The Galaxy Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2026

The Galaxy, a handicap sprint race at Rosehill Racecourse will be held on Saturday 21st March 2026. The 1,100m trip is held on one of the biggest days in the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival and we see some of the best sprinters in the world fight it out for Group 1 glory.

There are some key facts about The Galaxy that you need to know, check them out here:

It’s full steam ahead when The Galaxy takes place on the 21st of March, as there are several other Group One races on the same day. It is none other than Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill Racecourse, which is enough to make us racing enthusiasts jump for joy. Not only do we get to see the Golden Slipper, but also the Rosehill Guineas, the George Ryder Stakes and the Ranvet Stakes.

On top of the jam-packed day at Rosehill Racecourse, we’re also treated to another Group 1 run at Moonee Valley Racecourse, the William Reid Stakes. Rosehill and Moonee Valley Racecourse are two very different tracks, but they are certainly two of the top tracks in the country, both with their unique quirks.

The Galaxy is one of the key lead-up races to the T J Smith Stakes, which is run during The Championships. In fact, the winner of The Galaxy is exempt from the ballot for the TJ Smith Stakes, which is worth an eye-popping $3 million!

OnlyRacing’s The Galaxy page is here to guide you every step of the way, providing details about how and where to bet on the race. We will also provide three tips for the race, once the final field is announced, as well as the race history and previous winners of The Galaxy.

So, do yourself a favour and be sure to visit OnlyRacing come race week as we will have all the important information, like our tips for the 2026 race up and running. You will get expert opinions on the race and hopefully a winner as well!

The Galaxy is worth a cool $1 million, but the winner doesn’t get all of it. It’s split between the top 10 finishers in the race. Check out the prize money breakdown here:

One quick look at OnlyRacing’s website and you’ll learn there is one thing that we love, horse racing tips, especially free horse racing tips! We don’t think you should be paying for tips, so our service has always been free. We’ve got daily horse racing tips on offer as well as tips for The Galaxy and we even have Rosehill tips for each of the main meetings at the track.

It isn’t race week just yet and this means the final field hasn’t been announced. We prefer to wait until race week, when the final field has been announced to go through all the runners and provide our best The Galaxy tips. When the time is right, we will provide our best bet, next best and best roughie for the race.

It isn’t race week just yet and this means the final field hasn’t been announced. We prefer to wait until race week, when the final field has been announced to go through all the runners and provide our best The Galaxy tips. When the time is right, we will provide our best bet, next best and best roughie for the race.

You’ll have to wait a little longer for our 2026 tips, but seeing that you’re already here, check out the tips we put together for The Galaxy in 2025:

The Galaxy Best Bet - Private Harry

It’s difficult not to get caught up with everything that Private Harry has done so far in his career. He comes into this one unbeaten in four attempts in his career so far and is also the current pre-race favourite with PlayUp, going around with odds of $3.20, to claim his first Group 1 victory in his first attempt.

We last saw the colt in the Magic Millions Sunlight Plate in January, but he has been back at the trials since then, which include back-to-back wins. In his last victory, he beat home Lady Of Camelot and that form has stacked up well with the filly producing back-to-back placings at Group 1 level. Ashley Morgan retains the ride and only has to carry 53kg.

The Galaxy Next Best - Growing Empire

I think Growing Empire can give this a red-hot crack and I would love to see the colt finally break through for his first Group 1 victory after going 5:0-1-2 in Group 1s so far. The 3YO is currently one of the more favoured runners with PlayUp, going around with odds of $8.00 at the time of writing.

So far, this prep hasn’t lived up to expectations. He kicked things off with a seventh (out of 10) in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes and then improved to finish fourth (out of 15) in the Newmarket Handicap. The blinkers come off again and gets a tongue tie for the first time in this one. We see what I think is a great rider change with JMac taking over from Mark Zahra.

The Galaxy Best Roughie - Jedibeel

If you’re looking for value, I think I’ve found it with Jedibeel, who is currently going around with odds of $16 at PlayUp. We last saw Jedibeel in the Challenge Stakes, where he won by 1.3L and a few of those line up again today. Before his victory at double-digit odds last time out, he was trailing pretty well, so there’s a lot to like.

Double-digit runners seem to have a good record in The Galaxy as well. Since 2009, 10 winners have started with double-digit odds. Gets the services of a new jockey, Tom Marquand and he will have his work cut out for him jumping from barrier 12 as in the past 16 years, only six winners of The Galaxy have jumped from barrier 10 or higher.

If you’ve found some good tips on The Galaxy then the next step is to go and place your bets! If you’re new to the world of betting, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of betting markets as well as the range of different betting apps available. Where do you even start? Well, we will tell you!

At our bookie reviews page, of course! We have in-depth reviews on all the top horse racing betting sites. This information allows you to make an informed decision that is best for your individual needs. We’ve spent a lot of time researching and betting with all the best Australian betting sites, so our reviews are based on first-hand experience.

We cover all aspects of our bookie reviews from the best betting sites bonuses to the steps involved in signing up with the bookie and everything in between. When it comes to The Galaxy betting, there are a few bookies in particular that we like:

• PlayUp
• Bet Right
• SterlingParker

These three bookies are some of the best betting apps going around because of the range of markets and betting promotions on offer. If you haven’t already, it’s certainly worth checking out those three bookies. 

If you’re looking for something a little bit different, then we’ve got your back as well. All you need to do is scroll up to our “Betting Sites” section earlier on this page. We cover a wide range of bookies and you are sure to find something that tickles your fancy!

Each year we see some of the best sprinters the country has to offer line up for a chance to win The Galaxy and in 2026 you can expect more of the same! The final field for The Galaxy hasn’t been confirmed just yet but we almost always see a stellar pack of runners fight it out for Group 1 glory.

Along with the field, it’s also a good idea to check out the latest odds in our “Odds” section, if they are available, to see if there’s any value floating around. Checking out the odds will show you which runners the bookies think are the most likely to compete in The Galaxy. But remember that because the final field isn’t announced, the odds will be constantly changing. 

Several factors influence odds changing and there’s nothing more annoying than seeing a runner you were going to jump on have their odds reduced! So, make sure you jump on the runner you like while the odds are still high.

While we can’t bring you the 2026 field details, we can show you which runners took part in The Galaxy in 2025:

A nice big field of runners for us to sink our teeth into come The Galaxy in 2025! There were 14 confirmed runners plus one emergency. We also ended up seeing two pre-race scratchings with Mazu and Ostraka being pulled from the race. This meant that Time To Boogie got to participate in The Galaxy.

While it’s annoying, scratchings are pretty commonplace, even in races like The Galaxy where there is a lot of prize money up for grabs, as well as the prestige that comes with winning a Group 1. A runner can be scratched at any time, so it’s a good idea to check your bets on the morning of the race, just in case.

When going through the final field, we also recommend you check out which barrier each runner is starting from. The barrier can have a major influence on race tactics deployed by each runner during the race. On top of this, some barriers have seen more success than others in the past.

Going through a form guide can be difficult, especially for those who are new to the world of horse racing. That’s why we like to take care of things here at OnlyRacing. We go through all the key aspects of The Galaxy form guide and pull out the essential pieces of information you need to know before placing a bet.

With a race that has been running as long as The Galaxy has, there are lots of different stats to look into and patterns emerge, which can help point you in the direction of the type of horse that usually wins the race. Let’s not wait any longer, check out the key form indicators we’ve found for The Galaxy here!

The race is the first Group 1 sprint event on the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival which means you’ll usually find that some runners aren’t racing at their peak just yet. Some horses even choose to run the race first-up. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just something that you should be aware of.

You’ll likely have to look into the trials of runners and rely on what the trainer says about the success of any prep work. As there is so much uncertainty, the favourites in the race have a poor record. So, make sure you look into other runners and not just the favourite. 

Since 2009, 10 winners have started with double-digit odds. However, in 2025, Private Harry, who was the $3.50 pre-race favourite, chalked up his first Group 1 victory in The Galaxy, winning by 0.8L.

There is a lead-up race that is worth checking out, which is the Group 2 Challenge Stakes. It is run two weeks before The Galaxy and runs at a distance of 1,000m. Interestingly, there have been only three last-start winners since 1994 that have gone on to win The Galaxy. 

In 2021, Eduardo won the Challenge Stakes before winning The Galaxy and the next year Shelby Sixtysix won the McCarten Stakes. In 2025, Private Harry won The Galaxy and in his run before that, he also won the Magic Millions Sunlight Plate.

When looking into the most successful age, it has to be 3YOs. Overall, they have the most wins with 20 and they were particularly successful between 1992 and 2010, where they won 12 times. The last 3YO to win The Galaxy was Private Harry in 2025.

As The Galaxy is a handicap race, it’s important to check out the weight allotted to each runner. In the history of The Galaxy, only a handful of winners have jumped with more than 56.5kg on their back, including Eduardo, Luskin Star, Mr Tiz, Schillaci and Temple Of Boom.

We’ve found that females seem to struggle in The Galaxy, although, in recent years, they seem to be turning the table on their male counterparts. In the last 10 years, six females have won The Galaxy; Zapateo, Mariamia, I Am Excited, In Her Time, Griante and Sweet Idea.

As previously mentioned, the barrier draw is an important aspect to look into and we’ve found the wider barriers have seen more success in recent years. In the past 17 years, six winners of The Galaxy have jumped from barrier 10 or higher.

Some of the best sprinters have won The Galaxy and this section is all about the best-of-the-best horses to ever win the race. With so many horses to choose from, we’ve had to make the difficult decision of only picking a handful to feature in this section.

The Galaxy horses you’ll find below are racehorses that have won multiple races, earned a crazy amount of prize money and captured the hearts of Australians. Check out the select few horses here:

Luskin Star - 1978

The winner of the Australian two-year-old Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, Luskin Star also took out The Galaxy in 1978. His overall career record stands at 17:13-3-0, which meant he only missed the top two once in his career. He won races such as the Golden Slipper, the Sires Produce Stakes, the Champagne Stakes and the Caulfield Guineas.

Mr Tiz - 1991

While Mr Tiz won The Galaxy in 1991, he is best known by racing enthusiasts as the winner of three consecutive Railway Stakes races! Throughout his career, he earned almost $1 million and had a record of 36:17-2-6. In 2014, Mr Tiz was inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame.

Schillaci - 1992

Another year, another epic horse winning The Galaxy! Schillaci won many Group races, including eight Group 1 races. He has a Group 2 race named after him, the Schillaci Stakes and he had over $2 million in prize money to his name. Other Group 1 races he managed victory in included the Futurity Stakes, the Oakleigh Plate and the Newmarket Handicap, just to name a few.

Nature Strip - 2019

To put it simply, Nature Strip was a beast on the racetrack! He gathered multiple honours including being named the Australian Racehorse of the Year during the 2019/20 and 2021/22 seasons. Along with this, Nature Strip was also named the Australian Sprinter of the Year three seasons in a row, from 2019/20 until 2021/22. The biggest race Nature Strip ever won would have to be The Everest in 2021.

The Galaxy odds will tell you which runners are favoured in the market. The shorter the odds, the more likely that particular runner will win the race. But as you probably already know, it doesn’t always work like that and the favourite doesn’t always win the race.

When it comes to The Galaxy odds, you’ll find that more horse racing betting apps will release markets well before the race. However, our favourite bookie, PlayUp, hasn’t released all their markets for the race, but we will bring you this information as soon as we can. 

Betting when horse racing markets are listed as “Before Noms” is always a good idea because this means you’ll get your stake back if your runner doesn’t make the final field. If you choose to bet when the market is “All-In” you won’t have any such luck.

While we wait for the 2026 odds to be released, let’s take a look back at all The Galaxy odds for each runner in the field:

*Odds correct as of 20/03/2025.

The Galaxy was first run back in 1972 and was won by Playbill. The race is the first sprint race in the Sydney Autumn Carnival, which is one of the biggest horse racing carnivals on the calendar. The majority of The Galaxy races took place at Randwick Racecourse, however, the race was relocated to Rosehill Racecourse in 2013 and has been raced there ever since.

Originally, The Galaxy was known as a Listed race and it moved up the rankings to become the Group 1 race it is today. In 1980, The Galaxy was upgraded to a Group 2 and then in 1984, the race claimed Group 1 status.

As covered in our “Horses” section, we’ve seen many big names win The Galaxy over the years including Luskin Star, Mr Tiz, Schillaci and more recently the likes of Nature Strip, Eduardo and Shelby Sixtysix have won The Galaxy.

There are so many other Group 1s and key races on the Australian horse racing calendar. If you’d like to learn more about them, all you need to do is head on over to our Group One races list where we have over 100 races for you to comb through!

Want to relive all the action of The Galaxy in 2025? We know we do! That’s why we’ve put together this section for you. Here, we have the full finishing order of the entire field as well as a race replay so you can see everything that went down in the race. We will replace all the details with the results from the 2026 race when the race has been run and won.

In 2025, we saw first-time Group 1 winner Private Harry win The Galaxy. Before the race, he was the favourite, with odds of $3.50 and he managed to win by 0.8L. Front Page was the one giving Private Harry a run for his money and finished in second as he just couldn’t do anything about the winner’s closing speed.

Wrapping up the final minor placing was Uncommon James, paying a whopping $41 to win the race. The gelding ended up finishing just 1L off the leader. In the end, The Galaxy was run in a time of 1:02.67 and there was a total of 11.6L that split the first and last runners across the finishing post.

Check out the finishing order of all 13 runners in The Galaxy in 2025 here:

As promised, we have the full race replay of The Galaxy in 2025. As always, it was a fast race and ran in just over 1 minute. Check out the video here:

There have been some great winners of The Galaxy in the past. In this section, we list all the recent winners of this race, just so you can see the pedigree of horses that have won this race in recent years. Check out all the details here:

Our FAQs on The Galaxy is the last section on the page and if you’ve managed to make it this far, good for you! You may have some last-minute questions and if you do, we hope we’ve covered it below. Check out all our FAQs on The Galaxy here: