The Toorak Handicap is a must-see Group 1 handicap race in Melbourne, and we look at the past results and history of the time-honoured race on Caulfield Guineas Day.
Some of Australia’s best thoroughbreds have won the Toorak Handicap, so we’re excited to see which champion will win this year.
Recent Toorak Handicap Winners
The Toorak Handicap is always a good betting race, and there has been a good mix of favourites and upset results over the last 20 years, including the likes of Antino, King Mufhasa, More Joyous, Mr Quickie, and Trust in a Gust. Because of the handicap conditions, there are often upsets, and that’s why punters love having a bet on the Group 1 feature.
Here are the last 20 Toorak Handicap winners:
- 2025 – Transatlantic
- 2024 – Antino
- 2023 – Attrition
- 2022 – Tuvalu
- 2021 – I’m Thunderstruck
- 2020 – Mr Quickie
- 2019 – Fierce Impact
- 2018 – Land of Plenty
- 2017 – Tosen Stardom
- 2016 – He’s Our Rokki
- 2015 – Lucky Hussler
- 2014 – Trust in a Gust
- 2013 – Solzhenitsyn
- 2012 – Solzhenitsyn
- 2011 – King Mufhasa
- 2010 – More Joyous
- 2009 – Allez Wonder
- 2008 – Alamosa
- 2007 – Divine Madonna
- 2006 – Red Dazzler
- 2005 – Barely a Moment
As is the case with many Group 1 handicap races, it’s a good spread of champions and surprise winners. The Toorak Handicap is no different, and although the winners over the last 20 years aren’t all household names, they were all quality horses.
The likes of Antino, I’m Thunderstruck, and More Joyous competed at the top level for some time. They are the standout winners, but the likes of Attrition, Allez Wonder, and Tuvalu were helped by the weights.
Notable Toorak Handicap Winners
The 1960’s and 70’s were the highlight period for the Toorak Handicap. The winners during that span included Galilee, Tobin Breeze, Gunsynd, and Leilani, and it was a time when thoroughbreds were better at carrying big weights to victory.
The best thing about the Toorak Handicap is that the best horse in the race doesn’t always win. Therefore, it’s not the most impressive past winners’ list, but every winner deserves their name on the trophy.
The early 2000s were also a good time in the races’ history, which included Show a Heart, Roman Arch, and Umrum, with the latter winning in 1999 and 2000.
Toorak Handicap History
The 1600m Group 1 kicked off in 1886, and although it has had a few different names since then, it has been the Toorak Handicap since 1990.
It’s a solid lead-up guide to the Caulfield Cup, with five Toorak Handicap winners completing the double, including Galilee, Tobin Breeze, and Leilani. However, the most recent double came in 1974.
It’s one of three Group 1 races on the first day of the Melbourne Spring Carnival, which includes the Caulfield Guineas and Might and Power Stakes, so it’s a big day at Caulfield, where all eyes are on the best middle-distance thoroughbreds.
It’s a $1 million purse, which showcases some of the best handicap runners in Australia and New Zealand.