Toorak Handicap

Toorak Handicap

The Toorak Handicap is an elite Group 1 race conducted in early October as part of the action of the annual Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

Held at Caulfield Racecourse on the esteemed Caulfield Guineas Day, the Group 1 Toorak Handicap is a ‘mile’ race conducted over 1600m.

Toorak Handicap Special Offer:
Get a $400 Bonus Bet from bookmaker.com.au

An open handicap event, the horses in the Toorak Handicap field compete for a share of the $350,000 prizemoney on offer.

The Toorak Handicap is one of six Group status races conducted at the meeting. Two other Group 1 races highlight the day’s bumper race-card, the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and the Group 1 Yalumba Stakes (2000m), while the Group 2 Presentation Stakes (2400m) and the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes (1000m) also provide some top class betting opportunities.

Caulfield Guineas Day is the first of three meetings that make up the coveted Caulfield Cup Carnival. The carnival continues with Thousand Guineas Day on the Wednesday after the Toorak Handicap, and then comes to a close the following Saturday with one of the showcase races of the year, the Caulfield Cup.

Toorak Handicap History

First conducted in 1881 and won by Josephine, the Toorak Handicap has been known and registered under a number of different race names over the years.

Originally known as the Toorak Handicap, the name was changed to The IXL from 1981 – 1984 and then The Elders Mile from 1985 – 1989 before reverting back to its traditional title of the Toorak Handicap in 1990.

Toorak Handicap Betting Guide

There are many earlier Melbourne Spring Carnival races that provide the perfect preparation for horses heading towards a run in the Toorak Handicap and that punters can use as a guide for their Toorak Handicap betting.

Races that Toorak Handicap hopefuls may contest and that are worth keeping an eye on include the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield in September.

Another interesting betting trend with the Toorak Handicap is to bet against the favourite. In 2009 one of the longest-priced horses of the field claimed victory when Allez Wonder won after starting at $41 while $5.50 favourite Raheeb finished fourth.

This trend also held true the previous year as 2008 Toorak Handicap winner Alamosa drifted out to $11 in the closing stages of betting and was able to win while the odds-on favourite Orange County finished a disappointing ninth.

The best Toorak Handicap betting tip is to lock in better odds and enjoy bigger payouts by placing your wagers at a trusted online bookie such as SportsBet or SportingBet instead of wasting your time and money at the TAB.

Toorak Handicap Winners

Since the inaugural winner Josephine, many classy horses have claimed victory in the Toorak Handicap including The Trump (1987), Royal Gem (1946), Galilee (1966), Gunsynd (1971), Leilani (1974) and Penny Edition (1981).

More recently the Toorak Handicap has been won by Show A Heart (2001), Roman Arch (2003), Divine Madonna (2007) and Allez Wonder (2009).

Below is a list of the most recent winners and placegetters in the Toorak Handicap.