The Land of Plenty For All – Why Australian Racing is the Best in the World!

Tara Madgwick - Tuesday December 17

We all know the champion racehorses of 2024 that are household names, but what about the horses that are legends in the homes of their owners?

The release earlier this week of the Aushorse Investor Guide for 2025 highlighting the amazing levels of prizemoney on offer in Australia got us thinking about the horses that win these lucrative races and the reality is you don’t need a superstar to win a million dollar race in this country, you just need a good one and a savvy trainer.

Abounding is a great example of a good horse and a savvy trainer - 5 wins from 17 starts and $2.3million - image Grant Courtney

Over 100 races were run in Australia in 2024 worth $1million or more and they were won by 83 individual horses as there were some notable horses that won more than one race worth a $1million or more and they include some of the best horses in the land.

Multiple winners of $1million or more races in 2024 (*NBT No Black Type)

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Horse

Sire

Races

Source / Purchase Price

4 wins

Via Sistina (IRE)

Fastnet Rock

G1 Cox Plate, Champions Stakes, Winx Stakes, Ranvet Stakes

Tattersalls / 5000 guineas yearling and 2.7million guineas tried horse

Broadsiding

Too Darn Hot (GB)

G1 Golden Rose, Champagne Stakes, JJ Atkins, G2 BRC Sires Produce

Godolphin homebred

3 wins

Bella Nipotina

Pride of Dubai

G1 Everest, Doomben 10,000, NBT Russell Balding Stakes

Inglis Premier / 

$80,000

Overpass

Vancouver

G1 Winterbottom Stakes, G3 Sydney Stakes, NBT The Quokka

Inglis Easter /

$75,000

2 wins

Celestial Legend

Dundeel

G1 Doncaster Mile, Randwick Guineas

Inglis Classic /

$220,000

Ceolwulf (NZ)

Tavistock

G1 King Charles Stakes, Epsom Handicap

NZB Ready to Run/

$170,000

Gringotts (NZ)

Per Incanto (USA)

NBT The Big Dance, NBT The Gong

NZB K1/

$100,000

Imperatriz

I Am Invincible

G1 Lightning Stakes, William Reid Stakes

Magic Millions /

$360,000

I Am Me

I Am Invincible

G2 The Shorts, G2 Concorde Stakes

Inglis Premier /

$210,000

Pride of Jenni

Pride of Dubai

G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, NBT All Star Mile

Inglis Classic/ $100,000

Southport Tycoon

Written Tycoon

G1 Australian Guineas, Manikato Stakes

Magic Millions / $300,000

Zougotcha

Zoustar

G1 Queen of the Turf, Coolmore Classic

Inglis Easter / $500,000

The spread of prizemoney extends well beyond the established Black Type pattern to cover a far broader spectrum of owners and trainers with horses that will never appear in any recognized Hall of Fame for champions, but have given their connections the thrill of a lifetime this year in capturing a million dollar race.

Below are some of the unsung heroes that have done their owners proud in 2024! For a lot of these connections Black Type is not a relevant factor, it’s about cash, excitement and enjoying the thrill of having a runner on a big day and being financially rewarded.

Horse

Sire

Races

Source / Purchase Price

Abounding

Rich Enuff

RL MM 3YO Guineas

MM Book 2/

$75,000

Airman

I Am Invincible

G2 Premiere Stakes

Inglis Easter/

$500,000

Arabian Summer

Too Darn Hot (GB)

NBT MM National 2YO Classic

MM Book 2/

$220,000

Asgarda

The Brothers War (USA)

NBT Newhaven Park Country Championships

Homebred/ retained to race

Boom Torque

Spirit of Boom

NBT MM Queensland Open

MM March Yearling/

$50,000

Briasa

Smart Missile

NBT The Hunter

Homebred/ retained to race

Casino Seventeen

Casino Prince

G2 Perth Cup

Inglis Classic Highway / $9,000 and then $45,000 MM 2YO’s in Training

Derry Grove

Star Turn

NBT MM The Syndicate

MM Book 2 /

$30,000

Far Too Easy

All Too Hard

NBT The Kosciuszko

MM Book 2 /

$45,000

Fully Lit

Hellbent

RL Inglis Millennium

Inglis Classic/

$60,000

Here to Shock (NZ)

Shocking

NBT Alan Brown Stakes

NZB K1/

$70,000

Iknowastar

Star Witness

NBT Five Diamonds Prelude

Inglis Premier/ $80,000

Nadal

Xtravagant (NZ)

NBT  The Meteorite

Inglis Premier/

$250,000

North England

Farnan

NBT The Golden Gift

Inglis Classic/

$280,000

Ostraka

Pariah

NBT The Silver Eagle

Inglis Easter/

$150,000

Prost

Snitzel

G2 Callander Presnell

Magic Millions/

$650,000

Robusto

Churchill (IRE)

G2 Ingham

Inglis Digital /

$160,000

So United

So You Think

NBT MM Subzero

Magic Millions/

$190,000

Stanley Express

Starspangledbanner

NBT TBV Showdown

MM Weanling/

$110,000

Territory Express

Territories (IRE)

NBT Provincial Midway Championships Final

Homebred/ retained to race

Western Empire (NZ)

Iffraaj (GB)

G3 WA Gold Rush

Inglis Digital/

$150,000

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