Champions Sprint Tips, Best Bets, Odds, Field & More 2026

The Champions Sprint is one of the most well-known Group One races on the Australian calendar. It always features some of the best sprinters going around as they fight it out over a distance of 1,200m for the biggest slice of the $3 million in prize money that’s on offer.

Best Champions Sprint Betting Sites

There are some key facts about the Champions Sprint you should be across:

The Champions Sprint is run each year on what is known as Champions Day, and features two other Group One races; the Champions Stakes and Champions Mile. The race takes place on the Saturday after the Melbourne Cup and rounds out day four of the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington.

The race is known as the premier sprint event of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, and it was first run back in 1960 and won by Karina. Originally, the race was run on the first day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, on Victoria Derby Day. Things changed in 2006, and it was pushed back a week.

The Champions Sprint has had a host of name changes throughout its history:

• 1960-1979: Craven ‘A' Stakes
• 1980-1984: Pure-Pak Stakes
• 1985-1993: Gadsden Stakes
• 1994-1995: Southcorp Packaging Stakes
• 1996-2006: Salinger Stakes
• 2007: The Age Classic
• 2008-2012: Patinack Farm Classic
• 2013: VRC Sprint Classic
• 2014-2017: Darley Classic
• 2018-now: VRC Sprint Classic/ Champions Sprint

In 2007, the conditions of the Champions Sprint changed, and it became a weight-for-age event. The race didn’t always hold Group One status; it wasn’t until 1979 that the race was granted Group One status. 

The Australianbettingsites.net.au team provides horse racing tips for the Champions Sprint each year, which become available a couple of days out from the event, so make sure you look out for that. We also provide daily horse racing tips, so there is always something happening.

When it comes to our Group One races tips, like our Champions Sprint tips (or even our Doncaster Mile tips, The Everest tips, or Victoria Derby tips), we take the time to go through every runner in the final field. Our tips are based on data, and we aren’t afraid to take advantage of multiple betting markets.

We want to ensure you’re betting experience on the Champions Sprint is an enjoyable one, so we have developed a set of tips and tricks to follow:

• Develop a Plan - Before you start betting this Champions Sprint Day, it’s a good idea to have a plan of attack. Things can sometimes get away from you, especially in the heat of the moment, so having a proper plan that you can fall back on can be helpful. In your plan, include things like how much money you’re willing to spend and more.
• Check the Form Guide - The form guide is one of the most important aspects to consider before placing your bets. While it isn’t a foolproof tactic, looking at key form indicators can help point you in the direction of the next potential winner. Check out aspects like recent form, results at the same track/ trip and more.
• Shop Around for Odds - Different betting sites will sometimes offer different odds for the same market, so you can pick up easy extra value by taking the time to shop around for the best odds before finalising your bets. You can do some manual work or use odds comparison tools to help you out.
• Utilise Different Promotions - There’s no shortage of betting sites bonuses out there, so make sure you take advantage of them! This is where it is a good idea to have accounts with multiple different bookies, making it even easier to find and lock in extra value through utilising different promotions that are available.

We’ve had our skin in the game for a while now, and in this time, we have experienced pretty much everything the betting industry has to offer. There are a handful of bookies that we really like and would recommend to you if you’re on the hunt for a new option. We go through some of the best horse racing betting sites in this section.

For a race like the Champions Sprint, you’ll get the full complement of betting markets. This means you have the opportunity to stick with what you know, or try your hand at something new. Before you branch out, you must understand what’s involved with each bet type.

We have put together this table explaining all the most popular bet types available for the Champions Sprint:

The Champions Sprint always brings out some of the highest quality horses going around. With $3 million in prize money on the line, plus the prestige of winning a Group One race, there’s a lot on the line in the Champions Sprint each year.

A couple of days before the race is due to take place, the final field is confirmed. This provides you with all the information you need to start doing your form research. If you’re going to bet on the Champions Sprint, it is a good idea to check out the form guide beforehand.

See which runners took part in the latest edition of the Champions Sprint right here:

Finding the best odds is something pretty much every bettor is striving for. Over the years, we have honed our process when it comes to looking for the best odds, so it only takes us a handful of minutes. So, if you have a few minutes to spare before the big race, we recommend you shop around.

While it might not seem like it will make a major difference, every little bit helps. Also, if you are a regular bettor, things can add up pretty quickly, especially if you like to bet on roughies, as the discrepancy between the lowest and highest odds available is usually much larger.

One of the things you can do is use an odds comparison tool. This is a good place to start, but there are some limitations with using this type of tool. Firstly, they may only offer the odds on fixed win and place markets, so if you like the more exotic bets, this tool probably can’t help.

Secondly, the tool might not include all the bookies you want to check. So, this means a little bit of manual work is required. Using a desktop computer makes things a lot easier as well. The process involves opening up multiple tabs in your browser and going to the specific market for the Champions Sprint for different bookies. 

In 2025, we saw Giga Kick, who was one of the more favoured runners, take out the Champions Sprint. The gelding won the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes before taking out the Champions Sprint by just 0.2L. Mark Zahra and Giga Kick were near the back of the field and navigated well to claim yet another Group 1 victory.

Magic Time, who jumped from barrier four, finished in second place, and the mare was paying $11 to claim the win before the jump. The pre-race favourite, Joliestar, filled in the final minor placings, finishing 1.45L off Giga Kick. The 2025 Champions Sprint was run in a time of 1:13.30, and there was a total of 15.5L that split the first and last runners.

See where all the runners finished in the Champions Sprint here:

It was an action-packed race, and you can see where each runner finished in the Champions Sprint here:

Over the years, we have seen many high-profile runners win the Champions Sprint, and we have a recent history of all the winners here:

Hopefully, we have managed to answer all the questions you have about one of the biggest races on the Australian calendar. If not, this is the section for you as we go through all of the most commonly asked questions about the Champions Sprint.