Newmarket Handicap Tips & Betting Advice

2020 Newmarket Handicap

NEWMARKET HANDICAP BETTING SELECTIONS & TIPS

Our experts will have their pre-race predictions and Newmarket Handicap betting selections available for the Group 1 race.

Some key pointers are:

• Three-year-olds have a great record
• The Lightning Stakes and Oakleigh Plate are the best form guides
• Top weights have struggled in recent years

NEWMARKET HANDICAP LIVE STREAM

Australia’s leading bookmakers offer you the chance to watch the Newmarket Handicap (and all other races from Victorian tracks) free of charge.

You can watch all Flemington races including the Newmarket Handicap streamed live online at:

• Ladbrokes
• BetEasy
• Sportsbet

Become a member of any of the four bookmakers and enjoy the coverage free. To find out how to stream the Newmarket Handicap live, click on the dedicated link.

WHERE TO BET ON THE NEWMARKET HANDICAP

Bookmakers Ladbrokes, BetEasy and Sportsbet are the best places to bet on the Newmarket Handicap and all Flemington races. They offer some of the best odds and promotions on the big race and also stream the race live online. Or take advantage of the top 5 bookmaker deals below.

NEWMARKET HANDICAP HISTORY & GUIDE

The Newmarket Handicap (1200m) takes place at Flemington Racecourse annually in March and is arguably Australia’s greatest sprint race.

With a $1.25 million prize fund, it attracts the country’s best sprinters and is accompanied by the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) on what is known as Melbourne’s ‘Super Saturday’ of racing.

Other races on Super Saturday include the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m), Group 2 VRC Sires Produce Stakes (1400m), Group 2 Kewney Stakes (1400m), Group 3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1200m) and the Group 3 Matron Stakes (1600m).

Horses that compete in the Newmarket Handicap may have contested the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) or the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at their previous start.

The illustrious honour roll lists the who’s who of Australian sprinters and in recent times Newmarket Handicap winners have travelled to the UK to compete at Royal Ascot.

Scenic Blast 2009 (King’s Stand), Miss Andretti 2007 (King’s Stand,), Takeover Target 2006 (King’s Stand), and Black Caviar 2011 (Diamond Jubilee) have all travelled half-way around the world and franked the Australian sprinting form.

Other former winners of the Newmarket Handicap include Malua (1884), Wakeful (1901), Heroic (1926), Ajax (1938), Bernborough (1946), Baguette (1971), Placid Ark (1987), Schillaci (1992) General Nediym (1998), Exceed And Excel (2004), Alinghi (2005), Weekend Hussler (2008), Hay List (2012), Shamexpress (2013), Lankan Rupee (2014), Brazen Beau (2015), The Quarterback (2016) and Redkirk Warrior (2017-18).

Five horses in the history of the event have won the Newmarket Handicap twice with Aspen (1880-81), Gothic (1927-28), Correct (1960-61), Razor Sharp (1982-83) and Redkirk Warrior (2017-18) achieving the rare feat.

Newmarket Handicap Winners (Since 2000)

FLEMINGTON TRACK DESCRIPTION

Flemington is a spacious track with one of the longest straights in Australia at 450m which gives all horses an equal chance with luck in running.

Flemington also has a 1200 metre straight track for racing which is commonly referred to as “The Straight Six” course.

The run to first turn in the Melbourne Cup is 888m, ensuring that no horse has their chances hampered during the opening half-a-mile.

FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE HISTORY

Steeped in tradition and home of Australia’s most iconic race, the Melbourne Cup, Flemington is arguably Australia’s most famous racecourse.

Crowds in excess of 100,000 people are a common occurrence during Flemington’s biggest race days where the Victorian Racing Club provides an entertaining environment for all.

The racecourse was first built in the 1850s and made its way onto the National Heritage List in 2006.

Flemington was originally named the Melbourne Racecourse on Crown Land after the Governor of New South Wales in 1848 formally declared 352 acres as a public racecourse and set up a six-member trust to oversee the racecourse.

The Victoria Racing Club Act passed by the government in 1871, made the club the trustees of the racecourse.

The Gold Rush era brought great wealth to Melbourne and Flemington soon grew in popularity, attracting vibrant crowds by the thousands.

Races were initially run in autumn, however, in 1854 the Victoria Turf Club decided to hold spring meetings due to favourable weather conditions – this eventually led to the hosting of the Melbourne Cup.