Winter Championship Series Final

Looking for this year’s VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final betting odds, field and tips? We have put together everything you need to know before this year’s race.

Winter Championship Series Final 2026 Results

The official 2026 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final results will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday, July 4, 2026.

Detonator Jack ($20) produced one of the stories of Finals Day with a drought‑breaking surge in to secure an upset victory in the 2026 Winter Championship Series Final results, snapping a 952‑day winless stretch and reminding punters of the talent he showed earlier in his career. Written off after a plain run in the David Bourke Handicap, the seven‑year‑old bounced right back third‑up, aided by blinkers on, a soft track, a low draw and a fitness edge that Ciaron Maher’s team had been carefully building through tread training, varied gallops and schooling to spark him back to life. John Allen — who partnered him to three early wins — returned for the ride and, despite scepticism after the horse’s last start, lifted him late to edge out Freedom Rally and Just Folk in a tight finish. It was a trademark Neds‑style tough, seasoned‑campaigner win from a horse rejuvenated by a clever prep, and one that suggests Detonator Jack might finally be ready to string together the sort of form punters have been waiting to see.

2026 Winter Championship Series Final Odds & Finishing Order

The 2026 Winter Championship Series Final odds give punters a strong snapshot of how the market is lining up the state’s most reliable winter milers ahead of the Flemington decider. Early pricing reflects a mix of proven 1600m form, fitness progression through the heats, and how each runner is expected to handle the straight‑mile test. As bookmakers frame the market, shifts in the Winter Championship odds often come from horses trending upward late in their prep or those producing standout sectionals in recent runs, making it a prime race for punters chasing early value. With tempo, track pattern and genuine mile resilience all shaping the market, the latest Winter Championship Series Final odds highlight which seasoned campaigners are ready to peak on Finals Day — and where the clever plays are emerging.

Winter Championship Series Final Tips 2026

Our insider 2026 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final betting tips will be detailed here the week of the race and a full betting preview published on the Neds Blog.

2026 FLEMINGTON FINALS DAY PREVIEW, TIPS & SATURDAY RACING SELECTIONS

Run over 1,600 metres, the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final is a Listed race taking place at Flemington Racecourse on ‘Finals Day’ in late June or early July each season. 

This race marks the end of the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series and is a quality handicap contested over the mile that offers $200,000 in total prize money as of 2022. 

The 2022 Winter Championship Series Final form was franked with the winner Tuvalu went on to run third next start in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) before a win in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m). He also finished runner-up at Flemington that Melbourne Cup Carnival in the Group 1 VRC Champion’s Mile (2000m).

Winter Championship Series Final 2026 – Quick Information

• Race Day: Saturday, July 4, 2026
• Track Location: Flemington Racecourse
• Track Surface: Turf
• Track Direction: Left-handed
• Race Distance: 1,600 metres
• Weight Conditions: Quality Handicap
• Qualification: Open
• Type: Thoroughbred
• Grade: Listed
• Operator: Victoria Racing Club
• Prize Purse: $200,000
• 2026 Winter Championship Series Final Winner: Detonator Jack

Winter Championship Series Final Betting

There are many different ways to bet on the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final, and we have included some of the most popular options below:

Bet Type	How To Place This Type of Bet on This Year’s VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final
Win Bet	Place your bet on the horse you think will take first place in this year’s VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final.
Place Bet	Place your bet on the horse you think will place in the top three finishers at this year’s VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final. Pays less than a win bet but offers safer odds.
Each-Way Bet	If your runner finishes 1st in the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final, 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 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final, in order to win the Quinella.
Exacta Bet	You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order, within the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final to win the Exacta.
Trifecta Bet	You must select runners to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order, within the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final to win the Trifecta.
First Four	You must select runners that finish 1st, 2nd ,3rd and 4th in the correct order, within the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final 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 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final, in order to be eligible to place a Quaddie.

How To Bet on the Winter Championship Series Final

1. Join up at neds.com.au
2. Make a deposit, using your credit card, PayPal or other safe electronic method
3. Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
4. Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final Betting above).
5. Select the horse(s) for the race.

Which Horse Will Win the Winter Championship Series 

The best way to pick which horse will win the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final in 2026 is to take into account their lead-up winter racing form, assess the barriers and consider the weights. 

Additional factors to consider when picking the Winter Championship Series Final winner include: 

• Flemington Experience – Looking for horses proven at the HQ track and the long home straight is key. 
• Mile Form – Backing runners with previous 1600m winning form is a good tip in the Series Final.

Winter Championship Series Final Favourites 2026

Favourites in 2026 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final betting include mile specialist Al Duca having his first run for new trainer Clayton Douglas, the Patrick Payne-trained equal topweight Jimmy The Bear and the consistent Lindsay Park-trained Seafall.

Tuvalu ($2.20 in 2022) was the last Winter Championship Series Final favourite to win.

There was a blowout result in 2026 with Detonator Jack winning at a Winter Championship Series Final starting price of $20!

Winter Championship Series Final Field 2026

The official 2026 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final field of final acceptances is announced on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below once confirmed.

The Winter Championship Series Final 2026 Field features a bumper line-up of winter milers including Patrick Payne’s rails-drawn Jimmy The Bear and Lindsay Park’s narrow last start winner of The David Bourke at the track and trip, Seafall.

Flemington R7 - Vrc-Crv Winter Championship Series Final (L)

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. Jimmy The Bear J: Billy Egan T: Patrick Payne	38x915	G	1	60kg
	2. Just Folk J: Jamie Mott T: Gavin Bedggood	050x09	G	4	60kg
	3. Al Duca J: Craig Williams T: Clayton Douglas	x21102	G	2	57.5kg
	4. Detonator Jack J: John Allen T: Ciaron Maher	453x00	G	3	56kg
	5. Freedom Rally J: Jett Stanley T: Gavin Bedggood	0x0064	G	7	56kg
	6. Seafall J: Jackson Radley T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes	611161	M	9	54kg
	7. Smokin' Princess J: Lucinda Boyd T: Michelle Payne	9x6x84	M	11	54kg
	8. Electric Impulse J: Jye Mcneil T: Henry Dwyer	061x43	M	8	54kg
	9. Fine Future J: Kayla Crowther T: Stephen Theodore	071142	G	13	54kg
	10. Highlights J: Daniel Stackhouse T: Nick Ryan	839293	G	5	54kg
	11. See That Storm J: Logan Bates T: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr	1222x7	G	10	54kg
	12. Ocean Beyond J: Dean Yendall T: Simon Ryan	x01960	G	12	54kg
	13. Boltsaver J: Beau Mertens T: Rhys Archard	7x3222	G	6	54kg

View Results

Winter Championship Series Final Race Day 2026

The 2026 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final takes place on ‘Finals Day’ at Flemington, Saturday, July 4, 2026. There are a host of Listed events on the program including the:

• $175,000 Listed All Victorian Sprint Series Final (1200) – run in 2026 as the Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final, and the
• $175,000 Listed Taj Rossi Series Final (1600m).

Winter Championship Series Final Barrier Draw 2026

The 2026 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final barrier draw will be released to the public a few days before the race and published in our above Winter Championship Series Final Field section. 

Winter Championship Series Final Nominations 2026

2026 Winter Championship Series Final nominations close by 12:00 PM on the Monday of race week. 

Winter Championship Series Final Weights 2026

Quality handicap conditions apply to this race. Final 2026 Winter Championship Series Final weights will be announced by 4:00 PM on the Monday of race week with weights on the final acceptors to be published in our above Winter Championship Series Final Field section. 

Munhamek (60.5kg) was the last Winter Championship Series Final topweight to win.

2026 Winter Championship Series Final Topweights:

• No. 1 Jimmy The Bear (60kg)
• No. 2 Just Folk (60kg)

Winter Championship Series Final Acceptances 2026

2026 Winter Championship Series Final acceptances must be declared before 9:30 AM on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in our above Winter Championship Series Final Field section. 

Winter Championship Series Final Jockeys 2026

The final riders’ announcement is at 1 PM on the Wednesday of race week with the official 2026 Winter Championship Series Final jockeys to be published in our above Winter Championship Series Final Field section. 

Winter Championship Series Final Scratchings 2026

2026 Winter Championship Series Final Scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Saturday, July 4, 2026.   

Winter Championship Series Final Prize Money 2026

The 2026 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final prize purse is worth $200,000 in total, distributed from places first through eighth.

Place	Prize Money
1st	$120,000
2nd	$36,000
3rd	$18,000
4th	$9,000
5th	$5,000
6th	$4,000
7th	$4,000
8th	$4,000

Winter Championship Series Final Race Number 2026

The 2026 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final race number is scheduled as Flemington Race 7 at 3:30pm (AEST) on Saturday, July 4, 2026. There are nine races in total that day at Flemington Racecourse.

Winter Championship Series Final Form Guide 2026

The final form guide will be available the week of the race. You can check below for a link to our full 2026 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final Form Guide following final acceptances. 

COMPLETE 2026 WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FINAL FORM GUIDE & PREVIEW

Winter Championship Series Final Live 2026

You can watch or listen to the 2026 VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final live, across the following mediums.

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

Radio: Radio Sport National

Free to air television: 7 Network; Cannels 78 (and 68 in regional areas)

Streaming: Racing.com

Mobile: Neds App

Winter Championship Series Final Winners

Winners of the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final going back to the year 2000 are displayed in the table below.

Year	Winner	Trainer/s	Jockey	Weight	Time
2026	Detonator Jack	Ciaron Maher	John Allen	56 kgs	1:37.39
2025	Jimmy The Bear	Patrick & Michelle Payne	Billy Egan	59 kgs	1:37.05
2024	Munhamek	Nick Ryan	Jamie Mott	60.5 kgs	1:35.65
2023	Riddle Me That	Matt Laurie	Jye McNeil	54 kgs	1:36.60
2022	Tuvalu	Lindsey Smith	Jarrod Fry	54 kgs	1:37.45
2021	Mongolian Marshall	Stuart Gower	Brett Prebble	54.5 kgs	1:39.61
2020	Sircconi	Nick Ryan	Daniel Stackhouse	56 kgs	1:36.93
2019	Reykjavik	Lindsey Smith	Linda Meech	54 kgs	1:36.91
2018	Magic Consol	Paul Preusker	Craig Williams	54 kgs	1:35.25
2017	Tshahitsi	Chris Crook & Imogen Miller	Brendon McCoull	57.5 kgs	1:35.47
2016	Iggimacool	Robert Smerdon	Dwayne Dunn	56.5 kgs	1:37.93
2015	Amovatio	Chris Waller	Damien Oliver	60 kgs	1:36.16
2014	Akavoroun	Ciaron Maher	Michelle Payne	55.5 kgs	1:38.62
2013	Magnifique Soleil	Darren Weir	Ben Melham	56.5 kgs	1:36.63
2012	Glaneuse	Michael O’Leary	Linda Meech	59 kgs	1:39.27
2011	Glaneuse	Michael O’Leary	Linda Meech	54 kgs	1:37.87
2010	Doubtful Jack	Peter Moody	Luke Nolen	55 kgs	1:39.59
2009	Gold Salute	Mark Riley	Damien Oliver	56 kgs	1:36.39
2008	Sea Battle	Mark Kavanagh	Michael Rodd	54.5 kgs	1:37.35
2007	Hillston Exchange	Dave Heywood	Darren Gauci	58 kgs	1:42.81
2006	Chitabe	Brian Mayfield-Smith	Noel Callow	55.5 kgs	1:40.37
2005	Salsa	David Bourne	Dale Smith	52 kgs	1:39.78
2004	Capadan	Ross McDonald	Danny Nikolic	54.5 kgs	1:38.40
2003	Ebony Night	Bill Mitchell	James Winks	51.5 kgs	1:38.62
2002	The Big Ask	Michael Moroney	Jason Patton	54.5 kgs	1:38.72
2001	Prince Benbara	Tony Rosolini	Stephen Baster	52 kgs	1:37.76
2000	Mystic Morse	Tony Dynon	Brad Rawiller	55 kgs	1:39.96