Investor’s
Guide 2026
A Winning Experience
Where Racing Riches Reign Supreme
With 109 races worth $1 million or more held every 3.3 days on average, Australia delivers opportunity and prestige like nowhere else in the world.
The Average Race Value Is $A54,296
Australia’s Richest Races
| G1 THE EVEREST | $20,000,000 |
| G1 MELBOURNE CUP | $10,000,000 |
| GOLDEN EAGLE | $10,000,000 |
| G1 COX PLATE | $6,000,000 |
| G1 KING CHARLES III STAKES | $5,000,000 |
| G1 CAULFIELD CUP | $5,000,000 |
| G1 GOLDEN SLIPPER STAKES | $5,000,000 |
| G1 QUEEN ELIZABETH STAKES | $5,000,000 |
| THE QUOKKA | $5,000,000 |
| G1 DONCASTER MILE HANDICAP | $4,000,000 |
Sustained Growth & Rewards
Over the past decade, Australia has experienced the strongest prizemoney growth of any major racing jurisdiction worldwide, with significant increases in both total prizemoney and average prizemoney per race.
Australia is now one of the leading racing jurisdictions by average stakes race prizemoney, surpassing the United States by nearly $100,000 and Europe and Great Britain by more than $200,000, offering owners at all levels of the sport exceptionally lucrative rewards.
Prizemoney Growth over 10 Years
Growth of Average Prizemoney Per Race Over 10 Years
Where Excellence Delivers Opportunity
Australia stands at the pinnacle of global racing, hosting more elite Group 1s than any other jurisdiction and consistently producing the world’s best sprinters.
In an extraordinary display of dominance, Australian-bred horses have claimed the title of world’s best sprinter in 15 of the past 20 years.
This year alone, three of the four multiple Group 1 sprint winners in the world are Australian bred.
The World’s Top 100 Group 1 Races
Australia leads the world with the highest number of Group 1 races in the Global Top 100, 30 total in 2024.
All Time % of Races on the Top 100 List
On A Global Stage
Australian sprinting sensation Asfoora has cemented her place in history, being crowned European Champion Sprinter at the Cartier Awards, only the third Australian horse to earn the honour, joining Starspangledbanner and Black Caviar. She also became 1 of only 14 horses in the past decade to win multiple Group 1 sprints over 1000m to 1200m across multiple countries.
Even more remarkably, she is the only non-European-bred sprinter to achieve multiple Group 1 victories in Europe at these distances over the last ten years, in a stunning testament to Australia’s world-class breeding and racing excellence.
History Making Melbourne Cup
Half Yours, the sole Australian-bred contender in this year’s 24-horse Melbourne Cup field, made history as the first Australian-bred horse since 1939 to capture both the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup in the same year.
For the first time since 2009, Australian-bred horses have claimed consecutive victories in the Melbourne Cup.
Jamie Melham became the first female jockey in history to complete the cups double.
I was trying to get them (Calvin McEvoy and Rayan Moore) to stop because I thought it was enough money. They pushed hard to keep going and we had no owner for him. We specked him and wow, what a good decision that was that day. The journey that he has had us on, to be able to do what we’ve wanted to do to get him to this race. He’s a very special horse.
Co-trainer, Tony McEvoy
This is what we do it for. This is why we get up out of bed every morning at 4am, work our arses off. I’ve had some really great days on the track but nothing ever, ever compares to this feeling right now that I’m feeling.
Jockey, Jamie Melham after winning the 2025 Melbourne Cup
Half Yours was bred on the farm and to think he’s now a Melbourne Cup winner is immensely satisfying and something Colin was striving to achieve.
Breeder, Janice McKenna
With a current Australian-bred population of approximately 61%, Australian sires dominate the overall landscape. In the last racing season, eight of the Top 10 Hong Kong sires were Australian based. In the last decade, Australian-bred sires have claimed Champion Sire honours eight times.
Australia Gallops to Hong Kong Supremacy
Dominance of Australian-breds in 2024/2025
Premier Bloodstock, Exceptional Value
Buyers in Australia pay less on average at yearling sales than in America, Europe, and the U.K., while gaining greater access to future stakes winners and Group 1 winners.
Despite the lower initial cost, residual value remains high in Australia. For example, over the past decade, the average price of stakes-winning fillies and mares at breeding stock sales has soared an astonishing 91%, while Group 1 and Group 2 winners have more than doubled in value over the same period.
Additionally, demand and competition for stallion prospects remain strong, with their values having surged over the past decade.
2026 Australian Yearling Sale Calendar
| MAGIC MILLIONS GOLD COAST YEARLING SALE | 13 – 18 January |
| INGLIS CLASSIC YEARLING SALE | 8 – 10 February |
| MAGIC MILLIONS PERTH YEARLING SALE | 19 – 20 February |
| MAGIC MILLIONS TASMANIAN YEARLING SALE | 23 February |
| INGLIS PREMIER YEARLING SALE | 1 – 3 March |
| MAGIC MILLIONS MARCH YEARLING SALE | 12 – 13 March |
| MAGIC MILLIONS ADELAIDE YEARLING SALE | 19 – 20 March |
| INGLIS EASTER YEARLING SALE | 29 – 30 March |
| INGLIS HTBA YEARLING SALE | 19 April |
In A League of Its Own
Racing is part of Australia’s social fabric, with more owners than any other country and unmatched opportunities to participate through syndicates and leases.
Racing in Australia is thriving with ownership up over 35% in the past decade, and by 45% among under 25s. Young fans are flocking trackside too. The Everest attracted Sydney’s youngest crowd ever (60% under 26), and the 2025 Caulfield Cup Carnival attracted a crowd that was nearly 50% female, with a third aged 25 or below. Additionally, more than 286,000 flocked to the Melbourne Cup Carnival, the highest attendance since 2018.
Get Involved
Get Involved
Aushorse makes it easy to be part of Australian racing. Whether you’re looking to invest, learn more, or find trusted contacts, we’re here to guide you every step of the way. Our team can answer your questions, connect you with the right people, and open doors to opportunity.
Australia’s leading sales companies, Inglis and Magic Millions, along with the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia, also offer expert guidance to help you buy with confidence and start your journey in the world’s most exciting racing nation.
