Blue Diamond Stakes Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2026

The Blue Diamond Stakes is a jewel in Australia’s horse calendar in addition to being the most lucrative Victorian race for two-year-old runners with a whopping $2,000,000 up for grabs in prize money. The 1,200m Blue Diamond Stakes is held at the lovely Caulfield Racecourse where it is run under set weight requirements to level the field. The Blue Diamond Stakes has transformed into a focal race for young talents ever since its inception in 1971.

Looking for some quick facts about the Blue Diamond Stakes? No stress, we’ve got you covered! Check out the table here:

Being one of the premier thoroughbred horse races for two-year-olds in the country, the Blue Diamond Stakes also boasts one of the richest prize pools for any race, either Australian or International, for two-year-old Group 1 racers. 

Additionally, the Blue Diamond Stakes is one of the most prestigious Group One races worldwide with many notable winners in years gone by. The aforementioned 1,200m trip is under set weights to see which 2YO has the class to come out on top. 

For those who don’t know what we mean by a Group 1 race, it is the highest level of horse racing in Australia for thoroughbreds, usually bringing in a host of the nation’s best runners. All these horses meet at Caulfield Racecourse in Victoria to fight it out for the Blue Diamond Stakes.

In this page dedicated to the Blue Diamond Stakes, we will dive into the history of the Blue Diamond Stakes and its home venue of Caulfield Racecourse. Caulfield Racecourse is one of the top tracks in Australia and is home to many Group 1s, including none other than the Caulfield Cup.

Be sure to check back with us here at OnlyRacing as we will investigate the potential field of runners for the Blue Diamond Stakes, where and how to bet and where to watch the Blue Diamond Stakes come race day on Saturday the 21st of February 2026. We hope this information assists you in knowing the ins and outs of the Blue Diamond Stakes and informs you as to what to punt on for the big race.

The prize money for the Blue Diamond Stakes is eye-popping, that's for sure. So, why don’t you check out the breakdown (and dream about the things you would buy if you were an owner of the winning horse!):

The field for the Blue Diamond Stakes isn’t available just yet. This means that we don’t yet have all the information we need to provide our tips for the race. We will wait until race week, when the final field is announced, to provide our Blue Diamond Stakes tips. We also have heaps of Caulfield tips as well, if you want tips all throughout the year.

It is also worth noting that the prices of some of the potential horses for the 2026 Blue Diamond Stakes will drop as the race time gets closer. It is likely very beneficial to lock in your favourite runners early to ensure the best price on your fixed bets for the Blue Diamond Stakes on February 21st. 

Our free horse racing tips aren’t available just yet for the 2026 Blue Diamond Stakes, but you can view all our 2025 tips right here:

Blue Diamond Stakes Best Bet - Cherish Me

Oh boy, there are a lot of choices for the Blue Diamond Stakes in 2025 and we see a competitive field of 16 runners line up. There are a lot of quality 2YOs in this one, but I’m siding with Cherish Me, who is currently paying $7.00 with PlayUp. Five of the 16 runners in this year’s edition of the Blue Diamond Stakes are in single digits.

The filly comes from the Ciaron Maher barn and I think the trainer has to be respected here. There are big plans for Cherish Me that start with the Blue Diamond Stakes. Won impressively on debut in Geelong back in early January where she ran the fastest last 200m on the card. Maher had the plan to keep her fresh for this one.

Blue Diamond Stakes Next Best - Field Of Play

Field Of Play certainly has to be respected in this one. The gelding comes into the Blue Diamond Stakes as the current narrow favourite at $5.00. I would say it was his eye-catching run in the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude two weeks ago that is the major factor for his favouritism.

The Blue Diamond Prelude is a clear lead-up race and looking back, the favourite has won six times since 2011, so that’s about a 50% strike rate. Field Of Play has only raced twice but is looking for the trifecta of wins on Saturday to get his career off to the best possible start. Blake Shinn takes the reins once again and barrier five looks good.

Blue Diamond Stakes Best Roughie - Tempted

As the field for the Blue Diamond Stakes is so open, Tempted is considered one of the more favoured runners but is still going around with odds of $8.50 thanks to PlayUp. So, the filly slots in as my best roughie. She comes into this with a little more experience under her belt with three trials and a career record of 2:1-1-0.

I’m not a fan of the wide barrier, but other than that, a lot is working in her favour. We last saw Tempted in the Group 3 Widden Stakes, where she was a bit unlucky and finished second by 0.1L to The Playwright. I think there’s plenty of upside with her and for $8.50, I can’t pass that up, expecting some improvement here.

Betting on the Blue Diamond Stakes successfully usually requires an analysis of a wide range of punting markets using different betting app. This is our recommendation but we have no doubt some of you may be lucky to pick the winner of the 2026 Blue Diamond Stakes. 

Here is a list of suggestions for markets to bet on for the Blue Diamond Stakes:

• Fixed Win/ Place bets on the best and your favourite runner/s in the 2026 Blue Diamond Stakes.
• Exotic bets in the form of Exacta/ Quinella/ Trifecta/ First Four to cover all your bases and favourite runners in the Blue Diamond Stakes this year.
• Quaddies and multi bets across the entirety of the February 21st meet at Caulfield Racecourse to include the Blue Diamond Stakes runners, as well as runners from other races at Caulfield Racecourse that day.
  

So, there are our recommended markets for you to try out with when it comes to betting on the Blue Diamond Stakes. But now the question remains - who are you going to bet with? It’s a simple question, but it can have a complicated answer due to the fact there are so many horse racing betting sites to choose from!

It’s not all doom and gloom though, the team at OnlyRacing is always here to help you out, and we’ve conducted a deep dive on all the key Australian betting sites and provided comprehensive reviews on each of them. We think it’s a good idea to have multiple bookie accounts because this means you can take advantage of differing odds and any betting site's bonuses.

One of the top bookies we are loving at the moment is Elitebet. They are a true horse racing bookie and certainly one of the best betting apps with all the bells and whistles you’ll love. Their odds are also very solid, so certainly worth checking out if you haven’t already.

Another bookie that’s on our recommendation list is VicBet. Managed by a father and son duo, VicBet is another bookie that has a great focus on horse racing. There are heaps of betting options available on horse racing and some of the betting promotions you don’t usually see with other bookies.

Dabble  is another bookie that you should investigate if you’re in the market for a new bookie. Dabble is all about social betting, and you can copy other punters' bets, see which punters are trending and even chat with other punters in the Banter channels! 

So, there are just three of our top recommended bookies. If you’re looking for more recommendations (which we think you are!) on who to bet with on the Blue Diamond Stakes, check out our “Betting Sites” section above!

For all those looking for the final field for the Blue Diamond Stakes, we’ve got some not-so-good news for you. The field for the 2026 Blue Diamond Stakes isn't available just yet. The field for the Blue Diamond Stakes is confirmed each year during race week.

Please remember that as the 2026 field isn’t confirmed, the odds will likely continue to change in the lead-up to the race. Odds are very fickle in any race, and this is especially the case for Group 1s.

While we wait for the 2026 Blue Diamond Stakes field to be confirmed, you can check out the runners who took part in the race in 2025:

For the Blue Diamond Stakes in 2025, we saw a full field of 16 runners confirmed. There aren’t any emergencies listed either, this means if we saw any pre-race scratchings the field would be reduced in size. In the end, we did see one scratching, with Icarian Dream not taking part in the race.

If you’re new to the world of horse racing, you’ll notice that there are lots of scratchings. They are very commonplace, even in key races like the Blue Diamond Stakes. Scratchings can happen on the day of the race or potentially even just a minute before the allotted race jump time. 

We’ve all been there and know how annoying it can be to see your chosen runner be scratched. But on the flip side, it’s important to note that you will get your cash back into your account if this does happen.

Something else you need to be aware of when looking at the final field is the barrier draw. While the Blue Diamond Stakes is a sprint race, the barrier doesn’t come into play too much. However, there are still some barriers that have a higher success rate than others, so it is something to consider.

The form guide and form indicators for the Blue Diamond Stakes are essential to look at if you’re going to be betting on the race. The stats don’t lie, that’s for sure! It’s vital to have all the information available to you, an informed choice is a good one.

But you don’t have to go scrolling through pages and pages of form to come up with the key indicators. Why? Because we’re here to take care of things for you! There are many patterns we’ve seen emerge throughout the history of the Blue Diamond Stakes and we will discuss some of the key ones.

Lining up 2YO form is probably harder than Year 12 Advanced Maths! But in recent years there have been some lead-up races that can give us a better indication of how the new cohort is tracking. The races you should look into are the Blue Diamond Prelude (Fillies) and the Blue Diamond Prelude (Colts and Geldings).

The Blue Diamond Stakes can turn into the battle of the sexes, but we will usually see the winner come from one of those two lead-up events. In 2025, winner Devil Night finished second in the Blue Diamond Prelude (Colts and Geldings). As well as this, because 2YOs don’t usually have a lot of races under their belts, it’s a good idea to check the trial form. 

When it comes to the favourites, in recent years the favourite runner has performed reasonably well, winning six races between 2011 and 2025. The majority of the winners of the Blue Diamond Stakes have won their previous race, so look for a runner who is in red-hot form. 

In 2024, winner Hayasugi also won her lead-up race, the Blue Diamond Prelude, for fillies. In 2025, the Blue Diamond Stakes winner, Devil Night, finished second by 0.4L in his lead-up race, the Blue Diamond Prelude, for colts and geldings.

It’s quite clear that the Blue Diamond Stakes attracts the best of the best when it comes to racehorses. There are a few key winners that stand out from the rest though. These are the horses that you probably already know (and love).

The Blue Diamond Stakes has a long history, so have a look below at some of the key horses that have won this epic race:

Key Winners Before 2015

A few of these notable superstar Australian horses that have won the Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield Racecourse include Sepoy in 2011, Shamardal in 2005, as well as Redoute’s Choice in 1999, and Snippets in 1987.

A notable winner of the Blue Diamond Stakes that is considered by many to be one of the top sprint racers Australia has ever seen was Manikato in 1979’s edition of the Blue Diamond Stakes. Even almost 45 years on from Manikatio’s victory as a two-year-old at the Blue Diamond Stakes, he is still regarded as one of, if not the best sprinter Australia has produced.

Written By - 2018

In 2018, the Blue Diamond Stakes saw the most successful jockey in the Blue Diamond Stakes’ history claim his fourth and most recent victory in the feature race for two-year-olds at Caulfield Racecourse. He was jockeying Written By, a colt trained by Grahame Begg. 

An interesting fact about Written By was that he was on a hat-trick going into 2018’s Blue Diamond Stakes, completing the task in a comprehensive two-length victory. In that win, Written By established himself as one of, if not the top two-year-old runners in the Australian horse racing scene.

Similarly, to Lyre a year later, Written By went on to win many Group 1 races on Australia’s horse racing circuit, using the Blue Diamond Stakes victory as a platform to catapult himself into some of the biggest races in the nation.

Lyre - 2019

In 2019’s edition of Caulfield Racecourse’s premier two-year-old Group 1 race, the Blue Diamond Stakes, Lyre was the victor. This two-year-old colt won the Blue Diamond Stakes in a rather convincing fashion, beating out his next-best opposition by over a length! For a 1200m race, this is quite incredible.

The colt Lyre was jockeyed by one of Australia’s finest in the form of Craig Williams. Coming into the 2019 Blue Diamond Stakes, Lyre had just won the Group 2 race known as the Preview Stakes at Caulfield (also held at Victoria’s Caulfield Racecourse) which put his name on the map. 

Following Lyre’s win in the 2019 Blue Diamond Stakes, he went on to win several Australian Group 1 races with some considering him a major contender for the bigger races. The mare has amassed a significant amount of prize money in her time as well.

Ahh, the Blue Diamond Stakes odds. The glue that holds everything together! Long before race day, all the top horse racing betting apps will put up markets for the Blue Diamond Stakes. Once the markets are up, it’s your choice on when you’d like to bet.

You’ll find that the Blue Diamond Stakes odds in these horse racing markets will be constantly changing. As new information comes to light about potential runners, this will have an impact on the odds. If you’re looking to place a bet on the Blue Diamond Stakes, you’ll have to hold off for a bit as PlayUp is yet to release its market.

You may already know that fluctuations are very common when it comes to the odds of any race and that also includes Group 1 races like the Blue Diamond Stakes. A good time to bet on the race is when the market is “Before Noms” because this means you’ll get your stake back even if your horse doesn’t end up running in the Blue Diamond Stakes.

If you’re betting when the market is “All-In”, you won’t get your cash back if your horse doesn’t run. These are all important considerations especially if you enjoy futures betting. Some like to simply bet during race week or race day and that is completely fine as well.

The 2026 Blue Diamond Stakes odds aren’t available yet, but you can take a look back to see the odds of each runner in the 2025 race here:

*Odds correct as of 20/02/2025.

Having first run in 1971, the Blue Diamond Stakes has been held annually ever since at the world-famous Caulfield Racecourse. Some of Australia’s best-ever racehorses that have won the previous iterations of the prestigious two-year-old weight-adjusted race include:

• Manikato
• Sepoy
• Redoute’s Choice

The history of the Blue Diamond Stakes is rich with stories and famous winners but there are a couple of fun facts about the race to provide a bit more colour to its history. Since 1971 the Blue Diamond Stakes has been held at Caulfield Racecourse every year, except in 2023 and in 1996 when the famous racetrack was under construction. 

Instead, the Blue Diamond Stakes was hosted by Flemington Racecourse for those editions. The Blue Diamond Stakes takes place during one of the key horse racing carnivals of the year, the Autumn Racing Carnival.

Although the distance of the Blue Diamond Stakes has always been consistent in its measure of approximately 1,200m, for the first two years of the Blue Diamond Stakes (1971 and 1972) the race was officially listed as a 6 furlong trip. Whilst this is very close to 1,200m in length, the Blue Diamond Stakes was formally changed to be exactly 1,200m going forward.

Many of Australia’s greatest trainers and jockeys have competed in the Blue Diamond Stakes. However, no trainer has been more successful than David Hayes, boasting a total of five wins to his name. Similarly, jockey Dwayne Dunn has held the reins for four wins at the Blue Diamond Stakes, more than any other jockey.

In 1994, Hurricane Sky put the world on notice as the speedster claimed victory in the Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield Racecourse in the quickest time ever of 1 minute and 8 seconds. Incredibly, there has not been a horse that has competed in the Blue Diamond Stakes since that has eclipsed that time.

The Blue Diamond Stakes’ prestige was given a boost in 2016 as the prize money was increased indefinitely for all future iterations of the Blue Diamond Stakes. Prize money before 2016 totalled $1 million, which was increased to $1.5 million going forward. Since then, prize money has increased even further and now sits at a cool $2 million!

The Blue Diamond Stakes is just one of many races on the calendar. If you are itching to know more about some of the other races that make up the Australian horse racing calendar, make sure you check out our Group One races list.

The results are a key part of the puzzle and everyone wants to know how well their chosen runner went. Have you come out a winner, picking the first horse across the line? All will be revealed as soon as the horses cross the finish line.

The 2025 Blue Diamond Stakes was taken out by Devil Night, who won in his first attempt at Group 1 level. The colt finished second in his lead-up run in the Blue Diamond Prelude (Colts and Geldings) and was able to go one better in the Blue Diamond Stakes, winning by 0.1L after jumping with odds of $16. 

Tentyris, a $21 chance finished in second place after jumping from barrier four. Rounding out the final minor placings was Tycoon Star, who was another longshot, paying $17 before the race and finished 1.35L off the pace. In the end, the 2025 Blue Diamond Stakes was run in a time of 1:10.47 and there was a total of 11.3L that split the entire field.

Check out the full Blue Diamond Stakes results here:

We love a good video, and the Blue Diamond Stakes replay is excellent viewing. Check out the full race replay of the Blue Diamond Stakes here:

We all know there can only be one winner in every race (unless there is a dead heat, that is!). The Blue Diamond Stakes winners list is stacked to the brim of top-notch horses. Check out the honour roll here:

You’ve almost reached the end of the Blue Diamond Stakes page, congratulations! Gold star for you! But before you go off into the world of punting on this great race, if you’ve got any more burning questions, hopefully, we’ve answered them in this section.