Newmarket Handicap Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2026

The Newmarket Handicap is an open handicap race held at Flemington Racecourse on Saturday 7th March 2026. The short 1,200m trip has got to be one of the highlights on the Australian racing calendar. Each year, we see some of the best horses fighting it out for Group 1 glory. 

We will be taking an in-depth view of the Newmarket Handicap, but before we get into the thick of things, check out all the quick facts about the race here:

Each year we see some of the best sprinters Australia (and the world) has to offer come to Flemington Racecourse for the Newmarket Handicap in March. The Newmarket Handicap will take place in 2026 on the 7th of March and it’s undoubtedly one of the key Group One races of the Autumn Racing Carnival.

Other than the Melbourne Cup, the Newmarket Handicap is probably the biggest race to take place at Flemington Racecourse, one of the top tracks in the country. There are two other Group 1 races on the same day as the Newmarket Handicap (and the All-Star Mile), the Randwick Guineas and the Canterbury Stakes, both taking place at Randwick Racecourse.

The Newmarket Handicap has such a long history, with the first running of the race all the way back in 1874. We will go into much more detail about the history of this race later on this page. We will also provide our best Newmarket Handicap tips, a look at how to bet on the Newmarket Handicap and much more!

The prize money available for this open handicap race is what attracts some of the best sprinters in the country. Currently worth $1.5 million, the Newmarket Handicap is one of the richest races in the Autumn Racing Carnival. You are sure to be entertained in the short 1,200m race, so make sure you mark your calendar for March 7!

It is also a good idea to check back with us here at OnlyRacing closer to race week as we will provide our most up-to-date Newmarket Handicap tips as well as take a good look at the field lining up for the race in 2026. We have something for everyone on this page, so explore at your leisure!

You already know the Newmarket Handicap is worth $1.5 million, but the winner doesn’t walk away with all that money, it is split between the top runners. Check out the breakdown of the prize money for the Newmarket Handicap here:

When it comes to the Newmarket Handicap tips, can you really go past OnlyRacing? We provide free horse racing tips on this Group 1, as well as all other Group 1s and key feature races on the calendar. 

Right this second our Newmarket Handicap tips for the race in 2026 aren’t available. Our experts are waiting until race week, when more information about the final field is available for them to crunch all the numbers and provide their tips. We do have Flemington tips that cover races all year round, if you're interested in more than just the Newmarket Handicap.

We know you came here for tips, so check out all our 2025 Newmarket Handicap tips while you wait for race week in 2026:

Newmarket Handicap Best Bet - Growing Empire

I know, the gelding let punters down last time out in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. But I’m willing to give him another chance and with odds of $7.50 at the moment with PlayUp, I just can’t stay away. It’s a pretty open field and I think Growing Empire can redeem himself in the Newmarket Handicap on Saturday.

Gets the blinkers off again and Mark Zahra chooses to stick while jumping from a decent barrier (five), a few things are working in his favour. Yet to break through for the elusive first Group 1 win, but I think he has a great chance here. He’s placed multiple times at Group 1 level including in the Manikato Stakes and The Everest, so he is good enough.

Newmarket Handicap Next Best - Rey Magnerio

Rey Magnerio is a serious contender in this year’s Newmarket Handicap and he does tick a lot of boxes. He is currently one of five runners that are going around with single-digit odds and PlayUp is offering $8.50 for him to win. He’s coming through the Oakleigh Plate where he finished third behind Jimmysstar and She's Bulletproof.

The 5YO has been pretty consistent as of late, finishing in the top three in all of his last seven starts, including two wins (in the Group 2 Rubiton Stakes and the Listed Always Welcome Stakes). Enjoys the wide open spaces of Flemington, gets a good barrier (four) and Jye McNeil sticks. Could break through for his first Group 1 win here.

Newmarket Handicap Best Roughie - Ostraka

The Newmarket Handicap is a high-quality race, probably the best on the card at Flemington and that means there’s a stack of classy runners going around at value. I’m going forward with Ostraka for my best roughie on Saturday. The 4YO is currently paying $18 with PlayUp in what will be only his second attempt at Group 1 level.

We saw progression in him last Spring, which included a hat-trick of wins to kick off his prep. Ostraka last ran in the Oakleigh Plate and that was his first go in an anti-clockwise run, where he finished middle of the pack. A multiple winner at this distance, there’s a lot of upside to the gelding and he is worth considering.

The world of Newmarket Handicap betting is certainly vast and if you’re new to this world, it can become overwhelming quite quickly. The team at OnlyRacing are here to make your journey of betting on the Newmarket Handicap as easy as possible! 

There are many different betting apps that you can bet on the Newmarket Handicap with. But the question remains, who do you bet with? All the horse racing betting sites offer something a little bit different, but we go through them all on our bookie reviews page, so you can choose the best bookie for you.

You’ve also got several different betting options available to you. All the top Australian betting sites offer a range of markets for the Newmarket Handicap, so no matter the type of punter you are, you’ll find something you’ll like.

Listed below are a few market suggestions to get on come race day:

• Quaddie at Flemington Racecourse (there are several high stakes races on at the track).
• Quinella/ Trifecta/ First Four in the Newmarket Handicap race.
• Fixed Win/ Place bets on your top runner/s in the Newmarket Handicap as well as the whole meeting at Flemington Racecourse.
• Multi bet across multiple races at Flemington Racecourse.

There are a handful of bookies in particular that we love and think you’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of, especially for the Newmarket Handicap. Having multiple bookie accounts is something we recommend because it makes it easy to shop around for the best odds or any new betting sites bonuses.

Bookies like EliteBet, Chasebet and PlayUp are all well-known and good options for horse racing specifically. They are some of the best betting apps going around because of the range of betting promotions on offer as well as competitive odds.

If you’re interested in opening multiple bookie accounts, then you should scroll back up to our “Betting Sites” section as we list all the top bookies in Australia that we think you’ll love. You can also click on a bookie and read more about them in our review!

We all want to know what the field will be for the 2026 Newmarket Handicap and we will have to wait a bit because it isn’t currently race week. While we don’t know which runners will line up, we can expect to see some of the best sprinters in Australia line up. 

You can also check out the odds, when available, in our “Odds” section, which will give you an indication of which runners might feature in the race.  As the field hasn’t been confirmed, you’ll find that the odds for each runner will be changing. Many things influence the odds, so if you find your desired runner for a good price, we recommend you jump on it while you can!

We have to wait a bit until the 2026 Newmarket Handicap field is announced, but until then, you can see which runners took part in the race in 2025:

In 2025, we saw a field of 15 runners take part in the Newmarket Handicap. There weren’t any emergencies listed either, but that didn’t matter in the end as there weren’t any pre-race scratchings. So, all 15 original runners took their place in the race.

In horse racing, you’ll find that scratchings do happen quite often, even in major Group 1 races. They can happen for several different reasons, but when it comes to Group 1s, it is usually because the horse isn’t racing fit. Sometimes a horse might be nominated for two different races and the connections will wait until the field and barrier draw to see which race their horse has the best chance to win and then they get scratched from the other race.

When it comes to the final field, you should also pay attention to the barrier draw. Looking at the history of the Newmarket Handicap (and any other race for that matter), some barriers have seen more success then compared to others. The barrier a runner jumps from will have an influence on the race tactics used.

Checking out the Newmarket Handicap form guide will give you good insights into the type of horses that usually win the race. With a race that has been running as long as the Newmarket Handicap, there are lots of stats to look into and patterns that have emerged.

There are so many different pieces of form to look into and it can be very time-consuming, but the team at OnlyRacing have done the hard work for you! We’ve combed through all the key form indicators and provided some important facts that you should take into consideration when betting on the Newmarket Handicap.

The first thing people usually do is look into the lead-up races. For the Newmarket Handicap, you should look into two different races, the Oakleigh Plate as well as the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. Since 2008, seven winners have come from the Oakleigh Plate and seven winners from the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. In 2024, Cylinder competed in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes before taking out the Newmarket Handicap.

In terms of the age of winners, in the past, we have seen 3YOs have a lot of success in the race. In the last 151 years of the Newmarket Handicap, 3YOs have won the race on 48 occasions, including in 2023 and 2024 when In Secret and Cylinder both won as 3YOs.

It seems as though females struggle in the Newmarket Handicap and only five females have won the race since 2008. The five females to win the Newmarket Handicap include Black Caviar, Sunlight, Roch ‘N’ Horse, In Secret and Joliestar.

It is also generally a good idea to steer clear of horses that have their lead-up race in Sydney, better to stick with those runners who are already in Melbourne. Since 1985, only five runners have won the Newmarket Handicap after running in the Sydney lead-up event, with the latest being Joliestar in 2025.

You should be looking for runners who have races under their belt because, in the past 100+ years, only one horse has managed to win the Newmarket Handicap first-up, which was Redkirk Warrior in 2017. That is a pretty damning stat!

The Newmarket Handicap has seen many, many epic horses compete, but only the best of the best go on to win the race. There are so many horses that we could feature in this section, but we only have so much space. We’ve narrowed it down to just a select few and we will go into more detail about their career, including their other achievements.

Keep reading to see which Newmarket Handicap horses we’ve decided to talk about in more detail:

Wakeful - 1901

Wakeful won the 1901 Newmarket Handicap and throughout her entire career, she was only unplaced on three occasions, her career record stands at 44: 25-12-4. She won a stack of Group 1 races throughout her career and was as versatile as they come. She won races like the Doncaster Mile, the Sydney Cup and the All Aged Stakes.

Gothic - 1927 & 1928

Throughout his career, Gothic won eight Group 1s, but he was most successful in the Newmarket Handicap, winning the race in back-to-back years in 1927 and 1928. Some of the other key races that Gothic won throughout his career included the Futurity Stakes, the Memsie Stakes, the Caulfield Stakes and the William Reid Stakes.

Ajax - 1938

Ajax certainly captured the hearts of a nation and he was able to win 18 races in a row! He even has a Group 2 race named after him, the Ajax Stakes and was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2004. He ended his career with an unbelievable record of 46:36-7-2 which included wins in the Cox Plate, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Sires Produce Stakes, just to name a few.

Placid Ark - 1987

Placid Ark won the Newmarket Handicap in 1987 and he ended his career with a record of 21:14-2-1. The same year he won the Newmarket Handicap he also was named the Australian Co-Champion Racehorse of the Year and some of the other notable wins he had throughout his career included the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes and the Winterbottom Stakes.

Schillaci - 1992

It’s no surprise to see Schillaci make this list and he won the Newmarket Handicap in 1992. Throughout his career, he won over $2 million in prize money, thanks to winning races like the George Ryder Stakes, the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, the Oakleigh Plate along with the Futurity Stakes, just to name a few!

Black Caviar - 2011

Black Caviar, who was undefeated in 25 races, won the Newmarket Handicap in 2011. She won almost $8 million in prize money throughout her career and also has many awards to her name. She was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2013 and as you may have already gathered, she has a Group 1 race named after her, the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

Redkirk Warrior - 2017 & 2018

Throughout his career, Redkirk Warrior competed in 12 Group 1 races, winning three of them and two of those three wins came in the Newmarket Handicap! He made over $1 million in prize money throughout his career and also won the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes in 2018.

The Newmarket Handicap is like the glue that holds everything together! You might have a runner you think will win the race, but if their odds are so short, is it worth backing them? Or are you better off looking at another runner for more value? These are all questions you have to answer!

As the Newmarket Handicap is a major race, you’ll find all the top horse racing betting apps will release a market for fixed win and fixed place a few weeks out from the event. Right now, our favourite bookie, PlayUp, doesn’t have its markets up for the race in 2026, when the information is available, we will provide it here in this section.

Closer to race day, PlayUp will open up more horse racing markets for the race. These markets will include things like First Four, Trifecta, Quinella, Exacta and more! If you want to bet on the race, take note of what type of market the field is in. If it is “Before Noms” then you’ll get your stake back if your chosen horse doesn’t make the final field!

Betting a few weeks or even months out from the race also means you could find the eventual favourite for juicy double-digit odds! You’ll usually find more bang for your buck if you bet when the market is “Before Noms”. 

The 2026 Newmarket Handicap odds aren’t available just yet, but you can see where each runner stacked up in 2025 here:

*Odds correct as of 06/03/2025.

There’s no doubt that the Newmarket Handicap is one of the biggest races in the Autumn Racing Carnival, which happens to be one of the biggest horse racing carnivals on the racing calendar. Racing enthusiasts have watched the best sprinters in Australia go around in the Newmarket Handicap for many years now.

The Newmarket Handicap was first run in 1874 and was won by Maid Of Avenel. As we’ve already touched on in our “Horses” section, some of the best sprinters have won the Newmarket Handicap, including Wakeful, Ajax, Schillaci and Black Caviar, just to name a few. 

Back in 2007, the race was moved to Caulfield Racecourse due to work done at its usual home, Flemington Racecourse. We’ve also seen a small handful of horses win the Newmarket Handicap on multiple occasions, including Redkirk Warrior, who won the race in 2017 and 2018.

The most successful trainer in the Newmarket Handicap is Bart Cummings, winning the race on eight different occasions. He first won the Newmarket Handicap with Crown in 1972 and his last win was through Shaftesbury Avenue in 1991.

It’s no secret that the Australian horse racing calendar is jam-packed with Group 1s and key feature races. So, if you’d like to learn more about some of the other races on the calendar, just check out our Group One races list. We cover over 100 of the top races!

Who took out the Newmarket Handicap in 2026? Well, we don’t know that just yet! But we do know all the juicy details from the race in 2025. We’ve got the full finishing position of every runner in the race as well as the race replay.

In 2025, the Newmarket Handicap was taken out by the pre-race favourite, Joliestar. Joliestar, as a mare with her lead-up run in Sydney, bucked a lot of trends to win the Newmarket Handicap. Headwall finished in second place, 1.3L off the pace.

Filling in the final minor placing was Stretan Angel, who jumped from barrier seven and finished 2.8L off the leader. In 2025, the Newmarket Handicap was run in a time of 1:08.75 and there was a total of 8.5L that split the first and last runners across the finishing line.

Check out the full Newmarket Handicap results here:

You’ve read the full race results table, now it’s time to watch the race replay. See how the race fared for each of the runners in the Newmarket Handicap here:

We all want to be a winner, but there can only be one each year (unless there is a dead heat, that is!). Check out all the latest winners in the Newmarket Handicap, up until 2010:

We’ve got one last section for you before you become a certified Newmarket Handicap expert! Our FAQ section will hopefully answer any burning last-minute questions you have on this Group 1 race. Check out all the FAQs here: