The Kalgoorlie Cup is a Listed event held at Kalgoorlie Racecourse during the spring carnival season.
The Kalgoorlie Cup is a Listed event held in either late September or early October at the Kalgoorlie Racecourse. The Kalgoorlie Cup forms an important part of the minor Western Australia Spring Racing Carnival. More importantly, the Kalgoorlie is a leg in the famous Western Cups trifecta.
Raced under open quality handicap conditions, the Kalgoorlie Cup is now contested over 2300m as of 2023 – back up from 2200m for the first time since 2019 – and offers $150,000 in prize money.
Kalgoorlie Cup Day is held on the same date as the Turnbull Stakes in Melbourne.
Horses commonly target the Kalgoorlie Cup as part of a broader campaign that typically includes both the Coolgardie Cup and the Boulder Cup.
These three races are regularly attended by the same horses, all with the hope of achieving the Cups trifecta. In 2011, Kincaple won both the Coolgardie Cup and the Kalgoorlie Cup but was unfortunately pushed into second place in the Boulder Cup by Reverend Lovejoy (whose campaign was otherwise substandard).
More recently, the 2021 Kalgoorlie Cup winner Living The Dream improved on a lead-up third in the Boulder Cup.
Stafford’s Lad (2022) was the last horse to complete the Boulder Cup – Kalgoorlie Cup double.
In 2023 the Boulder Cup form again held up in the Kalgoorlie Cup results with the second placed mare in the former, Be Optimistic, going one better to win the Listed showdown in WA. She also finished third earlier in the Coolgardie Cup.
Besides the Cups trifecta, horses often continue on from the Kalgoorlie Cup to challenge major races during the Perth Summer Racing Carnival. Some of these future targets include the Group 1 Railway Stakes, Group 1 Northerly Stakes and Group 2 Perth Cup.
The 2022 Kalgoorlie Cup form was franked with the winner Stafford’s Lad continuing on to finish second 2023 Perth Cup results later that season before a fourth in the Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) in March of 2023.
The 2023 Kalgoorlie Cup was held on Saturday October 7th, 2023 and was won by Luke Fernie’s in-form daughter of Blackfriars Be Optimistic ($3.20).Â
| Kalgoorlie Cup 2023 | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Saturday October 7th, 2023 |
| Track: | Kalgoorlie Racecourse |
| Distance: | 2300m |
| Race Type: | Open Quality |
| Status: | Listed |
| Prize Money: | $150,000 |
2023 Kalgoorlie Cup Results
- 1st: #5 Be Optimistic ($3.20)
- 2nd: #11 Recalled
- 3rd: #4 Powerful
Classy Blackfriars mare Be Optimistic ($3.20) made it a home town success in the 2023 Kalgoorlie Cup results with the Luke Fernie-trained five-year-old improving on her lead-up second in the Boulder Cup to narrowly hold on and salute by a nose.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Starting Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | BE OPTIMISTIC | Luke Fernie | Clint Johnston-Porter | 6 | 56.5kg | $3.20 | |||
| 2 | 11 | RECALLED | Darren McAuliffe | Joseph Azzopardi | 0.1L | 4 | 54kg | $10 | ||
| 3 | 4 | POWERFUL | Darryn Pateman | Shaun McGruddy | 0.38L | 8 | 57kg | $13 | ||
| 4 | 3 | VILLEINS | Grant & Alana Williams | Chris Parnham | 2.1L | 2 | 58kg | $2.35F | ||
| 5 | 8 | DANCING JACK | Pamela Oram | Ms Lisa Staples | 3.9L | 5 | 54kg | $26 | ||
| 6 | 6 | GROUND BRAKER | Ted Martinovich | Brandon Louis (a) | 4.16L | 10 | 54.5kg | $14 | ||
| 7 | 7 | CHUCK A LUCK (NZ) | Ryan Hill | Ms Victoria Corver (a) | 5.1L | 11 | 54kg | $71 | ||
| 8 | 1 | UTGARD LOKI | Peter Fernie | Jarrad Noske | 6.89L | 9 | 59kg | $61 | ||
| 9 | 10 | OUR NORMAN | Chris Willis | Troy Turner | 9.44L | 1 | 54kg (cd 55kg) | $16 | ||
| 10 | 9 | ELAFELLA | Nadia Bishop | Peter Knuckey | 20.37L | 7 | 54kg | $41 | ||
| 11 | 2 | GENERAL GRANT | Stephen Miller | Michael Poy | 84.82L | 3 | 58.5kg | $26 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
2023 Kalgoorlie Cup Betting
The best Kalgoorlie Cup 2023 odds are available at Ladbrokes.com.au and are traditionally dominated by in-form WA horses coming off lead-up runs in a race like the Boulder Cup.
Spiritual Warrior ($3.80 in 2019) was the last favourite in Kalgoorlie Cup betting to salute for the punters.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2023 KALGOORLIE CUP ODDS (Final Field)
2023 Kalgoorlie Cup Form
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2023 KALGOORLIE CUP FORM GUIDE
2023 Kalgoorlie Cup Tips
Stay tuned for our insider Kalgoorlie Cup 2023 Tips on the spring showdown this season.
- To Win: #3 Villeins ($2 at time of publish) – BET NOW
Market mover and hot favourite approaching odds-on territory now so not much value but going too good to bet against. The Grant & Alana Williams-trained Domesday five-year-old has winning form up to 2100m and needs to stretch out that extra furlong, but was a big 1.73 length Boulder Cup winner last time out suggesting he’ll get the distance. Goes up notably in weight now carrying 58kg, but is drawn to get the run in a small field and can go back-to-back.
2023 Kalgoorlie Cup Field
Due to be released the Wednesday of race week, the 2023 Kalgoorlie Cup field always features a quality line-up of mainly locally-trained horses.
The 2023 Kalgoorlie Cup final field features a small but quality line-up of local stayers led in betting by last start Boulder Cup winner Villeins.
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 209789×850 | UTGARD LOKI | Peter Fernie | Jarrad Noske | 9 | 59kg | 80 | |
| 2 | 9849×06178 | GENERAL GRANT | Stephen Miller | Michael Poy | 3 | 58.5kg | 79 | |
| 3 | 30×1561221 | VILLEINS | Grant & Alana Williams | Chris Parnham | 2 | 58kg | 78 | |
| 4 | 0x24232321 | POWERFUL | Darryn Pateman | Shaun McGruddy | 8 | 57kg | 76 | |
| 5 | 12346×2632 | BE OPTIMISTIC | Luke Fernie | Clint Johnston-Porter | 6 | 56.5kg | 75 | |
| 6 | x738023124 | GROUND BRAKER | Ted Martinovich | Brandon Louis (a) | 10 | 54.5kg | 71 | |
| 7 | 987536×446 | CHUCK A LUCK (NZ) | Ryan Hill | Ms Victoria Corver (a) | 11 | 54kg | 62 | |
| 8 | 3536153553 | DANCING JACK | Pamela Oram | (late alt) | 5 | 54kg | 66 | |
| 9 | 9609941316 | ELAFELLA | Nadia Bishop | Peter Knuckey | 7 | 54kg | 69 | |
| 10 | x858133555 | OUR NORMAN | Chris Willis | Troy Turner | 1 | 54kg | 70 | |
| 11 | 0612002344 | RECALLED | Darren McAuliffe | Joseph Azzopardi | 4 | 54kg | 62 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.Â
Kalgoorlie Cup History
The Kalgoorlie Cup has a long and storied history as one of the premier racing events in the western goldfields. The Kalgoorlie Cup didn’t really have humble beginnings – it was one of the earlier major races held in the region, back when there were three racecourses competing for patrons and racing resources. In those days, Kalgoorlie racing was a days-long endurance event of drinking, gambling and partying. Much like today.
The Kalgoorlie Racecourse is recorded as hosting races for the first time in 1896, and the Kalgoorlie Cup is very likely to have been one of the earliest events. For many years the Cups trifecta has been a major target for horses and a major selling point for racing in the region. From 2015 onwards, the Kalgoorlie Cup will shift back a week to a Sunday slot and compete with Belmont Park in Perth for racing attention.
There have been quite a few decent Kalgoorlie Cup winners. Some of the more notable Kalgoorlie Cup winners include Meteor Prince (1959), Seminole Brave (1975), Edge Of Darkness (1990), Lottila Bay (2000) and Kincaple (2011).
Kalgoorlie Cup results since 2000 are provided below.
Kalgoorlie Cup Results
| Year | Place | Horse | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Be Optimistic | 2 minutes 24.22 seconds |
| 2nd | Recalled | ||
| 3rd | Powerful | ||
| 2022 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Stafford’s Lad | 2 minutes 14.06 seconds |
| 2nd | No Apology | ||
| 3rd | Native Chimes | ||
| 2021 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Living The Dream | 2 minutes 16.89 seconds |
| 2nd | Stafford’s Lad | ||
| 3rd | Sugar Cain | ||
| 2020 Kalgoorlie Cup(2200m) |
1st | Missile Launch | 2 minutes 17.55 seconds |
| 2nd | Divine Shadow | ||
| 3rd | Friar Fox | ||
| 2019 Kalgoorlie Cup(2200m) |
1st | Spiritual Warrior | 2 minutes 16.37 seconds |
| 2nd | First Affair | ||
| 3rd | Ihtsahymn | ||
| 2018 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Inject The Venom | 2 minutes 25.34 seconds |
| 2nd | Gloryland | ||
| 3rd | First Affair | ||
| 2017 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Shinta Mani | 2 minutes 20.18 seconds |
| 2nd | Danehills Daughter | ||
| 3rd | Dark Alert | ||
| 2016 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Cougar Express | 2 minutes 22.28 seconds |
| 2nd | Falcon Crest | ||
| 3rd | Kronfeld | ||
| 2015 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Woodsville | 2 minutes 20.95 seconds |
| 2nd | Mystic Prince | ||
| 3rd | Black Moment | ||
| 2014 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | True Gold | 2 minutes 20.90 seconds |
| 2nd | Friarday | ||
| 3rd | Ram Jam | ||
| 2013 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Classique Ivory | 2 minutes 21.03 seconds |
| 2nd | Starlight Lady | ||
| 3rd | Imperial Command | ||
| 2012 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Lopov | 2 minutes 20.52 seconds |
| 2nd | Double Barrel | ||
| 3rd | Test The Angels | ||
| 2011 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Kincaple | 2 minutes 21.92 seconds |
| 2nd | Battle Emblem | ||
| 3rd | Kasabian | ||
| 2010 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Sunrange | 2 minutes 21.85 seconds |
| 2nd | Telexden | ||
| 3rd | Guyno | ||
| 2009 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Gondorff | 2 minutes 23.66 seconds |
| 2nd | Zubizaretta | ||
| 3rd | Neige | ||
| 2008 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Action Pak | 2 minutes 24.96 seconds |
| 2nd | Goldtown | ||
| 3rd | Impact Rating | ||
| 2007 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Master Vision | 2 minutes 23.50 seconds |
| 2nd | Action Plan | ||
| 3rd | Hail Mary | ||
| 2006 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Black Tom | 2 minutes 21.95 seconds |
| 2nd | Main Stage | ||
| 3rd | Master Vision | ||
| 2005 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Priceless Matt | 2 minutes 22.87 seconds |
| 2nd | Master Vision | ||
| 3rd | Mercedario | ||
| 2004 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Violent Wind | 2 minutes 21.64 seconds |
| 2nd | Quasarock | ||
| 3rd | Blevvo | ||
| 2003 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Czariffic | 2 minutes 22.81 seconds |
| 2nd | Kiwi Hombre | ||
| 3rd | Priceless Matt | ||
| 2002 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Lawmaker | 2 minutes 25.30 seconds |
| 2nd | Noon | ||
| 3rd | Great Fingall | ||
| 2001 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Opening Twist | 2 minutes 21.82 seconds |
| =2nd | Never Blue | ||
| =2nd | Tumeric | ||
| 2000 Kalgoorlie Cup |
1st | Lottila Bay | 2 minutes 21.43 seconds |
| 2nd | Never Blue | ||
| 3rd | Master Clan | ||
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