VRC Oaks Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2024

The VRC Oaks is one of the most historic Group 1 races on the Victorian racing calendar. Also known as the Kennedy Oaks due to sponsorship, is worth a whopping $1 million. Therefore, we will see many competitors making their way to Flemington Racecourse, one of the top tracks in the country, to fight for the right to call themselves a VRC Oaks winner.

VRC Oaks is also known as Ladies Day at Flemington Racecourse and the Fashions on the Field event always draws a sizable crowd away from the action on the track. The first edition of the VRC Oaks was all the way back in 1861 when won by Palestine.

It is common knowledge at this point that Racing Victoria has lost their marbles in trying to keep up with the great prize money increases of Racing NSW, Queensland Racing and even the growing South Australian horse racing market. 

Racing Victoria is misunderstanding the value of the VRC Oaks, in addition to an obvious lack of comprehension towards their greatest source of revenue, the punters. Racing Victoria is undermining the VRC Oaks due to not upgrading the prize money in recent years. 

In comparison, Racing NSW pledged a $20 million increase in prize money, as well as the new feature races being offered to rival Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival. It’s an interesting move by Racing Victoria, but we will watch closely to see if they increase the prize money of this race or any races in the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

The VRC Oaks takes place each year on the Thursday after the Melbourne Cup and is also raced at Flemington Racecourse. There is more racing that takes place the same week, on Saturday, which includes the likes of the Champions Stakes, the Champions Sprint and the Champions Mile, all raced at Flemington Racecourse.

Our VRC Oaks page will cover all the important information, facts and history of the great race so that you, the Australian horse racing enthusiast, will be best prepared for action on race day. We have all the horse racing betting information you need including tips and odds details.

Before we get into our horse racing tips, we wanted to showcase the prize money of the VRC Oaks and how it is split between the top finishers. Here’s the details:

Each year, our experts dig in and try to find you a winner in their VRC Oaks tips. Our horse racing tips don’t just cover the VRC Oaks though, we’ve got tips for all the key races on the Australian calendar along with Flemington tips to keep you going when there aren’t any key races happening.

Our experts are waiting until race week, when the final field is confirmed before providing their VRC Oaks tips. When the final field is announced, our experts will look into every runner and analyse their chances of success in the race. In the end, you’ll get three tips for the VRC Oaks; a best bet, next best and best roughie. So, there’s something for everyone!

As we haven’t hit race week just yet, our experts don’t have their tips ready. However, you can take a look back into the past and see what our experts put together for the VRC Oaks in 2023. We will replace the below tips with the new set when the time comes.

VRC Oaks Best Bet - Zardozi

Can the Wakeful Stakes produce another winner here in the VRC Oaks on Thursday? Yes, I think it can! The runner I’m looking at specifically is the pre-race favourite, Zardozi. Zardozi is currently listed at odds of $2.70, so still a sprinkling of value to be had there. I think she will relish the rise in distance and maps to get in around midfield.

She’s got a fairly good barrier and we all know how highly I rate JMac, who gets the ride again for this one. Look for sharp improvement from last week as she was a month between runs then, so she’ll only be fitter for that run under her belt. The favourite for the win I reckon.

VRC Oaks Next Best - Aethelflaed

Good thing I’m typing this and not speaking because that name is a mouthful! But I have loved watching Aethelflaed so far this prep and she’s another from the Wakeful Stakes lead-up race. She produced one of the most eye-catching runs of the race where she got going from the rear of the field.

Along with Zardozi, she was the only runner to break the 36 second-mark for the last 600m and she recorded the fastest last 200m. So, ignore her at your peril. I’m not sure she has the class to keep up with Zardozi, but she’ll be giving this one red hot crack, that’s for sure. Aethelflaed to finish top three.

VRC Oaks Best Roughie - Basilinna 

I really rate Basilinna and think she is in with a good shot of finishing in the top three in this one. Currently listed at odds of $7.50, she’s not the best value I’ve ever found, but I just couldn’t put my name to any other runner. 

The filly came through the Ethereal a couple of weeks ago where she put in good work when she got some clear air. She ended up finishing third to Autumn Angel in that one and I think heading back to Flemington will work in her favour. A bigger track suits her, so she’s got some space to really get going. She is good enough to finish in the top three.

That’s a little sneak peek at what our experts can do. Make sure you check back here on this page during race week for their 2024 VRC Oaks tips.

Before getting into some of the betting markets that are available for the VRC Oaks, be sure to look through our in-depth reviews on Australian betting sites on our reviews page. Here, you can learn more about our favourite, most trustworthy Australian bookies.

We include heaps of information on all the top bookies in Australia and focus on the services they can provide to you. We also look at ways they stand out in what has become one of the most saturated markets in Australia. We’ve got reviews on bookies like Betfocus, Bet365 and Volcanobet.

If you are an enthusiastic horse racing lover like us all, then betting on the VRC Oaks is highly likely. There will be a large variety of markets available to wager on during the Spring Racing Carnival in Victoria, with certain horse racing betting apps offering a comprehensive selection of Group 1 racing betting options. 

To cover the full meet, our suggestion would be to place your bets on a variety of markets throughout the meet at Flemington Racecourse. We will likely be betting on a bunch of Fixed Win/ Place odd singles for the majority of the races. Plus some exotics like a Quinella, Trifecta and First Four on each of the bigger races.

To compete for a share of the pooled funds in that market, there is also the option of placing bets on the early and regular Quaddie markets with one of the bookies previously mentioned (which includes both established and new betting sites). 

It’s a good idea to shop around as well, with the VRC Oaks Day being so popular, there are likely to be many betting sites bonuses floating around. You’ll also find that different bookies may offer different odds for the same runners, so there’s an easy way to get more bang for your buck.

The 2024 VRC Oaks field is yet to be determined, the field is usually announced a couple of days out from the event. While we don’t know which runners will be fighting it out for Group 1 glory in the VRC Oaks, if history is anything to go by, we will see a smattering of high-quality runners from Australia and right around the world.

If you can’t wait until race week to see which runners are going to line up, you should check out the odds. Many online bookies will open futures markets, which will give you an indication of the runners who may be targeting the VRC Oaks (i.e. the ones with the shorter odds). If the odds are available, you’ll find them in our “Odds” section below.

While we can’t tell you which runners are heading to Flemington for the 2024 VRC Oaks, we can tell you the runners who took part in the race in 2023. All the details are below:

In the VRC Oaks in 2023, we saw a field of 14 confirmed, with no emergencies listed. In the end, there were two pre-race scratchings, which were Wings Of Song and Vieste. This resulted in the field being cut down to 12 runners as there were no emergencies to take the runner’s place.

Scratchings happen quite regularly in horse racing, even in races like the VRC Oaks, where there is a lot of prize money on offer. At any time from when the field is announced to just seconds before the race, scratchings can occur. If you’ve placed a bet on a runner that ends up being scratched, you’ll be pleased to know that you will get your stake back.

When it comes to the final field, something else you should look into as well is the barrier draw. Flemington Racecourse is quite a unique track and over the years in the VRC Oaks, we have seen that certain barriers have been more successful than others. On top of this, some runners have a race style that suits an inside or wider barrier.

The VRC Oaks has a long and proud history, which means there are plenty of winners and data from previous editions to go through. All this data means that, over the years, patterns have emerged. These patterns are incredibly useful as they could help point you in the direction of the next winner.

This is why many look into the VRC Oaks form guide before placing any bets. If you want to bet with your head and not your heart, then you’ve come to the right place. The team at OnlyRacing have sifted through all the data and found some key form indicators that you should be aware of before betting.

The first thing you should look at are the ideal lead-up races and the good news (or bad, depending on how you look at it!) is that there are plenty to choose from. Some of the key lead-up races include; the Jim Moloney Stakes (Listed), the Edward Manifold Stakes (Listed), the Thousand Guineas Prelude (Group 2), the Wakeful Stakes (Group 2) and the Ethereal Stakes (Group 3).

Out of all those lead-up races, the one that probably holds the most weight is the Wakeful Stakes. Since 1984, we have seen 26 winners come from the VRC Oaks. On top of this, since 1861 we have seen 38 fillies complete the Wakeful Stakes - VRC Oaks double.

In more recent times, however, the Wakeful Stakes hasn’t necessarily been the most popular lead-up race. In the last 17 editions of the VRC Oaks, nine winners haven’t come from the Wakeful Stakes. Instead, the Ethereal Stakes is becoming increasingly popular and we’ve seen three winners come from this race since 2006.

It’s not just the lead-up race that you should look into, but also the form of each runner in their lead-up race. Since 2009, we have seen nine VRC Oaks winners also win their lead-up race. Winning form is good form, so make sure you check to see how successful each runner has been in their prep.

When looking into barriers, out of the last 40 winners, nine jumped from a double-digit gate and when looking at just from 2006, there have been three. This supports the notion of an inside barrier and you should consider the barrier draw and where the runner you are looking to back will jump from.

It’s been a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to the odds of the winner. Since 2003, we’ve seen 15 winners jump with odds of $6.50 or less and this includes 11 favourites. One major exception was in 2016 when Lasqueti Spirit won with odds of $101.

Over the years, we’ve seen several high-quality horses compete and win the VRC Oaks. Horses that have gone on to accomplish a lot in their respective careers. There are so many VRC Oaks horses that we could feature here in this section, but we only have room for a handful of them.

This means we’ve had to make some tough decisions on which horses get a spot in this section and which ones don’t. Remember, this is our personal opinion, so hopefully, you agree with the decisions we’ve made! We will go through each horse’s career highlights and achievements below.

Light Fingers - 1964

Light Fingers had a very successful career which included a win in the VRC Oaks in 1964. She won the biggest race of them all, the Melbourne Cup the following year and had a career record of 33:15-8-5. She now has a Group 2 race named in her honour, the Light Fingers Stakes.

Surround - 1976

Surround, with a career record of 28:17-2-2, was victorious in the 1976 VRC Oaks. She has a Group 1 race named in her honour, the Surround Stakes and throughout her career, she won races like the Cox Plate, the Caulfield Guineas and the Queensland Oaks. If you want to learn more about any of these races, check out our Group One races list.

Rose Of Kingston - 1981

The 1982 Australian Horse of the Year, Rose Of Kingston won the VRC Oaks the year prior, in 1981. Some of the other Group 1 races she won throughout her career included; the Champagne Stakes, the Coolmore Stud Stakes and the Australian Derby. All these victories helped her amass a total of $591,660 in career prize money.

Research - 1988

Research, who won the 1988 VRC Oaks, was also named the 1989 Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year. She had a Group 2 named after her, the Research Stakes (which is now known as the Golden Pendant). She finished her career with a record of 31: 9-5-2 and almost $2 million in prize money.

Miss Finland - 2006

Miss Finland was a very successful racehorse, especially as a 2YO and 3YO, winning Australian Champion Two-Year-Old in 2006 and then Australian Champion Three-Year-Old in 2007. In 2006, she also won the VRC Oaks and some of the other races she won throughout her career included; the Golden Slipper, the Thousand Guineas and the Memsie Stakes.

Before you place any bets, one of the most important things to look into is the odds. The VRC Oaks odds will tell you which runners are currently more favoured in the market. It is important to remember that the odds are a fickle thing and will be constantly changing from the time the market opens.

You also may notice that different bookies will have different odds for the same runner. Weird, we know, but bookies all have different algorithms they use to produce the odds, so it’s worth having multiple accounts with various bookies so you can take advantage of any discrepancies with the odds. 

During race week is when you’ll find the most horse racing markets open, but at this stage, our favourite bookie, PlayUp, hasn’t opened up their initial market for the VRC Oaks. We will keep an eye on things and bring you all this information as it comes to hand. 

A good time to place your bets is when the Fixed Win/ Place market is listed as “Before Noms”, which is usually weeks or even months out from the event. Betting so far out from the event usually means you’ll find better odds for runners, especially if you compare it to betting on the day of the race.

Check back here soon as we will list all the PlayUp VRC Oaks odds when they become available.

The history of the VRC Oaks lies in over 150 iterations of almost the exact same race! The name, the VRC Oaks was a standalone race name, the namesake of the Victorian Racing Club that birthed it at Flemington Racecourse in 1861. The VRC Oaks takes place during the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, one of the biggest horse racing carnivals of the year.

From 1861 to 2006 this remained a constant, 145 VRC Oaks were run under the same name. In 2007, this changed when Crown sponsored the event for the next decade. From 2017 however, Kennedy stepped into the picture and the race became known as the Kennedy Oaks. Nowadays, the Kennedy Oaks is wholly interchangeable with the VRC Oaks.

In terms of distance, this too has remained nearly identical since the 1861 edition. The first 110 editions of the race were 1.5-mile races or the equivalent of 2,400 metres. From 1973 onwards, the VRC Oaks has been run at a distance of 2,500 metres.

Obviously, with a race that has been running since 1861, there have been some high-quality horses that have managed to win the race over the years. This includes the likes of Research, the 1988 VRC Oaks champion, who also completed the 1989 Australian Oaks - Australian Derby double!

In terms of the most successful trainers, that title goes to Bart Cummings, who has won the VRC Oaks on nine separate occasions. Bobby Lewis is the most successful jockey in the VRC Oaks, winning the race seven times. Now, Damien Oliver has joined Lewis, after winning the race in 2021.

Looking to relive all the action from the most recent VRC Oaks? Well, you’ve come to the right place as we’ve got all the VRC Oaks results information you need. No matter if you’re trying to find out where your favourite runner finished or you want to watch the entire race again, this is the place to be.

In 2023, the VRC Oaks was taken out by the pre-race favourite, Zardozi. It was a fairly easy watch for all those favourite backers out there with Zardozi winning by 2.3L to Aethelflaed, who was ridden by Mark Zahra and jumped from one of the wider barriers in the race.

Basilinna, ridden by Damien Oliver, finished in third place, a further 6.6L off the pace. As we usually see with longer races, there was a fair amount of distance between the first and last runners across the finishing line, a total of 20.4L, along with this, the VRC Oaks was run in a time of 2:38.59.

Here’s the finishing order of the entire VRC Oaks field:

As promised, we have a full VRC Oaks race replay, so you can watch as the race unfolded. Here’s the race replay:

We’ve seen some of the best-even horses win the VRC Oaks and while we couldn’t feature them all in our “Horses” section above, we’ve put together this table to showcase all the recent winners of the race. All the recent VRC Oaks winners include:

With a race as prominent as the VRC Oaks, it’s only natural that people have questions about it. We’ve gone through and found the most common questions people have about the race and answered them in our VRC Oaks FAQs section below.