Australian Guineas Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2026

The Australian Guineas, a set weights race at Flemington Racecourse will be held on Saturday 28th February 2026. The 1,600m trip is sure to provide all the action you can expect from a Group 1 race and will feature some of the best horses the country has on offer. It is one of the key races during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.

Before we dig into the Australian Guineas, why don’t you check out some quick key facts about this Group 1 race? Check out all the details here:

Welcome to OnlyRacing’s preview of the Australian Guineas held at Flemington Racecourse. As one of the premier Group 1 races in the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival, the Australian Guineas (one of the key Group One races during the Autumn Racing Carnival) attracts some of the nation’s best three-year-old horses. 

To go alongside the prestige and fame of claiming victory in the Australian Guineas, an eye-watering $1 million in prize money will be up for grabs. This pool of funds for the Australian Guineas mirrors other similar Group 1 Guineas races such as the Randwick Guineas. 

In this comprehensive preview of the Australian Guineas, we will take a deep dive into the field of competitors for the race itself and the projected winners. We also provide recommended betting strategies and the results of the latest edition of the Australian Guineas.

Additionally, this Australian Guineas preview looks into the history of the race and digs deeper into some of the top horses to ever win the race. This provides critical context for race day on Saturday the 28th of February. Hopefully, this information assists you not just with punting decisions for the Australian Guineas race, but also with racing knowledge in general.

Be sure to keep your calendars clear for Saturday the 28th of February 2026 and visit us here at  OnlyRacing for all your tips and betting needs. Flemington Racecourse is undoubtedly one of the top tracks in Australia. Let’s see who claims victory in the 2026 Australian Guineas! 

Money, money, money! Let’s check out the breakdown of prize money for the Australian Guineas: 

Hello, free horse racing tips! The team at OnlyRacing loves to provide their horse racing tips for each and every Group 1 race and they take their job of finding winners very seriously. It’s not currently race week, so our tips for the Australian Guineas aren’t available just yet.

When the time is right, our experts will go through each and every runner in the field and analyse their chances of success. We will put together our best bets, next best and best roughie for the race, so look out for that during race week. To sweeten the deal even further, we also have Flemington tips available for all types of races at the track.

While you wait, you can check out all our horse racing tips for the Australian Guineas here:

Australian Guineas Best Bet - Angel Capital

Another tricky race to pick, this one! Three runners seemed to have captured most of the attention in the market; Angel Capital, Point And Shoot and Sepals, with the rest of the field in double-digits. I’m sticking with the current favourite, Angel Capital, who is paying $3.80 with PlayUp.

It’s important to note that in the last 38 editions of the race, there have been 24 winners with odds of $5.50 or less. Angel Capital is the deserved favourite after winning the Autumn Stakes (an ideal lead-up to this one) by 1.5L last start. Jockey Ben Melham sticks from that run and this looks like a fantastic opportunity for Angel Capital to claim his first Group 1.

Australian Guineas Next Best - Sepals

I’m locking in Sepals as my next best for the 2025 Australian Guineas. We last saw Sepals put in a thumping win in the CS Hayes Stakes, which is another of the ideal lead-up races to the Australian Guineas. The gelding won by 3.3L in that and it could have been even further if Blake Shinn didn’t let up in the closing stages. 

Should get a similar type of run in this one, jumping from barrier three and Shinn retains the ride. PlayUp is currently offering $6.00 for Sepals which I think is good enough value considering he is a genuine winning chance. Can Sepals become the ninth horse to complete the CS Hayes Stakes - Australian Guineas double? 

Australian Guineas Best Roughie - Feroce

Feroce is in with a chance I think. The gelding will need some luck from the wide-ish gate, but that may come in a barrier or two depending on scratchings. PlayUp is offering $11 for Feroce to claim victory in the Australian Guineas on Saturday, which actually puts him as one of the more favoured runners in the field, that’s how open it is.

Feroce is another coming through the CS Hayes Stakes and he finished third behind Sepals and Ndola (who also races in this one, currently with odds of $17), 3.6L off the pace. Billy Egan (who retains the ride) made comments after that race that Feroce didn’t handle the wet conditions too well. With clear skies in Melbourne, that works more in Feroce’s favour.

As soon as we have a rough idea of the top runners we are picking for the Australian Guineas, we should investigate where to place your bets for the big race. You could go with the safe choice of betting with your usual Australian bookmaker; however, you could be missing out on value!

It certainly does pay to shop around at different betting apps, especially if you’re thinking of betting on roughies. Many factors influence the odds of a runner, but different bookies have different processes, which is why you’ll sometimes see varying odds. It’s a no-brainer; you place your money on the market where you get better returns!

So, what other things do you need to look for? Well, there are a few key things that all the best horse racing betting sites have in common and we go into detail about all of them in our bookmaker review page. Our reviews make the process of choosing the best Australian betting sites for you as easy as possible.

Looking for the best betting sites bonuses is also an important factor because you’ll be able to get more bang for your buck! One bookie in particular, PlayUp, is one of the best betting apps because of their range of unique promotions on offer. 

Other good options when it comes to bookies include the likes of VicBet along with TitanBet. Again, they both have some great betting promotions and are known to offer competitive odds. If you check out our review on these bookies you will get a solid understanding of them before you go and sign up.

So, there you have some recommendations for our top bookies. If you want more, we can give you more! Check out our “Betting Sites” section above.

Every year, we see a jam-packed stellar field for the Australian Guineas and we expect 2026 to be no different. As well as the field, we also list the Australian Guineas odds in our “Odds” section later on this page, when available, which will give you some indication of which runners are favoured in the market.

Please keep in mind that as the field has not yet been released, the odds for the Australian Guineas are likely to fluctuate until the race day. Many factors go into the odds for each runner and as more information becomes available, the odds will change.

The 2026 field will be announced during race week until then you can check out all the runners that raced in 2025:

In 2025, we saw yet another capacity field take part in the Australian Guineas to fight it out for the lion’s share of the $1 million on offer. There were also two emergencies listed in the field, just in case there were any pre-race scratchings. In the end, Angel Capital, Another Prophet and Nostringsattached were all scratched from the race.

Even in races as big as the Australian Guineas, scratchings are very commonplace. Unfortunately, scratchings can take place at any time, from the week of the race to just minutes before. But remember that if you bet on a horse that ends up being scratched, you will get your stake back.

When it comes to the final field, something else that is worthy of a look is the barrier draw. The barrier can play a major role in how the race will play out for each runner and certain barriers have seen more success over the years in the Australian Guineas.

Before you go on your merry way to bet on the Australian Guineas, it is a good idea to check out the form guide. The Australian Guineas form guide will provide key pieces of information and point you in the right direction for your bets. But do you really want to go through pages and pages of form? Not really!

Don’t worry, because the team at OnlyRacing have done all the heavy lifting. We’ve found some key form indicators that are important to note. Many patterns have emerged through the years and you should read on below to see what we’ve found out!

Favourites have a fairly solid record in the Australian Guineas. Throughout the last 39 editions of the Australian Guineas, the favourite has won 14 times. Add on top of this another 10 winners that have had a starting price of $5.50 or less. It certainly pays to look at the shorter runners in the market.

The winner of the Australian Guineas usually comes into the race with some sort of form. In recent history, only one winner has finished further than fourth in their previous race, which was Lunar Fox, who won the race in 2021 with mammoth odds of $301! The majority of the Australian Guineas winners actually finish first or second in their previous race, so it’s important to look into that.

If you’re looking into the lead-up races for the Australian Guineas, history tells us that the CS Hayes Stakes is worthy of a gander. There have been many horses in recent times that have completed the CS Hayes Stakes - Australian Guineas double, including 2020 winner Alligator Blood.

In the previous section, we told you how important the barrier draw is for the Australian Guineas. Well here are some stats to back it up! In the last 32 years, only three (yes three!) runners have won the Australian Guineas when starting from a barrier wider than nine. Lastly, only six fillies have gone on to win the Australian Guineas since 1986, but it is important to note that not a lot of females actually contest this race.

Given the fame, prestige and prize money associated with a race like the Australian Guineas, there are a host of memorable and notable winners from previous iterations of the Australian Guineas. We will go through four past winners of the Australian Guineas, citing their victory and other career accomplishments.

Check out the four key horses from previous editions of the Australian Guineas here:

Zabeel - 1990

In the 1990 edition of the Australian Guineas, then called the Australasian Guineas, a New Zealand-based horse by the name of Zabeel claimed victory. This is a notable Australian Guineas win because Zabeel went on to claim first prize by a whopping six lengths! Zabeel had a great career of his own, but the true mark he left on the sport of horse racing was his offspring. After victory in the 1990 Australian Guineas, Zabeel went on to sire some of Australia’s greatest champions who won copious Group 1 events.

Mahogany - 1994

Four years after Zabeel won the 1990 Australian Guineas by a landslide, Mahogany stole the show in one of the closest Australian Guineas to date. Surviving a late push from competitors in the field, Mahogany won the 1994 Australian Guineas by a nose. Mahogany followed this up by winning 18 other races in his career, totalling over $2.5 million in winnings.

Miss Finland - 2007

A dominant win by Miss Finland in the 2007 Australian Guineas saw them become a fan favourite. Winning similarly to Zabeel 17 years prior, Miss Finland also boasts six other Group 1 victories over her storied career. But we will always remember her brilliant display in the 2007 Australian Guineas.

Alligator Blood - 2020 

A more recent champion of the Australian Guineas, Alligator Blood was one of the most hyped-up horses in recent memory in Australia. A victory that mirrors Mahogany in the 1994 Australian Guineas, Alligator Blood won the 2020 Australian Guineas by just a nose against Superstorm. In a disappointing turn of events, Alligator Blood was retired during the 2021 season as a result of injuries. However, alongside the 2020 Australian Guineas win, Alligator Blood won 9 other races across his 13 career starts.

The Australian Guineas odds are an important piece of the betting puzzle. If you find a runner that you like, but the odds are really low, there’s no value there and you may be better off looking elsewhere for value.

As the Australian Guineas is a Group 1, all the major horse racing betting apps will likely release odds well in advance of the race. Our favourite bookie, PlayUp, has not yet released their odds for the 2026 Australian Guineas.

The odds are just a snapshot in time and you’ll find that the Australian Guineas odds will likely change frequently, no matter which horse racing markets you are looking at. We think one of the best times to bet on the Australian Guineas is when the market is “Before Noms” because this means you’ll get your funds back if your horse doesn’t make the final field.

When you bet on the futures markets you are also more likely to find better odds. Odds for the eventual favourite could be a lot higher at this time, so you may just get a lot more bang for your buck!

While we wait for the 2026 odds to be released, you can see the odds of all the runners in the field for the 2025 race, taken just a day or so before the race:

*Odds correct as of 27/02/2025.

Let’s begin with the key background information for the Australian Guineas, including the changes that have occurred to the Australian Guineas over the years. To start with, the name for the race, the Australian Guineas, is only about a decade old. This pales in comparison to the racecourse at which it is run, which opened in 1840.

Before 2011, the Australian Guineas went by a few names. For one year in 2010, the Australian Guineas was known as the Crown Guineas, after being changed from the Cadbury Guineas (2005-2009). Before then, the Australian Guineas went by a name for almost 20 years, beginning at its inception, the Australasian Guineas. 

In terms of the distance that the Australian Guineas runs at, it has pretty much always been at the one-mile marker (1,600m), except for three years at the turn of the century (1998-2000) when the Australian Guineas, then the Australasian Guineas, was raced at a distance of 2,000m. 

The Australian Guineas is a Group 1 race, it is undoubtedly one of the more prestigious races on the Victorian and Australian racing calendar. However, for its first year of running in 1986, the Australasian (Australian) Guineas was a Group 3 race! 

The very next year this was changed to Group 1 and has remained at that elite status ever since. It also must be noted that in 2007, the Australian Guineas (then Cadbury Guineas) was run at Caulfield Racecourse due to construction at Flemington Racecourse. 

That should have provided you with enough background information on how we have come to get the Australian Guineas in the form we know today. Now let’s take a deep dive into the minutiae of the Australian Guineas that racing fans should undertake to know.

The Australian Guineas race is a Group 1 race for thoroughbred horses that are three years old. The Australian Guineas is run at 1,600m around the famous Flemington Racecourse. Since its inception in 1986, the Australian Guineas has been a race marked on jockeys’ and trainers’ calendars during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Calendar, one of the biggest horse racing carnivals of the year. 

The Australian Guineas is seen by many as a sort of lead-up race to the Doncaster Mile and the Cox. Being regarded as one of the premier three-year-old horse races around Australia, the Australian Guineas always promises to be a spectacle for all racing fans.

The Australian Guineas is one major race on an Australian racing calendar that has over 100 key races. If you want to check out more races, including Group 1s and other feature races, check out our Group One races list. We’ve got all the major races of the year listed there.

The Australian Guineas in 2025 has been run and won! We have all the results you need like the finishing order of all the runners plus a full race replay. We will update this information as soon as we can so you can get the complete lowdown of which runners performed well in the most recent edition of the Australian Guineas.

The 2025 Australian Guineas was won by the Dominic Sutton-trained Feroce, who jumped with double-digit odds. Feroce overcame a wide-ish barrier (nine) to win by 0.8L. Savaglee, who jumped from barrier six was closing in during the closing stages of the race, but couldn’t completely catch up with Feroce.

Goldrush Guru, who was one of the more favoured runners in the market, finished in third place. The colt finished 1.8L off the leader after jumping from barrier five. In the end, the 2025 Australian Guineas was run in a time of 1:35.46 and we saw a total of 9.7L that split the first and last runners across the finishing post.

Check out the full Australian Guineas results here:

You’ve read the full results table, now it’s time to watch the full race replay of the 2025 Australian Guineas! Check out the video here:

Want to know who won the Australian Guineas in the past and not just the most recent edition? Well, haven’t you come to the right place! Check out the table which lists all the recent winners of the Australian Guineas, up until 2010:

We’ve got one final section for you, the Australian Guineas FAQs section! If you’ve got any last-minute questions about the Australian Guineas, hopefully, we’ve answered them in this section. Take a look: