2026 Australian Guineas Results

Stay tuned for the official 2026 Australian Guineas results and finishing order on Saturday February 28, 2026.

• 1st: No. 1 Observer ($1.85F)
• 2nd: No. 2 Planet Red
• 3rd: No. 4 Sixties

Winning Margin: 0.5 lengths

Winning Time: 1:35.70

The autumn options have opened right up for Ciaron Maher’s very talented young stayer Observer ($1.85F) who was enormous up the inside late to post his fourth win on the trot saluting for the punters at Flemington in the 2026 Australian Guineas results. The VRC Derby champ proved too strong for his fellow three-year-olds backing up from a win fresh in the Autumn Stakes to relish the step-up to a mile off another perfectly timed ride by Ethan Brown and earn talks of a potential Group 1 Australian Cup run back at the track on March 28 against the older horses.

Click here for the full story.

Australian Guineas Tips

2026 Australian Guineas Tips

Stay tuned for our exclusive Australian Guineas 2026 Tips on the million-dollar mile showdown this autumn.

To Win: No. 1 Observer

Another feature race brings another hard-to-deny favourite in OBSERVER (6), who chases a fourth straight win and continues to look every inch a star on the rise. Ciaron Maher’s VRC Derby hero returned in the Group 2 Autumn Stakes at Caulfield and immediately silenced any doubts about his sharpness over 1400m, cruising home under a hefty 59.5kg. He strips fitter for that run, the rise to the mile is ideal, and he meets his rivals far better at set weights — all big ticks. Ethan Brown is riding in superb touch and boasts an excellent partnership with this talented young stayer. From a midfield draw he gets options, and after showing last start he can sustain a strong on-speed roll, a similar pattern looks likely again. Simply put, he’s too classy to oppose.

Australian Guineas News

2026 Australian Guineas Results: Observer Too Good, Wins Again

• Observer Heads 2026 Australian Guineas Field & Odds
• Australian Guineas Odds Slashed on 2026 CS Hayes Stakes Winner Sixties
• Observer Wins Autumn Stakes, Firms into 2026 Australian Guineas Favouritism
• Australian Guineas 2025 Winner Feroce Fierce in Upset Result
• 2025 Australian Guineas Betting Update: Angel Capital Scratched; Sepals New Favourite

The Australian Guineas is a Group 1 race for three-year-olds held at Flemington Racecourse in late February or early March during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.

The Australian Guineas is a 1600m set weights race and attracts the country’s best middle-distance youngsters racing for a share in the $1 million in total prize money. It is the only Group 1 race at the meeting but is accompanied by a number of Group status support acts including the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m).

Runners in the Australian Guineas field may come via earlier autumn lead-ups including the Group 3 Manfred Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield in early February and the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1200m) for the three-year-old colts and geldings run a fortnight before at Flemington. The latest horses to win the CS Hayes Stakes – Australian Guineas double are Alligator Blood (2020) and Grunt (2018).

Feroce (3rd in 2025) was the last CS Hayes Stakes graduate to go on and win the Australian Guineas. 

After the Australian Guineas the top three-year-olds may continue onto the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) held two weeks later at Moonee Valley. Alternatively, the Australian Guineas graduates will head up to Sydney to chase the autumn riches of races like the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and Group 1 ATC Derby (2400m).

Another new feature race targeted by the best Australian Guineas three-year-olds is the now Group 1 The All-Star Mile (1600m) held at varying racetracks around Melbourne. In 2019 the gun filly Mystic Journey completed the Australian Guineas – The All-Star Mile double at Flemington.

The 2022 Australian Guineas form was franked with the winner Hitotsu, who had won Flemington’s VRC Derby the spring prior, going on to win Sydney’s Group 1 Australian Derby next start.

The 2023 Australian Guineas runner-up Attrition franked the form going on to win the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) that spring at Caulfield.

The 2024 Australian Guineas form was franked with the winner Southport Tycoon going on to win that year’s Group 1 Manikato Stakes in the spring, while the runner-up Veight won Sydney’s Group 1 George Ryder Stakes at his next start.

The form was further boosted with third placegetter Riff Rocket improving to complete the Rosehill Guineas – Australian Derby double that autumn!

In 2026, Observer joined an elite list of three-year-olds when completing the season’s VRC Derby – Australian Guineas double. 

2026 Australian Guineas Betting

The latest Australian Guineas 2026 betting odds will be provided by Ladbrokes.com.au and also published here at Races.com.au complete with market links as soon as released.

Favourites in Australian Guineas betting have an excellent recent record with six saluting since 2007 including most recently: Hey Doc (2017), Mystic Journey (2019), Alligator Blood (2020) and Observer ($1.85 in 2026).

In 2021 Lunar Fox made history as the country’s longest-priced Group 1 winner with a 300/1 upset in the Australian Guineas. In 2023 100/1 pop Japanese Emperor ran a close third in the Australian Guineas results.

There was a notable upset in 2024 with Southport Tycoon saluting at $19 Australian Guineas odds despite to good lead-up runs, and again in 2025 with Feroce at $14.

Australian Guineas Field

2026 Australian Guineas Form

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2026 AUSTRALIAN GUINEAS FORM GUIDE

2026 Australian Guineas Nominations

The 2026 Australian Guineas nominations close on the Monday of race week and will be published below as soon as available.

2026 Australian Guineas nominations extended until 10:00am (AEDT) – 24/02/2026 

The Australian Guineas 2026 nominations attracted a quality line-up of three-year-olds including the spring’s VRC Derby champ Observer coming off a win fresh in the Group 2 Autumn Stakes and Chris Waller’s in-form CS Hayes winner Sixties chasing a hat-trick.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2026 Australian Guineas Field

Each autumn the most promising three-year-old milers / stayers face off in the Australian Guineas field in Melbourne, which is released by Racing Victoria on the Wednesday before the race runs.

The official 2026 Australian Guineas field and barriers are released on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below.

The Australian Guineas 2026 final field features 10 top young milers including the versatile Ciaron Maher-trained VRC Derby champ Observer chasing his fourth win on the trot after a huge returning win in the Autumn Stakes.

Click here to read more on the key runners in the 2026 Australian Guineas field and betting markets.

Australian Guineas Barrier & Speedmap

1

Express Class Off Midfield

2

Bingi Off Pace

3

West Of Swindon Off Pace

4

Officiate Off Midfield

5

Romantic Encounter Midfield

6

Observer Pace

7

Victorious Spirit Off Pace

8

Onavuitton Midfield

9

Planet Red Midfield

10

Sixties Off Pace

Australian Guineas History

Australian Guineas racing began in 1986 and in its short time on the track, has already become the third leg of the inaugural 1998 Australian Triple Crown for three-year-olds. As a result, the race distance was changed to 2000m between 1998 and 2000 and offered a total prize money of $750,000.

In 2001, the Australian Guineas returned to its original distance of 1600m, and fillies were given an allowance of 2.5kg.

Notable recent Australian Guineas winners include the previous spring’s VRC Derby champion Observer (2026), Alligator Blood (2020), subsequent All-Star Mile winning filly Mystic Journey (2019), Shamus Award (2014), the filly Mosheen (2012), Apache Cat (2006), and Reset (2004).

Australian Group 1 history was made in 2021 when Lunar Fox ($301) became the country’s longest-priced Group 1 winner in the Australian Guineas results.

Hitotsu also made Australian Guineas history in 2022 becoming the event’s maiden first-up winner and the third Victoria Derby champion to return and win the mile classic.

In 2023 the 38th edition of the Australian Guineas was marred by a dramatic race fall, with jockeys Ethan Brown (Maximillius) and Mark Zahra (Holymanz) thrown from their horses.

Ethan Brown would return three years later and claim Australian Guineas glory in 2026 aboard the odds-on favourite Observer.

Australian Guineas Previous Race Winners