Newmarket Handicap News

Newmarket Handicap 2025 Winner Joliestar Salutes for Punters

• 2025 Newmarket Handicap Field & Odds Update: Joliestar Set to Shine for Punters
• Black Caviar Lightning 2025 Results: Skybird, Stretan Angel 1-2 in Upset
• Kah Wins Emotional 2024 Newmarket Handicap on the Flying Cylinder
• Imperatriz Heads 2024 Newmarket Handicap Field, Betting & Weights
• Newmarket Handicap 2023 Winner In Secret Targets TJ Smith Stakes

The Group 1 Newmarket Handicap takes place in early March at Flemington Racecourse during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival in early March.

2025 Newmarket Handicap Results

• 1st: #5 Joliestar ($3.40F)
• 2nd: #12 Headwall
• 3rd: #9 Stretan Angel

The Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes on April 5 and Royal Ascot in the UK are calling for Chris Waller’s now two-time Group 1 winning daughter of Zoustar after Joliestar ($3.40F) pulled clear of her rivals to dominate the 2025 Newmarket Handicap results down the Flemington straight second-up on Saturday.

Click here for the full story.

The day previously featured the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) which was moved to its own feature meeting later in the month ahead of 2023.

Newmarket Handicap Day 2025 also features the recently upgraded $2.5 million Group 1 All-Star Mile (1600m), which was formerly a public vote, special conditions race before being elevated to Group 1 status ahead of the 2025 edition.

Raced down the 1200m straight of the world-renowned Flemington Racecourse – known as the ‘straight six’ – the Newmarket Handicap offers $1.5 million in prize money.

Run under open handicap conditions the Newmarket Handicap field attracts the best sprinters from around the country.

The best lead-up races held earlier in the autumn for Newmarket Handicap horses include Flemington’s Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1000m) and the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield.

Lankan Rupee (2014) was the last sprinter to do the Oakleigh Plate – Newmarket Handicap double, while Redkirk Warrior made history in the 2018 Newmarket Handicap on the back of a Black Caviar Lightning win to become the first dual Newmarket champion since Razor Sharp (1982-83).

In 2020 Bivouac improved on a luckless unplaced Oakleigh Plate run to win the Newmarket Handicap, the eighth three-year-old winner of the Newmarket since 2004. He also went on to win that year’s Group 1 VRC Sprint at the same track and distance over the spring.

The 2022 Newmarket Handicap form was franked with the upset 100/1 winner Roch ‘N’ Horse returning in the spring to win the Group 1 Champions Sprint (1200m) during the Melbourne Cup Carnival. Third place-getter September Run further franked the form with her next-up win in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes victory at The Valley.

In 2023 the Newmarket Handicap third placegetter I Wish I Win headed to Sydney at his next start and won Randwick’s Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m). He also went on to enjoy a successful spring that included a second in the $20 million The Everest race.

History was made in the 2024 Newmarket Handicap with Cylinder flashing home to go back-to-back for Godolphin-raced three-year-olds in the event following the 2023 win by In Secret.

In Secret (2023) had been ridden by Dean Holland who picked up the ride after Jamie Kah fell earlier at the meeting in the Group 2 VRC Sires’ nearly losing her life.

Holland sadly passed away soon after in a Victorian race fall in April of 2023. The Dean Holland Trophy was later created and awarded to the winning jockey of the Newmarket Handicap which, incredibly, in 2024 was Jamie Kah.

The 2024 Newmarket Handicap form was franked with the runner-up, Imperatriz, going on to post her 10th career Group 1 success in the William Reid Stakes at her next start.

The 2025 Newmarket Handicap ran on Saturday March 8, 2025 at Flemington Racecourse alongside the Group 1 All-Star Mile race and saw the Chris Waller trained favourite Joliestar ($3.40F) post an impressive win for the punters. 

2025 Newmarket Handicap Finishing Order

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2025 Newmarket Handicap Betting

The latest Newmarket Handicap betting odds will be open at Ladbrokes.com.au and also published here at Races.com.au as soon as betting on the Flemington ‘Super Saturday’ sprint opens.

Plenty of horses at roughie prices in Newmarket Handicap betting have saluted in recent years including Redkirk Warrior ($31 in 2017) who became the first horse in a century to win the race first-up and Zoutori ($21 in 2021).

The longest-priced Newmarket Handicap winner in recent history was Roch ‘N’ Horse who won her Australian debut in the famous sprint at $101.

The Newmarket Handicap favourite has saluted six times between 2007 – 2023, but not since Hay List ($3.80 in 2012).

There was a notable upset in 2024 with three-year-old Cylinder saluting at Newmarket odds of $11 when beating the $2.80 favourite Imperatriz by over a length while The Astrologist ran third at 100/1.

Joliestar ($3.40 in 2025) was the last Newmarket Handicap favourite to win. 

2025 Newmarket Handicap Form

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2025 NEWMARKET HANDICAP FORM GUIDE

2025 Newmarket Handicap Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Newmarket Handicap 2025 Tips on the Group 1 Flemington sprint this autumn.

• To Win: #6 Rey Magnerio ($9 at time of publish) – BET NOW

For mine, this is far from a vintage edition of the time honoured Newmarket Handicap so chasing a bit of value with Rey Magnerio looking an attractive price in the markets third-up and fit at Headquarters. Robbie Griffiths’ Magnus five-year-old resumed with a narrow Group 2 Rubiton win at Caulfield two back before finishing third to Jimmysstar in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate. Gets up to the six-furlongs now, which he’s got a strong strike-rate over (7:2-3-1), and he’s a gun down the straight with plenty of past Flemington form to rely on. Narrowly denied here in a Group 3 photo-finish over the Melbourne Cup Carnival last year before winning his last start at Flemington after that in Black-Type company just seven days later. Barrier 4 is good, 56kg is manageable, and he looks to be going at career best. Can surprise.

2025 Newmarket Handicap Field

The Newmarket Handicap field and barriers are released on the Wednesday before and attract a similar field to those that faced off earlier in the autumn in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes and Oakleigh Plate.

The Newmarket Handicap 2025 final field and barrier draw will be published below as soon as available on Wednesday the 5th of March 2025.

The 2025 Newmarket Handicap field features a smart line-up of autumn sprinters with Joliestar a narrow second-up favourite for the Waller stable.

Click here to read more on the key runners in the Newmarket Handicap 2025 field and betting markets.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2025 Newmarket Handicap Nominations

The 2025 Newmarket Handicap nominations will be provided below once announced by Racing Victoria on Monday the 3rd of March 2025.

The Newmarket Handicap 2025 nominations attracted 19 star sprinters led in all-in betting by Chris Waller’s Zoustar mare Joliestar.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Newmarket Handicap History

The Newmarket Handicap was first run in 1874 and won by Maid Of Avenel. The most famous Newmarket Handicap took place in 2002 when Rubitano took out the title. In the last few metres of the race there was less than a head’s distance separating the first six placegetters, ending in an extremely close finish to the race.

Double winners of the Newmarket Handicap include Aspen in 1880-81, Gothic in 1927-28, Correct in 1960-61, Razor Sharp in 1982-83 and most recently Redkirk Warrior (2017-18). Since 1988 the fastest winning time was recorded by Black Caviar in 2011 with 1 minute 7.3 seconds. The 2017 Newmarket Handicap winner Redkirk Warrior made history as the first horse in 100 years to take out the sprint feature first-up before carrying top weight from the outside gate to win again in 2018 making him the first horse to do the Newmarket – Lightning Stakes – Newmarket treble.

In 2020 Bivouac became the eighth three-year-old Newmarket Handicap winner since 2004.

Roch ‘N’ Horse made history in the 2022 Newmarket Handicap results with the Kiwi mare scoring a boil-over at $101.

The three-year-olds were back on top with Godolphin’s Coolmore Stud Stakes winning filly from the spring In Secret taking out the 2023 Newmarket Handicap.

Godolphin-raced three-year-olds went back-to-back in 2024 with Cylinder ridden by Jamie Kah.

Joliestar (2025) was the last Newmarket Handicap winning mare. 

The Newmarket Handicap results going back to 2000 are listed in the table below.

Recent Newmarket Handicap Winners