VRC Oaks

If you’re a fan of three-year-old filly racing in Australia then look no further than the VRC Oaks.

The Oaks is run on the Thursday after the Melbourne Cup and it is traditionally the day dedicated to ladies of the race track – as the moniker of “Ladies Day” would suggest.

While many attend the Thursday without racing at the forefront of their minds, VRC Oaks Day it is a highly-respected day of racing, with the group 1 race the major highlights.

The VRC Oaks is often called the mares equivalent of the VRC Derby, which is held earlier in the spring carnival, and holds similar appeal for punters.

Best VRC Oaks bookmakers

The VRC Oaks is one of the most best female races on the Australian racing calendar and there’s always markets up well in advance of the race date.

The team at Horse Betting has put together comprehensive reviews of our trusted online bookmakers which all offer markets on the VRC Oaks.

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VRC Oaks history and race details

The Oaks is for fillies only and coincides with the “Fashions on the Field” which is a fashion competition held by the Victorian Racing Club.

One of the most popular days on the Australian calendar, the VRC Oaks day boasted a crowd of over 110,000 people in 2004 which is a record for the day.

The race changed from 2400 metres to 2500 metres in 1973 and gained Group 1 status in 1979, where it was won by Brava Jeannie.

Because it is held so late in the Spring it is often more a case of what horses are still able to continue their preparations this late into the carnival.

While it provides a great idea of a horses courage and stamina as a three year old, there have been plenty of great horses to have run unsuccessfully in a VRC Oaks and go on to experience great things in their track careers.

Betting on the VRC Oaks

The VRC Oaks has been a favourites race in recent history with Set Square, Mosheen and Brazilian Pulse all being well favoured in the market.

Punters are usually good at determining which horses will see out the distance so look for this when doing the form for the upcoming VRC Oaks at Flemington.

There a pair of lead in races which helps punters enormously coming into the Oaks.

The Group 2 Wakeful Stakes is often a race which gives a good gauge of the form heading into the VRC Oaks, with it coming on the Saturday before the race.

Another which often provides an indicator is the Thousand Guineas, which is an earlier race in the spring, dedicated to three year old fillies. It has proven a deceptively good guide despite only being over a 1600m journey.

2018 VRC Oaks result

Recent VRC Oaks winners

• 2018: Lane guides Aristia to famous Oaks win
  All the pre-race chatter ahead of the 2018 Oaks was about Darren Weir and his trio of chances, but Wakeful Stakes winner Aristia went from Group 2 to G1 winner in the space of seven days. The filly settled beautifully in the run and got a gun ride from Damien Lane in transit. Chasing Greysful Glamour into the straight, Aristia relished having a horse to chase, taking the front in dying stages and staying on to record a famous victory for Zahra and Ellerton.
• 2017: Pinot pops the cork for Gai
  It was one of the last races that had eluded Gai Waterhouse over the last two decades, but Pinot turned the tables for the champion trainer in 2017. All the pre-race chatter was about gun prospect and odds-on favourite Aloisia, but when she wilted in the straight the Oaks was Pinot’s for the taking. A poor start at the gates may have ironically helped win the Oaks for Pinot, which circled the field with ease and stomped her rivals into the ground.
• 2016: Avdulla's Spirited ride secures biggest Oaks upset ever
  Lasqueti Spirit scored the biggest VRC Oaks upset in history when winning at odds of $151. The Lee Curtis-trained filly scored the fairytale win for its connections after one of the best rides throughout the Melbourne spring carnival. Brenton Avdulla pinched a big lead on the daughter of Beneteau and its rivals never looked nicely. Favourite Yankee Rose was beaten by over 20 lengths, but it pulled up with a problem. Read full report.
• 2015: Jameka rubberstamps her staying prowess
  Jameka established itself as one of the best staying fillies in Australia after scoring a 2.25-length win. The Ciaron Maher-trained runner handled the wet conditions best in what was a heavy Flemington surface. Damien Oliver provided a peach of a ride when beating the likes of Honesta, Ambience and Pasadena Girl.
• 2014: Set Square delivers Maher the first leg of back-to-back Oaks wins
  Set Square provided somewhat of an upset when winning in 2014. Ciaron Maher scored the first of two successive wins in the VRC Oaks when the $7.50 chance burst through to win by 1.5 lengths. The Reset filly was paying double figures when markets opened, but a big push from its punting owners saw the three-year-old start much shorter. The beaten lot didn’t amount to much, but the win was full of class.
• 2013: Kirramosa delivers on odds-on promise
  John Sargent was confident with Kirramosa leading into the VRC Oaks, as were punters who took the $2.50 on offer. The three-year-old filly by Alamosa started as one of the shortest Oaks runners in recent history, but the win wasn’t as easy as expected. It held on to win by only a head over Zanbagh, which finished only a short head in front of Solicit. It was one of the better Oaks field in history which also included Arabian Gold and May’s Dream.
• 2012: Dear Demi wins in a lacklustre Oaks field
  Dear Demi was another popular winner of the VRC Oaks and punters got the chocolates again. The filly by Dehere won at odds of $4.90 over the well-favoured Zydeci, which finished 1.25 lengths back. Jim Cassidy was the winning rider and his personality was a nice touch to the post-race commentary. It is considered as one of the worst Oaks fields in history with the large majority of entrants offering little in their careers.

Previous VRC Oaks winners