A trio of sprinters are fighting for favouritism in The Quokka 2026 betting as punters gear up for the fourth edition of Perth’s $5 million slot race at Ascot this weekend.

The elite racing action this Saturday takes place on the west coast with a talented line-up of 13 runners set to face off in The Quokka (1200m).

Currently three horses are battling for top spot in The Quokka betting at Ladbrokes.com.au with the Bjorn Baker-trained Newmarket Handicap winner Caballus and Robbie Griffiths‘ proven Perth performer Rey Magnerio the $4.60 co-favourites at time of publish, followed closely by the airborne Jigsaw ($4.80) chasing his seventh win on the trot.

Caballus has been well supported for his trip across the country following the I Am Invincible five-year-old’s narrow upset down the Flemington straight to take out the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) back in early March.

Tommy Berry, who has ridden him for two of his seven career wins to date, is back in the saddle and the duo are drawn a dream in gate two.

Coming into this assignment in top order after a brilliant summer, Caballus put away the talented Joliestar in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes before dictating from the front to claim the Newmarket in style.

A sharp trial since that win suggests he’s holding his form beautifully, and if he finds the lead or a comfortable spot on the pace, he’s going to take plenty of running down.

Still, the challenge lies in his return to weight-for-age going up from 55kg in the Newmarket to 59kg on Saturday.

Rey Magnerio is also drawn to get the favours from barrier five and benefits from the booking of Ascot specialist, the ‘Wizard of the West’, William Pike.

The consistent Magnus six-year-old looks well-placed to make his presence felt, getting a race shape that suits his powerful finishing style.

He caught the eye late in Melbourne’s Group 1 William Reid when charging home under Pike to finish just 1.27 lengths back sixth to Jigsaw at a huge price.

Having trialled up well since at Cranbourne, he has been kept ticking over nicely and looks fresh enough to produce a big run.

Already proven in Perth when third just a half-length beaten in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes at this track and trip before winning December’s Group 3 The Gold Rush, his rating stacks up strongly against this field and he profiles as a major player once again.

Jigsaw meanwhile is attracting plenty of hype ahead of his bid to extend his picket fence.

Cindy Alderson‘s airborne Manhattan Rain gelding may be a rising eight-year-old, but he continues to deliver and handle everything thrown his way.

The only knock is the wide outside alley for him and apprentice Logan Bates to overcome.

The draw aside, Jigsaw just keeps raising the bar, stretching his winning streak to six with a dominant display in the William Reid.

He’s become a top-class sprinter who makes his own luck, and from the wide draw he’ll roll forward again and travel comfortably on the speed.

Given the form he’s in and the confidence he’s carrying, it would be no shock to see him extend that unbeaten run even further.

Outside the top three, a further two runners are under double figures to win with the market mover Smooth Chino ($10 into $6) and the Trevor Andrews-trained Luana Miss ($7).

Smooth Chino is the up-and-comer that looks capable of shaking up this year’s The Quokka field.

Prepared by Indianna Weinert, the Maschino four-year-old is building a terrific record having won six from seven to date and he’s a 1200m specialist with four of those victories being over the six furlongs.

Undefeated with a perfect three-from-three strike rate at the course and distance, Smooth Chino’s sole defeat came last start when resuming in the Group 3 Roma Cup (1100m) on April 4.

He was only a quarter-length off the winner Rope Them In, will appreciate getting back up to his pet trip fitter for the run and ready to fire with the booking of Mark Zahra a huge plus.

Luana Miss is the best fancied of the girls to become the first female winner of The Quokka.

The bonny Bivouac filly has raced exclusively here at Ascot and boasts a 50% winning strike rate so far (8:4-1-0).

With a light weight in the Winterbottom last summer, she was far from disgraced running two lengths back seventh before kicking off this campaign with a luckless Roma Cup fourth showing plenty of promise.

This is obviously a class test for her now, but she’s got the upside to run well.

For punters seeking the value the best of the double figure chances include the rails-drawn Ciaron Maher-trained Spywire ($13) coming off a strong win at Ballarat, last start Group 1 The Galaxy runner-up Jedibeel ($15) and another promising filly Talkanco ($19) who is one of the Ascot specialists (9:4-3-1) in the mix.

The 2026 The Quokka is set to run as Ascot Race 8 at 3:45pm (AWST) / 5:45pm (AEST) on Saturday’s 10-race card.

2026 The Quokka Field & Odds

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