Stradbroke Handicap Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2025

The Stradbroke Handicap will take place at Eagle Farm Racecourse and is a staple of the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival. This year’s Stradbroke Handicap promises to be a thriller as we’ve seen epic race after epic race in recent years.

The 1,400m Stradbroke Handicap is an open qualification to the nation’s greatest thoroughbreds battling it out in one of the most prestigious Group One races in Australia. And for the winner? The main spoils of the now $3 million prize pool! 

There is so much racing at Eagle Farm on the same weekend as the Stradbroke Handicap, so it’s no surprise we think that Eagle Farm is one of the top tracks in the country. As well as the Stradbroke Handicap, we also see the J J Atkins and The Q22 (which is a Group 2, but there is $1.2 million on offer in that race!).

The team at OnlyRacing.com.au will cover every aspect that you need to know about the Stradbroke Handicap. So, no matter if you’re looking for the best Stradbroke Handicap tips, or the result of the latest race, we cover all the essentials. 

We update this page multiple times a year to ensure you always have the most up-to-date information going around. We can’t wait for the upcoming Stradbroke Handicap and we know it’s going to be an epic race, so make sure you check with us again during race week for all the information you need.

Before we crack on, we thought we’d give you a breakdown of the prize money that’s on offer for all the top finishers in the Stradbroke Handicap. Check out the table below:

It’s the most wonderful section on the page - tips time! It’s the section where our horse racing experts tell all our loyal readers who they think will win the Stradbroke Handicap. But they don’t just stop there either. They tell you what their next best bet is along with their best roughie. That’s right people you get three free horse racing tips each and every year!

Our expert wants to ensure their tips are as accurate as they can be, so they are waiting until race week to confirm their tips. When it is race week, the final field will be confirmed and our expert can go through the form and stats of all the runners.

Our tips aren’t ready for the Stradbroke Handicap in 2025, but you can check out who our runners tipped in the race for 2024 below:

Stradbroke Handicap Best Bet - Stefi Magnetica

It’s a fairly open market for the Stradbroke Handicap and I found it difficult to nail down not just my best bet, but also my next best and my best roughie. In the end, I’ve decided to go with Stefi Magnetica. Yes, you read that right, I’m going with a $12 chance to win the Stradbroke Handicap!

She comes into the Stradbroke Handicap third-up, which places her well, I reckon. The only sticky point for me is the wide draw, but I’m confident in jockey Zac Lloyd’s ability and if she can get a bit of luck, she’ll be up to her eyeballs in this. Her recent results aren’t anything to write home about, but she is much fitter now and comes down massively at the weights.

Stradbroke Handicap Next Best - Antino

I’ve put Antino as my next best for the Stradbroke Handicap on Saturday and he is currently listed at odds of $8.00, which puts him in as the second-favourite with PlayUp. Antino is certainly one of the main chances and top Brissy trainer, Tony Gollan, who is still on the hunt for his first Stradbroke, will be hoping Antino can get the job done.

Antino recently won the Victory Stakes and his run after that was in preparation for the Stradbroke Handicap, I reckon. The Stradbroke Handicap has been Antino’s target all along and while he will have to carry a little bit more weight than some of his main rivals, he seems to be locked and loaded. He has a great record at Eagle Farm, so let’s see what he can do.

Stradbroke Handicap Best Roughie - The Inevitable

For my best roughie, I’ve sided with The Inevitable, who is currently paying $20 with PlayUp. The Inevitable resumed three weeks ago, where he didn’t really perform at his best, he was back in the field and wasn’t able to get going until the closing stages. 

He comes into this race as fit as you would like and he gets an ideal distance on a wide-open track. A firmer deck also works in his favour and he drops fairly considerably in weight. I think he can only improve from here and hopefully, it’s enough improvement for a top-three finish!

There are over 80 available Australian betting sites that offer markets on Group 1 thoroughbred horse races around the country. Our bookmaker reviews page has a full list of all of the best betting apps in the market! Be sure to check it out, as well as specific bookmakers for which we have in-depth reviews.

Picking which of these many, many available horse racing betting sites to bet with on the Stradbroke Handicap might seem like quite a difficult task. However, the team at OnlyRacing have put together a simple set of recommendations for you to follow to put your mind at ease.

First off, if you are a creature of habit and do not want to overcomplicate betting on the Stradbroke Handicap, then choose the bookie you are most comfortable with using. If your everyday bookie to bet with, or check odds with, is Unibet for example, then check out the specific promotions on offer for that day to maximise your returns. 

The other method to use is odds comparison. This way will take a lot longer to decide which bookie to use for the Stradbroke Handicap, however, you will most likely have a higher return on average. 

What we suggest for betting on the Stradbroke Handicap is to:

• Select the markets you wish to bet on for the Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm Racecourse.
• Compare the odds from as many available Australian bookmakers as you can muster. 

Our bookmaker reviews page has a full list if you need it. From there, whichever of these Aussie bookmakers are offering you the best odds for your selected market, you should place with. Yes, it does take a bit longer to do this, but you could be getting more value!

It pays to check out heaps of different bookies, not just because of the potential difference in odds, but also for:

• Better betting promotions
• Unique betting sites bonuses

If you’re looking for a place to start when it comes to some of the best bookies to check out, we recommend starting with Volcanobet, BetRoyale and SterlingParker. These are some of the best betting apps going around at the moment, but if you’re looking for more than three options, scroll up to our “Betting Sites” section.

The field for the Stradbroke Handicap in 2025 is not yet confirmed. Each year, we see a bumper field that is filled with some of the highest-quality runners going around and 2025 isn’t going to be any different. It’s always a quality fight-out for the mammoth amount of prize money that’s on offer!

A good way to see which runners are likely targeting this race and therefore make the final field is to look at the odds market. If the odds are available, we will list them in our “Odds” section below. The shorter the odds for a particular runner, the more likely they are going to make an appearance.

Until race week in 2025, we won’t know the field that will take part in the Stradbroke Handicap, so check out all the runners that will take part in the 2024 race below:

In 2024, we saw a stacked field line up for the Stradbroke Handicap. A total of 18 runners plus five emergencies were confirmed for the race. There weren’t any pre-race scratchings in the end, so all five emergencies weren’t able to gain entry into the field to take part in the race.

Scratchings happen all the time in horse racing and it is something important for you to keep your eye on, especially if you’ve placed a bet on the race. They can happen anytime from between when the final field is announced until right up to minutes before the race is due to jump.

Along with keeping an eye on the final field, you should also look into the barrier draw. This is especially the case when the field is on the larger side. The barrier a runner jumps from has a fairly significant impact on how the race plays out and the race tactics used by the jockey.

A race like the Stradbroke Handicap has been around for a while now and that means there is a lot of data to look into. It is always recommended that you look into all the relevant data and stats for the race because it could help you find patterns that could eventually help you uncover the runner that is more likely to win.

If you don’t have time to go through everything and put together the Stradbroke Handicap form guide yourself, then you’ve come to the right place! We’ve done all the heavy lifting here at OnlyRacing and have put together some key form indicators that you need to be aware of before placing any bets. Check out what we’ve found below!

The Stradbroke Handicap can sometimes be a difficult race to line up because, at the distance of 1,400m, it can attract both sprinters, who are stretching out to their longest trip, as well as middle-distance runners, who are capable of running distances like 1,800m or 2,000.

In the end, the time the race is run usually suits sprinters as there are plenty of quality lead-up races that can get the runner tuned in. Some of the lead-up races you should look into include the Doomben 10,000 (1,200m), the Kingsford Smith Cup (1,300m) and The Goodwood (1,200m).

Since all the way back in 1991, we have seen 10 Stradbroke Handicap winners come from the Doomben 10,000 and an additional three from The Goodwood. In most other Group 1 races, winning form means a lot, but this isn’t necessarily the case for the Stradbroke Handicap. Since 1991, only eight winners have also won their lead-up race.

When looking into how favourites have performed over the years, it hasn’t been a very good hunting ground. Since 2004, we have seen only three favourites go on to win the race, one of which was in 2023 when Think About It won. Since 2000, we have seen 16 winners jump with odds of $11 or higher!

An inside barrier doesn’t always lead to a race win and we see this in action here in the Stradbroke Handicap. There has actually been a fair mix of winners jumping from both low and high barriers. Since 1983, we have seen 21 winners jump from a double-digit barrier.

The Stradbroke Handicap is one of the biggest horse races in Australia and this prestige ensures we see only the best horses compete and win the race. There are so many Stradbroke Handicap horses to choose from and potentially feature in this section, but unfortunately, we can only feature a handful.

This means we’ve had to make some tough decisions and it has led to some serious debate here at OnlyRacing HQ as to which horses should be included. Check out the horses that made the cut and see if you agree with our choices below:

Rough Habit - 1991 & 1992

Rough Habit was one of the best-ever racehorses and the gelding won plenty of Group 1 races, including the Stradbroke Handicap in back-to-back years. He was named the New Zealand Horse of the Year in both 1992 and 1995. Some of the other key races he has won over the years include; the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the All Aged Stakes and the Doomben Cu.

Dane Ripper - 1997

The Bart Cummings-trained Dane Ripper won 12 races throughout her career, including the 1997 Stradbroke Handicap. She was named the 1998 Australian Champion Filly or Mare and accumulated over $3 million in prize money throughout her career. Some of her biggest wins included; the Cox Plate, the  Australian Cup and the Manikato Stakes.

Srikandi - 2015

Srikandi ended her career with a record of 15:9-2-1 and she won over $2 million in prize money. Throughout her career, she won two Group 1 races, the Stradbroke Handicap and the Tattersall's Tiara. She also won a Group 2, the Victory Stakes.

Alligator Blood - 2022

Alligator Blood is a very successful racehorse, who is still competing today (at the time of writing). So far, he has won seven Group 1 races including; the Champions Mile, the Underwood Stakes, the Caulfield Stakes and the Australian Guineas, just to name a few. He has amassed over $8 million so far in his career.

When going to place a bet on the Stradbroke Handicap, you’ll notice numbers next to every runner or market you are looking at. Those numbers are the odds for each market and the smaller (or shorter) the number, the higher the chance that particular bookie thinks that outcome will eventuate.

But remember, just because the odds are short for a particular market, it doesn’t 100% guarantee that the bet will be successful. Anything can and usually does happen in horse racing. We see double-digit long shots win all the time, so it pays to do your research and not just blindly follow whoever the favourite is in the market. 

As we get closer to Stradbroke Handicap Day, you’ll notice heaps more horse racing markets open up. Bookies like PlayUp will have a lot of interesting markets for you to bet on and there is certainly something for everyone. The odds will likely constantly change from when the first market is live right up until the race jumps. 

So, if you find a good price at one of the many horse racing betting apps, you should hop on it quick smart! PlayUp has not released its market for the Stradbroke Handicap just yet, so you’ll have to wait a little longer to check out the odds for the race.

We’ve left up the odds for the Stradbroke Handicap in 2024. So while you wait for the 2025 odds to be confirmed, you can check out the table below:

*Odds correct as of 13/06/2024.

Traditionally run as a six-furlong race (approximately 1,200m) from its inaugural feature race, the 1890 Stradbroke Handicap, the big event shifted to a seven-furlong race in 1953 for 20 years. Since 1972, the modern Stradbroke Handicap has been run right-handed at Eagle Farm Racecourse for a distance of 1,400m. 

The race takes place during Brisbane’s Winter Racing Carnival, which is one of the biggest horse racing carnivals on the calendar. Heaps of racing takes place at Eagle Farm and Doomben during the carnival. 

Below are some important historical facts to know about the Stradbroke Handicap before you bet on the Stradbroke Handicap. Please note if you are still struggling to decide what bookie to use for betting on the Stradbroke Handicap, scroll up to our “Betting” section. Also, check back closer to the race date for a full set of tips, in our aptly named “Tips” section!

The Stradbroke Handicap has been named as such, except between the years of 1982 and 1988 when the race was known as the Elders Handicap which was also run at Eagle Farm Racecourse. Ever since the race has been run at the 1,400m distance we know today, the track record belongs to Toledo, who ran the race in a time of 1:20.20 in 1998. 

We have seen the Stradbroke Handicap switch racecourses in recent years. In 2015, 2017 and 2018, the Stradbroke Handicap was moved to nearby Doomben Racecourse due to ongoing issues with the renovation that was taking place at Eagle Farm.

A wild conclusion to the 1980 Stradbroke Handicap saw Bemboka Yacht crowned champion due to Ducatoon failing a steroid test after the race. This is one of the only noted stripping due to a banned substance in Australian Group 1 history.

In the eighth iteration of the Stradbroke Handicap, the only feature race resulting in a dead heat took place. The Scamp and Dalnair shared the spoils as co-victors in the 1897 Stradbroke Handicap.

The Stradbroke Handicap is probably the biggest Group 1 race to take place during the Winter Racing Carnival. If you’re interested in learning more about some of the other races that take place during the Winter Racing Carnival, or any other carnival throughout the year, check out our Group One races list. We have over 100 races listed there for you to check out.

As soon as the Stradbroke Handicap takes place, many people will be searching online for all the results information. Well, you’ve come to the right place! We cover everything you’ve been looking for - the finishing order of the entire field along with the full race replay.

The 2024 Stradbroke Handicap was taken out by a $15 chance, Stefi Magnetica. It was a tight battle between Stefi Magnetica and second-placed Bella Nipotina. Bella Nipotina was just 0.3L off the pace, under the guidance of jockey Craig Williams.

Vilana, the pre-race favourite, finished in third place, a little further back, being 2.4L off the leader. There was a total of 14.7L that separated the first and last runners across the finishing post and the Stradbroke Handicap was run in a time of 1:21.00.

Take a look at where each runner in the Stradbroke Handicap field finished below:

If you’re looking to relive all the action that went down in the most recent Stradbroke Handicap, check out the full race replay below:

The Stradbroke Handicap has crowned some epic winners over the years! Check out all the recent Stradbroke Handicap winners in the table below:

You now know almost everything you could ever need to know about the Stradbroke Handicap! But before you leave this page, we have some common FAQs that we think you should check out. All the common Stradbroke Handicap FAQs are listed below: