Railway Handicap

THE Group 1 New Zealand Railway Handicap is a featured sprint race held at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day with the quality of past winners top class.

With a purse of $200,000, it’s not the stake money that attracts trainers from New Zealand and Australia to compete for the Railway Handicap, rather it’s the history behind the race which makes it a must-win for the sprinting types.

Past winners include Bounding, Imananabaa, Avantage, Egyptian Raine and Mr Tiz which won three consecutive Railway Handicap.

It has also been won by two Australian-trained runners with Atomic Force in 2012 (ridden by Nash Rawiller) and 2010 winner A Gold Trail which won with Michael Rodd in the saddle.

The Railway Handicap is always the most exciting race held on New Year’s Day at Ellerslie which is rated as the best track to bet on in New Zealand.

2022 Railway Handicap betting odds

There are no odds available for the Railway Handicap.

Horse Betting will update this page as soon as markets are installed.

Best New Zealand Railway Handicap bookmakers

All of our bookmakers listed below offer all-in and fixed odds betting on the major races out of New Zealand.

The Railway Handicap is one of New Zealand’s prized races and the Australian bookies know how important framing a market is for both New Zealand punters and the locals.

The following bookmakers currently have markets available for the Railway Handicap.

Sport Table

New Zealand Railway Handicap betting history

There have been plenty of well-backed horses win the Railway Handicap, which includes the likes of Bounding, Ryan Mark, Atomic Force and A Gold Trial which scored at odds of $5.70 for trainer Gary Portelli and jockey Michael Rodd in 2010.

The Railway Handicap has also thrown in some of the longest-priced winners in New Zealand Group one history with Jacowils winning in 2009 at odds of $104 and Miss Raggedy Ann winning at odds of $86 in 2011.

The Railway Handicap is predominately won by the older sprinters, with Bounding becoming the first three-year-old filly to win the Railway in 33 years.

It’s typically a good horses race with the likes of three-time winner Mr Tiz, which also won the Telegraph Handicap twice and The Galaxy in 1991 at Rosehill.

Diamond Lover broke the Ellerslie track record when winning in 1987. The future stud star ran 1:07.79 in a scintillating display of sprinting.

Other famous names in New Zealand sprinting history include Loader, which was named after dual-Olympic gold medalist Danyon Loader, and also Coogee Walk which now has many races named after it in New Zealand.

2021 Railway Handicap result

Recent New Zealand Railway Handicap winners

• 2021: Avantage a popular winner in the Railway Handicap
  The Jamie Richards-trained Avantage managed to pull out just enough to claim the 2021 Railway Handicap. The $2.10 pre-race favourite was given the run of the race and when ambling up alongside 2020 winner Julius, she looked like she was going to put a fair gap on her rivals. However, with Julius kicking back on the rail and Levante flying down the centre of the track, the favourite was forced to earn her win.
• 2020: Julius too strong late in the Railway
  Having settled outside the leader in the race, the John Bell-trained Julius packed plenty of punches late to claim the Railway Handicap. Despite being left in front a long way from home, Jason Waddell made sure the veteran eight-year-old was primed to tough it out, with Julius responding under heavy riding and ultimately proving too good late on.
• 2019: Huge outsider Santa Monica wins Railway Handicap
  In what is the biggest upset in Railway Handicap history, Santa Monica delivered an improbable win at $77 odds. the five-year-old was able to nab Princess Kereru on the line to win by a neck, with a further head back to the luckless race favourite Melody Belle, who had to battle three-wide from barrier 15.
• 2018: Volpe Veloce canters home in Railway
  It was expected to be a two-horse war in the 2018 Railway Handicap, but the more favoured Volpe Veloce was the horse that got the chocolates. Settling towards the back of the field Jake Bayliss settled the horse beautifully in the run and let down nicely to find the front at the 100m mark before putting a gap on the field.
• 2017: Start Wondering shows what he learned across the Tasman
  Start Wondering showed that Australian sprinting form is superior. The gelding from Wanganui had a great record in New Zealand before travelling to Sydney where it was successful. After a bleeding attack it returned to New Zealand and was too classy for them in the Railway Handicap. It found the lead easily coming around the turn and kicked away for an impressive 1.25-length victory. The win gave jockey Johnathan Parkes the City of Auckland Cup/Railway double.
• 2016: Ryan Mark lands Kiwi blow on the Aussie raider
  Ryan Mark edged out the Australian-performed Allez Eagle by a neck in 2016, much to the punters delight. The five-year-old son of Thorn Park had been in good form throughout the Hastings spring carnival and it ran as the $3.80 favourite. It also continued the good form from jockey Opie Bosson who had won the 2015 Caulfield Cup aboard Mongolian Khan earlier in the season.
• 2015: Eponymous win for In Style
  In Style put a disappointing Australian campaign behind it when winning by a short-head in 2015. The Danica Guy-trained mare had been running at short odds throughout its New Zealand campaign, but bookmakers let it drift to $6.60 which many punters jumped on late. It held out the fast-finishing Whosyourmaster ($4.40 to place) and Durham Town ($6.50 to place) to land a big trifecta payout for punters with 2016 champion Ryan Mark finishing two lengths back in seventh.
• 2014: Bounding lands for favourite backers
  Bounding was another well-favoured winner which scored yet another close victory. The three-year-old daughter of Lonhro was one of the quickest sprinters in New Zealand before embarking on a successful career in Australia. It won as the $4.10 favourite over the likes of Waterford, Little Wonder and 2015 placegetter Durham Town. It ran a time of 1:10.25 which was considered a quick time on a track which was rain-affected.
• 2013: Fleur de Lune steps up to the plate
  Fleur de Lune has always promised to deliver on the big stage and its moment came in 2013 when winning the Railway Handicap. The five-year-old Stravinsky mare wasn’t bred for speed and it performed well over the longer distances later in its career, but it ran a slick 1:09.21 for the 1200m on a good track. Durham Town recorded yet another placing with Jetset Lad, which would later move to Australia, running well for second at place odds of $5.40. Fleur de Lune paid $9.90 for the win and $3.10 to place.
• 2012: Aussie Atomic Force salutes at short odds
  Atomic Force gave the Australians their second win in three years when scoring by a half-length. The Darren Smith-trained gelding didn’t have superb form in Australia, but it was good enough to run as the $2 favourite and get the job done well. Ridden by Nash Rawiller, the son of Danehill Dancer held off some of the best local sprinting types in New Zealand and it relished the rain-affected track. The $2 on offer from bookmakers was one of the shortest-priced winners in Railway Handicap history.

New Zealand Railway Handicap past winners list

New Zealand Railway Handicap Past Winners Pre 2000

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