Looking for this year’s Fred Best Classic? The experts at Neds have put together everything you need to know before this year’s race.

2023 Fred Best Classic winner Hawaii Five Oh
2023 Fred Best Classic winner Hawaii Five Oh (pictured in Sydney). Photo: Steve Hart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Run over 1,400 metres, the Fred Best Classic is a Group 3 race taking place at Eagle Farm Racecourse in late May or early June on Kingsford Smith Cup Day as part of the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival. With a boosted prize purse of $300,000 as of 2023, the set weights race draws a quality field of three-year-olds each season. 

For 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival, the Fred Best Classic ran at Doomben Racecourse over 1350m offering $125,000 in prize money.

The winner of the Fred Best Classic earns a ballot exemption into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap field at Eagle Farm, with La Montagna (2006) the last horse to do the Fred Best Classic – Stradbroke Handicap double.

This race formerly served as an excellent lead in to the Queensland Guineas before a change to the carnival’s line-up in 2021. 

Fred Best Classic 2024 – Quick Information

  • Race Day: Saturday, June 1st, 2024
  • Track Location: Eagle Farm Racecourse 
  • Track Surface: Turf
  • Track Direction: Right-handed
  • Race Distance: 1,400 metres 
  • Weight Conditions: Set weights
  • Qualification: Three year olds
  • Type: Thoroughbred
  • Grade: Group 3
  • Operator: Brisbane Racing Club
  • Prize Purse: $300,000
  • Inaugural Race: 1984
  • 2024 Fred Best Classic Winner: TBD

fred best classic 2024 RESULTS

The official 2024 Fred Best Classic results will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday June 1st, 2024.  

  1. TBD
  2. TBD
  3. TBD

Fred Best Classic Betting 2024

New Ways to Bet at neds

There are many different ways to bet on the Fred Best Classic, and we have included some of the most popular options below:

Bet Type How To Place This Type Of Bet In This Year’s Fred Best Classic
Win Bet Place your bet on the horse you think will take first place in this year’s Fred Best Classic.
Place Bet Place your bet on the horse you think will place in the top three finishers at this year’s Fred Best Classic. Pays less than a win bet, but offers safer odds.
Each-Way Bet If your runner finishes 1st in the Fred Best Classic, you will collect both the Win and the Place dividend. If your horse finishes 2nd or 3rd you will collect the Place dividend.
Quinella Bet You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in any order, within the Fred Best Classic, in order to win the Quinella.
Exacta Bet You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order, within the Fred Best Classic to win the Exacta.
Trifecta Bet You must select runners to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order, within the Fred Best Classic to win the Trifecta.
First Four You must select runners that finish 1st, 2nd ,3rd and 4th in the correct order, within the Fred Best Classic to win the First 4.
Quadrella Bet (Quaddie) You must select the winners of four nominated races to win the Quaddie. This means you would have to select three other races apart from the Fred Best Classic, in order to be eligible to place a Quaddie.

How To Bet On The Fred Best Classic

  1. Login at neds.com.au
  2. Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
  3. Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on Fred Best Classic Betting above).
  4. Select the horse(s) for the race.

Which Horse Will Win The Fred Best Classic in 2024

The best way to pick which horse will win the Fred Best Classic in 2024 is to take into account their lead-up winter racing form, assess the barriers and look for the proven Group performers. 

Additional factors to consider when picking the Fred Best Classic winner include: 

  • Distance – Some entrants in the past have had excellent records at 1400 metres, they stand to be ahead of the rest if in this year’s field.
  • Best Lead Up – The Gold Coast Guineas and the Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) are the best lead-up events. Apache Chase (2nd in 2021) was the last Queensland Guineas graduate to back-up and win the Fred Best Classic.
  • Trainer – Peter Snowden holds the Fred Best Classic training record with three winners.

Fred Best Classic Favourites 2024

Favourites in 2024 Fred Best Classic betting will be updated here the week of the race. 

Any in-form Peter Snowden-trained runner from Sydney in the line-up often starts as the Fred Best Classic favourite as he holds the training record having prepared three previous winners.

Following on from Military Zone ($3.30 in 2019) who handed Snowden his third, the trainer’s first in partnership with his son Paul, Dawn Passage ($2.15 in 2020) was the last Fred Best Classic favourite to salute for the punters.

Fred Best Classic Field 2024

The Fred Best Classic 2024 field of final acceptances announced on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below. 

Fred Best Classic Tips 2024

Favourite: TBD

Best Bet: TBD

Best Roughie: TBD

Our insider 2024 Fred Best Classic tips will be detailed above the week of the race and a complete betting preview published on the Neds Blog.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR COMPLETE 2024 QUEENSLAND DERBY DAY PREVIEW & TIPS

Fred Best Classic Race Day 2024

The Fred Best Classic 2024 takes place at Eagle Farm Racecourse on Saturday the 1st of June, 2024 on 2024 Queensland Derby Day. There are a host of Group status races on the card including the:

Fred Best Classic Barrier Draw 2024

The 2024 Fred Best Classic barrier draw will be released to the public a few days before the race and published in our above Fred Best Classic Field section. 

Fred Best Classic Nominations 2024

2024 Fred Best Classic nominations close at 11 AM on Monday, the 27th of May, 2024. 

Fred Best Classic Weights 2024

Set weights apply to this race. Colts and geldings run at 57 kilograms, fillies at 55 kilograms. Final weights are announced at 4 PM on Tuesday, the 28th of May, 2024 with the official 2024 Fred Best Classic weights on the final acceptances to be published in our above Fred Best Classic Field section.

Fred Best Classic Acceptances 2024

2024 Fred Best Classic final acceptances must be declared before 9:00 AM on Wednesday, the 29th of May, 2024 and will be published in our above Fred Best Classic Field section.

Fred Best Classic Jockeys 2024

The final riders announcement is at 12 PM on Wednesday, the 29th of May, 2024 with the official 2024 Fred Best Classic jockeys to be published in our above Fred Best Classic Field section.

Fred Best Classic Scratchings 2024

2024 Fred Best Classic scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Saturday, the 1st of June, 2024. 

Fred Best Classic Prize Money 2024

The 2024 Fred Best Classic prize purse is worth $300,000 in total, distributed from places first through to tenth.

Place Prize Money
1st $145,000
2nd $46,250
3rd $23,750
4th $12,500
5th $6,875
6th $3,125
7th $3,125
8th $3,125
9th $3,125
10th $3,125

Fred Best Classic Race Number 2024

The 2024 Fred Best Classic race number is TBC for Saturday the 1st of June, 2024. There are nine races in total that day held at Eagle Farm Racecourse. 

Fred Best Classic Form Guide 2024

The final form guide will be available the week of the race. You can check below the week of the race for a link to the full 2024 Fred Best Classic form guide following final acceptances. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2024 FRED BEST CLASSIC FORM GUIDE

Fred Best Classic Live 2024

You can watch or listen to the 2024 Fred Best Classic live, across the following mediums.

Pay television: Sky Racing 1 (channel 526 on Foxtel)

Radio: Radio Sport National

Free to air television: Seven Network

Fred Best Classic Winners

Winners of the Fred Best Classic going back to 2000 are displayed in the table below. 

Year Winner Trainer/s Jockey Weight Time
2024 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
2023 Hawaii Five Oh Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Nash Rawiller 57kg 1:22.82
2022 Vilana James Cummings Sam Clipperton 57kg 1:22.43
2021 Apache Chase Desleigh Forster Jim Byrne 57kg 1:20.06
2020 Dawn Passage Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Brad Stewart 57kg 1:18.83 (over 1350m)
2019 Military Zone Peter & Paul Snowden James McDonald 57kg 1:22.06
2018 Perast Paul Perry Tim Clark 57kg 1:19.70
2017 Niccanova Steve Tregea James Orman 57kg 1:26.59
2016 Counterattack Chris Waller James McDonald 57kg 1:18.86
2015 Najoom Gai Waterhouse Tommy Berry 55kg 1:19.00
2014 Havana Paul Messara Luke Nolen 57kg 1:19.23
2013 Platinum Kingdom Lisa Latta Jonathan Riddell 57kg 1:19.81
2012 Mental Peter Snowden Kerrin McEvoy 57kg 1:19.36
2011 Falino Jeffrey Caught Tim Clark 56kg 1:18.82
2010 Stryker Chris Waller Jim Cassidy 56kg 1:19.14
2009 Court Clarry Conners Damien Oliver 54kg 1:19.42
2008 El Cambio Peter Snowden Corey Brown 56.5kg 1:19.25
2007 Gold Edition Ron Maund Jim Cassidy 54kg 1:17.52
2006 La Montagna Barry Baldwin Scott Galloway 52.5kg 1:18.57
2005 Gumnuts Bryan Guy Jim Byrne 55.5kg 1:18.84
2004 Gallieni Gerald Ryan Brad Pengelly 55.5kg 1:18.18
2003 Proudly Agro Barry Bowditch Lacey Morrison 55.5kg 1:18.91
2002 Tellson Rex Lipp Stathi Katsidis 55.5kg 1:17.87
2001 Marlina Clarry Conners Leanne G Henry 52.5kg 1:19.21
2000 Cryptavia Russell Cameron Jim Byrne 52.5kg 1:20.79