“Welcome to the Aushorse Investor’s Guide for 2025,” said Tom Reilly, the Aushorse CEO, “which we hope makes a compelling case to get involved in Australian racing and breeding.”
“Let us help you get involved as racing a horse in Australia is a unique experience as our major racedays are a match for any on the planet, with huge crowds of passionate fans and owners.”
“Our prizemoney leads the world, with some 105 races worth $1 million or more in 2025 and more Group One races than any other jurisdiction with 140,000 registered racehorse owners.”
The Melbourne Cup is unlike any other, and this year the locally-bred Knight’s Choice won at 100/1, being from a mare that cost $1,000 and by a sire that excelled at 1000 metres, never 3200m.
With that the Irish-born winning jockey who is best known as a contestant on singing show The Voice, added a heady mix to a crowd that topped 91,000, so the 2024 Cup version didn’t disappoint.
The Melbourne Cup has transfixed Australian racegoers for more than 150 years and the Flemington Carnival represents what’s great about Australian racing, and worth celebrating nation-wide.
When it comes to racing a horse, the average race value was $A53,797 in the 2023-2024 season, almost $54,000 – which gives owners a great significant return wherever they race a horse.
Australia staged 105 A$1 million or more races in 2024, compared to 69 in the bigger racing jurisdiction of America and just 29 across the whole of Europe, including the heart-land of UK and Ireland.
‘Suizuro has won over $660,000 despite never winning on a major racecourse, with the gelding being one of 672 racehorses with career earnings over $500,000 in the 2023-24 racing season.’
‘Fully Lit, a $60,000 yearling highlights the riches on offer from sales companies bonuses, having earnt $1.6 million when he won the Inglis Millennium.’
‘Ripcord whose only two wins were at Listed level, was one of 220 horses to have career earnings in excess of $1 million in the 2023-24 racing season.’
Such is the depth of prizemoney, that this racing season 1 in every 43 horses had career earnings of over $500,000, and 1 in every 132 for over $1 million, compared to 1 in 345 in Europe.
On top of prizemoney, $34 million in lucrative race series run by auction houses Magic Millions and Inglis, as well as more than $63 million available in bonuses from state breeding schemes.
Over the past five years, Australian prizemoney has surged by 36%, compared to 12% increase in American, while the past decade Australia has soared by 92% compared to American’s 16%.
When it comes to action on the track, Australia hosts more elite races than any other jurisdiction, and that isn’t just Aushorse, said the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.
In 2023, for the fourth year running, Australia hosted more of the world’s top 100 Group One races than any other country, so prizemoney is not the only metric where Australia leads.
The quality of our Group One’s are built on the strength of the local industry, with the Golden Slipper, Blue Diamond, Caulfield Guineas, Coolmore Stud Stakes won by local breds for 20 years.
If you look at the races that are considered Australia’s breed-shapers the Australia speed reigns supreme for in the past 20 years 16 of the world’s highest rated sprinters are Aussies bred.
The demand of elite bred Colts and Fillies is ever increasing with the best colts sold for valuations of $30 million, including Storm Boy who was purchased by Coolmore in a deal of $60 million.
Those buying Fillies can assure of a strong market for the best broodmare prospects, for in 2024 the 11 Group One mares sold off the track averaged $2.5 million, with Imperatriz at $6.6 million.
That demand is underpinned by international breeders, that’s no surprise given Australian mares have produced elite international performers such as Warm Heart, Liberty Island and In Italian.
