Group 1 racing for the Melbourne Spring Carnival kicks off at Caulfield on Saturday and Races.com.au have you covered with our expert Memsie Stakes 2026 field preview, tips and best bets as we welcome back some of the best weight-for-age performers of the season.

Won by a host of turf greats over the years, the Group 1 $1 million Memsie Stakes (1400m) serves as a key early season springboard for our leading middle-distance contenders and Cox Plate hopefuls, and this year’s line-up is cracking.

Easing favourite in Memsie Stakes betting at Ladbrokes is the Ciaron Maher-trained Jimmysstar ($3.80 out to $4.40) who resumes at his pet track looking for his first victory since last November’s CF Orr.

While he was winless over the autumn/winter racing season, the Per Incanto gelding’s form remained strong and at his latest he was a narrow Group 1 Kingsford Smith runner-up in Brisbane beaten a nostril flare by Headley Grange.

Five-from-seven here at Caulfield, and from four runs at the track and trip he’s a triple hero.

Punters may be starting to shy away from him a touch, but he’s got the ability and the 1400m fresh looks ideal.

Has been trialling well in Sydney ahead of his campaign kick-off, and with regular rider Ethan Brown aboard he gets every chance to return to his best.

From 2007 – 2025 eight favourites in Memsie Stakes betting saluted for the punters, with Mr Brightside in 2023 the latest.

Speaking of old Mr B, the Lindsay Park-raced marvel is back donning the No. 1 saddlecloth in this year’s Memsie Stakes field.

Saturday mark’s the evergreen galloper’s fourth straight run in this race after his aforementioned 2023 success followed by back-to-back seconds in 2024 and last year behind runaway champ Treasurethe Moment.

He returns for his 49th career start and once again commands respect as one of Australia’s most durable and decorated WFA performers.

The now nine-year-old boasts an exceptional first-up record and is right at home at Caulfield, where he has produced six wins and five placings from 12 attempts, and he continues to defy age with consistently high-level performances.

His most recent outing in the Champions Mile at HQ came on a Heavy track he didn’t appreciate, but his recent Heath trial — finishing ahead of Giga Kick — suggests he’s returned in excellent order.

Craig Williams reunites with the gelding, and the pair have long formed one of the most reliable partnerships in major races.

With his proven class, strong fresh profile and love of Caulfield, he’s again a genuine factor in the Memsie.

A seasoned Group 1 star who always fires first-up — Mr Brightside remains a major player and is more than capable of producing another big performance at his favourite track paying a generous $11 at time of publish.

The very good mare who had his measure in the race 12 months ago, Treasurethe Moment, also returns looking to become the first back-to-back Memsie Stakes winner since Behemoth (2020-21).

Matt Laurie‘s now five-year-old daughter of Alabama Express resumes in the Memsie and looks set to launch straight into another strong spring campaign.

She signed off her autumn with a brave third in the Queen Of The Turf, and her earlier Caulfield victory in the Sunline Stakes — putting a space on them as a short favourite — underlined just how effective she is around this circuit.

A genuine Caulfield 1400m specialist, she boasts an outstanding record at the course and distance and has never missed the money in six runs here.

Her fresh form is equally reliable, highlighted by last year’s dominant Memsie triumph where she put 2.5 lengths on Mr Brightside.

Even with only steady trial form under her belt, her class at this level is undeniable, and she’s long proven she can fire first-up.

Damian Lane reunites with the mare, and from a forward position she’s expected to make her own luck — exactly the pattern that has worked so well for her in past Group 1 assignments.

She’s being kept safe in the markets at a current quote of $7 Memsie Stakes odds.

The one she’ll be fighting the lead for is the Chris Waller-trained speedster Beiwacht, who is also the early Memsie Stakes market mover heavily supported in from $8 to $6.

The map looks ideal for this Bivouac entire who makes his four-year-old debut off an outstanding campaign last time in which finished with his Group 1 All Aged Stakes win at Randwick.

Two-from-two over the seven furlongs, the only questions are Caulfield, which he sees for the first time, and how he’ll handle the potentially rain-affected going.

A weapon at 1400m having also smashed the Golden Rose Stakes in style as a three-year-old, he looks to have come back even bigger and better following a couple of sharp Warwick Farm trials.

His All Aged winning hoop Nash Rawiller makes the trip to partner him in another promising sign, he looks set to roll forward and could prove very hard to run down.

But wait, we’ve gone past the second favourite with the fitness on his side!

Cosmic Crusader sits steady behind Jimmysstar in the market paying $5 to make it a Caulfield hat-trick this campaign.

He heads into the Memsie third-up and right at the peak of his powers, giving the Andrea Leek-trained gelding a clear fitness advantage over several key rivals.

The Group 1 Northerly Stakes winner in WA has been superb since moving from Perth to Melbourne, producing a dominant Group 3 Bletchingly victory when debuting for his new stable before backing it up with a strong Group 2 PB Lawrence performance.

He surged home from midfield with some of the fastest closing splits of the race in the perfect Memsie trial.

Staying at the same course and distance now, a setup that clearly suits him, the wide draw presents a small challenge, but his current form makes him impossible to overlook.

If Willie Pike can slide him into a handier position early, his late strength will again be a major threat and shapes up as a great each way play.

In a wide-open market a further two runners are also currently under double figure Memsie Stakes odds for the win with the Waller-trained stablemates Angel Capital and Autumn Boy both paying $8.50.

Along with Cosmic Crusader, Angel Capital is the only other Memsie Stakes contender not racing first-up.

He got his spring underway at Randwick on August 8 in the Group 2 Missile Stakes finishing third to Ninja after storming home from the tail, continuing what has been a frustrating run of near misses from the five-year-old Harry Angel entire.

Stretching back to 1400m is exactly what he might have been crying out for, as his record at the shorter trip keeps tripping him up, yet his form around this distance range is far stronger than it looks on paper.

He was luckless in both the Rupert Clarke and All Aged Stakes, finishing far closer than the results suggest, and his return run this prep showed he’s come back in good order.

Second-up last campaign he wasn’t far away in the Newmarket, again hitting the line late over a trip that doesn’t really play to his strengths.

Back out to a more suitable journey now, he finally gets conditions that allow him to build through his gears.

He’s a handful to trust, but the engine is there and this is the right set-up to see it.

Autumn Boy meanwhile was one of last season’s best three-year-olds, but he may need this first run to brush off the cobwebs.

Winner of the Caulfield Guineas over the mile here when improving sharply off his Golden Rose seventh, his record since speaks for itself.

His autumn was enormous and included seconds in the Randwick Guineas and Doncaster Mile behind the very good filly Sheza Alibi with a Rosehill Guineas win over 2000m in between those two game 1600m performances.

He gets the flying James McDonald aboard from a good gate three draw but could be a risk needing further as he winds up over the coming weeks.

The 2026 Memsie Stakes is scheduled as Caulfield Race 8 at 4:10pm (AEST) on Saturday’s bumper 10-race card.

Memsie Stakes 2026 Tips & Best Bets

Memsie Stakes 2026 Same Race Multi

$26 at time of publish through Ladbrokes (at time of publish)

• Top 2 – No. 12 Lady Shenandoah
• Top 3 – No. 7 Cosmic Crusader
• Top 4 – No. 1 Mr Brightside

Memsie Stakes Odds 2026