Doomben Cup 2023

In a hurry? We’ve listed all the quick facts that you need to know about the Doomben Cup:

The Doomben Cup is a Group 1 race which takes place each year in May. The race in 2023 will be held on Saturday 20th of May at Doomben Racecourse. Looking back to the race in 2022, it was won by Huetor.

In November 2021, Racing Queensland announced that a number of races in their blossoming Winter Carnival will see an increase in prizemoney. The Doomben Cup is one of the lucky races, having it’s prizemoney increased from $700,000 to $1,000,000.

Whilst it has undergone a number of name changes throughout its history, the race that is essentially the Doomben Cup was first run in 1933. Originally over the 2000m, it has undergone several distance changes throughout the years on account of track redesigns, but has been settled back at the 2000m mark since 2012.

Although the mighty Bernborough was amongst the winners of the race in its fledgling days, it didn’t achieve Group 1 status until 1980 and it was the three consecutive victories of Rough Habit in the early 1990’s that really put this race on the map.

Since then this race, along with many others over the Brisbane Winter, are targeted by horses that have competed at the highest level in the Spring and Autumn in the southern states. This is evident by the honour roll from the early 1990’s until today which includes Might and Power, Intergaze, Scenic Shot and Zaaki.

The race in 2022 was originally pushed from Saturday 21st May to Wednesday 25th May, due to extensive rain. It was then pushed to Saturday 28th May and moved to Eagle Farm, after continued rain, and the fact that the drainage at Eagle Farm is much better.

The Doomben Cup is an Australian Group 1 held at Doomben Racecourse, it is one of the most prominent races in the Queensland racing calendar and forms part of the Winter Racing Carnival in the Sunshine State.

The fact that there’s a massive $1,000,000 worth of prizemoney on offer, means the race attracts some of the greatest horses from across the country up to Queensland. It also attracts all us Aussies who enjoy having a punt on the races. The Shark will compile an extensive list of Doomben Cup tips so you can place your bets with confidence, when the time comes.

As the nominations are not accepted for the Doomben Cup in 2023, it is challenging for us to provide any updates in regards to our tips. However, as the Winter Racing Carnival in Queensland goes to the next level, the horses that are looking to run in this race will become a lot clearer. If you are after quality Doomben Cup horse tips, then don’t fret as we will keep you updated with all the horses that could be a part of the race.

However, there are no Australian bookmakers that are offering Doomben Cup odds right now. There’s no need to worry though, because we will keep a look out for the odds and provide you with them as they come through. When searching for Doomben Cup tips, be sure to have a squiz at our betting section below. In that section we have indicated some factors for success in this Group 1.

All our tips for the Doomben Cup will be available closer to the race. Make sure you check back on this page regularly for updates!

Doomben Cup Tips From Experts

Our tips are not out for the Doomben Cup in 2023 as it is too far out from the event. But the good news is that when the final field for the Doomben Cup is announced, we will provide guidance on each and every runner in the 2023 Doomben Cup.

You will find all this information below, when it becomes available. Stay tuned!

There are a lot of important factors to consider before betting on the Doomben Cup. Make sure you have a read on below before you place your bets:

Is Previous Doomben Cup Form a Good Indicator of Future Success?

After a renaissance period in the 1990’s the race gradually dropped away in quality but still retained its Group 1 status, finally culminating in the race being abandoned in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. The following year however, saw excitement machine Zaaki take out the race in blistering fashion, breathing some life into the race, which ultimately has led to a significant prize money increase for the Doomben Cup from 2022 onwards.

Should I Bet On The Favourite in the Doomben Cup?

Whilst the record of favourites is only fair for the Doomben Cup, of the winners since 2010, all but two have started at a $10 quote or shorter.

Formlines from Lead Up Races

The Hollindale Stakes run at the Gold Coast Turf Club a fortnight prior over 1800m is by far the best lead up form race. The past 30 runnings of the Hollindale Stakes has produced 19 winners for the Doomben Cup, with 8 horses completing the double. In 2022, winner Huetor finished 4th in the Hollindale Stakes.

Age

Only 2 three year olds have won the race, and in 2022, Huetor won as a 5YO.

Weight

The Doomben Cup is run under weight for age conditions.

Gender

No filly has ever won the race, and just three mares have won the race since 2017 with four year old and up geldings having the far superior record.

Doomben Cup Best Bets

Our Doomben Cup best bets for 2023 are not out just yet, make sure you keep an eye out on this page as we will provide more details about our best bets when the final field is announced.

You will find our best bets below once available. Stay tuned!

Well before the Doomben Cup field is finalised – pretty much every Aussie bookie will open up early markets, or all-in markets, for all your Doomben Cup betting needs. We think this is probably the best time to bet on the horse you’ve chosen. Due to the fact that you could get awesome odds before they potentially shorten in the days leading up to the race.

Once the bookies release their Doomben Cup odds for 2023, they are likely to fluctuate on a daily basis. There are a couple of things that impact this, and when we get a better idea of the horses that will be aiming for the Doomben Cup, along with their recent form in trials and other races, you will see the odds change.

If you do choose to have a punt in any of these early markets, it means you could find the favourite at odds of $10 or greater. Which is obviously something we want to do, because it means if your horse does win the Doomben Cup, you will get more funds to play with! However, there is known to be additional risk if you choose this option and you need to be aware of how things could go wrong.

Depending on when you place your 2023 Doomben Cup futures bet, your horse may not end up targeting this race and therefore not run, but you also won’t get your stake back, which occurs when the market is ‘All-In’ or closer to race day. If you are hoping to have a bet when it says ‘Before Noms’, then this is a great time, because you can know you will get your cash back into your account if your horse doesn’t run.

The 2023 Doomben Cup odds are yet to be released for punters to see. Please check back here later as we will list all the information below.

After a couple of false starts, the Doomben Cup was finally run – one week after it’s usual date and at Eagle Farm. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that all the attention was on the 2021 winner, Zaaki, who was looking to go back-to-back.

Zaaki had unbackable odds of $1.40 before the race. The 7YO, who has over $7 million in prizemoney, had pretty much the perfect lead up to the Doomben Cup. He won the Hollindale Stakes (Group 2), which is known as the best formline race to follow, and prior to that run, he came second in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The Neasham trainer gelding also had recently won the All Star Mile.

There was only nine other horses that were to challenge Zaaki for this Group 1, and of the other runners, it was Polly Grey who was on the next line of betting, at $9.00. The mare had just finished second behind Zaaki in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes, by 0.8L, and in her prior race, she won a Group 3.

Next in the line of betting was Huetor, who was a double digit odds, at $12. He was another horse that had come through the Hollindale Stakes, and he finished fourth on that occasion. There wasn’t much else to look at for Huetor, and this would be his first time contesting a Group 1.

With the 2023 Doomben Cup yet to be run and won, let’s have a look at last year’s race to see if there are any key performance indicators that can help us find the winner of this year’s race.

Once again it was Zaaki who dominated the market, and started at odds of $1.40. A very short priced favourite that had captured the attention of a lot of punters, but unfortunately the gelding wasn’t able to deliver on the day.

Instead it was Huetor that got the chocolates, after starting at tasty odds of $12. Huetor used the inside barrier (2) to his advantage, and after a brilliant ride from Kerrin McEvoy, it was clear that Zaaki just couldn’t step up to another level in the closing stages of the race.

In second place was Maximal, starting at odds of $26, many were surprised to see was the colt was capable of, and he ended up finishing just 0.4L off the pace. Jockey Nash Rawiller had him near the back of the field, and waited for the perfect time to make a move.

Zaaki had to settle for third place, and ended up finishing 1.65L behind Huetor. Jumping from the widest barrier of all (10) didn’t seem to be a hinderance in the open stages of the race, as James McDonald settled the 7YO in second place. That was where Zaaki would remain, until the closing stages of the race, where Maximal managed to get the better of him.

You’ve read the words, now watch the video! Have a squiz below at the 2022 Doomben Cup race:

Doomben Cup Winners

The results for the upcoming Doomben Cup are not yet available, but in the meantime, you can have a look below at all the recent past winners: