The Australian Guineas is a Group 1 feature for three-year-olds that is run over 1600m at Flemington Racecourse during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival. It is run at set-weights conditions with colts and geldings carrying 56.5kg in the race and fillies 54.5kg.
In 2019, when the race was won by Tasmanian star filly Mystic Journey, the Australian Guineas carried $1 million in prize money with first place receiving $600,000. The race pays down to eighth with $20,000 earned by horses that finish sixth, seventh or eighth.
The very first running occurred in 1986 with True Version the victor by three lengths over Caledonian Boy. The distance has changed with the race originally over 1600m before changing to 2000m in 1998 when Gold Guru was the winner. The mile-and-a-quarter wouldn’t last long with the 2001 edition won by Mr Murphy returning to the mile. It has since remained at 1600m.
Miss Finland won the 2007 Australian Guineas at Caulfield Racecourse with the venue hosting the race due to reconstruction at Flemington. It was a memorable version of the race with Miss Finland defeating Casino Prince and Jokers Wild by the narrowest of margins. Haradasun was fourth in the event and Efficient ran fifth.
Despite a short history, the Australian Guineas has been won by some very good horses. Mahogany won the 1994 edition in a tight finish with Pride Of Rancho. Mahogany had won the Caulfield Guineas in the previous year and would also win the Australian Derby, Victoria Derby and two Lightning Stakes in his career. He was beaten in a photo-finish by Octagonal in the 1995 Cox Plate.
Reset would only have five career starts but would be unbeaten as he won the Australian Guineas in 2004. He would win the Futurity Stakes at his final start. His father, Zabeel, had won the 1990 Australian Guineas. Reset became a successful stallion, producing four million-dollar earners with Fawkner earning more than $3.8 million.
Apache Cat would capture the Australian Guineas in 2006 with a one-length victory over Darci Brahma. The eight-time Group 1 winner also won the Lightning Stakes, two Australia Stakes, TJ Smith Stakes, BTC Cup and two Doomben 10,000s.
Mystic Journey's 2.25L victory in the 2019 Australian Guineas was a history-making moment in Australian racing. The filly would become the first Tasmanian-trained horse to win an Australian Group 1 race, giving both jockey Anthony Darmanin and trainer Adam Trinder their first Group 1 wins in the process. She would follow up her Guineas success with victory in the inaugural $5 million All-Star Mile a fortnight later.
Shamus Award is a notable inclusion to the winner’s circle for this feature event. He was a nine-start maiden heading into the 2013 Cox Plate where he would narrowly defeat Happy Trails. Two starts later and Shamus Award would defeat Criterion in the 2014 Australian Guineas. Those two wins would be his only victories in a 14-start career.
