Geelong Cup Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2024

The Geelong Cup is one of the biggest races that takes place at Geelong Racecourse each year. In 2024, the race will take place on Wednesday, October 23rd and it is a Group 3 race. It is run under handicap conditions and at a distance of 2,400m.

We thought we should create a specific page for the Geelong Cup for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there is a mammoth $500K in prizemoney on offer, which is on a similar level to some of the Group 1 races on the calendar. Secondly, it is known as one of the ideal lead-up races to the Melbourne Cup.

We all know the Melbourne Cup is the biggest race on the calendar and it takes place at Flemington Racecourse each year, which is one of the top tracks in the country. While a win in the Geelong Cup doesn’t mean the runner automatically qualifies for the Melbourne Cup, the win usually sees the runner earn the necessary weight penalty to gain entry. 

Melbourne Cup form analysts also look closely at the Geelong Cup, as it is considered the key lead-up race. The Geelong Cup has been running 13 days before the Melbourne Cup since 1947 and is known as “Geelong Cup Day”, where those in the City of Geelong enjoy a public holiday!

OnlyRacing.com.au has got you covered with everything you need to know about this Group 3 race. From tips to results and everything in between. If it’s related to the Geelong Cup, we’ve got information about it on this page!

Before we get cracking on our Geelong Cup tips, we wanted to talk more about the prize money. There’s a cool $500K up for grabs in this race and the breakdown of the prize money can be found below:

Would you like some Geelong Cup tips? Of course, you would! We have some of the best free horse racing tips going around and we don’t just cover all the key races on the calendar, like the Geelong Cup, but we also offer weekly tips as well. You’ll always find the latest and greatest tips with us here at OnlyRacing!

At this stage, our Geelong Cup tips aren’t available yet as we are waiting for race week. When race week rolls around more information about the final field will be released. This is the information our experts are waiting for. They want to ensure they have all the most accurate information before making their selections.

Seeing that you’re already here, why don’t you check out our expert’s Geelong Cup tips for the race in 2023? Use the benefit of knowing the results to judge how our expert stacks up! Check out the tips below:

Geelong Cup Best Bet - Ashrun

I’m going to avoid the favourite as he is too short for my liking and there’s no value there. So, I’ve made Ashrun my best bet for the 2023 Geelong Cup. Ashrun is currently on the second line of betting, with Virtuous Circle also being on the second line, at $5.00. With two runs under his belt, I think Ashrun is in mint condition to win the Group 3.

There’s just something about him that oozes quality and it really looks like they are targeting this race (and potentially even the biggest race of them all, if he can pop in a nice performance). Finished mid-field last month at Flemington but that was after almost three years away from races, so I’m expecting a sharp rise in fitness here.

Geelong Cup Next Best - Virtuous Circle

Going with the other $5.00 chance in the Geelong Cup, Virtuous Circle, as my next best for the race. If there is rain, I think that only increases Virtuous Circle’s chances, so make sure you keep an eye on the radar because that will determine how big my bet is on the gelding.

It was a forgive-and-forget run last time out in the Bart Cumming, where he was back early and didn’t get any breaks down the straight. He finished runner-up in the Australian Derby during Autumn, so the step back in distance looks good and Damian Lane sticks. Let’s see what Virtuous Circle can do!

Geelong Cup Best Roughie - Magical Lagoon

I’m going to have a little throw at the stumps in the Geelong Cup with Magical Lagoon. The current $21 chance and 2022 winner of the Irish Oaks could raise a few eyebrows in a wide-open race. She hasn’t put her best foot forward in her Australian races but has trailed over shorter distances during this prep.

This distance suits her I think as her last two European wins have come from this distance. The favourite has drawn wide, meanwhile, Magical Lagoon gets barrier five. If jockey Damien Oliver can get her settled in the race nicely with no early problems, she’ll be in it for a long while.

Don’t forget that our Geelong Cup tips will be available during race week, so check back on this page during that time for all our 2024 tips!

If you’re planning on betting on the Geelong Cup, there are a few things you should know! Firstly, the good news is that there are heaps of bookies in Australia that will offer Geelong Cup markets each year, so you have plenty of options if you want to try a new bookie. On top of this, there will be lots of different markets available.

With so many options with both bookies and markets, it can actually make it difficult to make a decision. When it comes to bookies, we recommend opening more than one account. Different betting sites will have slightly different offerings and odds, so it can pay to shop around to get the best promotions and odds.

If you’re not sure where to start, we have reviews of all the best horse racing betting apps and sites, so you’ll easily be able to find the perfect one for you. Some of our top recommendations include the likes of; PlayUp, Betfocus and Unibet.

In terms of the market you should go with, it’s recommended that you stick with the markets you fully understand. That doesn’t mean you can’t go out and do some research to learn more, but you should stick with what you are comfortable with.

Racing promotions are also a major factor to consider. Some bookies will have general racing promotions that they offer each week as well as specific promotions for major events. These promotions will range from bookie to bookie and you have to be an existing customer to be able to claim the promotion.

As soon as the 2024 Geelong Cup field is announced, we will bring you all that information in this section. While we don’t know which runners will line up, seeing though the race is one of the ideal lead-up races to the Melbourne Cup, we always see a quality field filled with both local and international talent.

If you want to see the type of runners that might be targeting the Geelong Cup, you should check out the current odds, if available. The odds will provide a look into the more favoured runners in the market and an indication of some potential runners for the race.

Until the 2024 Geelong Cup field is confirmed, you can take a look at the runners who lined up for the race in 2023. Check out all the details below:

For the Geelong Cup in 2023, we saw a field of 17 runners confirmed, with no emergencies listed. In the end, there were four pre-race scratchings, which dropped the field to 13 runners, the scratchings included; Sheraz, Spanish Mission, Mount Popa and Fancy Man.

It’s important to remember that scratchings are a fairly common occurrence and can happen at any time. Even in key races where there is a stack of prize money on offer. There are several reasons why a horse may be scratched, so if you’ve put a bet on the race, it’s a good idea to check the field regularly to see if any scratchings have been announced.

Another good idea is to check the barrier draw. The gate each runner jumps from can have a fairly major influence on how the race pans out. Different runners have different racing styles as well, so that’s something to take into consideration as well. On top of this, if you look at the history of the Geelong Cup, you’ll notice that some barriers have seen more success than others over the years.

It’s always a good idea to check out the Geelong Cup form guide before placing any bets as the stats don’t lie. Looking at all the recent stats of past winners can shed some light and present some patterns. While following the pattern isn’t a 100% guarantee, you know you are betting with your head!

When it comes to the form guide, some of the important aspects you need to look into include:

• Recent past results
• Previous success in this race
• Success at track/ distance
• Lead-up races
• Barrier draw
• Success of favourites/ roughies
• Weight 
• Sex
• Age

If you look at all these aspects and see which runners in the past have had the most success, you can look for a similar runner in the upcoming race. Some of these aspects hold more weight than others, so it is important to be impartial and take your time to go through all the relevant information.

If you don’t have time or the skills to look at this data, you can always just check out our Geelong Cup tips! Our experts will do all the heavy lifting for you and they dig deep into all this data when producing their tips for the race, so you don’t have to.

With the Geelong Cup being an ideal lead-up race to the Melbourne Cup, we see some of the best-ever horses compete in the race, despite it only being a Group 3. We’ve seen local and international horses give the Geelong Cup a red-hot crack and the best horses from this race usually go on to make an appearance in the Melbourne Cup.

We’ve gone through the long history of the Geelong Cup and found a handful of winners that we think you should know more about. We take a look at their successes throughout their career in further detail. Check out some of the best-ever Geelong Cup horses below:

Karasi - 2001

Karasi was a top flat performer as a young horse and had some great wins, including in the 2001 Geelong Cup. In the same year, he also came fourth in the Melbourne Cup. Later in life, he became a champion steeplechase racehorse, winning the world's richest steeplechase race, the Nakayama Grand Jump, for three years in a row.

Media Puzzle - 2002

Media Puzzle was one of the runners who was able to complete the Geelong Cup - Melbourne Cup double, winning both races in 2002. He was named the 2003 Australian Champion Stayer and won almost $4 million in prize money throughout his career.

Americain - 2010

Just like Media Puzzle, Americain successfully completed the Geelong Cup - Melbourne Cup double. The stallion had a career record of 34:11-4-4 and amassed almost $6 million in prize money. He was named the 2011 Australian Champion Stayer.

Dunaden - 2011

Dunaden completed the Geelong Cup - Melbourne Cup double, just like Americain had done the year before. Along with his victory in the 2011 Melbourne Cup, Dunaden also won one of the biggest Group One races on the calendar, the Caulfield Cup, a year later in 2012. He had a career record of 46:10-11-8 and was named the 2011/12 Australian Champion Stayer.

Prince Of Arran - 2019

Prince Of Arran won over $3 million in prize money throughout his career but was never able to win a Group 1 race. After his victory in the Geelong Cup, he came a close second in the Melbourne Cup. He then returned the following year to give the Melbourne Cup another crack, but still couldn’t win, finishing in third place by 0.6L.

When betting on the Geelong Cup, it’s a good idea to shop around for the best odds. Different bookies may be offering different odds for the same runner/ market, so if you shop around, you could pick up a little bit of extra value here and there, especially if you are thinking of betting on roughies or markets with higher odds.

As we get closer to the Geelong Cup, you’ll notice that more horse racing markets will open up. Come race week, there will be heaps of markets for you to choose from, so no matter the type of bet you want to place, you’ll be able to do so! At this stage, our favourite bookie, PlayUp, hasn’t released their odds for the Geelong Cup.

When the odds are released, you’ll probably notice how quickly they change. There are many different ranking factors that bookies take into consideration and this is why some bookies are offering a different price for the same runner/ market. So, if you see a price that tickles your fancy, it’s a good idea to jump on it while you still can.

We think one of the best times to bet on the Geelong Cup is when the market is listed as “Before Noms”. This is because you’ll get your stake returned to your account if the runner you bet on doesn’t end up making the final field. If you’re betting close to race day, when the market is listed as “All-In”, you won’t get this benefit.

Don’t forget to check back here soon, as we will list all the odds from PlayUp when the market is up and running.

The Geelong Cup has a long and rich history, with the race being run since 1872. However, everything changed in 1947 when the race moved to be run 13 days before the Melbourne Cup. Since then, the race has become an excellent lead-up to the Melbourne Cup and therefore we see a lot of high-quality runners compete.

The Melbourne Cup is undoubtedly the biggest horse race in the country and the whole of Victoria even gets a public holiday on this day. The race takes place during Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival, which is one of the biggest horse racing carnivals of the year and sees many enthusiasts come to the track to watch history take place.

Before 1907, the race was run at Marshalltown Racecourse and before 1947, the race was run at different times of the year, between January and July. In recent times, we’ve seen three runners complete the Geelong Cup - Melbourne Cup double, which includes the likes of; Media Puzzle (2002), Americain (2010) and Dunaden (2011).

Over the years there have been multiple changes to the distance of the Geelong Cup. However, more recently, since 1972, the race has pretty much always been run at a distance of 2,400m, except between 2008 and 2009, when the race was run at a distance of 2,406m.

There have also been a couple of changes to the grade of the race. From inception until 1978, the Geelong Cup was known as a Principal Race. Between 1979 and 2001, the race was upgraded to a Listed Race and then finally, from 2002 onwards, the race was promoted to Group 3 level.

If you want to know which runners performed well in the previous Geelong Cup, we’ve got all the details you’ve been searching for! We cover Geelong Cup results information like the finishing order of the entire field as well as a race replay, so you can see how the race unfolded.

The 2023 Geelong Cup was won by Amade, who was a $31 chance coming into the race. Before the Geelong Cup, Amade finished fifth in the Bart Cummings (Group 3). It was a tight finish with Amade finishing just 0.3L in front of Ashrun, who was more of the favoured runners in the race, with a price of $5.00 before the jump.

Sir Lucan was just 0.4L off Amade and finished in third place, after jumping with odds of $19. The pre-race favourite, First Immortal, couldn’t keep up with the bulk of the field and he ended up finishing in seventh place. The Geelong Cup was run in a time of 2:30.70 and there was just 10.4L that split the first and 13th runners across the finishing post.

Check out the full Geelong Cup results below:

If you want to relive all the action from the most recent Geelong Cup, we’ve got the video for you below. Check out the details:

There can only be one winner (unless there’s a dead heat!). So, if you’d like to know which horses have won the Geelong Cup in recent times, check out the table below that includes winners from 2010 to now:

One last section for you to check out before you’re a Geelong Cup expert! Our Geelong Cup FAQs section answers all the most common questions people have about the race. You can find all the questions below: