The Ingham Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2024

Holding Group 2 status, The Ingham is one of the biggest races on the calendar and it generates a significant amount of interest, thanks to the $2 million in prize money that’s on the line. The race takes place at Randwick Racecourse, one of the top tracks in the country. The Ingham is one of the final major races of the calendar year.

Run under handicap conditions for runners aged 3YO and above, The Ingham was previously known as the Villiers Stakes. It is an epic day of racing at Randwick Racecourse on this day, featuring 10 races, including:

• Inglis Nursery (Listed)
• Razor Sharp (Listed)
• Christmas Cup (Listed)

Another one of the reasons The Ingham holds such influence is because the winner of this race is exempt from the ballot for the Doncaster Mile, which takes place in Autumn and is worth $4 million. Runners in this race certainly want to put their best foot forward to close out what has hopefully been a successful year for them.

The day at Randwick honours two icons of horse racing, Bob and Jack Ingham. It also helps to raise awareness and funds for the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research. Not a lot of high-quality racing happens at Randwick Racecourse during this time, so a day like this can do a lot of good.

The team here at OnlyRacing.com.au has covered every aspect of The Ingham covered. We go through all the information you care about, like tips, field, form guide, results and more. We are always updating this page as well, so you’ll have the information you need to make any betting decisions.

There’s no secret about how much prize money is on offer for The Ingham. A total of $2 million is split between the top finishers and the specific breakdown is as follows:

One of the things we do here at OnlyRacing and we do it well are free racing tips. We’ve got horse racing tips coming out of our ears and we tip all the major races each calendar year. On top of that, we also provide Randwick tips, so we’ve always got something going on in the world of OnlyRacing.

Our tips for The Ingham specifically aren’t ready just yet. Our experts like to hold off until race week when the final field is confirmed before putting together their tips. Waiting until the final field is confirmed means they have all the important information they need to make a more informed decision on who they think will win the race.

While you're waiting, you can always check out The Ingham tips our experts put together for the race in 2023. Use the benefit of hindsight to judge how our experts performed with their tips here:

The Ingham Best Bet - Attractable 

Okay, hear me out! It’s a really open field for The Ingham in 2023 and I’m not completely sold on the favourite (Detonator Jack), so I’m going to take a chance on a roughie as my best bet for the race. Attractable, who is currently paying $13, was super impressive last start in The Big Dance on Melbourne Cup Day.

The Big Dance is on the same track and at the same distance. I’m very surprised that he is in double-digit odds, I would have expected him to be around the $7.00 mark, so he is massive overs in my opinion. Barrier two is perfect and he should have a lot of the race his way. An each-way play is certainly on the cards for this one.

The Ingham Next Best - Detonator Jack

While I’m not 100% sold on Detonator Jack, he still has class and needs to be respected in the market, so I’m putting the $5.50 favourite as my next best for The Ingham on Saturday. Won last time out in The Gong as Kembla Grange and has been in and around the finishes for races like the Diamond Prelude and The Five Diamonds.

He gets the blinkers on for this one and he is certainly good enough to win this, I just like the value play with Attractable for The Ingham more. The distance is no problem for him, the barrier draw is a little sticky, so he’ll need some luck with the right breaks at the right time, but I expect him to be in the finish.

The Ingham Best Roughie - Hinged

If my best bet for The Ingham is a $13 pop, I’m going to have to find something just as juicy for my best roughie and juicy I have found! Another $13 pop in Hinged has caught my eye as she brings some really strong form lines into this race. 

Finished eighth in the Empire Rose Stakes recently and while that doesn’t sound good on paper, she didn’t have a lot of things going for her in that race. She drew wide and had to hold off getting into her groove for longer than she probably would have liked. Her recent trial was good and only has 55kf on her back.

Don’t forget that our tips will be available during race week, so mark your calendars and just back again with us then.

The Ingham betting experience should be an enjoyable one. To make things more enjoyable, there are a few key things you need to know. Our betting tips can help you make the most of The Ingham (and hopefully bag a winner in the process). 

Generally speaking, when it comes to betting on any horse race, including The Ingham, there are two things you need to decide:

1. Who to bet with?
2. Who to bet on?

There are so many horse racing betting sites in Australia that it can make the decision even harder. Just know though, that if you choose a bookie, that choice isn’t set in stone and you can open accounts with other bookies as well if you like. In fact, this is something we recommend because different bookmakers may have different racing promotions.

By having an account with multiple bookies, you are well-positioned to easily take advantage of different promotions, which could mean more money in your pocket at the end of the day. On top of this, it is also likely that there will be different odds for the same runner at different bookies, so more value can be found by having multiple accounts.

When choosing a bookie, you shouldn’t completely count out new betting sites either. New betting sites usually offer something a little different and can provide a more personalised service because they aren’t as big as some of the more established bookies on the market.

We go through all the most popular new bookies and look at the best horse racing betting apps as well, which is very important if you are always on the go. All this information and more can be found on our bookie reviews page (bookies like Betfocus, Unibet and Dabble can all be found there), so check it out if you’re interested.

Once you’ve decided who you are going to bet with, the next thing you need to work out is who to bet on. You can bet on one specific runner in The Ingham, or play the exotics and bet on multiple runners in the field. Whatever you decide, make sure you fully understand what is involved in that particular bet type.

The Ingham field is confirmed each and every year during race week. So, as it is not currently race week, we cannot bring you the field information for 2024. However, if we look back at the recent history of the race, we know it is going to be a bumper field, filled with plenty of high-quality runners.

If you’re looking to get an indication of the type of runners who might pop up in The Ingham field, you should check out the odds. The odds for The Ingham are usually released well before the event, so you’ll get to see which runners are more favoured in the market currently and therefore more likely to make an appearance.

While we wait until race week for The Ingham field in 2024 to be confirmed, you can check out all the field details from the race in 2023:

For The Ingham field in 2023, we saw a total of 20 runners confirmed, plus four emergencies, just in case there were any pre-race scratchings. In the end, we saw one pre-race scratching of the 20 confirmed runners, in Excellent Proposal, but by then the first two emergencies were scratched as well, opening the door for Loch Eagle.

Scratchings happen all the time in horse racing, even in races like The Ingham where there is $2 million in prize money on the line. It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the scratchings, especially if you have a bet on the race. You don’t want to tune into the race, only to see the runner you bet on has already been scratched from the race!

Along with scratchings, you should also look into the barrier draw. Usually, the larger the field, the more influence the barrier draw will have on how the race plays out. Certain barriers have seen more success in the past as well, so it could pay to check out which barriers have produced the most winners.

The Ingham is not a new race on the calendar, therefore, there is a lot of data available for people to go through. The data can help point you in the direction of the next winner, by looking for patterns. 

When it comes to The Ingham form guide, there are certain areas you should look into:

• Recent Form - Look into how each runner has been performing as of late. Don’t just look into recent races, but also trials. Also, while a run might not look good on paper, was the runner held up at a critical time, making it difficult to win? 
• Barrier Draw - We just touched on this in the previous section. The barrier draw will likely have a major influence on the race. Look into speed maps to see the likely settling position of each runner.
• Success at Track/ Distance - Look for runners who have success at this track and distance. Also, check the quality of those particular races, more weight would be placed on Group level races.
• Success in Handicap Conditions - The Ingham is run under handicap conditions, so it is a good idea to look into how each runner performs in those types of races. Again, check the quality of those races, if they are Group level, that could be an even better indication.
• Proven Group 2 Form - A particular runner might have a great recent form leading up to The Ingham, but if the races they have competed in are not as high-quality as a Group 2, they might not have the class to step up to this level.

The Ingham has been around for longer than some of the Group 1s on the calendar, which means we’ve seen many great horses compete and win the race over the years. There are so many The Ingham horses to choose from and feature in this section.

We’ve had to make some tough decisions on which horses get a feature here. After going through all the horses that have won the Ingham over the years, these are the ones we think are worthy of a spot in this list:

Yaralla - 1941

Yaralla won The Ingham in 1941 and was one of the most successful racehorses of his time, winning multiple Group 1 races. During his career, he won five Group 1 races, some of the biggest wins in his career included; the Sires Produce Stakes, the All Aged Stakes, the Winx Stakes and the Canterbury Stakes.

Bernborough - 1945

With a career record of 37:26-2-1, Bernborough was another successful racehorse and had several major wins under his belt. Some of the biggest races he won throughout his career included; the Might and Power Stakes, the  Verry Elleegant Stakes and the Newmarket Handicap. For more information about those races, check out our Group One races list.

Happy Clapper - 2015

Happy Clapper captured the hearts of many during his career and amassed over $7 million in prize money. He finished his career with a record of 48:12-12-6 and this included wins in races like the Newmarket Handicap, the Doncaster Mile and the Epsom Handicap. If he wasn’t racing at the same time as Winx, who knows how many more races he would have won.

Sense Of Occasion - 2016

Sense Of Occasion was victorious in the 2016 edition of The Ingham and finished his career with $1,706,145 in prize money. He had a lot of success at Listed or above level throughout his career and he finished with a record of 41:8-6-3. This included one Group 1 victory, which was in the Doomben Cup.

Greysful Glamour - 2020

With a record of 40:6-7-3, which included a second place in a Group 1 race, Greysful Glamour was one of the most successful horses to compete and win The Ingham. The mare finished her career with almost $1 million in prize money and placed in 40% of the races she competed in.

If you’re going to bet on The Ingham, it’s a good idea to know the odds. The Ingham odds will tell you which runners are currently more favoured in the market. Remember, the odds will be constantly changing, so if you check them today and then again in a few days, it’s likely they will be different.

This is why we recommend jumping on if you find a price you like, otherwise, you risk the odds shortening and getting less bang for your buck when you eventually place your bet. On the other side, the odds could drift, meaning you get more value than before. It’s all about if you’re willing to take the risk.

As we get closer to race day, more horse racing markets will open up and bookies, like PlayUp, will have heaps of markets available. No matter if you want to bet on a particular runner to win the race or looking for something a little more exotic, like a quaddie, you’ll find everything you’re looking for during race week.

Fixed Win and Place markets will open up well before the event and we think this is a great time to bet on the race because you’re likely going to get higher odds. Also, if you’re betting when the market is listed as “Before Noms”, you’ll get your stake back if the horse doesn’t end up making the final field.

Come back again soon as we will have the Fixed Win market up from PlayUp closer to race day.

The Ingham has a long history, longer than some of the Group 1s on the calendar. The first edition of The Ingham was back in 1892 when the race was won by a horse named Two Up. While the race doesn’t technically take part in Sydney’s Spring Racing Carnival, one of the biggest horse racing carnivals of the year, it still attracts a lot of attention.

With a race with such a long history, there are bound to be several changes to the name, distance and more for this race. The distance of The Ingham has changed slightly over the years and the details on this include: 

• 1892 - 1901: 6 furlongs (approximately 1,200 metres)
• 1902 - 1971: 1 mile (approximately 1,609 metres)
• 1972 - 2006: 1,600 metres
• January 2008: 1,400 metres
• December 2008 - now: 1,600 metres

Previously known as the Villiers Stakes, The Ingham has always taken place at Randwick Racecourse, except in 2001, 2011 and 2012, when the race took place at Warwick Farm Racecourse. The race was originally run under Principal status until 1979, then it was upgraded to Group 3 status before finally reaching Group 2 status in 1986.

One horse in particular stands out when looking at The Ingham, which is Happy Clapper. He won not only The Ingham and the Doncaster Mile, but he also went on to win the Epsom Handicap. Happy Clapper is the only horse to complete that trio of wins and he even has a bar named in his honour in the Winx Stand at Randwick Racecourse.

Want to know who won The Ingham in 2024? Well, you’ll have to wait until the race has been run first! As soon as we know the results, we’ll update this section with all the details you’ve been looking for, including a table with the finishing order of the entire field plus a video replay.

For The Ingham in 2023, it was won by the third emergency, Loch Eagle, who only gained entry into the race thanks to a scratching of one of the confirmed runners along with the first two emergencies. Loch Eagle was paying $18 to win the race and finished 0.2L in front of Attractable.

Third place was taken out by Lion's Roar, who finished 0.4L off the pace. The pre-race favourite, Detonator Jack, finished down in seventh place. For The Ingham in 2023, there was a total of 9.12L that split the entire field and the race was run in a time of 1:34.80.

The finishing order of the entire field for The Ingham is displayed in the table:

If you want to see how The Ingham unfolded for all the runners, you should check out the video replay:

There can only be one winner each year for The Ingham and we’ve got them all (well, up until 2010, that is!). See the recent winners of The Ingham that have graced the honour roll:

Before you go, we have one final section for you. Our The Ingham FAQs section covers all the most common questions people have about the race. So, if you’ve got any last-minute questions, this is the section for you.