Newmarket Handicap 2025 Betting Tips - Bolter tipped in sprint feature

Alex Marsh

Editor

Last updated: 05 Mar 2025

Alex Marsh 05 Mar 2025

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The Newmarket Handicap, a prestigious Group 1 race at Flemington, invites thrilling competition
Ostraka is favoured for the win, with improvement predicted second-up
Joliestar and Buenos Noches pose as significant contenders, both bringing unique strengths to the race

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Cylinder winning the 2024 Newmarket Handicap. (Getty)

Run under handicap conditions and contested up the Flemington straight over 1200m, the Newmarket Handicap is arguably Melbourne's most prestigious sprinting feature, with this Group 1 having been first run in 1874.

2025 Newmarket Handicap Tips
2025 Newmarket Handicap Field & Odds

While champions such as Alinghi, Miss Andretti and Black Caviar feature on the honour roll, this Group 1 lends itself to many upset results and that's been evident in recent years through Zoutori ($20) and Roch 'N' Horse ($101).

At $5 with Picklebet, Joliestar heads the market for the 2025 Newmarket Handicap.

2025 Newmarket Handicap Tips

2025 Newmarket Handicap Best Bet - Ostraka

He was gelded ahead of his last three-year-old prep and the trip away to Queensland over winter brought him on, with Ostraka bolting in over 1200m before a spell.

The son of Pariah progressed last spring, with a hat-trick to open the season and his fresh win was arrogant (circled the field and ran the fastest closing sectionals of the meeting).

While Jimmysstar won against the pattern of the day in the Oakleigh Plate, Ostraka's effort in that Group 1 was still a pass mark and that was his first anti-clockwise run.

We often see Sydney horses battle at Caulfield via their first Melbourne appearance, so a second-up spike wouldn't shock for a classy four-year-old who still has upside.

2025 Newmarket Handicap Next Best Bet - Joliestar

She had excuses first-up as a beaten fav in the Expressway Stakes, where the Chris Waller-trained mare covered ground and it's no crime losing to a classy Magic Time.

Joliestar has won a Flemington jump-on ahead of this straight-track debut and she appeared to move well in that February 28 hit-out when defeating two handy colts.

While her Group 1 triumph was recorded over 1600m via the 2023 Thousand Guineas, she has won twice over 1200m subsequently and she was also unlucky in The Everest.

Given her starting prices in WFA company last spring, Joliestar isn't poorly treated with similar imposts to many key Newmarket rivals, who are mostly handicappers.

2025 Newmarket Handicap Value Bet - Buenos Noches

On stable debut for Ciaron Maher is Buenos Noches and with the entire still chasing a Group 1 win for the stallion resume, the five-year-old should be ready to go fresh.

You wouldn't back him in a country maiden going off his first two summer workouts, but there were more encouraging signs via his last Cranbourne jump-out on February 24.

Two of his three victories have come first-up and he's a proven Flemington performer, with a win and five placings recorded from eight starts on the straight-course.

While he's hard horse to trust, Buenos Noches certainly has the class to be winning this and at long odds in an open edition of the Newmarket, he has to be included.

2025 Newmarket Handicap Field & Odds

No	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds
1	Benedetta	Jason Warren	Ben Melham	2	57kg	$9.50
2	Maharba	Grahame Begg	Billy Egan	1	56.5kg	$21
3	Arkansaw Kid	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	Craig Newitt	14	56kg	$16
4	Buenos Noches	Ciaron Maher	John Allen	9	56kg	$17
5	Joliestar	Chris Waller	Damian Lane	8	56kg	$5
6	Rey Magnerio	Robbie Griffiths	Jye McNeil	4	56kg	$9
7	Growing Empire	Ciaron Maher	Mark Zahra	5	55.5kg	$6.50
8	Ostraka	Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald	Jamie Mott	13	55.5kg	$21
9	Stretan Angel	Phillip Stokes	Lachlan Neindorf	7	55.5kg	$7.50
10	It'sourtime	Danny O'Brien	Craig Williams	6	54kg	$31
11	Sghirripa	Shane & Cassie Oxlade	Luke Currie	10	53kg	$19
12	Headwall	Matthew Smith	Harry Coffey	3	52.5kg	$15
13	Suparazi	Ben Brisbourne	Declan Bates	12	52kg	$51
14	Espionage	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Dean Yendall	11	50kg	$13
15	Gatsby's	Chris Waller	Karis Teetan	15	50kg	$14