Australian Oaks 2025 Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2024

The Australian Oaks will be held at Randwick Racecourse on the 12th of April 2025, so be sure to block out your calendars and tune in for what promises to be an outstanding race! The Australian Oaks will be run at the usual distance of 2,400m, available to all three-year-old fillies around the nation. The set weight for the Australian Oaks is 56kg.

The Australian Oaks is one of the biggest Group One races on the calendar and has been an Australian Turf Club (ATC) Group 1 race since all the way back in 1885! Since then, a plethora of some of Australia’s greatest champions have claimed victory in the notable Randwick Racecourse-based Australian Oaks. 

The Australian Oaks is held during Day Two of The Championships, which includes other Group 1 races like the Queen of the Turf Stakes, the Sydney Cup and most importantly, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. So many quality races are held on the same day!

The Provincial-Midway Championships Final also takes place on the same day at Randwick but isn’t technically a Group 1. With all this epic racing taking place on the same day at Randwick Racecourse, it’s no wonder that many consider Randwick one of the top tracks in the country.

Throughout the storied history of the Australian Oaks, there have been several changes to the distance, name, and time of year at which the Australian Oaks race was held. Scroll down to our “History” section of this Australian Oaks preview for more detailed information as to how the race has transformed over the years to become the staple race at Randwick Racecourse we know and love.

In addition to a full account of the Australian Oaks and its race history, this Australian Oaks preview takes an in-depth look at the field of runners, their critical race information, as well as the results for the Australian Oaks. We cover all the information you are looking for here at OnlyRacing.com.au.

From Uralla in 1885 to Autumn Angel in 2024, the Australian Oaks trophy has some special names attributed to it. Please be sure to check back on this page on race week to get all the important information on the upcoming race, like our expert tips!

Who doesn’t love money? Check out the breakdown of prize money that’s on offer for the top finishers in the Australian Oaks below:

Who wants free horse racing tips? You want free horse racing tips! Well, lucky you, because we’ve got free horse racing tips. Say “free horse racing tips” one more time. Free horse racing tips! If you haven’t figured it out already, we’ve got all the tips you need for the Australian Oaks.

Our Australian Oaks tips for the race in 2025 are not yet available. We know you want tips, but our experts are waiting until the final field is confirmed so they can do a proper analysis of all the runners that will be taking part in the race. They will provide their best bet, next bets and best roughie for the Queen of the Turf Stakes.

While you wait, why don’t you get stuck into our 2024 tips? Check out our tips for the race in 2024 and see if you agree with what our horse racing expert has to say! Take a look at all the tips below:

Australian Oaks Best Bet - Orchestral 

Yeah, not a lot of value in Orchestral, with the filly being crunched in the market, but she is the clear best bet. Currently listed at odds of $1.60, I think the play would be to add her as your anchor leg of a multi bet or quaddie. So, why is Orchestral so short?

Well, if you watched the Vinery Stud Stakes, you’d probably know! She ran down none other than Tutta La Vita (who lines up here as well) for a very impressive win. She will be all the fitter from that run and I think the rise up to 2,400m is perfection. JMac on board. Good barrier. What more could you want?

Australian Oaks Next Best - Autumn Angel

Not the best prep coming into the Australian Oaks after being scratched by the on-course vet 40 minutes from the Vinery Stud Stakes two weeks ago. But she has clearly overcome any issues as she lined up in the Adrian Knox Stakes last week. She was brave in defeat in that race, giving a mammoth 8kg to the eventual winner!

It’s set weights in the Australian Oaks, so she is on even pegging with all other runners, a tick. I think she is primed and ready for a crack at the 2,400m distance and the wide barrier shouldn't pose too much of an issue as it’s a small field and everyone should get their chance if they’re good enough, which Autumn Angle is.

Australian Oaks Best Roughie - Dances With Hooves

A very, very tough ask for Dances With Hooves, who is more a country/ provincial horse, in the Australian Oaks but I think she can run a great race. Can she finish in the top three? Maybe and at $7.00 to place, I’m willing to have a little something just in case. Keep progressing through the classes and has strung together back-to-back victories.

Form is solid enough, coming from the races she has previously participated in this prep. She hasn’t done anything wrong either, so certainly deserves a go at this level. Have something small on her to place and follow her to see what she does after this race on Saturday.

Betting on the Australian Oaks includes many difficult decisions for many punters. Who are you going to bet with? Which runner (or runners) are you going to bet on? Questions, questions, questions. Well, lucky for you because we’ve got answers, answers, answers.

Over the years, we’ve developed a strategy going forward for deciphering the complex world of picking a bookie. At the end of the day, it comes down to 2 things:

Firstly, which bookie is going to offer you the best value for betting with them on feature races such as the Australian Oaks race? Many different betting apps have markets available.

However, unless you undertook to compare the odds for your preferred markets, how do you know what horse racing betting sites would have offered you in terms of odds? So, our word of advice for the future about betting on any race, not just Group 1 thoroughbred races such as the Australian Oaks, is to:

• Decide on your preferred markets, or bets, that you wish to place on the Australian Oaks or any other race for that matter.
• Compare the odds for your picks across as many available  Australian betting sites as possible. 

For reference, we have a bookmaker reviews page that includes a pros and cons list for every single Australian bookmaker that offers racing markets. Additionally, our bookmaker reviews feature in-depth reviews of specific bookmakers that we care to highlight. 

Some of these bookmakers include PlayUp, Midasbet, PalmerBet, Unibet and Winnersbet, all of which have some of the best betting sites bonuses going around and amazing betting promotions you’ll love. You could even have multiple bookie accounts so you can easily take advantage of different offers and odds available.

Bet on whichever available Australian bookmaker offers you the best price for your preferred bets on races like the Australian Oaks. It could be that simple! Or complicated depending on how long you spend scouring the different bookies in Australia because there are a lot!

The second method and in our experience, the most common method used by punters not just in Australia but around the world, is betting with whichever bookie you are used to, or rather, most comfortable with. It is easier to use a bookie that is familiar because you know the layout of the website or app.

The best betting apps going around will ensure easy navigation, so you can find whatever you are looking for as easily as possible. If you would like more recommendations on who to bet with come the Australian Oaks, be sure to check out our “Betting Sites” section above!

Want to know who will take part in the 2025 Australian Oaks? So do we! But we will have to wait a little longer to see all the runners that will be taking part! We can pretty much confirm already that it will be a quality field, as we have seen multiple years now.

You can also check out the odds for the Australian Oaks in our “Odds” section below, if available. Checking out the odds will show you which runners are more favoured and therefore more likely to run in the Australian Oaks. It’s important to remember that as soon as the odds are released, there will be constant changes.

We don’t want to show you nothing, so we’ve left up the 2024 Australian Oaks field for you to see which runners were confirmed in the race below:

We saw a field of just 10 runners line up for the Australian Oaks in 2024. There also ended up being no scratchings either, which meant that all 10 runners got their chance for victory in a major race like the Australian Oaks.

In several races, you’ll find that one or more runners have been scratched. This is where the horse has been withdrawn from the race between the period of the final field being announced and the race jump time. Scratchings can take place at any time and for several reasons, like upon a vet’s advice.

When going through the final field, you should also look into the barrier draw. Some barriers are more successful than others in the Australian Oaks and the barrier a runner jumps from can dictate the race strategy deployed by each jockey.

If you’ve ever gone through a form guide before, you’ll know just how much work is involved. We know you are probably strapped for time, so we want to make things easier for you by doing the Australian Oaks form guide. 

We’ve gone through all the key form indicators and found some pieces of gold that can help point you in the direction of a winner. With a race like the Australian Oaks that has been running for so long, there is so much data to help you find a winner. Let’s check out all the key form indicators below!

It’s no secret how difficult the 2,400m distance of the Australian Oaks can be. This is why you should look for runners that are proven at a 2,000m distance and potentially even looking for more. Runners that finished strongly in a 2,000m race could be the ideal candidate.

There are two key lead-up races that fillies take before coming to the Australian Oaks; the Vinery Stud Stakes and the Adrian Knox Stakes. In the past 33 years, we’ve seen 14 winners come through the Vinery Stud Stakes. If you look at a more recent time frame, since 2010, we’ve seen six winners come from the Vinery Stakes Stakes. In terms of the Adrian Knox Stakes, there have been nine winners from this race in the past 24 years.

Look for a runner that is coming into the Australian Oaks in form. Fillies that have finished in the top five in their previous run are critical as they have seen much more success than runners that finish outside the top five. 

When it comes to the favourite, we have to report that they don’t necessarily have a good track record in the Australian Oaks. In the last 35 years, we’ve seen 10 winners jump as the favourite. 

While the favourite may not have necessarily won in other years, we’ve seen that not a lot of roughies have won the race. In the past nine years, only one Australian Oaks winner had saluted with double-digit odds.

We have seen some amazing Australian Oaks horses take part and win the race over its long history. With a race that has seen so many epic horses, it’s made it difficult to pick just the handful to feature in this section.

We’ve had to make some brutal cuts, so don’t get angry with us if your favourite filly hasn’t made our list! Check out the best Australian Oaks horses that have ever competed and won the race throughout the years below:

Wenona Girl - 1961

With 27 wins throughout her career, Wenona Girl holds a special place in many Australians’ hearts. She was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame and won Group 1 races like the Rosehill Guineas, the Flight Stakes, the George Main Stakes and the All Aged Stakes.

Light Fingers - 1965

Light Fingers won the Australian Oaks in 1965 and also has a Group 2 race named after her, the Light Fingers Stakes. With a career record of 33:15-8-5, Light Fingers won the biggest race of them all, the Melbourne Cup in 1965. She was also inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.

Surround - 1977

Surround was an excellent horse in her time, winning 17 races and she even has a Group 1 race named after her, the Surround Stakes. She was the 1977 Australian Racehorse of the Year and won races like the Cox Plate, the Caulfield Guineas and the CF Orr Stakes, just to name a few.

Research - 1989

In 1989 Research did what no other filly had done, the Australian Oaks - Australian Derby double! She was named the Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year in 1989 and had an overall career record of 31:9-5-2. 

Verry Elleegant - 2019

Verry Elleegant won some pretty big races in her career including the Melbourne Cup and the Caulfield Cup. She won almost $15 million in prize money and was crowned the Australian Racehorse of the Year in 2020/21.

Many Australian bookies will offer Australian Oaks odds. There are many  horse racing markets you can bet on as well, it doesn’t just have to be the humble Win or Place Bet! Bookies like PlayUp will open markets well before the event so you can get your bets on early if you like. 

PlayUp is one of the best horse racing betting apps and you’ll always find competitive odds on their site. If you want to get your bets on early for the Australian Oaks, we think that’s a good idea, especially if you’re betting when the market is “Before Noms”. If this is the case then you’ll get your stake back if your chosen runner doesn’t make the final field!

It’s also important to be aware of the constant changes in odds as well. As soon as the odds are released, there will be changes in the odds, which are caused by many different factors. A horse can have a bad showing in a lead-up race which can increase the odds or draw a bad barrier. Things like that can have a fairly significant impact.

As race day gets closer, you’ll notice more betting markets opening up. There is a market for everyone, no matter if you're a new or regular punter. We always recommend, however, that you stick with a bet type you understand and are familiar with. You can widen your knowledge and try more complex bet types in the future!

While PlayUp may not have released their odds for the 2025 race, we’ve left up the odds from 2024, which was taken just a couple of days before the race, below:

*Odds correct as of 11/04/2024.

The Australian Oaks is one of Randwick Racecourse’s most prestigious Group 1 races, offering its runners a share of a whopping $1 million in prize money. However, the Australian Oaks that we have come to know and love today has changed a lot throughout the years!

The first ever iteration of the Australian Oaks back in 1885, was won by Uralla. The Australian Oaks takes place each year during the Autumn Racing Carnival, which is one of the most well-known horse racing carnivals of the year.

Looking at the Australian Oaks distance, we all know that the race is run at 2,400m and it has been for 50 years now. For 15 years before that, it was one and a half miles. However, those older racing fans might remember that between 1946 and 1955, the Australian Oaks was a one and one quarter mile race, similar to 2,000m. 

Before 1946, it was a one-mile race (or approximately 1,600m) for 30 years dating back to 1922, and for the Australian Oaks’ first ten years, it ran as a one-and-a-half-mile race (which is the same as today!).

The name of the Australian Oaks has not always been, well, the Australian Oaks. For the Australian Oaks’ first decade, it went by the AJC Oaks and was run at the same distance as the Australian Oaks we know it today.

During the years 1895 to 1921, the Australian Oaks race was not held. However, after its resumption in 1922, the Australian Oaks was known as the Adrian Knox Stakes up until the 1956 Australian Oaks. Since then, the AJC Australian Oaks has been the official name of the Australian Oaks which is now the ATC Australian Oaks as a result of the AJC - STC merger. 

The last piece of information that is critical to know before truly understanding the history of the Australian Oaks is the record-setter. So, which horse has run the race the fastest (at the distance we are familiar with of 2,400m)? 

That would be the 2006 champion in Serenade Rose, who ran the 2,400m in a time of 2 minutes 28.6 seconds! To this day and in more than one hundred years before, none of the other champions of the Australian Oaks has completed the 2,400m Australian Oaks faster!

As you have probably already figured out by now, the Australian Oaks is just one of many Group 1 races on the Australian calendar. Lucky for you, we cover all the Group 1s and key races that feature each year on the calendar. If you’d like to learn more, check out our Group One races list.

And the winner of the 2025 Australian Oaks is…! Well, we don’t know that just yet, but we will bring you all the Australian Oaks results as soon as they become available. We will have all the results-related information you’ve been looking for like the full positioning order and a race replay. 

In 2024, the Australian Oaks was won by $6.00 chance, Autumn Angel. Coming off a second place in the Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes, Autumn Angel went one better in the Australian Oaks. Second place was taken out by Zardozi, who was 0.8L off the pace. 

The pre-race heavy favourite, Orchestral, let all those favourite backers down after finishing in third place. The race was run in a time of 2:31.49 and there was a total of 9.12L that separated the first and last runners across the finishing post.

See where every runner in the 2024 Australian Oaks finished below:

As we promised, check out the race replay of the 2024 Australian Oaks below:

There have been some pretty amazing editions of the Australian Oaks, including some of the biggest names ever in horse racing. Check out all the recent Australian Oaks winners below:

Before we let you go, we’ve got one more section for you to feast your eyes on. Our Australian Oaks FAQs section covers all the common questions people have about the race. Check out all the details below: