George Main Stakes betting

A major Sydney spring carnival race, the George Main Stakes is in honour of its namesake, George Main, who was the chairman of the Australian Jockey Club.

The 1600m group 1 is held at Randwick in September and is worth $500,000 in prize money. The winner of the George Main Stakes is exempt from the Epsom Handicap which makes it one of the highly sought-after races during the spring.

The weight-for-age feature has been won by some of Australia’s champion thoroughbreds and there will be many horses vying to add their names to the list this year. Imposing, Kingston Town, Vo Rogue, Lonhro and More Joyous are just a handful of past winners of the George Main.

Best George Main Stakes bookmakers

Markets for the Sydney spring carnival usually open around early August as the spring horses start their preparations. This means the betting for the George Main Stakes won’t be available till August to September, but punters get great value when it does open.

Our suggested bookmakers offer all-in, fixed odds and specials markets for the George Main. They also offer promotions and specials in the week prior to the race.

Sportsbet
Crownbet
Bet365
Luxbet
WilliamHill

George Main Stakes betting guide

Favourites punters rejoice come George Main Stakes time. Six of the last 10 winners have been the bookmakers favourite come post time and the average winning price is only $2.63.

This is because many horses are set for the George Main Stakes which brings out the best of the good horses. You only need to see the recent champions to understand how good a horse needs to be in order to win the group 1 mile.

Recent favourites to have won include Kermadec, Sacred Falls, Shoot Out, Sincero, More Joyous and Racing To Win, which currently holds the track record. There have been favourites to get beaten and there’s some top names among that list. Shogun Lodge, Sunline, Danewin, Lonhro, Might And Power and Super Impose all suffered defeat when heavily backed.

There has been only seven double-figure priced winners since 1983 at an average price of $20, with the most recent coming in 2009 when Road To Rock paid a massive $40.

Look for the male horses when placing your bets. There has been only three female horses win in the last 30 years (Streama, More Joyous and Ma Chipquita) so history isn’t on the side of the fillies and mares.

Gai Waterhouse has a good record with four wins from 24 starters in modern history, but T.J. Smith’s record of 11 wins will take some catching. Jockeys to follow are Glen Boss, Glyn Schofield and Corey Brown who have all won the George Main Stakes twice.

2016 George Main Stakes result

1st: Winx – $1
2nd: Hauraki – $1.70
3rd: It’s Somewhat – NTD

Quinella – $1.70
Trifecta – $5.40
First Four – $13.50

Past five George Main Stakes winners

2016: It was another easy win for Winx which continued the terrific race record of Chris Waller. Winx was never going to get beat as it strolled past its opposition and Hugh Bowman barely moved a muscle. The George Main was a pivotal lead-up to the Cox Plate where Winx would go on to win. Read race report here.

2015: Chris Waller lined up Kermadec to victory in 2015 and it quickly became the 2015 Cox Plate favourite. The four-year-old settled midfield and recorded a half-length win over Royal Descent which suffered its third straight second placing in as many years. It carried 5.8kg on a slow track and paid $2.30 for the win.

2014: Multiple Doncaster Handicap winner Sacred Falls defeated a field of 10 runners. A Chris Waller-trained import from New Zealand, Sacred Falls burst through runners to record an impressive victory over Royal Descent and Laser Hawk. The stake money was only $350,000, but this race would be a stepping stone for much richer races further down the line.

2013: One of only three female horses to win the George Main Stakes, Streama was in a purple patch of form and it fought off all challengers to win for the late Guy Walter. The five-year-old mare again handed Royal Descent another placing and both were just over a length in front of the New Zealand-trained Veyron. Some of the spring stayers were having a hit out, such as Hawkspur and Fawkner, but take nothing away from the win.

2012: Shoot Out was a $15,000 purchase which scored many big wins, including the 2012 George Main. Chris Waller had three runners in the field and scored the quinella with the lovable Rangirangdoo narrowly missing out by a neck. Shoot Out defeated only a field of eight runners and small fields are normal for this race, but the quality was there with All Too Hard finishing only fourth with 50.5kg on its back – Shoot Out carried 59kg.

2011: Another field of only eight runners lined up in 2011 with Sincero giving punters a big win. The Scott Farley-trained provincial horse proved too good for its rivals when winning by a neck over Ilovethiscity. It was one of the weakest fields in George Main history and it was also held at Rosehill instead of Randwick. They raced over 1500m instead of the mile which made this running a unique one.

George Main Stakes past winners list

2016 – Winx
2015 – Kermadec
2014 – Sacred Falls
2013 – Streama
2012 – Shoot Out
2011 – Sincero
2010 – More Joyous
2009 – Road To Rock
2008 – Mentality
2007 – race not held*
2006 – Racing to Win
2005 – Mr Celebrity
2004 – Grand Armee
2003 – Lonhro
2002 – Defier
2001 – Viscount
2000 – Adam
1999 – Shogun Lodge
1998 – Dracula
1997 – Encounter
1996 – Juggler
1995 – Turridu
1994 – Durbridge
1993 – March Hare
1992 – Coronation Day
1991 – Planet Ruler
1990 – Shaftesbury Avenue
1989 – Vo Rogue