Caulfield Guineas 2022 Preview: Contenders, Betting & Winner Trends

The strongest three-year-old milers in Australia will battle it out for fame and fortune in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas on Saturday.

This prestigious feature offers a $3 million prize purse, which always helps it to attract a star-studded field. Red-hot favourite Aft Cabin was scratched earlier this week after suffering an injury in training, blowing the race wide open.

Godolphin colt Berkeley Square has been installed as the new favourite to secure victory in Saturday’s Caulfield Guineas, followed by talented gelding Berkeley Square in the betting. The race will feature a capacity field of 16 runners, and there are lots of exciting contenders, so it promises to be a fiercely competitive race.

Read on to learn more about the Caulfield Guineas, its illustrious history, the leading contenders, the odds on offer and our top tips for the race. 

 

Caulfield Guineas Background and History

This iconic race was first held way back in 1881, when Wheatear saluted in front of the gathered crowd at Caulfield Racecourse. The distance has remained unchanged ever since – 1 mile until 1971, and then 1600m since the introduction of the metric system.

The Guineas achieved Group 1 status in 1979. It is widely regarded as one of the blue riband events for three-year-olds, and the roll of honour features many of the greatest horses of all time.

This race has generally been held at Caulfield, but it was moved to Flemington during World War II. It is now a key feature of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. The Caulfield Guineas also kicks off the three-day Caulfield carnival, while there are three additional Group 1 races on Guineas day: the Toorak Handicap, the Caulfield Stakes and The Thousand Guineas, which is the fillies equivalent.

 

Caulfield Guineas Notable Winners

Many of the most famous horses in history have won the Caulfield Guineas over the years:

• Patron | Patron clinched the Guineas in 1893, but he is more famous for winning the Melbourne Cup the following year. His full brother, Ruenalf, was the favourite, while Patron was a 33/1 outsider, but he stormed to victory. However, no trophy was awarded, as an economic depression had gripped the country. 
• Artilleryman | Artilleryman completed a famous Guineas-Melbourne Cup double in 1919. He set a new race record time of 3:24.5 in the Melbourne Cup that year.
• Heroic | An Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductee who won 21 races from 5 furlongs to 2 miles, including the Guineas and the Cox Plate.
• Young Idea | Winner of back-to-back Cox Plates in 1936 and 1937. Young Idea also won the Caulfield Guineas in 1935, along with five additional Group 1 victories.
• Ajax | The legendary thoroughbred who won 18 races on the bounce before suffering a shock defeat at odds of 1/40. His many Group 1 victories included the Caulfield Guineas in 1937 and the Cox Plate the following year.
• Royal Gem | Another superstar who won both the Caulfield Guineas and the Cox Plate, along with many other famous races.
• Hydrogen | Hydrogen won the Cox Plate in 1952 and 1953, and he came within a neck of completing the hat-trick in 1954. In total, he won 26 of 60 starts, including the 1951 Caulfield Guineas.
• Tulloch | One of the original Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductees, along with Carbine, Phar Lap, Bernborough and Kingston Town. He won 14 of 16 races as a three-year-old, including the Guineas, before spending almost two years out with sickness. Tulloch returned to win 15 more races, including the 1960 Cox Plate.
• Vain | A champion racehorse who dominated the sprinting scene between 1968 and 1970, winning 12 out of 14 starts. Vain landed the Guineas in 1969.
• Surround | Another Hall of Fame inductee, as are many of the runners on this list. Surround won 12 out of 16 starts in her three-year-old season, including the Cox Plate, VRC Oaks and Caulfield Guineas.
• Luskin Star | Winner of the two-year-old Triple Crown. He was back to his best the following year, landing the Caulfield Guineas and several other Group 1 races.
• Manikato | The second Australian horse to surpass $1 million in career earnings, following in the footsteps of Kingston Town.
• Red Anchor | Red Anchor dominated the Spring Racing Carnival, winning the Caulfield Guineas, Cox Plate and the Victoria Derby. He was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2021.
• Lonhro | The world champion miler in 2004, having secured a Timeform rating of  128. Lonhro was nicknamed “The Black Flash” and he went on to become Australian Champion Stallion in 2011.
• Weekend Hussler | Weekend Hussler is rated as one of the greatest milers of all time. He won nine of his 11 starts at three including Group 1 victories in the Caulfield Guineas, Ascot Vale Stakes, Oakleigh Plate, Newmarket Handicap, Randwick Guineas and George Ryder Stakes.
• Starspangledbanner | The Australian Champion Sprinter in 2009 and the European Champion Sprinter in 2010.

 

Caulfield Guineas 2021 Winner

Anamoe won the Caulfield Guineas in a record-breaking time of 1 minute and 35 seconds flat in 2021. Jockey Damien Oliver delivered a masterful ride on the Godolphin galloper, sitting three-wide with cover before making a dash for glory at the 200m mark. Anamoe responded with a terrific burst of pace and obliterated his rivals.

 

Caulfield Guineas Time & Date

The Caulfield Guineas will take place at 16:30 AEDT on Saturday 8 October. It takes place over 1600m on the left-handed turf track at Caulfield, and it is run under set weights conditions. Only three-year-olds are eligible for this race.

 

Caulfield Guineas Field & Contenders

 

Golden Mile

Golden Mile battled to a fourth-place finish in the Group 1 Golden Rose at Rosehill on 24 September. He looked as though he would salute at one point, but he was trapped wide and forced to run closer to the speed than he would have liked.

Trainer James Cummings has high hopes for his chances of success in the Caulfield Guineas, with champion Sydney jockey James McDonald booked to ride. Godolphin’s main hope was Aft Cabin, but he suffered a bleed from both nostrils at the weekend, which forced him to be scratched. Golden Mile is now Godolphin’s best chance of clinching back-to-back Guineas.

 

Berkeley Square

Berkeley Square secured an explosive win in the Listed Exford Plate four weeks ago, taking his record to three wins and a second from four starts. He is now stepping up to contest his first Group 1 race. The Exford Plate was run over 1400m, but he seemed to be keen for a longer distance, and he should relish the 1600m challenge on Saturday.

 

Tijuana

This versatile colt has now earned three wins in his last five starts after saluting in the Group 2 Stutt Stakes at Moonee Valley. He is trained by Ben Hayes and managing owner Jarred Magnabosco, who secured their first Group 1 win when Mr Brightside won the Doncaster Mile earlier this year. They say that all of Queensland will be behind Tijuana as he vies for glory in the Guineas. He is the only other runner in single figures apart from Golden Mile and Berkeley Square in this wide open race.

 

Amenable

Amenable caught the eye when finishing third to Aft Cabin in the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude a couple of weeks ago. He was five-and-a-half lengths behind the winner and two lengths back from runner-up Meridius, but he finished strongly in atrocious conditions, and he is another that could relish the 1600m distance this weekend. The Lonhro colt has been drawn wide, but if he can stay in contention, he could be dangerous when chasing down rivals on the home stretch.

 

Elliptical

Elliptical could only finish third to fellow Guineas contenders Bank Maur and The Fortune Teller over 1400m at Sandown on his last start. However, he should improve over the 1600m trip in the Guineas. Elliptical conserved energy by contesting that race instead of the 1600m Stutt Stakes, and he looks like a serious contender this weekend.

 

Caulfield Guineas Odds

Horse	Fixed Win	Fixed Place
Golden Mile	2.70	1.55
Berkeley Square	5.00	2.05
Tijuana	8.00	2.80
Amenable	15.00	4.20
Elliptical	18.00	4.80
Meridius	19.00	5.00
Bank Maur	20.00	4.80
Millane	20.00	4.80
Foujita San	21.00	5.00
The Fortune Teller	21.00	5.00
Osipenko	26.00	6.00
Elkington Road	31.00	6.50
Lethal Thoughts	34.00	7.00
Sir Bailey	34.00	7.00
Angry Skies	41.00	8.00
Muramasa	67.00	11.00
Skyphios	91.00	14.00
Dashing	101	14.00

 

Caulfield Guineas Prize Money 

The prize purse for the Caulfield Guineas has increased by 50% from $2 million in 2021 to $3 million this year. It is now one of the richest races of the year. The winning owner will take home $1.8 million. There is $540,000 earmarked for the runner-up, $270,000 for third, $135,000 for fourth, $75,000 for fifth and $60,000 for sixth, seventh and eighth.

 

Caulfield Guineas Tips

Odds of $4.80 on Elliptical to place in this race look appealing. He delivered a quiet, underwhelming performance on his last start, but his prospects look a lot better in the Guineas. Berkeley Square, Golden Mile and Tijuana are certainly the three to beat, but Elliptical looks perfectly capable of giving them a run for their money.