Looking for this year’s The Q22 betting odds, field and race day tips? The experts at Neds have put together everything you need to know before this year’s race.
The Q22 Tips 2026
Our exclusive 2026 The Q22 tips will be detailed right here the week of the race so stay tuned for the stayers to back and sack in the new-look race, and a full betting preview published on the Neds Blog.
Run over 2,200 metres, The Q22 is an important Group 2 weight-for-age race taking place at Eagle Farm Racecourse in early to mid-June as part of the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.
It replaced the race formerly known as the PJ O’Shea Stakes (now defunct) and offers a lucrative $1.2 million in prize money, making it a new key end-of-carnival target for the season’s best WFA horses.
The Q22 is now a key support act on Stradbroke Handicap Day running alongside events including the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) and the Group 1 J.J. Atkins (1600m).
The race serves as the perfect target for graduates out of the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) held earlier during the carnival and Kenedna (2019) was the last to do the double when The Q22 was run as the PJ O’Shea Stakes on Oaks Day. The Doomben Cup – The Q22 double was then completed in 2021 by Zaaki.
The 2024 Doomben Cup also produced that year’s The Q22 winner with Fawkner Park (3rd) turning the tables on his stablemate Bois D’Argent who ran third in the Stradbroke event off his Group 1 victory.
Many top horses won the race over the years prior to it being revamped as The Q22 with notable PJ O’Shea Stakes winners including Tulloch (1960, 1961), Rough Habit (1995), Scenic Shot (2008, 2009), Lights Of Heaven (2012), and Egg Tart (2018).
Without A Fight made history after winning the 2023 The Q22 in the winter before his Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup spring racing double later in the year.
The Q22 2026 – Quick Information
- Race Day: Saturday, June 13, 2026
- Formerly Known As: PJ O’Shea Stakes, Eagle Farm Cup
- Track Location: Eagle Farm Racecourse
- Track Surface: Turf
- Track Direction: Right-handed
- Race Distance: 2,200 metres
- Weight Conditions: Weight for age
- Qualification: Three-year-olds and above
- Type: Thoroughbred
- Grade: Group 2
- Operator: Brisbane Racing Club
- Prize Purse: $1,200,000
- Inaugural Race: 1947 (PJ O’Shea Stakes); 2021 (The Q22)
- 2026 The Q22 Winner: 2026
The Q22 Results 2026
The official 2026 The Q22 results will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday, June 13, 2026.
The Q22 Betting 2026
There are many different ways to bet on The Q22, we’ve included some of the most popular options below:
| Bet Type | How To Place This Type of Bet on This Year’s The Q22 |
|---|---|
| Win Bet | Place your bet on the horse you think will take first place in this year’s The Q22. |
| Place Bet | Place your bet on the horse you think will place in the top three finishers at this year’s The Q22. Pays less than a win bet but offers safer odds. |
| Each-Way Bet | If your runner finishes 1st in The Q22, 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 Q22, in order to win the Quinella. |
| Exacta Bet | You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order, within The Q22 to win the Exacta. |
| Trifecta Bet | You must select runners to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order, within The Q22 to win the Trifecta. |
| First Four | You must select runners that finish 1st, 2nd ,3rd and 4th in the correct order, within The Q22 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 Q22, in order to be eligible to place a Quaddie. |
How To Bet on The Q22 in 2026
- Login at neds.com.au
- Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
- Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on The Q22 Betting above).
- Select the horse(s) for the race.
Which Horse Will Win The Q22 in 2026?
The best way to pick which horse will win The Q22 in 2026 is to take into account their lead-up winter racing form, assess the barriers, consider their previous WFA record and back the Group 1 stars down in grade.
Additional factors to consider when picking The Q23 winner include:
- Hot Leads – The Doomben Cup is the key lead-up into The Q22 each year. Zaaki (2021) was the last horse to win both races in the same season.
- Interstate Invaders – No locally-trained horse has won the event in over 20 years.
- Girl Power – From 2017-2019 three straight female gallopers took out the race.
The Q22 Favourites 2026
2026 The Q22 favourites for this season’s race will be updated here shortly.
Egg Tart ($2.30 in 2018) was the last The Q22 favourite to win when the race ran as the PJ O’Shea Stakes and took place at the Sunshine Coast Racecourse.
Zaaki ($1.26 in 2021) won the inaugural edition of the revamped The Q22 as the odds-on favourite. In 2022 his stablemate won in a notable upset with the fellow Annabel Neasham-trained Numerian winning at $21.
Subsequent Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight ($2.80 in 2023) followed by Neasham’s third champion in four years, Fakwner Park ($4.20 in 2024), are the latest The Q22 favourites to win.
The Q22 Field 2026
The official The Q22 2026 field of final acceptances is announced on the Wednesday leading up to Stradbroke Handicap Day and will be listed in full below.
The Q22 Race Day 2026
The Q22 in 2026 takes place on 2026 Stradbroke Handicap Day at Eagle Farm Racecourse on Saturday, June 13, 2026. The meeting is headlined by the Group 1 $3,000,000 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) – Queensland’s best-known race.
For 2026 the other events on Stradbroke Handicap Day include the:
- Group 1 $1,000,000 J.J. Atkins (1600m),
- Group 2 $400,000 Brisbane Cup (3200m),
- Group 2 $300,000 Dane Ripper Stakes (1300m), and the
- Group 3 $200,000 Gunsynd Classic (1600m).
The Q22 Barrier Draw 2026
The 2026 The Q22 barrier draw will be released to the public a few days before the race with the list of gates and jockeys to be published in our above The Q22 Field section.
The Q22 Nominations 2026
2026 The Q22 nominations are taken by Racing Queensland on the Monday of race week and will be published in full below once announced.
The Q22 Weights 2026
Weight-for-age conditions apply to this race. Final weights are announced at 4:00 PM on the Tuesday of race week with the official 2026 The Q22 weights on the final acceptors to be published in our above The Q22 Field section.
The Q22 Acceptances 2026
2026 The Q22 final acceptances must be declared before 9:00 AM on the Monday of race week and will be published in our above The Q22 Field section.
The Q22 Jockeys 2026
The final riders’ announcement is at 12 PM on the Wednesday of race week with the official 2026 The Q22 jockeys to be published in our above The Q22 Field section.
The Q22 Scratchings 2026
2026 The Q22 scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Saturday, June 13, 2026.
The Q22 Prize Money 2026
The 2026 The Q22 prize purse is worth $1,200,000 in total, distributed from places first through to tenth.
| Place | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1st | $720,000 |
| 2nd | $216,000 |
| 3rd | $108,000 |
| 4th | $54,000 |
| 5th | $30,000 |
| 6th | $14,400 |
| 7th | $14,400 |
| 8th | $14,400 |
| 9th | $14,400 |
| 10th | $14,400 |
The Q22 Race Number 2026
The 2026 The Q22 race number is TBC for Saturday, June 13, 2026. There are nine races in total that day at Eagle Farm Racecourse.
The Q22 Form Guide 2026
The final form guide will be available the week of the race. You can check our link to the full 2026 The Q22 form guide below following final acceptances.
The Q22 Live 2026
You can watch or listen to the 2026 The Q22 live, across the following mediums.
Pay television: Sky Racing 1 (channel 526 on Foxtel)
Radio: Radio Sport National
Free to air television: Seven Network
Streaming: Racing NSW
The Q22 Winners
Winners of the revamped The Q22 race from 2021 onwards are listed below.
For the winners of the race formerly known as the PJ O’Shea Stakes (now defunct) from 2000 – 2019 see the table further down.
| YEAR | WINNER | 2ND | 3RD | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2025 | Kovalica | New Endeavour | Fawkner Park | 2:15.44 |
| 2024 | Fawkner Park | Knight’s Choice | Bois D’Argent | 2:14.41 |
| 2023 | Without A Fight | Nonconformist | Duais | 2:16.84 |
| 2022 | Numerian | Kolding | Yonkers | 2:16.98 |
| 2021 | Zaaki | Homesman | Paths Of Glory | 2:15.39 |
PJ O’Shea Stakes Winners
The PJ O’Shea Stakes race has now been replaced by The Q22. Below are the PJ O’Shea Stakes winners from 2000 – 2019 before the race was reinvented and renamed.
| YEAR | WINNER | 2ND | 3RD | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kenedna | Sixties Groove | Re Edit | 2:14.4 |
| 2018 | Egg Tart | Tradesman | Megablast | 2:20.7 |
| 2017 | Single Gaze | Rudy | High Church | 2:19.2 |
| 2015 | Werther | Moriarty | Epingle | 2:17.2 |
| 2014 | Moriarty | Mr O’Ceirin | Floria | 2:16.3 |
| 2013 | Quintessential | Manighar | Voila Ici | 2:19.5 |
| 2012 | Lights Of Heaven | Scenic Shot | Ginga Dude | 2:19.0 |
| 2011 | Glass Harmonium | Shoot Out | Scenic Shot | 2:15.1 |
| 2010 | Triple Honour | Raffaello | Newport | 2:14.3 |
| 2009 | Scenic Shot | Mirkola Lass | Fulmonti | 2:20.9 |
| 2008 | Scenic Shot | Rampant Lion | Dougs Mate | 2:19.2 |
| 2007 | Pentathon | Gaze | Grand Zulu | 2:17.9 |
| 2006 | Mahtoum | Art Success | Gorgeous George | 2:30.7 |
| 2005 | Natural Blitz | Zumanity | Regal Punch | 2:30.0 |
| 2004 | Pentastic | Maze | Another Warrior | 2:28.7 |
| 2003 | Maguire | County Tyrone | Grey Song | 2:30.5 |
| 2002 | Hey Pronto | Freemason | Prized Gem | 2:28.1 |
| 2001 | Yippyio | Citi Habit | King Keitel | 2:25.6 |
| 2000 | Kens Joy | Make Mine Magic | Yippyio | 2:28.7 |