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Darley Sprint Classic Tips & Betting Advice

VRC Sprint Classic 2019

Date Saturday, 9 November, 2019
Track Flemington Racecourse
Distance 1200m
Class Group 1
Race Type Weight for Age
Prize Money $2 million
Age 3YO and Upwards

Darley Sprint CLASSIC BETTING SELECTIONS & TIPS

Our experts will have their pre-race predictions and Darley Sprint Classic betting selections available for the Group 1 race.

Some key Darley Sprint Classic pointers are:

  • Manikato Stakes form has been a good guide in recent years
  • Barriers 4-7 the place to be
  • Favourites don’t have the best overall record

Darley Sprint CLASSIC LIVE STREAM

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

You can watch all Flemington races including the Darley Sprint Classic streamed live online at:

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

WHERE TO BET ON THE Darley Sprint CLASSIC

Bookmakers Ladbrokes, BetEasy, Sportsbet and Neds are the best places to bet on the Darley Sprint Classic 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.

Darley Sprint CLASSIC HISTORY AND GUIDE

The Group 1 Darley Sprint Classic (1200m) takes place at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse annually in November during the Melbourne Spring Carnival and is a weight-for-age race for sprinters.

With $1 million in prizemoney, the race attracts the country’s best sprinters and forms part of the Global Sprint Challenge.

From 2008, the race has taken over from the Australia Stakes as an Australian leg of the Global Sprint Challenge Series. The race is the eight leg of the series, preceded by the Sprinters Stakes and followed by the Hong Kong International Sprint.

First run in 1868, the VRC Sprint Classic was won by Gulnare when it known as the Flying Stakes and run over 6 furlongs (approximately 1200m).

Known as the Linlithgow Stakes since 1908, and then the Emirates Classic from 1997, the race was renamed the Lexus Classic in 2004, the Age Classic in 2005 and the Patinack Farm Classic in 2008 before becoming the Darley Classic and from 2018 the VRC Sprint Classic.

The honour roll lists the who’s who of Australian racing and includes the likes of: Barbelle (1870-72), Amounis (1926-27 and 1929), Phar Lap (1930), Chatham (1931-33), Ajax (1937-38), High Castle (1939-41), Matrice (1956-57), Sky High (1962), Wenona Girl (1963), Vain (1969), Placid Ark (1987), Redelva (1988 & 1990), Sequalo (1994), Mahogany (1994), Belle Du Jour (2001), Choisir (2002), Fastnet Rock (2004), Miss Andretti (2007), Black Caviar (2010-11), Buffering (2013) and Redzel (2017)

Other feature races on the day include the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (1600m), Group 2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m), Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) and the Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m).

VRC Sprint Classic Winners (Since 2000)

2000 Easy Rocking
2001 Sudurka
2002 Rubitano
2003 Ancient Song
2004 Takeover Target
2005 Glamour Puss
2006 Dance Hero
2007 Miss Andretti
2008 Swick
2009 All Silent
2010 Black Caviar
2011 Black Caviar
2012 Mental
2013 Buffering
2014 Terravista
2015 Delectation
2016 Malaguerra
2017 Redzel
2018 Santa Ana Lane
2019 Nature Strip

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.