Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2024

The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes is one of the final races of Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival and is contested over a distance of 1,400m. The race is run each year at Caulfield Racecourse, which just happens to be one of the top tracks in the country.

Thanks to the prestige of the race and the $1 million in prize money on offer, we see some of the best sprinters and middle-distance runners contest this race. The sprinters who are contesting the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes are stepping out to what is likely their longest distance. 

While 1,400m is likely the shortest distance you’ll see middle-distance runners compete in. This and the fact that the race is run under handicap conditions always make for an intriguing race. In the past, the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes has unearthed a few young sprinters on the rise, like Santa Ana Lane, for example.

The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes hasn’t always been run on this particular weekend in the Spring Racing Carnival. In 2023, Racing Victoria confirmed that this race would move to the same weekend as the Thousand Guineas. This means us racing fans have two Group 1 races to sink our teeth into on this race weekend.

OnlyRacing is here to guide you every step of the way when it comes to the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. We have information on our best horse racing betting tips, plus other details like field, form guide, odds and results. We update this page multiple times a year, so you are always in the know.

There is a lot of prize money on the line for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, as you would expect for a Group 1. There’s $1 million on offer, which is split between the top finishers:

Are you looking for free horse racing tips in Australia? Well, OnlyRacing is the only place you need to be. We’ve got more horse racing tips than you can poke a stick at! Our tips cover all the biggest races on the calendar as well as Caulfield tips to keep you going when there’s no Group 1 racing.

Our Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes tips aren’t available just yet because our experts are waiting until the final field is confirmed. The final field will shed the necessary light on which runners will be taking part, then our experts can dig into each runner’s recent form and more. Accurate data is key when it comes to horse racing tips, that’s for sure.

Until the 2024 final field is confirmed for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, you can check out our tips for the race in 2023. Using the benefit of hindsight, you can judge how our experts performed and if you’ll be back to check their tips again for the upcoming race.

Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Best Bet - Magic Time

According to the odds, it’s currently a two-horse race for the 2023 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. Magic Time and I Am Me are the only two runners with single-digit odds. So out of the two, who do I have on top? Well, after consideration, I’ve sided with the favourite, Magic Time, for this one.

Despite being the favourite, the mare is still paying $4.80, so I think that’s excellent value. She comes in excellent at the weights and I was pleased with that. Something I’m not too keen on is the barrier draw, but I think she’s got the class to overcome that. She put in a very fast time at Randwick last start, over a distance of 1,400m, let’s hope she does it again.

Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Next Best - I Am Me

Unsurprisingly, I’m going with I Am Me, the only other runner with single-digit odds as my next best for the 2023 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes on Saturday. Another that doesn’t get a good gate, but just like Magic Time, I think she’s good enough to overcome that. I Am Me will give Magic Time a real run for her money, I reckon.

Solid form lines coming into this, finishing in front of Airman and Bella Nipotina in the Sydney Stakes two runs ago. Last time out, she finished (albeit a distant) second to Imperatriz. The reason I Am Me isn’t my best bet is that I’m not 100% sold on her rise to 1,400m, but she does have more class than several of her rivals.

Sir Report Clarke Stakes Best Roughie - Ayrton

I have a soft spot for Ayrton and despite letting me down a few times over the past year, I think he has now turned a corner. He has been shining so far this Spring and it all started with a first-up win, where he had to dig deep. In his second-up race, he won in Caulfield, keeping his perfect record intact.

I’m not sure he’ll be so lucky this time at Caulfield, but the record certainly cannot be dismissed. He has always threatened to be a Group 1 type runner, especially in handicapped races and with odds of $17 to win at the time of writing, I’m willing to take a chance, even a third place here would make me happy.

So there you have it, our 2023 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes tips. Don’t forget to check back again during race week for our updated tips.

Betting on the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes should be a fun experience. To increase your chances of making it a winning experience as well, you should consider developing a betting strategy. To make things easier for you, we’ve developed a simple Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes betting strategy which will allow you to get more value.

With Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes betting, it comes down to two main areas:

• Which betting sites in Australia are you going to bet with? (Yes, you can bet with more than one.)
• What market are you going to bet on?

There are heaps of bookies that are available for Australians to bet on. So, you have to make some choices on which ones are best for you. Our bookie reviews page can help out with this, but if you are looking for bookies in particular to start with, PlayUp, Dabble and Volcanobet are all great options.

Some people choose to stay away from new betting sites as well, which is to their detriment. There are many positives to choosing to bet with a new betting site, one of which is simply being available for more bonuses and promotions by having multiple accounts (with new and established bookies).

There are plenty of bonus offers available with each bookie and by having accounts with multiple, you can easily take advantage of any offers. Also, don’t forget that different bookies may have different odds for the same runner, so you can pick up more value that way as well.

If you’re on the go a lot of the time, then you should choose a bookie that has a great betting app. There are plenty of new betting apps in Australia that come with all the bells and whistles. An app needs to be fast, user friendly and without bugs, so you can always place your bets when the time comes.

Along with choosing where you are going to place your bets for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, you also need to decide what market you are going to bet on. We recommend betting on a wide range of markets so you can get the most out of your experience. However, it is important to stick with the markets you have a full understanding of.

Some of the main markets that you can bet on for the upcoming Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes include:

• Quaddie
• Quinella
• Trifecta
• First Four
• Fixed Win
• Fixed Place
• Multi

The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes field is yet to be confirmed in 2024. Each year, the final field is announced during race week, we will all have to wait until this time. While we don’t currently know which runners will line up in the Sir Rupert Clark Stakes, if history is anything to go by, it’s going to be a stacked field.

Well before the final field is confirmed, multiple bookies will release their initial odds markets. This means you can get a little preview of the runners that may be targeting the race (i.e. the runners with the shortest odds). If the odds are available, we will list them in our “Odds” section below.

In the meantime, we’ve left up the field for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes in 2023. All the runners who were confirmed include:

For the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes in 2023, we saw a big field of 16 runners confirmed, plus three emergencies in case there were any scratchings. In the end, there weren’t any scratchings so the original 16 runners lined up in the starting gates.

Scratchings are somewhat of a regular occurrence. This is why you are likely to see emergencies in the final field, especially in major races like Group 1s. There are several reasons why a runner may be scratched and it can happen at any time, so it’s important to keep your eyes peeled.

On top of scratchings, it’s a good idea to check out the barrier draw when looking into the final field. This tells you which barrier each runner is due to jump out of. Different runners have different running styles, so they may be more suited to an inside or wider barrier. The track and number of runners in the field will also influence how important the barrier draw is.

The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes form guide is an essential piece of the puzzle, especially if you’re thinking about betting on the race. The form guide looks at all the relevant statistics from the race and will unveil patterns if they exist. The patterns found can potentially help you find the next winner of the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.

We understand that many may not have the skills or the time necessary to put together the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes form guide, which is why we’ve done it for you. We’ve gone through and found all the key form indicators that you need to know.

The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes can be a difficult race to pick because there’s usually a mixture of sprinters and middle-distance runners, due to the 1,400m distance. As the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes is a handicap race, it is vital to look into the weights. 

We have seen that 23 of the last 32 winners jump with a weight of between 49kg and 55.5kg. Since 1975, we have only seen six winners carry 57kg or more, most recently Callsign Mav got the job done in 2022 with 57.5kg on his back.

It seems as though the barrier draw doesn’t have the biggest influence over results, as it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Since 2008, we have seen eight winners jump from a double-digit barrier, including the last three in a row.

While the favourite does have a solid record in the race, we have also seen that single-figure winners have been quite dominant. So, it pays to see what the market is doing. Mares don’t have the best record in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, with just two winning since 2008, which were Sierra Sue (2021) and Magic Time (2023).

The age group of horses with the best record in the race are 4YOs, who have won 12 times in the past 25 editions of the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. Look for a horse that’s coming into the race in some form as well. Since 2002, we have only seen four Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes winners finish worse than fourth in their lead-up run.

With a race like the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, we always see the best horses competing and winning. The prestige of the race always brings the best of the best out and over the years, we’ve seen some of the greatest horses in this race.

It has been slightly difficult to narrow down the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes horses to just a handful that we are going to feature here, but we’ve done our best. Hopefully, you agree with the choices we made. We dig deeper into the profile of the best Sir Rupert Clark Stakes horses below.

Manikato - 1978

Just the second Australian horse to win over $1 million in stakes races, Manikato was victorious in the 1978 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. The gelding had a lot of success in his career, winning the William Reid Stakes five years in a row and the Futurity Stakes on four occasions. For more information about these two races, see our Group One races list.

Encosta De Lago - 1996

Encosta De Lago was an extremely lightly raced horse, with a career record of 8:3-0-3, but this included a victory in the 1996 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. Along with this race, he won another Group 1, the Coolmore Stud Stakes, also in 1996. After his racing career, he became the Australian Champion Sire in 2008 and 2009.

Exceed And Excel - 2003

With over $1 million worth of prize money in the bank, it’s easy to see why Exceed And Excel deserves a spot on this list. A multiple Group 2 and Group 3 winner, Exceed And Excel also won another Group 1, the Newmarket Handicap. Just like Encosta De Lago, after his career, he became the Australian Champion Sire for the 2012/13 season.

Santa Ana Lane - 2017

A multiple Group 1 winner, Santa Ana Lane proved too good in the 2017 Sir Ruper Clarke Stakes. The gelding won over $8 million in prize money throughout his career and finished with a record of 44:10-4-5 (half of those victories were in Group 1s!). He won races like the TJ Smith Stakes, the  Stradbroke Handicap and The Goodwood.

Behemoth - 2020

Behemoth finished his career with a record of 32:10-5-1 and this included a win in the 2020 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. He also won the Memsie Stakes in his career and has already reached the status of having a Group race named after him. The Behemoth Stakes is a Group 3, which is named in his honour and is raced each year at Morphettville. 

Before you finalise your bets for the race, it is always a good idea to check out the odds across multiple different bookies. It may seem unusual at first, but different bookies will likely have different odds for the same runners. So, it can pay to shop around, especially if you’re thinking of betting on a roughie, where the discrepancies can be even higher.

Before the race, there will be plenty of horse racing markets for you to choose from and one of the bookies we love, PlayUp, will have their market up soon if you want to get your bets sorted. The further out from race day you place your bets, the more value you may be able to find. It is common for the odds to shorten as more information comes to light.

So, if you are willing to take a risk and bet weeks or even months out from the event, you could end up finding the eventual favourite for double-digit odds. When betting so far out from the event, the market is in what we call “Futures” and if it is listed as “Before Noms” then you will even get your stake back if the runner doesn’t make the final field.

Remember, nothing is certain in horse racing. So, even if a runner is listed as the favourite, it doesn’t mean that runner will win. It just means that bookies think out of all the runners, that one has the most chance of winning. We see double-digit odds winners all the time and even the occasional triple-digit odds winners.

We will provide all the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes odds from PlayUp here, once their market is live.

First run back in 1951, the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes is one of the final races to take place each year during the Spring Racing Carnival in Melbourne, which is certainly one of the top horse racing carnivals of the year. The race was originally known as the Invitations Stakes and was first won by Jovial Lad.

Since 1951, we have seen multiple changes to the name of the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. Most recently, the race was renamed to the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes in 2006 to honour the former chairman of the Victorian Amateur Turf Club, who passed away in 2005. All the name changes of this race include:

• 1951-1974: Invitation Stakes
• 1975-1988: Marlboro Cup
• 1989-1991: Show Day Cup
• 1992-1999: Vic Health Cup
• 2000-2001: Eat Well Live Well Cup
• 2002-2005: Dubai Racing Club Cup
• 2006-2013: Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes
• 2014: Sir Rupert Clarke Charity Cup
• 2015-Present: Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes

The race was also previously held on the same day as the Royal Melbourne Show Day, which was also a public holiday, but this changed after 1994. The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes was raced under Principal status until 1979, then it was upgraded to Group 1 status, much like many of the other Principal races during this time.

The distance of the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes hasn’t changed throughout its entire race history. Between 1951 and 1971, the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes took place over seven furlongs, then from 1974 onwards, it was officially raced at a distance of 1,400m (which is equivalent to seven furlongs).

No matter if you are looking for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes results in the weeks or months after the race, we’ve got you covered. It’s always an action-packed 1,400m in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and we have a table with the finishing order of every runner plus a full video replay.

In 2023, the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes was won by the pre-race favourite, Magic Time. Magic Time was 1L in front of the second favourite, I Am Me. Those two runners were the only two listed with single-digit odds, so it was a great race for punters who backed the Quinella or Exacta!

Strait Acer, a further 1.3L off the pace, finished in third place. The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes was run in a time of 1:22.51 and there was a distance of 27.75L that split the first and last runners across the finishing post.

Here’s the full Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes results below:

If you’re more of a visual person, then we’ve got you sorted as well. Now is the time to relive all the action from the latest Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes:

When it comes to a prestigious race like the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, we see some epic winners. Each year, a new horse etches their name in history and we keep track of all the latest Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes winners below:

If you’ve got some last-minute questions about the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes then you have come to the right place. We have found all the most common questions people have about the race and have answered them in this section.