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The Quokka race is a brand new $4 million slot-race held at Ascot in Perth in April.
The $4 million The Quokka is a new event to run at Ascot Racecourse in Perth for the first time in April of 2023.
The Special Conditions slot-race is officially the richest race held in Western Australia and is run over a 1200m sprint distance at weight-for-age.
The Quokka Day takes place the Saturday after Sydney’s ‘The Championships’ are held on the first and second Saturdays of April, which are headlined by the $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) on Day 2 at Randwick.
The Quokka field is open to 14 slot holders at a cost of $200,000 each.
In a huge $5.5 million initiative by Perth Racing, The Quokka forms part of The Western Trilogy series, Australia’s first tri-code slot-racing event. The other races making up the massive autumn racing weekend are The Nullarbor (harness racing) and The Sandgroper (greyhounds).
The Quokka race is named in honour of the quokka, dubbed the “happiest animal on Earth”, for which the state’s Rottnest Island is famous for.
The Quokka is Australia’s latest slot-racing event, the concept continuing to gain popularity since the now world-famous $15 million The Everest (1200m) held in Sydney during the spring since 2017.
Horses that perform well in the previous summer’s Perth Group 1 races including the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) are likely to target a slot in The Quokka field.
The opening edition of The Quokka was won in an all-the-way thriller by the Bjorn Baker-trained Sydney raider Overpass.
The inaugural $4 million The Quokka race ran at Perth’s Ascot Racecourse on Saturday April 15, 2023 and was won in an all-the-way photo thriller by the Bjorn Baker-trained Overpass ($12).
The Quokka 2023 | |
---|---|
Date: | Saturday April 15, 2023 |
Track: | Ascot Racecourse |
Distance: | 1200m |
Race Type: | Weight-for-age |
Status: | Non-Black Type Special Conditions Slot-Race |
Prize Money: | $4,000,000 |
The Bjorn Baker-trained Overpass ($12) was excellent first-up leading all-the-way to hold off the fast-finishing favourite Amelia’s Jewel ($2.80F) in a thrilling opening The Quokka 2023 results in WA.
Click here to read more on the exciting upset The Quokka 2023 win by Overpass.
Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Starting Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | OVERPASS | Bjorn Baker | Joshua Parr | 8 | 58.5kg | $12 | |||
2 | 14 | AMELIA’S JEWEL | Simon A Miller | Patrick Carbery | 0.04L | 14 | 54.5kg | $2.80F | ||
3 | 10 | BELLA NIPOTINA | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Ben Melham | 0.64L | 6 | 56.5kg | $4.60 | ||
4 | 12 | ASFOORA | Henry Dwyer | Mitchell Aitken | 0.87L | 12 | 56.5kg | $13 | ||
5 | 8 | HOT ZED | Lou Luciani | Chris Parnham | 1.13L | 2 | 58.5kg | $61 | ||
6 | 6 | RED CAN MAN | Steve Wolfe | Shaun McGruddy | 1.57L | 11 | 58.5kg | $26 | ||
7 | 7 | RESORTMAN | Michael Lane | Brad Rawiller | 2.16L | 7 | 58.5kg | $41 | ||
8 | 4 | UNCOMMON JAMES | Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted | Ben Thompson | 2.17L | 13 | 58.5kg | $7.50 | ||
9 | 11 | SHADES OF ROSE | Bjorn Baker | Ms Rachel King | 2.19L | 1 | 56.5kg | $21 | ||
10 | 1 | KEMENTARI | James Cummings | Damien Oliver | 3.18L | 5 | 58.5kg | $16 | ||
11 | 13 | BUSTLER | Neville Parnham | Steven Parnham | 3.19L | 9 | 56.5kg | $51 | ||
12 | 3 | TRIX OF THE TRADE | Colin Webster | Troy Turner | 3.53L | 4 | 58.5kg | $19 | ||
13 | 5 | MASSIMO | Chris & Michael Gangemi | Clint Johnston-Porter | 5.21L | 3 | 58.5kg | $101 | ||
14 | 9 | WESTERN KNIGHT (NZ) | Adam Durrant | William Pike | 7.35L | 10 | 58.5kg | $51 | ||
17e | STARTRADE | Daniel Morton | 0 | |||||||
18e | TITAN BLINDERS | Chris & Michael Gangemi | 0 | |||||||
15e | COMFORT ME | Rhys Radford | 0 | |||||||
16e | ACROMANTULA | Daniel & Ben Pearce | 0 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
The Quokka 2023 racing odds will be available here as soon as The Quokka race betting opens.
There was a narrow upset in the opening edition with Overpass winning the 2023 race at The Quokka odds of $12. Amelia’s Jewel was the first The Quokka favourite at $2.80 and ran second by the barest of margins.
Stay tuned for our insider The Quokka 2023 betting tips and exotic Perth autumn racing selections on the new $4 million slot-race this season.
Click here for our full 2023 The Quokka Best Bets & Tips.
Amelia’s Jewel has led The Quokka betting right from day dot and was the first to secure her slot in the new $4 million buy-in event. The Simon Miller-trained filly now continues to dominate the markets and looks the hard-to-beat favourite after her easy romp home fresh in the Group 3 Roma Cup over 1100m here. She’s the local with all the experience and a gun record at the track. Second-up she presents fit and will relish the extra distance. Her campaign last time in was excellent with wins in the Group 2 WA Guineas (1600m) and Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m). Has won seven of eight and arguably should be undefeated. Barrier is the only concern (14), but otherwise she’s ticking all the boxes.
The money is coming hard and fast for Group 1 winning mare Bella Nipotina to return to her best heading west for The Quokka. The gun daughter of Pride Of Dubai from the Maher/Eustace stable is drawn to get the run of the race from barrier six. She chases her first win since the Group 1 Manikato Stakes over this distance at The Valley in the spring and presents fit fourth-up and ready to fire. She has been competitive all prep including her last start second in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m). Could just be her time to shine in a winnable event for big money.
A forgotten horse in the markets, Trix Of The Trade racing fresh looks way overs at close to $20. He won the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) here before his sixth to Amelia’s Jewel when only two lengths beaten over 1800m here last December. Colin Webster’s Trade Fair four-year-old is a gun fresh horse undefeated first-up (3:3-0-0). He loves this track (10:5-2-1) and is at his pet distance (4:3-1-0). Drawn to get the run of the race from barrier four and looks a danger at a big price.
The autumn’s The Quokka field features an exclusive line-up of 14 weight-for-age hopefuls selected by the slot-holders that purchased a spot in the event at a cost of $200,000.
The Quokka 2023 field will be confirmed the week of the race and published below as soon as available.
The 2023 The Quokka final field of 14 and barrier draw are now out with the hot young favourite Amelia’s Jewel drawn well mid-field with gate nine on the back of her easy Group 3 Roma Cup lead-up win. The consistent Uncommon James one wider in barrier 10 racing for Seacorp – Hallowell Stud is the danger occupying the second line of The Quokka betting travelling west on the back of a Group 1 The Galaxy second in Sydney.
Click here to read more on the key runners in The Quokka 2023 field and betting markets.
No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 103x54737x | KEMENTARI | James Cummings | Damien Oliver | 12 | 58.5kg | 112 | |
2 | 557x26690x | OVERPASS | Bjorn Baker | Joshua Parr | 3 | 58.5kg | 109 | |
3 | 1220x1316x | TRIX OF THE TRADE | Colin Webster | Troy Turner | 4 | 58.5kg | 106 | |
4 | 11x111x212 | UNCOMMON JAMES | Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted | Ben Thompson | 10 | 58.5kg | 111 | |
5 | 33x3109x70 | MASSIMO | Chris & Michael Gangemi | Clint Johnston-Porter | 14 | 58.5kg | 105 | |
6 | x648205x22 | RED CAN MAN | Steve Wolfe | Shaun McGruddy | 5 | 58.5kg | 109 | |
7 | 19111340×4 | RESORTMAN | Michael Lane | Brad Rawiller | 7 | 58.5kg | 107 | |
8 | 6x49146x71 | HOT ZED | Lou Luciani | Chris Parnham | 2 | 58.5kg | 103 | |
9 | 7x1221x12 | WESTERN KNIGHT (NZ) | Adam Durrant | William Pike | 13 | 58.5kg | 73 | |
10 | 5x1219x302 | BELLA NIPOTINA | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Ben Melham | 6 | 56.5kg | 114 | |
11 | P211118x09 | SHADES OF ROSE | Bjorn Baker | Ms Rachel King | 1 | 56.5kg | 100 | |
12 | 13x1711x34 | ASFOORA | Henry Dwyer | Mitchell Aitken | 11 | 56.5kg | 104 | |
13 | 1x11125x6 | BUSTLER | Neville Parnham | Steven Parnham | 8 | 56.5kg | 86 | |
14 | 111x1211x1 | AMELIA’S JEWEL | Simon A Miller | Patrick Carbery | 9 | 54.5kg | 111 | |
15e | x90x4523x5 | COMFORT ME | Rhys Radford | 0 | 58.5kg | 106 | ||
16e | 2013452213 | ACROMANTULA | Daniel & Ben Pearce | 0 | 58.5kg | 100 | ||
17e | 33174230×0 | STARTRADE | Daniel Morton | 0 | 58.5kg | 100 | ||
18e | 22504×5737 | TITAN BLINDERS | Chris & Michael Gangemi | 0 | 58.5kg | 97 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
Stay tuned below as the 14 slots in The Quokka Field are filled, the confirmed horses and the slot-holders to be listed below as positions are announced leading up to the race.
‘Special K’ has been snapped up for a run in The Quokka field with the eight-year-old Godolphin stalwart one of the country’s most popular sprinters rarely running a bad race.
Bjorn Baker’s first-up speedster Overpass will return to racing in The Quokka racing fresh for RAM Racing Syndicate after being scratched from the Group 1 $3 million TJ Smith Stakes in Sydney due to the wet track conditions, the four-year-old gets his chance first-up in the $4 million event.
Webster’s former top-line three-year-old won a host of races in WA that season before returning as a four-year-old to claim one of Perth Racing’s biggest events – the Group 1 Railway Stakes over the Ascot mile last year. Can he be competitive again over less distance in 2023?
Airborne Brisbane-trained four-year-old Uncommon James will skip a run in Sydney’s TJ Smith Stakes on April 1 in favour of a trip west for The Quokka where he will look to continue his outstanding autumn that has been headlined by a Group 1 Oakleigh Plate success and luckless Group 1 The Galaxy second last time out.
Lindsey Smith Racing will be represented by Massimo in The Quokka race field with the Sessions six-year-old looking to return to his better form and win his first race since the Group 2 Lee-Steere last November.
Steve Wolfe-trained Gingerbread Man six-year-old returned with a nice first-up second over 1000m in the Rock Magic Stakes (1000m) and gets another lead-up in the Group 3 Roma Cup (1100m) before his Quokka test third-up at six furlongs.
Morton Racing have selected Helmet six-year-old Resortman to run in the inaugural The Quokka on the back of an eye-catching first-up fourth behind race favourite Amelia’s Jewel in the Roma Cup.
Lou Luciani’s consistent five-year-old and Ascot specialist Hot Zed runs for Perth Racing and is fresh in the $4 million feature having last been seen winning the Listed Pinjarra Classic (1300m) back in February.
Lightly-raced four-year-old Western Knight will have work to do up notably in class against some of the country’s best sprinters representing the state’s biggest owner-breeder Bob Peters who also owns the hot favourite Amelia’s Jewel.
The spring’s Group 1 Manikato Stakes winning mare from the star Melbourne stables of Maher & Eustace is sure to make a big impact heading west for The Quokka representing betting giants Ladbrokes.com.au.
Group 2 winning Rubick four-year-old, Shades Of Rose, has secured her spot in another of the country’s slot races. The speedy mare was eighth only three lengths beaten in the $15 million The Everest in the spring and now runs for Magic Bloodstock in WA’s equivalent this autumn. Kicks off in The Galaxy on Golden Slipper Day (March 18).
Henry Dwyer’s consistent four-year-old mare Asfoora gets her chance at a career best success in The Quokka having finished a brave Group 1 Oakleigh Plate second in Melbourne and fourth last time out in Sydney’s The Galaxy over 1100m.
The Neville Parnham-trained Bustler runs for Jack Lee Steere Thoroughbreds in The Quokka 2023 with the lightly-raced Playing God three-year-old looking to beat home the older horses, and the gun filly Amelia’s Jewel, after a first-up sixth behind her from out wide in the Roma Cup.
Group 1 Northerly Stakes winning filly Amelia’s Jewel has lost just one of her seven Perth career runs ahead of the autumn, is proven against the older gallopers and is the all-in favourite for the inaugural The Quokka. Standout favourite now after demolishing her rivals in the Group 3 Roma Cup a fortnight out.
The Quokka history was made when Perth’s richest race ran for the first time in April of 2023 and was won by the Bjorn Baker-trained Sydney visitor Overpass for slot holders RAM Racing Syndicate.
The Quokka winners and place-getters from the event’s inauguration in 2023 can be found in the below table.
Overpass (Bjorn Baker) was the first The Quokka winner in 2023.
YEAR | WINNER | SECOND | THIRD | TIME |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Overpass | Amelia’s Jewel | Bella Nipotina | 1:09.53 |