Country Championships Final Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2025

The Country Championships Final is a newly minted race that takes place on Day One of The Championships at Randwick Racecourse. The race is held under open set weights conditions for the field. The Country Championships Final was only launched in 2015 but has already gained a lot of notoriety and success.

This race was created by Racing NSW to support racing in country areas. This allows for further support for regional areas in NSW and ensures different horses, trainers and jockeys are showcased on one of the biggest stages, during The Championships at Randwick.

The Country Championships Final, while not a Group 1 race, takes part on Day One of The Championships. Four Group One races are on the same day including; the Doncaster Mile, the TJ Smith Stakes, the Australian Derby and the Inglis Sires Produce Stakes. With all the racing that is taking place at Randwick Racecourse, there’s no doubt it is one of the top tracks in the country.

In total, there are seven Country Championship races across each racing region in NSW. The runners that finish first and second in their respective races will make it into the final field for the Country Championships Final! In the qualifying series, it is restricted to horses that have competed in less than 20 races and are Class 5 and below.

Each of these qualifying races is worth $150,000 and as well as these two Wild Card races confirm the final two runners in the 16-runner field. When it comes to making up the final field for this race, if one of the runners from a qualifying race isn’t able to compete, a space will open up for the third-placed runner of that specific qualifying race (and then the fourth-placed runner, if the third-placed runner isn’t available).

Here at OnlyRacing.com.au, we will cover all the important information you need to know about this new and unique race that shines a spotlight on some of NSW’s best country horses. We will provide information like our Country Championships Final tips, betting, odds, field and so much more!

While you’re going to find everything you need in the coming sections on this page, before we get to that, check out the breakdown of the prize money for the Country Championships Final below: 

Who doesn’t love some free horse racing tips? Horse racing tips are the lifeblood of OnlyRacing and we take providing our loyal readers with the best tips going around very seriously! At this stage, our Country Championships Final tips aren’t ready to go. Our experts are waiting for all the information about the final field to come to light before providing their three best tips.

We know you came here for tips, so why don’t you check out what our expert put together for the race in 2024 (or you can check out our Randwick tips, which includes the latest at Randwick Racecourse). You can make your own judgement on their best bet, next best and best roughie below:

Country Championships Final Best Bet - Bandi’s Boy

I think the conditions will really suit Bandi’s Boy, so I’m putting him as my best bet for the 2024 Country Championships Final. He has been competing in quality company in his last races, so I’m expecting a bold showing on Saturday. Really, I think this is a step back in class for Bandi’s Boy.

That is probably why he is well-found in the market, currently listed as the $2.50 favourite. It’s all pointing towards a win for Bandi’s Boy for me, especially considering he gets the inside draw and won’t expend any unnecessary energy in the opening stages of the race. He’s got a win in heavy conditions and his turn of foot can help get himself out of any trouble he may find himself in.

Country Championships Final Next Best - Sharp Shock

The betting market on PlayUp is doing some crazy things right now. A price of $19 for Sharp Shock…whaaaaat?! He managed to sneak into the Country Championships Final and I’m so glad he did because I think he can cause a sharp shock for some of the other runners in this race (see what I did there!).

He placed second to Bandi’s Boy in the Newcastle Stakes. Bandi’s Boy, as you already know, is the clear favourite to take out the Country Championships Final. I think he’ll relish the run at Randwick Racecourse and may very well be too hard to hold out come the closing stages of the race.

Country Championships Final Best Roughie - Agirlsbestfriend 

Unlike Bandi’s Boy, the thing I’m worried the most about for Agirlsbestfriend is the heavy track. But I’ve had my eye on her for a while now and I think she is worth a little something at the price. She has had a few good runs under her belt and think she will give them a good show.

A solid effort in a recent trial at Muswellbrook and I think she is a real outside danger in this race. Can she turn the tables on the favourite? Maybe. But I’ll be playing on the Place Bet, just to be on the safe side. Agirlsbestfrield as my best roughie for the 2024 Country Championships Final.

When it comes to Country Championships Final betting there are a lot of questions you need answered. But the good news is, we’ve got all the answers you’ve been searching for! You need to know stuff like what to bet on and who to bet with.

Firstly, there are several different betting apps, all with varying markets. There’s certainly a lot you can bet on when it comes to horse racing! If you’re a more casual punter, then we think it’s a good idea to stick with more basic bet types. 

It’s not difficult to learn about some of the more advanced bet types, but it’s important you fully understand what you are betting on. Start with a simple Win/ Place bet before progressing to things like Quinellas, Trifectas and First Fours.

Another topic that needs an answer is which bookie you are going to bet with. You might already have a bookie account with a certain bookmaker, but we have to tell you that it pays to shop around! 

There are so many different horse racing betting sites out there and you could potentially be missing out on better odds or different betting sites bonuses. All Australian betting sites offer something a little bit different so it pays to look around to see if there’s something you’ll like more.

Some of the bookies in particular that we like for the Country Championships Final include:

• BetGalaxy - Their unique and fun design makes them one of the best betting apps in the market.
• Vicbet - Their platform is great for those punters who know what they are doing and they have some great betting promotions as well.
• Bet365 - They are one of the biggest bookies in the world for a reason, their odds are consistently amazing!

Above are just three recommendations for the Country Championships Final, but there are plenty more where they came from. If you’re on the hunt for more options, then you should check out our “Betting Sites” section above which shows many, many more bookies.

We all want to know which runners will be taking part in the Country Championships Final. Thanks to its unique approach, as the qualifying races are run and won throughout the year, we will have some idea of who will be taking part.

However, anything can happen in horse racing and runners who finished first or second in their qualifying race may pull out. So, it is best just to wait until the final field is confirmed for 100% assurance of which runners will be taking part. 

If the odds are available, you can check them out in our “Odds” section below and this will give you a better idea of which horses are likely to line up in the race for 2025. The odds will be constantly changing, so you should keep an eye on things.

While we wait for the final field to be confirmed, check out the runners that lined up in the Country Championships Final in 2024 below:

As expected, we saw a full field line up for the 2024 Country Championships Final. We saw one scratching in the field, Elson Boy. But the first three emergencies were also scratched before the race, so that meant the fourth emergency, Listen To The Band, gained entry into the race.

You’ll find that in horse racing, scratchings are pretty commonplace. It’s annoying but there are many reasons a runner could be scratched and they happen at any time. This is why you should keep an eye on things, especially if you’ve placed a bet on the race.

Something else you should look into, especially when it comes to capacity fields, is the barrier draw. Runners will usually have a preference of which barrier they’d like to start from and there are more successful barriers than others. The barrier a runner starts from can have a major impact on the race tactics that are deployed by the jockey.

With a race like the Country Championships Final, it can be a little difficult to do a proper form guide because there haven’t been enough editions to find patterns and key form indicators. Nevertheless, we have done our best here at OnlyRacing!

We’ve gone through all the races since 2015 and have been able to find some key pieces of information that could point you in the direction of a winner. As they say, the stats don’t lie! So, let’s take a look at some of the key pieces of information we’ve found in the Country Championships Final form guide!

When you look at races like the Country Championships Final and The Kosciuszko, which both feature country runners, results show that genuine quality almost always rises to the top. Look for a runner that has legitimate class and wasn’t just lucky on the day to book their spot in the Country Championships Final. The runner should be on a Group-class level, or at least have the ability to win a metropolitan Saturday race.

Run at a distance of 1,400m, it’s a good idea to find a runner that has proven success at the distance. The race is usually run at a good tempo, so horses need to have enough in the tank to keep up at the beginning as well as enough to storm home at the end.

In the 10 editions of the Country Championships Final so far, there has only been two female winners, which include Asgarda in 2024 and Gracie Belle in 2020. Favourites haven’t had a good run of it either, in fact, only two favourites have won the race, which were Art Cadeau (2021) and Noble Boy (2019). There have also been four double-digit winners of the race.

Some unique horses have competed and won the Country Championships Final. While the whole point of the race is to shine a light on country horses, it means that they may not have the same sort of quality as other races. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that they are still great runners.

The Country Championships Final has been running for a few years now and we’ve made a couple of cuts to feature some of the horses that we think you’d like to learn a little bit more about. Check out some of the Country Championships Final horses featured below:

Artlee - 2015

Just have to feature Artlee in this section as the first-ever winner of the Country Championships Final. Throughout his career, Artlee placed in a Group 2 and a Group 3. He contested two Group 1s but was unplaced in both. In the end, he had a career record of 21:6-1-3 which helped him gain over $400K in prize money.

Clearly Innocent - 2016

A winner in the 2016 Country Championships Final who also went on to have Group 1 success! Clearly Innocent also won the Kingsford Smith Cup in 2017. He also managed a third place in another Group 1 race, the Stradbroke Handicap again in 2017. These two races really helped bump up his career prize money, which ended up being over $1.5 million.

Victorem - 2018

Victorem has to be one of the best country horses going around. Not only did he win the Country Championships Final in 2018, but he also went on to finish second in another country-only race, The Koscsiczko. He has a career record of 24:7-4-4 and had a bit of success at Group 3 level.

Noble Boy - 2019

TNoble Boy had a 33% win strike rate throughout his career, which included a win in the Country Championships Final in 2019. While he never contested a Group 1, he did achieve third place in a Group 3, which was the Chatham Stakes in 2019. In the end, Noble Boy amassed a total of over $700K in prize money.

Art Cadeau - 2021

Art Cadeau certainly won the right races because he has gained a total prize money bank of over $1.3 million so far. At the time of writing, Art Cadeau has a career record of 30:7-7-2 which includes the win in the 2021 Country Championships Final. He hasn't contested a Group 1 or Group 2 yet but has placed at Group 3 level previously.

Are you looking for the Country Championships Final odds? Well, you’ve found the right section! If the odds are available for the race, you’ll find all the details here. With a race like the Country Championships Final, all the best horse racing betting apps will open markets for you to be on.

Something important to know about horse racing odds is that they are always changing. You might check one day and then the next, noticing a significant difference in the price. Many things go into an odds change in horse racing markets and you may even see different odds at different bookies for the same market.

Our top bookie, PlayUp, has not yet released their market for the Country Championships Final. Closer to race day, they have plenty of different markets available for you to bet on, so there’s truly something for everyone. We do recommend, however, that you stick with what you feel most comfortable with though.

We will bring you all the odds information as soon as PlayUp has released their market. In the meantime you can check out the odds of all the runners listed in the 2024 Country Championships Final field below:

*Odds correct as of 04/04/2024.

Honestly, for a race like the Country Championships Final, there isn’t a lot of history to dig into. The race has only been running since 2015, but it’s an interesting and important concept that shines a light on country horses, jockeys and trainers.

The race provides connections an opportunity to showcase what they’ve got on one of the biggest stages going around - Day One of The Championships! The Championships is one of the biggest horse racing carnivals on the calendar and there are so many eyeballs on the races at Randwick for the two weeks of epic racing.

The inaugural edition of the Country Championships Final was won by Artlee and the race itself was created by Racing NSW as part of their Sydney Autumn Carnival revamp. The race has gone from strength to strength each year and now garners a lot of attention from the metropolitan area that gets to see horses they may not have necessarily seen before.

For the Country Championships Final, several eligibility requirements must be met for each runner. Firstly, the runner needs to be in the care of a NSW country trainer and in a current stable that is in one of the country's racing regions. 

The runner must remain in the care of the trainer in an eligible country racing region for 12 months after the Country Championships Final. If not, it will result in a penalty which could mean disqualification as well as the withdrawal of prize money.

While the Country Championships Final isn’t technically a Group 1, there are plenty of other Group 1s and key races that you can learn more about, if you wish. All you need to do is check out our Group One races list for all the important details!

We all want to know who won the 2025 Country Championships Final! Who is the best country horse going around for 2025? Well, until the Country Championships Final has been run and won, we don’t know the answer to that question! But we will bring you all the details as soon as we can!

Looking back to 2024, Asgarda won the Country Championships Final with massive long-shot odds of $26. Asgarda wouldn’t have been on many people’s radars but finished 1.2L ahead of second-placed Gallant Star. In third place was Rapbidash, who was 2.9L behind the leader.

The top three runners in the 2024 Country Championships Final jumped with double-digit odds. The race was run in a time of 1:23.61 and there was a total of 15.2L between the first and last runner.

Check out the full Country Championships Final results below:

You know where each runner finished in the Country Championships Final, but now it’s time to watch the full race replay, so you can relive all the action of the race:

Want to know the winner of every single edition of the Country Championships Final? Well, you can check them all out below:

Have you got some last-minute burning questions about the Country Championships Final? This section will, hopefully, answer any and all final questions you have about the race. Check out our FAQs below: