‘Unmatched opportunities’ – Aushorse releases 2026 Investor’s Guide to encourage international participation

Australia’s thoroughbred racing industry has once again highlighted its global standing with the release of the 2026 Aushorse Investors Guide, showing a sport underpinned by record prize money, major events, and a growing pool of racehorse owners.

The Guide reveals that Australia will host 109 races worth $1 million or more in 2026 – roughly one “million-dollar race” every three days – including signature events such as The Everest ($20 million), Melbourne Cup ($10 million), Golden Eagle ($10 million) and the Cox Plate ($6 million). 

The average race prize across the country now stands at $54,296 for the more than 19,000 races run each season across the country and one in 40 horses earned $500,000 or more last racing season.

Despite the ongoing kerfuffle about Australia operating a functional calendar of black-type races, Aushorse insists that the industry remains a tremendous jurisdiction to invest in.

Thoroughbred Breeders Australia chief executive Andrew Hore-Lacy said the annual  Aushorse Investors Guide was an important way of showcasing what the country’s thoroughbred industry had to offer for domestic and international participants.

“We are very pleased to launch the 2026 Investor’s Guide, which tells the story of an industry that continues to excel at home and abroad. Australia’s performance on the global stage is something every participant should take pride in,” Hore-Lacy said. 

“Our horses are winning around the world, our buyers are enjoying unmatched opportunities, and our prizemoney and participation levels continue to grow. 

“It reflects the strength, resilience and ambition that define Australian racing and breeding, and the remarkable momentum that is carrying our industry forward.”

There are more than 140,000 registered racehorse owners or roughly one in every 191 Australians who have a share in a horse.

Ownership has grown 35 per cent over the past decade, with a 45 per cent increase among those under 25. The depth and diversity of ownership in Australia is unmatched globally, particularly when the syndication model is accounted for, Aushorse says.

The Guide also emphasises Australia’s international competitiveness, noting that in 2024 the country placed 30 Group 1 races in the global top 100, reinforcing its position as a leading destination for owners and investors worldwide.

Hong Kong is also a valuable trading partner, with eight of the top 10 sires for that jurisdiction based in Australia. The country’s horses have excelled on the international stage, none more so than the Henry Dwyer-trained sprinter Asfoora who won two Group 1s in Europe in 2025.

Meanwhile, Aushorse says buyers in Australia pay less on average at yearling sales than they do in America, Europe, and the UK while gaining greater access to future stakes winners and Group 1 winners.

Despite the lower initial cost, residual value remains high in Australia with buyers such as Yulong and Coolmore helping push up the value of the country’s bloodstock. 

For example, over the past decade, the average price of stakes-winning fillies and mares at breeding stock sales has soared an astonishing 91 per cent, while Group 1 and Group 2 winners have more than doubled in value over the same period.