Australian Guineas Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2025

Welcome to OnlyRacing’s preview of the Australian Guineas held at Flemington Racecourse. As one of the premier Group 1 races in the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival, the Australian Guineas (one of the key Group One races during the Autumn Racing Carnival) attracts some of the nation’s best three-year-old horses. 

To go alongside the prestige and fame of claiming victory in the Australian Guineas, an eye-watering $1 million in prize money will be up for grabs. This pool of funds for the Australian Guineas mirrors other similar Group 1 Guineas races such as the Randwick Guineas. 

In this comprehensive preview of the Australian Guineas, we will take a deep dive into the field of competitors for the race itself and the projected winners. We also provide recommended betting strategies and the results of the latest edition of the Australian Guineas.

Additionally, this Australian Guineas preview looks into the history of the race and digs deeper into some of the top horses to ever win the race. This provides critical context for race day on Saturday the 1st of March. Hopefully, this information assists you not just with punting decisions for the Australian Guineas race, but also with racing knowledge in general.

Be sure to keep your calendars clear for Saturday the 1st of March 2025 and visit us here at  OnlyRacing.com.au for all your tips and betting needs. Flemington Racecourse is undoubtedly one of the top tracks in Australia. Let’s see who claims victory in the 2025 Australian Guineas! 

Money, money, money! Let’s check out the breakdown of prize money for the Australian Guineas: 

Hello, free horse racing tips! The team at OnlyRacing loves to provide their horse racing tips for each and every Group 1 race and they take their job of finding winners very seriously. Our tips for the Australian Guineas are not currently available for the race in 2025.

But don’t worry, as soon as our experts have all the information they need, they are dedicated to providing our readers with all the latest and greatest tips! To sweeten the deal even further, we also have Flemington tips available for all types of races at the track.

While you wait for our 2025 tips, why don’t you check out our expert’s best bet, next best and best roughie for the Australian Guineas in 2024 below: 

Wow, don’t we have a great field that lines up this year in the Australian Guineas! We are at capacity this year with 16 runners plus one emergency. The pre-race favourite is Riff Rocket, currently listed at $2.45 at the time of writing. Let’s dig right into my tips, why don’t we!

Australian Guineas Best Bet - Riff Rocket

Now, I know that favourites don’t always have the best record in the Australian Guineas, but is there any other runner going as good as Riff Rocket right now? He took out the key lead-up race, the CS Hayes Stakes and he will be looking to replicate Alligator Blood’s efforts by taking out the CS Hayes Stakes - Australian Guineas double come Saturday.

The way Riff Rocket has gone about his work is amazing. He is as fit as they come, has lots of race experience this prep and thanks to the set weights conditions of the race, he is well placed. I’m honestly surprised he isn’t shorter than $2.45, so if you like the look of Riff Rocket, jump on him as I expect him to shorten.

Australian Guineas Next Best - Veight

Veight is looking good as my next best in the Australian Guineas. He was brave against the older horses in the CF Orr Stakes, where he finished fourth, behind Mr Brightside (and we know how good Mr Brightside is!).

This will be Veight’s fifth go at a Group 1 race and so far he has had one second place. He is experienced enough to know how to perform in big races like the Australian Guineas work. Damian Lane gets the ride, which is a big tick and the barrier isn’t too bad. Currently listed at $7.50 in the market with PlayUp, that seems like good value!

Australian Guineas Best Roughie - Southport Tycoon

For my best roughie in the Australian Guineas, I cannot go past Southport Tycoon. Oh, the value! He is currently listed at $11 for the win and I think he could surprise a few in the race. He is backing up from a run at Caulfield last weekend, where he finished second to Snow Patrol.

He just didn’t get the luck in that race and wasn’t able to pip the winner at the post. I’m hoping his fortune changes in the Australian Guineas. He has been thereabouts in almost every recent race, so I’m hoping for more of the same again on Saturday. Gets a good barrier and Jamie Kah takes up the saddle.

Now that we have a rough idea of the top runners we are picking for the Australian Guineas, we should investigate where to place your bets for the big race. You could go with the safe choice of betting with your usual Australian bookmaker; however, you could be missing out on value!

It certainly does pay to shop around at different betting apps, especially if you’re thinking of betting on roughies. Many factors influence the odds of a runner, but different bookies have different processes, which is why you’ll sometimes see varying odds. It’s a no-brainer; you place your money on the market where you get better returns!

So, what other things do you need to look for? Well, there are a few key things that all the best horse racing betting sites have in common and we go into detail about all of them in our bookmaker review page. Our reviews make the process of choosing the best Australian betting sites for you as easy as possible.

Looking for the best betting sites bonuses is also an important factor because you’ll be able to get more bang for your buck! One bookie in particular, PlayUp, is one of the best betting apps because of their range of unique promotions on offer. 

Other good options when it comes to bookies include the likes of VicBet along with others. Again, they both have some great betting promotions and are known to offer competitive odds. If you check out our review on these bookies you will get a solid understanding of them before you go and sign up.

So, there you have some recommendations for our top bookies. If you want more, we can give you more! Check out our “Betting Sites” section above.

Every year, we see a jam-packed stellar field for the Australian Guineas and while we don’t currently know what the field will be for the race in 2025, we can expect more of the same. As well as the field, we also list the Australian Guineas odds in our “Odds” section below, when available, which will give you some indication of which runners are favoured in the market.

Please keep in mind that due to the field not being released, the odds for the Australian Guineas are likely to fluctuate between now and the race. Many factors go into the odds for each runner and as more information becomes available, the odds will change.

While we sit and wait for the Australian Guineas field to be released, let’s take a step back in time and check out the runners that lined up for the race in 2024:

In the past few years for the Australian Guineas, we have seen a capacity field for the race. A total of 16 runners and one emergency lineup for the great race. In the end, there weren’t any scratchings, so the first (and only) emergency, Mah Ali, didn’t get a run in the race.

Even in races as big as the Australian Guineas, scratchings are very commonplace. Unfortunately, scratchings can take place at any time, from the week of the race to just minutes before. But remember that if you bet on a horse that ends up being scratched, you will get your stake back.

When it comes to the final field, something else that is worthy of a look is the barrier draw. The barrier can play a major role in how the race will play out for each runner and certain barriers have seen more success over the years in the Australian Guineas.

Before you go on your merry way to bet on the Australian Guineas, it is a good idea to check out the form guide. The Australian Guineas form guide will provide key pieces of information and point you in the right direction for your bets. But do you really want to go through pages and pages of form? Not really!

Don’t worry, because the team at OnlyRacing have done all the heavy lifting. We’ve found some key form indicators that are important to note. Many patterns have emerged through the years and you should read on below to see what we’ve found out!

Favourites have a fairly solid record in the Australian Guineas. Throughout the last 38 editions of the Australian Guineas, the favourite has won 14 times. Add on top of this another 10 winners that have had a starting price of $5.50 or less. It certainly pays to look at the shorter runners in the market.

The winner of the Australian Guineas usually comes into the race with some sort of form. In recent history, only one winner has finished further than fourth in their previous race, which was Lunar Fox, who won the race in 2021 with mammoth odds of $301! The majority of the Australian Guineas winners actually finish first or second in their previous race, so it’s important to look into that.

If you’re looking into the lead-up races for the Australian Guineas, history tells us that the CS Hayes Stakes is worthy of a gander. There have been many horses in recent times that have completed the CS Hayes Stakes - Australian Guineas double, including 2020 winner Alligator Blood.

In the previous section, we told you how important the barrier draw is for the Australian Guineas. Well here are some stats to back it up! In the last 31 years, only three (yes three!) runners have won the Australian Guineas when starting from a barrier wider than nine. Lastly, only six fillies have gone on to win the Australian Guineas since 1986, but it is important to note that not a lot of females actually contest this race.

Given the fame, prestige, and prize money associated with a race like the Australian Guineas, there are a host of memorable and notable winners from previous iterations of the Australian Guineas. We will go through four past winners of the Australian Guineas, citing their victory and other career accomplishments.

Check out the four key horses from previous editions of the Australian Guineas below:

Zabeel - 1990

In the 1990 edition of the Australian Guineas, then called the Australasian Guineas, a New Zealand-based horse by the name of Zabeel claimed victory. This is a notable Australian Guineas win because Zabeel went on to claim first prize by a whopping six lengths! Zabeel had a great career of his own, but the true mark he left on the sport of horse racing was his offspring. After victory in the 1990 Australian Guineas, Zabeel went on to sire some of Australia’s greatest champions who won copious Group 1 events.

Mahogany - 1994

Four years after Zabeel won the 1990 Australian Guineas by a landslide, Mahogany stole the show in one of the closest Australian Guineas to date. Surviving a late push from competitors in the field, Mahogany won the 1994 Australian Guineas by a nose. Mahogany followed this up by winning 18 other races in his career, totalling over $2.5 million in winnings.

Miss Finland - 2007

A dominant win by Miss Finland in the 2007 Australian Guineas saw them become a fan favourite. Winning similarly to Zabeel 17 years prior, Miss Finland also boasts six other Group 1 victories over her storied career. But we will always remember her brilliant display in the 2007 Australian Guineas.

Alligator Blood - 2020 

A more recent champion of the Australian Guineas, Alligator Blood was one of the most hyped-up horses in recent memory in Australia. A victory that mirrors Mahogany in the 1994 Australian Guineas, Alligator Blood won the 2020 Australian Guineas by just a nose against Superstorm. In a disappointing turn of events, Alligator Blood was retired during the 2021 season as a result of injuries. However, alongside the 2020 Australian Guineas win, Alligator Blood won 9 other races across his 13 career starts.

The Australian Guineas odds are an important piece of the betting puzzle. If you find a runner that you like, but the odds are really low, there’s no value there and you may be better off looking elsewhere for value.

As the Australian Guineas is a Group 1, all the major horse racing betting apps will likely release odds well in advance of the race. Our favourite bookie, PlayUp, is yet to release odds for the Australian Guineas just yet.

While the odds are just a snapshot in time, you’ll find that the Australian Guineas odds will likely change frequently, no matter which horse racing markets you are looking at. We think one of the best times to bet on the Australian Guineas is when the market is “Before Noms” because this means you’ll get your funds back if your horse doesn’t make the final field.

When you bet on the futures markets you are also more likely to find better odds. Odds for the eventual favourite could be a lot higher at this time, so you may just get a lot more bang for your buck!

While we wait for the Australian Guineas odds to be released for the race in 2025, why don’t you have a look at the odds that were on offer from PlayUp a couple of days before the race in 2024:

*Odds correct as of 29/02/2024.

Let’s begin with the key background information for the Australian Guineas, including the changes that have occurred to the Australian Guineas over the years. To start with, the name for the race, the Australian Guineas, is only about a decade old. This pales in comparison to the racecourse at which it is run, which opened in 1840.

Before 2011, the Australian Guineas went by a few names. For one year in 2010, the Australian Guineas was known as the Crown Guineas, after being changed from the Cadbury Guineas (2005-2009). Before then, the Australian Guineas went by a name for almost 20 years, beginning at its inception, the Australasian Guineas. 

In terms of the distance that the Australian Guineas runs at, it has pretty much always been at the one-mile marker (1,600m), except for three years at the turn of the century (1998-2000) when the Australian Guineas, then the Australasian Guineas, was raced at a distance of 2,000m. 

The Australian Guineas is a Group 1 race, it is undoubtedly one of the more prestigious races on the Victorian and Australian racing calendar. However, for its first year of running in 1986, the Australasian (Australian) Guineas was a Group 3 race! 

The very next year this was changed to Group 1 and has remained at that elite status ever since. It also must be noted that in 2007, the Australian Guineas (then Cadbury Guineas) was run at Caulfield Racecourse due to construction at Flemington Racecourse. 

That should have provided you with enough background information on how we have come to get the Australian Guineas in the form we know today. Now let’s take a deep dive into the minutiae of the Australian Guineas that racing fans should undertake to know.

The Australian Guineas race is a Group 1 race for thoroughbred horses that are three years old. The Australian Guineas is run at 1,600m around the famous Flemington Racecourse. Since its inception in 1986, the Australian Guineas has been a race marked on jockeys’ and trainers’ calendars during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Calendar, one of the biggest horse racing carnivals of the year. 

The Australian Guineas is seen by many as a sort of lead-up race to the Doncaster Mile and the Cox. Being regarded as one of the premier three-year-old horse races around Australia, the Australian Guineas always promises to be a spectacle for all racing fans.

The Australian Guineas is one major race on an Australian racing calendar that has over 100 key races. If you want to check out more races, including Group 1s and other feature races, check out our Group One races list. We’ve got all the major races of the year listed there.

The Australian Guineas in 2024 has been run and won! We have all the results you need like the finishing order of all 16 runners plus a full race replay. We will swap out the information for the results of the 2025 Australian Guineas as soon as they become available.

The 2024 Australian Guineas was won by the Ciaron Maher-trained Southport Tycoon, who jumped at juicy double-digit odds! Jockey Jamie Kah put in a stellar ride to take advantage of the gaps that opened up and Southport Tycoon proved too good in the closing stages of the race.

Veight finished second in the race, 1.3L off the pace, while the pre-race favourite, Riff Rocket, filled in the final minor placing, 2.3L off the leader. The race was run in a time of 1:35.48 and there was a total of 15.6L that separated the entire field.

Check out the full Australian Guineas results below:

You’ve read the full results table, now it’s time to watch the full race replay of the 2024 Australian Guineas! Check out the video below:

Want to know who won the Australian Guineas in the past and not just the most recent edition? Well, haven’t you come to the right place! Check out the table below which lists all the recent winners of the Australian Guineas, up until 2010:

We’ve got one final section for you, the Australian Guineas FAQs section! If you’ve got any last-minute questions about the Australian Guineas, hopefully, we’ve answered them below. Take a look: