Every runner at every rated Australian meeting gets a rank, a win chance against the market, a run style from sectional times we time ourselves, an ELO and a written read. When a runner matches a tested pattern it is logged as the play before the race and graded after it in a public ledger.
Monday 2 November: 3 Australian meetings rated, 0 plays logged before the race.
| Meeting | State | Races | Condition | First race | Plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballina | NSW | 6 | n/a | n/a | none |
| Ballarat | VIC | 8 | n/a | n/a | none |
| Corowa | NSW | 7 | n/a | n/a | none |
Every play is logged before the race and graded after it, losers included. The ledger holds 151 graded Australian plays since 13 August 2026, 28 won, +11.5u at one unit a play, win only, at the logged price. See every play on the results page.
Ballarat today. 74 VIC plays on the ledger.
Ballina, Corowa today. 3 NSW plays on the ledger.
No meeting rated today. 4 QLD plays on the ledger.
No meeting rated today. 24 SA plays on the ledger.
No meeting rated today. 39 WA plays on the ledger.
No meeting rated today. 5 TAS plays on the ledger.
Australia races all year across more than 370 tracks, from Group 1 carnivals in the capitals to country cups. Each state runs its own program under Racing Australia's rules, with its own tracks, its own conditions and its own form lines. Meetings are grouped as metropolitan, provincial and country, and the market is deepest on Saturday metropolitan cards.
What changes from track to track is what a rating model has to learn: the length of the straight, the direction of racing, how the rail position moves the good ground, and how the surface rates from Firm through Good and Soft to Heavy. Barrier draws matter more on tight tracks and less on long straights. Horses travelling interstate, first-up runners and stable and rider partnerships all carry information the bare form line does not.
Flemington · First Tuesday in November
Group 1 handicap over 3200m with 24 runners and a $10 million prize pool. Our Cup page carries the full field on Cup morning.
Moonee Valley · Late October
Weight-for-age championship over 2040m, widely held to be the best race in the country.
Caulfield · Mid October
Handicap over 2400m and the traditional lead-up to the Melbourne Cup.
Rosehill · March
The richest two-year-old race in the world, over 1200m in the Sydney autumn.
Randwick · April
Two Saturdays of Group 1 racing including the Doncaster, the Queen Elizabeth and the Sydney Cup.
The year runs in four blocks. Spring in Melbourne, autumn in Sydney, winter in Brisbane, and a summer that starts on the Gold Coast.
| September | Turnbull Stakes, Makybe Diva Stakes, Underwood Stakes |
| October | Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, Caulfield Guineas |
| November | Melbourne Cup, VRC Oaks, Emirates Stakes |
| March | Golden Slipper, Rosehill Guineas, Ranvet Stakes |
| April | The Championships (Queen Elizabeth, Doncaster, Sydney Cup) |
| Sydney Autumn Features | T.J. Smith Stakes, Australian Derby, ATC Sires' |
| May | Doomben 10,000, Doomben Cup |
| June | Stradbroke Handicap, Queensland Derby, Queensland Oaks |
| January | Magic Millions (2YO & 3YO), Apollo Stakes |
| February | Chipping Norton Stakes, Futurity Stakes, Blue Diamond Stakes |
Between the carnivals, Saturday metropolitan meetings in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane carry the strongest fields, Wednesday provincial meetings have smaller fields and thinner markets, and Friday nights at Canterbury and Moonee Valley run under lights.
A long 450m straight and a separate straight course for 1000m and 1200m races. Sustained finishers are favoured over the longer trips; the straight sprints reward tactical speed and a horse that can hold a run.
Right-handed and undulating with a rise to the line. Stayers with a genuine finish do well; the track can favour different run styles with the rail position and the weather.
Tight, with a short straight. On-pace runners and horses with tactical speed are favoured; the inside barriers matter.
A 2080m circuit with a 367m straight that tests both stamina and position. The Caulfield Cup is run from a chute over 2400m.
Brisbane's main track, with a long straight that suits sustained finishers in the Winter Carnival features.
Home of the Golden Slipper, with a 408m straight and a configuration that tests horses across every distance.
All track guides, including Sandown, Mornington, Cranbourne, Doomben, Morphettville and Ascot.
Home of the Spring Carnival: Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, Melbourne Cup and the VRC Oaks between September and November, then Saturday metropolitan racing at Flemington, Caulfield, Moonee Valley and Sandown all year.
Key tracks: Flemington, Caulfield, Moonee Valley, Sandown
Anchored by the Autumn Carnival at Randwick and Rosehill: the Golden Slipper in March, then The Championships in April. The Everest in October is the richest turf race in the world. Canterbury and Warwick Farm carry the midweek and night meetings.
The Winter Carnival at Eagle Farm and Doomben in May and June draws the southern horses north for the Stradbroke, the Doomben 10,000 and the Queensland Derby. The Magic Millions on the Gold Coast opens the year in January.
Key tracks: Eagle Farm, Doomben, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast
Morphettville carries the Adelaide Cup Carnival in autumn and most of the metropolitan program. Smaller fields and strong local form lines; Murray Bridge and Gawler take the provincial share.
Key tracks: Morphettville, Murray Bridge, Gawler
Ascot in summer and Belmont in winter, with the Railway Stakes and the Perth Cup as the features. Western Australia races two hours behind the east coast, so its meetings are the last of the day.
Key tracks: Ascot, Belmont, Pinjarra
Hobart, Launceston and Devonport carry the Tasmanian program, including the Hobart and Launceston Cups in February. Fields are small and the local form is reliable.
Key tracks: Hobart, Launceston, Devonport
Australian pools and fixed-odds books offer more bet types than most jurisdictions. Every RaceAlpha play is a single win bet, but the full ranking with win and top-three chances is there if you want to build an exotic around it.
Win pays if the horse finishes first. Place pays for the first two in fields of five to seven and the first three in fields of eight or more. Every RaceAlpha play is a win bet at the logged price.
Half the stake on the win, half on the place, for double the outlay. The place half pays a quarter or a fifth of the win price. Usually only worth it on runners at $6 or longer in big fields.
Two horses to fill first and second. A quinella pays in either order; an exacta needs the exact order and pays more. Boxing an exacta covers both orders for two bets.
First three in order. Boxed covers every order of the horses chosen; a standout puts one horse on top and spreads the rest underneath.
First four in order. Hard to land and expensive to box, but the dividends in big-field handicaps such as the Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup are the largest in the pools.
The winners of four consecutive races, usually the last four on the card. Most people take one banker leg and spread wider in the others.
A horse considered extremely likely to win, often used in exotic bets like Quaddies where you want to minimise cost.
The starting position (gate) a horse jumps from. Inside barriers (1-4) are generally advantageous, especially on tight-turning tracks.
Betting strategy where you select multiple horses in any finishing order, e.g., boxing 3 horses in a Trifecta covers all 6 possible combinations.
The quality level of a race (e.g., Group 1, Listed, Benchmark 78). Higher class races feature better horses and larger prize money.
When two or more horses finish in a photo finish tie. Dividends are calculated by dividing the payout by the number of horses tied.
Australian slang for a horse that is expected to lose or has little chance of winning.
Bet combining win and place portions. If horse wins, both pay out. If horse places, only the place portion pays at fractional odds.
Fast track condition rated 1-2, ideal for speed horses. Common in summer months across Australia.
Horse's first run after a spelling (rest period). Some horses excel fresh, others need racing to reach peak fitness.
A horse's recent racing history and performance, typically shown as finishing positions in last 5+ starts.
Middle-range track condition rated 3-4, suits most horses and is the most common racing surface.
Very wet track rated 8-10, significantly slower than dry tracks. Favours horses with established wet-track form.
Horse that hasn't won a race yet, or a race for horses that haven't won (Maiden race).
Racing style where horse positions close to the lead from the start, often advantageous in small fields or on speed-favouring tracks.
Finishing in top 2 (fields 5-7 horses) or top 3 (fields 8+ horses). Place bets pay lower dividends but win more frequently.
Official objection lodged after a race, usually regarding interference. Can result in placings being amended.
Exotic bet selecting winners of four consecutive races. Popular multi-race bet requiring strategic selection across race types.
Where the running rail is placed (true position, out 3m, 6m, etc.). Affects which part of track offers the best ground.
When a horse is withdrawn from a race before it starts, usually due to track conditions, injury concerns, or strategic reasons.
Time taken to cover specific distances during a race. Analysing sectionals reveals how fast horses ran at different stages.
Moderately wet track rated 5-7. Suits horses that handle give in the ground but isn't as testing as heavy conditions.
Racing officials who ensure rules are followed and investigate incidents. Can order inquiries, protests, and impose suspensions.
World's richest turf race ($15M), run at Randwick over 1200m. Features slot-holder system unique to Australian racing.
Selecting the first three finishers in correct order. Offers substantial dividends, especially in large-field races.
Racing condition where horses carry weight based on age, not handicapping. Considered fairest test of champion horses (e.g., Cox Plate).
RaceAlpha is an information service, not a bookmaker. Bet only with licensed operators. Gambling Help 1800 858 858.
A machine-learning model rates every runner on form, connections, barrier, weight, class, ELO and sectional times we record ourselves, then lays the win chance over the market price.
The model is trained on years of Australian results and accounts for the things that make each track different: the Flemington straight, the tight turns at Moonee Valley, and track ratings from Firm 2 to Heavy 10. The <a href="/how-it-works">how it works</a> page has the detail.
Yes. Every runner in the Cup is rated on Cup morning and any play is logged before the race.
The <a href="/melbourne-cup">Melbourne Cup page</a> carries last year's full result with each horse's pre-race rank, every winner since 2010 and a guide to betting the race. International runners are rated on their European staying form mapped onto Australian conditions.
Metropolitan and most provincial meetings in every state; the Today page lists which meetings are rated each day.
There are guide pages for Flemington, Caulfield, Moonee Valley, Sandown, Mornington, Cranbourne, Randwick, Rosehill, Eagle Farm, Doomben, Morphettville and Ascot, and a page for each state.
Every race that has run is open to everyone, our ratings included, and so is a free tip a day, with the race it sits in open before it runs. That is the free account (sign in, no plan); the seven-day trial is the way to try the rest.
Members see every rated Australian and Hong Kong meeting before the jump for $39.99 a month. Cancel anytime.
Every play is logged before the race and graded after it, losers included, and the results page is the only record we quote.
The ledger holds 151 graded Australian plays, 28 of them winners, +11.5u at one unit a play. That is a small sample and the results page says how much it proves.
Open an account with a licensed Australian bookmaker, set a bank you can afford to lose, and start with win and place bets at a fixed stake.
Read races that have already run on RaceAlpha and compare every rating with the result before you put money on. The <a href="/beginners-guide">beginner's guide</a> covers the rest. Gambling Help 1800 858 858.
