The first of the spring’s elite level sprint races heads to Sandown on Saturday and Races.com.au have you covered with our expert AJ Moir Stakes 2026 field preview, tips and best bets as we prepare to be entertained by a superior field of super sprinters.

No, you didn’t misread that punters, for the first time in history the Group 1 $750,000 AJ Moir Stakes (1000m) will take place outside of Moonee Valley with the cauldron closed for redevelopment.

The Moir Stakes winners list reads like the who’s who of Australian racing’s greatest speed horses including the best there was, Black Caviar, and fellow dual champion Buffering from the Sunshine State.

We may have moved tracks, but the quality of this year’s 13-horse Moir Stakes field remains top-notch, and the early money is coming for the lightly raced but progressive filly Natural Fling.

Tony & Calvin McEvoy‘s nicely bred daughter of Home Affairs might be the baby of the bunch, but she’s certainly not running around unnoticed.

The boom young filly has been one of the big firmers in Moir Stakes betting at Ladbrokes and is currently paying $3.20 to etch her name into the history books with a Group 1 victory at just her fourth start.

Despite landing the carpark draw (13), punters have doubled down after her sizzling four-length Quezette Stakes romp fresh.

She’s raw, she’s fast, and she’s got that unmistakable X-factor feel about her — the kind that makes a three-year-old filly suddenly look right at home against the older sprinting elite.

Still very much a work in progress, and yes, this is a monster leap from beating her own age group at Caulfield to tackling hardened WFA sprinters down the Sandown straight, but the drop to 50kg is enormous, she handles soft ground, and her 1000–1100m profile is exactly what you want for this version of the Moir.

Jamie Melham is almost certain to press on from the wide alley, take luck out of the equation, and let her natural speed do the talking. If she crosses cleanly, she’s going to give them all something to chase.

The flip side? She’s still learning, and the big guns will be stalking late. At the price, she’s not bulletproof, but will take some beating as she looks to join She Will Reign (2017) and Coolangatta (2022) as the only fillies to win the Moir.

The danger occupying the second line of the markets at $4.50 is the proven veteran, the Clayton Douglas-trained seven-year-old Giga Kick.

He rolls back into the Moir like the seasoned star he is, and while the market has him sitting just off the favourite, he’s very much the class act of the 2026 field.

The former The Everest hero hasn’t quite hit his peak in recent runs, but his autumn campaign still showed he’s got plenty of spark left — that nose-margin second in the TJ Smith was a reminder of just how dangerous he can be when he’s switched on.

Plenty of punters are happy to forget to forget his All Aged Stakes flop in the autumn. He’s always been a horse who improves sharply when fresh, and everything he’s done at the trials this time in suggests he’s ready to rumble.

The 1000m isn’t his pet trip, but Sandown’s long rising straight is tailor-made for his booming finish. He’ll flop out the back, relax, and then start to build from the 400m — exactly the pattern that saw him run Tentyris to two lengths in the Lightning last prep.

Add in his strong Soft track form and his trademark late surge, and suddenly the “trip too short” argument starts to look pretty flimsy.

If Natural Fling is the flashy filly everyone wants to be with, Giga Kick is the old warhorse punters trust when the pressure goes on. He won’t be in the picture early, but he’ll be in it when it matters.

It is a predicted age vs youth showdown with Natural Fling and Giga Kick the sole runners under $10 for the win, but lurking just off them at $10 is the Tom Dabernig-trained Cavalry Girl.

Plenty of punters are starting to gravitate toward this airborne four-year-old Bivouac mare, and honestly, it’s not hard to see why.

She’s been flying this prep, stringing together three straight wins and putting margins on her rivals like a mare absolutely loving life.

Whether it was her Black-Type Lightning Stakes thumping in Adelaide, her slick Heath win at Caulfield, or her gritty Group 3 Norman Carlyon Stakes (1000m) victory right here at Sandown, she’s been delivering every single time she’s stepped out.

This is a proper jump in class, no doubt about it, but she arrives rock-hard fit, proven at the track, and a genuine 1000m specialist with a 14:7-2-0 record at the trip so shouldn’t be underestimated.

She’ll be right up on the speed again with Craig Williams sticking solid, and while the flashier types might be winding up late, she’s the one who’ll make them earn it.

If Natural Fling gets the perfect run in front, then Cavalry Girl — at more than double the price — maps just as sweetly.

A trio of chances follow at around $11/$12 at time of publish with My Gladiola, Point Barrow and the exciting Extragalactic.

My Gladiola is one of the more intriguing runners in this year’s Moir, John McArdle saddling up a proper mare who can absolutely blow this race open if she brings her best.

Her Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning second last prep showed she’s got the sharpness for a genuine 1000m drag race, and her recent trial win suggests she’s forward enough to fire fresh.

The only niggle is how wet Sandown gets on the day, but at double-figure odds she’s the kind of first-up talent you simply can’t ignore.

She’ll get back, she’ll need the race to set up for her, but if they overcook it up front she’s the one who can launch late and make things very interesting.

Point Barrow for Anthony & Sam Freedman is another four-year-old mare who’ll be spotting them a start but has the class to chime in if the tempo is strong.

She’s a reliable fresh performer, comes off a solid Group 1 Robert Sangster run when under a length fifth behind Geegees Mistruth at Morphettville back in April, and while distance might be on the sharp side, her jockey/trainer combo keeps her firmly in the mix as a sneaky knockout with Daniel Stackhouse in the saddle.

And then there’s Trent Edmonds‘ Extragalactic, yet another classy four-year-old mare who is an early market mover and the one punters are quietly warming to after her excellent campaign in Adelaide that saw her finish second in both the Group 2 Tobin Bronze and Group 1 The Goodwood.

She’s a genuine 1000–1200m specialist with a wicked turn of foot, trialled like a rocket, and boasts a strong first-up profile.

If she gets the right cart into the race, she’s the mare who could be slicing through late and blowing up a few tickets.

Add into the line-up the likes of Michael Freedman’s 2025 Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning winner Skybird ($16), the Chris Waller-trained Generosity ($16) and Rob Heathcote‘s rails-drawn Queensland giant Rothfire ($18) and there’s plenty of class and value to be found.

The 2026 AJ Moir Stakes is scheduled as Sandown Race 8 at 4:15pm (AEST) on the 10-race card in Melbourne for Saturday.

AJ Moir Stakes 2026 Tips & Best Bets

AJ Moir Stakes 2026 Same Race Multi

$18.50 through Ladbrokes (at time of publish)

• Top 2 – No. 1 Giga Kick
• Top 3 – No. 9 Cavalry Girl
• Top 6 – No. 12 Bazaball Rewarded

2026 AJ Moir Stakes Odds