Preview – Australia’s Autumn Triple Crown

With the Australia horse racing industry’s incredible spring classics already run and in the books, much of the focus for horse racing fans, punters and industry insiders is going to switch to the nation’s best 3-year olds over summer and getting ready for the Autumn.  Much like America has its Triple Crown races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes), Australia also has its own version that usually leads to the crowning of a sophomore champion at the end of the year.

To win the Australian Triple Crown, a horse is required to run three times in 28 days over escalating distances at two very different racetracks. If they can do that, they earn the right to have their name etched along side other Australian thoroughbred greats like Moorland (1943), Martello Towers (1959), Imagele (1973, same year Secretariat took the U.S. Triple Crown), Octagonal (1996), and It’s a Dundeel (2013).

Ever since 1935, the Australian Triple Crown has consisted of the following three races, all of them designated for 3-year olds of either sex with weight breaks given to 3-year old fillies: Randwick Guineas, Rosehill Guineas and the Australian Derby. It’s worth noting that the Australian Derby is one of the world’s oldest classics for 3-year olds, dating back to its inaugural running in 1861. With that said, here’s a complete rundown on these three races for 2016.

Randwick Guineas – The first jewel of the Triple Crown is the Randwick Guineas. The race is scheduled to be run on March 4, 2017 at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. The race will be run at a distance of 1600m (1 mile) on turf for a total purse of A$1,000,000 with 60% going to the winner. The weights will be set at 56.5kg for colts and geldings, and 54.5kg for fillies.

Rosehill Guineas – The second jewel of the Triple Crown is the Rosehill Guineas. The race is scheduled to be run on March 18, 2017 at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. The race will be run at a distance of 2000m (1 ¼ miles) on turf for a total purse of A$600,000 with 60% going to the winner. The weights will be set at 56.5kg for colts and geldings, and 54.5kg for fillies.

Australian Derby – The third jewel of the Triple Crown is the Australian Derby. The race is scheduled to be run on April 1, 2017 at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. The race will be run at a distance of 2000m (1 ½ miles) on turf for a total purse of A$2.000,000 with 60% going to the winner. The weights will be set at 56.5kg for colts and geldings, and 54.5kg for fillies.

While the nation’s top 3-year olds will be busy vying for division honors, summer brings with it other Grade 1 races of interest. For the benefit of horse racing fans and punters, here are a few races of interest coming up in the next few months.

 

Dec 3 – Kingston Town Classic

Feb 18 – Lightning Stakes

Feb 25 – Blue Diamond Stakes (2-year olds)

Feb 25 – Oakleigh Plate

Feb 25 – Futurity Stakes

Feb 25 – Chipping Norton Stakes

Mar 4 – Australian Guineas

Mar 11 – Australian Cup

 

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Sandy Platini is an expert sport and horse racing predictor. Sandy is also a football fanatic and English Premier League follower. Check out Bet365 Offer Code for odds and bonuses.

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