelding
• Breeding: by MASCHINO from AMOREI
• Trainer: Indianna Weinert
• Jockey: Mark Zahra
• Barrier: 11
• Owners: Miss I Weinert, Mrs M Hall, Mr B S Wilken

No. 12 TALKANCO

• Slot Holder: Woodbridge & JLS Thoroughbreds
• Age & Gender: 3YO Filly
• Breeding: by I’M ALL THE TALK from CALIANCO
• Trainers: Daniel & Ben Pearce
• Jockey: Ms Lucy Fiore
• Barrier: 3
• Owners: Woodbridge Thoroughbreds, Ms R Huckson, Mr R McCaffrey, Mr D K Spector, Mr T W Helfers, Mrs K J Helfers, Mr R A Bower, Mr J F O’leary, Mr A J Dobson, Pearce Racing, Mr R C Peterson, Mr I J Riley

No. 13 LUANA MISS

• Slot Holder: TABtouch
• Age & Gender: 3YO Filly
• Breeding: by BIVOUAC from LITTLE BIT DITSY
• Trainer: Trevor Andrews
• Jockey: Chris Parnham
• Barrier: 6
• Owners: Mr T M Andrews, Bolt Racing Group, Mr R J Fuller, Go With The Flow, Mr D P Andrews, Mr D A Houston, Mr M P Dixon, Mr P A Wildermoth, Darling View Racing, Mr C Valenti, Mr B K Willison, Mr G W Rogers, Mr A J Bansemer, JPS Thoroughbreds, Mr M Parfett, Mr B C Horan, Mr R S Anderson, Mr G C Dickie

The Quokka Form Guide

The Quokka form guide reveals all the information needed to place a wager including the saddlecloth numbers, starting barriers, jockeys, trainers and lead-up runs of the horses in the field.

Overpass franked the 2023 The Quokka form with seconds in the Doomben 10,000 and The Shorts in Brisbane and Sydney respectively before returning to Perth in the summer to salute in the Winterbottom Stakes results.

He then returned to defend his title in 2024 before another Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes win in Perth that summer.

2026 The Quokka Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive The Quokka 2026 race Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2026 THE QUOKKA FOR GUIDE

Past The Quokka Results

The inaugural The Quokka results saw the Bjorn Baker-trained Overpass win in 2023 for slot holders RAM Racing Syndicate.

Overpass returned to win The Quokka again in 2024 for the same slot holders.

Jokers Grin became the second horse to win in 2025 for slot holders Ladbrokes.

Ladbrokes went back-to-back as winning The Quokka slot holders in 2026 with Jigsaw.

The Quokka Winners

The Quokka winners and placegetters from the race’s inauguration in 2023 can be found in the below table.

Year	Winner	Second	Third	Time
2026	Jigsaw	Rey Magnerio	Talkanco	1:10.18
2025	Jokers Grin	Headwall	Generosity	1:09.31
2024	Overpass	Amelia’s Jewel	Oscar’s Fortune	1:08.88
2023	Overpass	Amelia’s Jewel	Bella Nipotina	1:09.53

FAQ

Who won the 2026 The Quokka?

The 2026 The Quokka was won by seven-year-old Manhattan Rain gelding Jigsaw who came off a lead-up Group 1 William Reid Stakes win in Melbourne and made it seven wins on the trot as the $4 favourite (the first The Quokka favourite to salute) for trainer Cindy Alderson and slot holders Ladbrokes with apprentice jockey Logan Bates aboard on 58.5kg from barrier 13 to lead all-the-way on a Soft (5) track and win by 0.36 lengths in a time of 1:10.18.

Who won the 2025 The Quokka?

The 2025 The Quokka was won by four-year-old Maschino gelding Jokers Grin at $21 for trainer Bernie Miller with jockey Patrick Carbery aboard on 58.5kg from barrier 13 to win by 0.17 lengths in a time of 1:09.31.

When is The Quokka 2026?

Saturday, April 18, 2026

What is the prize money for The Quokka 2026?

$5,000,000

Where is The Quokka 2026?

Ascot Racecourse, Grandstand Road, Ascot, WA 6104

How do I bet on the 2026 The Quokka?

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 2026 The Quokka?

The best way to pick which horse will win The Quokka 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.