William Reid Stakes 2026 Betting Tips - Do the Breaks Come for Jimmysstar?

Alex Marsh

Editor

Last updated: Thu 19 Mar 2026 16:30

Alex Marsh 19 Mar 2026

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The 2026 William Reid Stakes will be held at Caulfield on March 21, moved due to renovations at Moonee Valley
Jimmysstar, with odds of $2.30, is a strong contender owing to its impressive record in 2025
Baraqiel, a significant challenger, pass mark in the Black Caviar Lightning and is much better suited around a bend

Expired

Jimmysstar saluting in the 2025 Oakleigh Plate. (Getty)

The Group 1 William Reid Stakes will be contested on Saturday, March 21, with the 1200m feature set to be run at Caulfield due to renovations at Moonee Valley.

2026 William Reid Stakes Tips
2026 William Reid Stakes - Field & Odds

Traditionally staged at The Valley, the William Reid Stakes is the only 1200m weight-for-age Group 1 of the Melbourne Autumn Carnival, following key lead-ups such as the Lightning Stakes and Oakleigh Plate.

At $2.30 with Dabble, Jimmysstar heads the market for the 2026 William Reid Stakes.

2026 William Reid Stakes Tips

2026 William Reid Stakes Best Bet - Jimmysstar

Jimmysstar was one of the more consistent top-level performers in Australia throughout 2025, with three Group 1 wins.

Two of those major triumphs came at Caulfield, including the Oakleigh Plate first-up in February, where the gelding saluted against the pattern of that meeting.

He has an excellent fresh record with five wins and a placing from seven attempts.

This has been set as a target race early in the campaign and he comes here off sharp jump-out victories at Cranbourne

From a low draw he will need the breaks, but if they come he looks clearly the one to beat.

2026 William Reid Stakes Value Bet - Baraqiel

Baraqiel was solid in the Black Caviar Lightning up the straight on resumption, finishing fourth behind a trifecta who settled behind him.

He is not a straight-track horse, so there was merit in the run.

The seven-year-old has completed two jump-outs since that February return and is unbeaten second-up, including a Group 1 win in the Moir Stakes last prep.

His record around the bends is strong, with eight wins and two placings from 10 tries, the latest a second at Group 1 level.

With options from barrier five under Ben Allen, Baraqiel looks one of the main threats to Jimmysstar.

2026 William Reid Stakes - Field & Odds

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds
1	Jimmysstar (NZ)	Ciaron Maher	Mark Zahra	1	58.5kg	$2.30
2	Jigsaw	Cindy Alderson	Logan Bates (a)	11	58.5kg	$6
3	Rey Magnerio	Robbie Griffiths	William Pike	7	58.5kg	$18
4	Angel Capital	Chris Waller	Jye McNeil	6	58.5kg	$10
5	Baraqiel	Leon & Troy Corstens & Will Larkin	Ben Allen	5	58.5kg	$8.50
6	Airman	Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes	John Allen	9	58.5kg	$126
7	Tropicus	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Jamie Mott	2	58.5kg	$6.50
8	Magic Time	Grahame Begg	Michael Dee	10	56.5kg	$14
9	Charm Stone	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	Thomas Stockdale	3	56.5kg	$17
10	Benedetta	Ciaron Maher	Daniel Stackhouse	4	56.5kg	$18
11	Devil Night	Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes	Beau Mertens	8	56kg	$51

Odds provided by Dabble & correct on 19/03/2026.

Verdict

William Reid Stakes

Our tips for the 2026 William Reid Stakes are:

Jimmysstar

To Win

$2.30 - 7 Units

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Baraqiel

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$8.50 - 3 Units

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