Doomben Cup

The Doomben Cup is a group 1 weight-for-age race that will be run over a distance of 2000m at Doomben Racecourse.

Boasting a purse $650,000, The Doomben Cup features a number Australia’s best race horses, who venture north for the Queensland Winter Carnival.

It was first run as the XXXX Cup in 1983, then as the Channel 9 Cup in 1988, before reverting back to XXXX Cup until 1991.

Having won the race in 1991, Rough Habit won it again in 1992, the same year it was renamed the Doomben Cup, the name it still goes by today.

2018 Doomben Cup result

How to find the winner of the Doomben Cup

Two weeks before the Doomben Cup the Hollindale Stakes, run over 1800m at the Gold Coast, is held. This race has proven to be a strong indicator of who will contend in the Doomben Cup.

Five horses have won the Hollindale Stakes-Doomben Cup double since 2002, with nine horses in total having run at the Gold Coast lead-up before winning the feature at Doomben.

The five to have completed the double are Streama, Metal Bender, Above Deck, Bush Padre and Mr Bureaucrat.

Other races which have indicated the winner of the Doomben Cup include the The Queen of the South, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Prime Minister’s Cup.

The most successful trainer in the Doomben Cup is New Zealand’s John Wheeler, who trained Rough Habit to his hatrick of victories.

Betting on the Doomben Cup

The Doomben Cup as a Group 1 race has a huge following from punters around the country. This means bookies pay a lot of attention to it for weeks leading up to the event.

Take a look at at the bookmakers below so you can make an informed decision.

Betfair Australia

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Doomben Cup betting odds

Gailo Chop is the odds-on favourite ($2 at online bookmaker Ladbrokes) heading into the 2018 Doomben Cup.

No other runner is at single figures heading into the race, with Ambitious, Comin’ Through and Oregon’s Day all locked at the $12 price.

Recent runnings of The Doomben Cup

• 2018: Comin' Through topples stablemate Egg Tart
  After a bitterly disappointing run in the Group 2 Hollidale Stakes on the Gold Coast, Chris Waller-trained Comin’ Through was a $9 outsider coming into the race. It was the four-year-old and stablemate Egg Tart that came away in the latter stages to fight out the finish however, with Comin’ Through living up to his name in strong fashion.
• 2017: Lees' runner rises to the Occasion
  Sense Of Occasion relished conditions best at Doomben and punters got some juicy odds. The Kris Lees-trained stayer capped off some good form in the Doncaster and Queen Elizabeth by winning the Doomben Cup at odds of $9.20. Read the race report.
• 2016: Our Ivanhowe hands Freedman a fifth Cup win
  Our Ivanhowe ($16) saluted for the Freedman stable with Kerrin McEvoy in the saddle. The barnstorming late run helped the Freedman’s to their fifth win in the race and their second group 1 since the brothers combined their training talents. The victory came over the top Godolphin pair Hauraki ($3.20) and It’s Somewhat ($5.50). Read a full report.
• 2015: French import Pornichet provides Gai with a win
  Import Pornichet, trained by Gai Waterhouse, trounced the local horses to win the Doomben Cup. At the turn, jockey Blake Shinn, requested the four year old move forward and the bay didn’t disappoint with a blistering run on the straight to easily win. Chris Waller’s Weary and I’m Imposing rounded out the placings.
• 2014: Shinn steers Streama to success
  Blake Shinn rode the Guy Walter-trained Streama to her fourth group 1 victory. Ridden to perfection by Shinn, Streama got the perfect sit behind Leebaz and powered away in the straight to win by three quarters of a length. Leebaz and Junoob filled out the minor placings.
• 2013: Waller leaves the opposition Beaten Up
  Chris Waller’s Beaten Up made a successful switch to Australian soil after beginning his career in Britain. Beaten Up, paying $9, was ridden by Leith Innes with another Waller import, Foreteller, finishing second with Secret Admirer back in third.

List of Doomben Cup winners