Winterbottom Stakes Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2025

The Winterbottom Stakes is one of the biggest races held each year in Western Australia. After racing action ends in Melbourne and Sydney, our attention quickly turns to Western Australia as we get a handful of Group 1 races to round out the calendar year.

Ascot Racecourse is one of the top tracks in the country and we see many of the best racehorses make the trip West to compete at this track every year. Western Australia’s horse racing carnival is a high-profile event and sees many eyeballs on the state.

Some of the biggest races to take place during this carnival in Perth each year include; the Railway Stakes, the Northerly Stakes, The Gold Rush and the Perth Cup. All those races have at least $1 million in prize money on offer, which is certainly enough to entice high-quality racehorses to make the trip West.

The Winterbottom Stakes was first run back in 1952 and Raconteur was victorious. It wasn’t until 2015 when the race saw an increase in prize money, to reach the $1 million threshold. More recently, in 2022, the Winterbottom Stakes saw another increase in prize money and the race is currently worth $1.5 million.

The team here at OnlyRacing have every aspect of the Winterbottom Stakes covered. We’ve got horse racing betting information for the race, including; tips and odds. On top of this, we have details on the field, form guide, results and so much more. Make OnlyRacing your one-stop shop for the Winterbottom Stakes each year!

We spoke about the prize money changes to the Winterbottom Stakes over the last decade or so, but what about the breakdown. The winner doesn’t walk away with the entire $1.5 million that’s on offer, it is split between the top finishers. 

Are you looking for free horse racing tips in Australia? Of course you are, otherwise, you wouldn’t be here reading these words! Well, we are pleased to inform you that we do indeed have Ascot tips, not just for the Winterbottom Stakes, but all key race meetings at the track.

To sweeten the deal even further, we also have daily horse racing tips (also free!). So, you are truly spoilt for choice when it comes to tips here at OnlyRacing. Our 2025 Winterbottom Stakes tips aren’t available just yet, but stay tuned because all the details will come out during race week.

While we wait for race week to roll around, you can see which runners our expert liked the look of in 2024:

Winterbottom Stakes Best Bet - Overpass

A little bit of same, same - but different! Overpass was our best bet for the 2023 Winterbottom Stakes and also the favourite. Once again Overpass is our best bet for the 2024 Winterbottom Stakes and is also the favourite. The gelding went on to win the 2023 race and we are hoping for more of the same again this year.

The $2.80 favourite, thanks to PlayUp, draws the widest barrier of them all, meaning he’ll have to do things that hard way. Remember, he jumped from a wide barrier (10) last year and still managed to win. Favourites tend to perform well in this race and while he didn’t fire last time out, he won the race before that, the Group 3 Sydney Stakes.

Winterbottom Stakes Next Best - Western Empire

If anyone is going to give the pre-race favourite a run for his money, it has to be Western Empire. We’ve only seen the gelding once so far this prep, which was a second place in a Group 3. It was a slow start for the 7YO but ended up finishing 0.8L off the leader. With PlayUp, Western Empire is currently on the second line of betting, with odds of $4.80.

William Pike retains the ride here once again and think the pair will be a force to be reckoned with, especially if they get the right breaks at the right time. The rise up to 1,200m looks ideal and he had two solid trials before his first-up run, so there are a lot of ticks here for Western Empire. Gets a good barrier as well, four.

Winterbottom Stakes Best Roughie - Maharba

Not a full-blown roughie, but Maharba still presents some value for bettors. At the time of writing, Maharba is paying $9.50 with PlayUp. There’s a lot to like about Maharba and I think he’s good enough for a top-three finish. In the past, we’ve seen interstate runners dominate this race (winning 11 of the last 16) and Maharba is one of three interstate competitors.

We last saw the gelding in a Group 3, where he won and jockey Jordan Childs sticks with him again, making the trip West for this ride. Gets an awesome barrier (six) that should suit this versatile runner. There’s a lot of options for him here and there’s certainly a bit of value to be had.

There’s no shortage of betting sites in Australia, that’s for sure. So, if you’re in the market for a new bookie, the only real challenge you’ll have is deciding which one to pick. The good news is that you don’t have to settle on just one either. 

In fact, we recommend opening accounts with multiple bookies, so you can more easily take advantage of better odds and bonus offers available. While you might think all bookies are the same, this isn’t the case in reality and they all offer slightly different products, features and promotions.

We’ve found that new betting sites are worth your time as well. New betting sites are usually on the cutting edge of technology and pushing the more established bookies to raise their game. It’s an exciting thing when a new bookie enters the game because it means the betting industry begins to evolve even further.

New betting apps in Australia are also popping up and this presents a convenient way to place your bets while you’re out and about. Bookmakers understand that more and more punters prefer to bet using their phones, so they are putting more resources into their apps. PlayUp, Dabble and Unibet are among some of the best apps going around.

Choosing which bookie to bet with is only one half of the equation. You also need to decide which market you are going to place your bets on. There are plenty of markets to choose from and each bookie will offer the following markets as a minimum:

• Fixed Win
• Fixed Place
• Quaddies
• Quinellas
• Trifectas
• First Fours
• Multis

Some bookies might even open up special markets specifically for the Winterbottom Stakes, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for that. If you would like more information about some of the best bookies going around at the moment, be sure to check out our bookie reviews page.

Our bookie reviews page holds in-depth reviews, so you’ll easily be able to determine which bookie is best for you. We go through key information like features, products, markets, apps, websites, payment options, customer service and more. 

Each year, we have come to expect a high-quality field for the Winterbottom Stakes. While we don’t know which runners will line up for the 2025 Winterbottom Stakes, it is safe to assume it will feature some of the best horses going around. The Winterbottom Stakes field will be confirmed during race week.

If you want to get some sort of guidance as to which runners might make an appearance in the Winterbottom Stakes field, it’s a good idea to check out the odds. The odds will show which runners are more favoured in the market currently and are usually released well before the final field is. 

The 2025 Winterbottom Stakes field hasn’t landed just yet. While we wait, you can check out the runners that took part in the race in 2024:

For the Winterbottom Stakes in 2024, we saw a field of 16 runners confirmed there also weren’t any emergencies listed either. In the end, we didn’t see any pre-race scratchings so all original 16 runners took their place in the starting barriers. 

Scratchings are something you should keep an eye on when looking into the final field, especially if you have placed a bet or two on the race. They can seemingly happen out of the blue and for any number of reasons as well.

On top of scratchings, it’s also worth checking out the barrier draw. The bigger the field, the more chance the barrier draw will influence the results of the race. Each runner has their running style and that style may be more suited for an inside or wider barrier.

You can check out our Winterbottom Stakes tips, or if you want to try your hand at tipping the winner yourself, you can check out our Winterbottom Stakes form guide! The form guide is essential if you are looking to find the winner yourself because the stats don’t lie.

Over the years, patterns have emerged for the Winterbottom Stakes and this could help point you in the direction of the next potential winner. For a race like the Winterbottom Stakes, there’s heaps of data to go through, but we’ve found the key form indicators that you should be across.

We usually see two types of horses contesting the Winterbottom Stakes each year, local runners and those coming off runs in Sydney or Melbourne during their respective Spring Racing Carnivals. This means there are usually a lot of different form lines converging on the one race.

For interstate runners, some of the races you should look into as an ideal lead-up to the Winterbottom Stakes include:

• Moir Stakes
• Manikato Stakes
• The Everest
• Champions Sprint

For the local runners, the races you should look into as they act as the ideal lead-up include:

• RS Crawford Stakes
• Prince of Wales Stakes
• Colonel Reeves Stakes

It seems as though the interstate horses have got the number on the locals, as they have won 12 of the last 17 editions of the Winterbottom Stakes. Since 2011, we have seen nine Winterbottom Stakes winners come from a Victorian lead-up race. 

Pay attention to the age of runners as well. We have seen 12 winners since 2007 be at least five or older. Favourites and single-digit runners also perform well in this race, 10 favourites have won in the last 21 years.

Whether it’s local Perth products or interstate runners, the Winterbottom Stakes always features a quality field. Therefore, it takes a special horse to be able to pull out the win and we’ve seen many of them throughout the years.

It’s been a tough process, but we’ve gone through all the best Winterbottom Stakes horses and found those winners who have that X-factor. We feature a handful of the best horses in this section, talking more about their careers and any notable achievements.

Placid Ark - 1987

Placid Ark won the Winterbottom Stakes in 1987, the same year he was named the Australian Co-Champion Racehorse of the Year. There’s even a race named in his honour, the Placid Ark Stakes, which takes place at Ascot Racecourse. Some of the key races he won throughout his career included; the Newmarket Handicap and the Moir Stakes.

Miss Andretti - 2005

The 2007 Australian Horse of the Year won the Winterbottom Stakes in 2005. Some of the other races Miss Andretti won included; the Manikato Stakes, the Champions Sprint, the Newmarket Handicap and the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. You can find out more about these races in our Group One races list.

Takeover Target - 2008

With a career record of 41:21-6-4, it’s easy to see why Takeover Target deserves a spot on this list. He won over $6 million in prize money throughout his career and won key races like the TJ Smith Stakes, the Doomben 10,000, The Goodwood and the Newmarket Handicap. He was also named the Australian Champion Sprinter in 2006.

Buffering - 2013 & 2015

Buffering was a multiple winner of the Winterbottom Stakes and finished his career with a record of 51:19-9-8. He won the Moir Stakes on three occasions and other key races like the Manikato Stakes and the Champions Sprint. He ended his career with a whopping $7,238,955 in prize money.

Hey Doc - 2019

Hey Doc won the Winterbottom Stakes in 2019 and was a multiple Group 1 winner. With a record of 32:10–2–3, four of those wins came at Group 1 level. Most notably, Hey Doc won the Manikato Stakes in 2017 and again in 2020. He was also named the 2016/17 South Australian Horse of the Year.

If you’re going to place a bet or two in the Winterbottom Stakes, one of the most important things you’ll need to know is the odds. The Winterbottom Stakes odds will tell you which runner/s are currently more favoured in the market. Remember, the odds are just a snapshot in time and they are constantly changing.

So, don’t be surprised if the odds have changed fairly significantly from the last time you checked them. The closer we get to race day, the more horse racing markets will open up. Bookies like PlayUp will release their odds well before the event, so you can get your initial bets sorted if you like.

The initial markets that will open up are Fixed Win and Place markets, but during race week, there will be heaps more markets to feast on. Getting your bets sorted early can be beneficial because you may find the odds for the runner you want to bet on will be higher then compared to if you bet the day of the race.

Check to see what stage the market is in. If it’s listed as “Before Noms”, you’ll also get your stake back if the runner you choose doesn’t end up making the final field. If the market is listed as “All-In” you won’t be given this luxury, so it's a key factor to be aware of.

The 2025 Winterbottom Stakes odds aren’t available, but we have left up the odds from the race in 2024, so you can get an idea of what the market was doing:

*Odds correct as of 28/11/2024.

First run back in 1952, the Winterbottom Stakes doesn’t have as long of a history as some of the other Group 1 races on the calendar, but it is still a decent enough history. Over the years, we’ve seen the Winterbottom Stakes grow in prestige and it has now become Western Australia’s premier sprinter race.

When all the horse racing carnivals are over in the East, it’s the West’s time to shine and the Winterbottom Stakes is one of the biggest jewels in the crown that is Perth’s horse racing carnival. We are treated to week after week of action, ending with the Perth Cup, a Group 2 race that is famously raced on New Year’s Day.

The Winterbottom Stakes was originally run as a 1,400m race (or across seven furlongs as it was known back then). From 1994, the race distance was reduced to what we know it today, 1,200m, making it a true sprint race.

The race made its way through the rankings in Australian racing, after starting off as a Principal race until 1978, it then gained Group 2 status. The Winterbottom Stakes held Group 2 status from 1979 until 2010, after which it was given Group 1 status. 

The continued growth of this race over the years has meant it has become a target for many of the best sprinters going around. Looking at some of the recent winners, Miss Andretti (2005), Takeover Target (2008), Ortensia (2009 in 2011) and Buffering (2013 and 2015) it’s clear just how many high-quality runners are attracted to this race.

So, who won the 2025 Winterbottom Stakes? Well, seeing though the race hasn’t even been run yet, we can’t bring you that information! As soon as we can, we will bring you all the Winterbottom Stakes results information you’ve been looking for. This includes information like the finishing order of the entire field as well as a full race replay.

In 2024, the Winterbottom Stakes results resembled that of the 2023 race, with the pre-race favourite, Overpass, again winning in 2024! Overpass, who previously finished eighth in the Champions Sprint, won the Winterbottom Stakes by 0.8L. Maharba, who jumped from barrier eight, finished in second place.

Massive $101 roughie, Hot Zed, finished in third place, just 1.1L off the leader. In the end, the 2024 Winterbottom Stakes was run in a time of 1:08.89 and there was a total of 13.1L that split the first and last runners across the finishing post.

All the Winterbottom Stakes results are listed here:

Ready to relive all the action as it unfolded in the Winterbottom Stakes? We’ve got the full race replay just for you:

Each year, a new Winterbottom Stakes winner is crowned. Who will enter the honour roll next? Only time will tell, but you can check out the table, which shows all the latest Winterbottom Stakes winners from 2010 to now.

But wait, there’s more! We have put together one final section for you. Our Winterbottom Stakes FAQs section endeavours to answer any questions you may still have about the race. We’ve gone through and found the most common questions people have about the race and answered them.