TAB Champions Stakes Day form guide 2025: ‘Question mark’ lingers over Australia’s best horse Via Sistina
Brought to you by TAB. Nine
This year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup carnival will culminate on Saturday afternoon and punters will be absolutely spoiled with elite Group 1 racing.
While the race that stops the nation dominates headlines, Flemington will play host to three extraordinary fields across the 1200m, 1600m and 2000m distances.
READ MORE: NFL star found dead at just 24 after police chase
READ MORE: Munster’s beautiful deed for young boy with cancer
READ MORE: ‘Gotta do your time’: $2m star speaks on new deal
Up first in race six on Saturday will be the $3 million VRC Champions Sprint, which will include three horses that featured in The Everest last month.
From there, some of the best horses in the country will compete in the $3 million Lexus Champions Mile with the fan-favourite Pride Of Jenni backing up from Derby Day.
The main event on the card will be the $3 million TAB Champions Stakes, with the best horse in the country – Via Sistina – set to start as a short-priced favourite.
Here’s the full breakdown and expert tips from TAB’s David Gately.
Watch the 2025 Melbourne Cup Carnival live and free on Nine and 9Now.
TAB Champions Stakes 2025 full field
1. Tom Kitten (8)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: A & S Freedman
Jockey: Ben Melham
Career: 28: 6-3-4
Odds: $9 / $2.40
2. Light Infantry Man (3)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: Ciaron Maher
Jockey: Declan Bates
Career: 30: 5-4-5
Odds: $10 / $2.50
3. Kovalica (2)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: Chris Waller
Jockey: Damian Lane
Career: 34: 7-2-7
Odds: $17 / $3.60
4. Attrition (5)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: Michael Freedman
Jockey: Craig Williams
Career: 26: 4-5-4
Odds: $16 / $3.50
5. Alenquer (11)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: B, W & J Hayes
Jockey: Jamie Mott
Career: 27: 6-4-2
Odds: $51 / $8
6. Pier (6)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: D & B Weatherley
Jockey: Ethan Brown
Career: 16: 5-2-4
Odds: $12 / $2.90
7. Golden Path (4)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: M Price & M Kent Jr
Jockey: Jordan Childs
Career: 22: 6-3-3
Odds: $19 / $3.90
8. Point King (1)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: A & S Freedman
Jockey: Celine Gaudray
Career: 13: 5-2-0
Odds: $41 / $7
9. Zambardo (9)
Weight: 58.5kg
Trainer: M Price & M Kent Jr
Jockey: Jamie Melham
Career: 7: 4-1-2
Odds: $15 / $3.30
10. Via Sistina (10)
Weight: 57kg
Trainer: Chris Waller
Jockey: James McDonald
Career: 31: 16-5-5
Odds: $1.70 / $1.16
11. Benagil (7)
Weight: 56.5kg
Trainer: Glen Thompson
Jockey: Michael Dee
Career: 14: 4-1-2
Odds: $21 / $4.20
David Gately’s expert tips
The feature race of the day isn’t offering much value and rightfully so, given the best horse in the country Via Sistina returning after her Cox Plate victory.
The champion mare won the Champions Stakes last year but according to form expert David Gately, there could be one small query this time around.
James McDonald rides Via Sistina. Getty
“She was dominant winning this last year,” he said.
“Is she a length or so below what she was last year? Probably, we saw that in the Cox Plate when she had to call on her customary courage to get the job done.
“She handled the heavy track first-up well, but the question mark is last time she failed was here at Flemington on a day it rained during the day – that’s a little query.
“But look, I’m defaulting to the class and that’s her.”
“It’s probably Tom Kitten,” he said.
“He ran quite well in Sydney and he’s probably still on the up this prep, while a couple may have peaked – we will make him the danger.”
Lexus Champions Mile 2025 full field
1. Mr Brightside (9)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: B, W & J Hayes
Jockey: Craig Williams
Career: 47: 20-13-3
Odds: $3.90 / $1.65
2. Ceolwulf (7)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: Joseph Pride
Jockey: Chad Schofield
Career: 24: 6-4-3
Odds: $5.50 / $1.95
3. Pericles (4)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: Bjorn Baker
Jockey: Ben Melham
Career: 30: 7-6-5
Odds: $16 / $3.90
4. Lake Forest (6)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: William Haggas
Jockey: Tom Marquand
Career: 15: 3-5-0
Odds: $14 / $3.60
5. Steparty (10)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: Paul Preusker
Jockey: Harry Coffey
Career: 23: 5-2-7
Odds: $61 / $11
6. Von Hauke (5)
Weight: 59kg
Trainer: Clifford Brown
Jockey: Ethan Brown
Career: 24: 4-4-2
Odds: $31 / $7
7. Pride Of Jenni (2)
Weight: 57kg
Trainer: Ciaron Maher
Jockey: Declan Bates
Career: 42: 12-9-3
Odds: $4.20 / $1.70
8. Stefi Magnetica (1)
Weight: 57kg
Trainer: Bjorn Baker
Jockey: Jason Collett
Career: 23: 5-4-4
Odds: $9.50 / $2.70
9. Treasurethe Moment (3)
Weight: 57kg
Trainer: Matt Laurie
Jockey: Damian Lane
Career: 15: 10-4-1
Odds: $6.50 / $2.20
10. Leica Lucy (8)
Weight: 57kg
Trainer: Chris Waller
Jockey: James McDonald
Career: 11: 6-2-1
Odds: $9.50 / $2.70
David Gately’s expert tips
Pride Of Jenni stole the show last weekend with a stunning win in the Empire Rose where she gapped the field and got the Flemington fans on their feet.
Pride Of Jenni wins the Empire Rose Stakes Getty
However, this time around, the Ciaron Maher-trained mare will be up against old rival Mr Brightside and it’s no surprise to see them both at the top of the betting market.
“I think she [Pride Of Jenni] is the key to the race,” he said.
“I think she will handle the ground, but will she handle it as well as Mr Brightside? There was nothing between them when they clashed on heavy ground a year or two ago.
“She not only won dominantly on Saturday, but she ran time again. She is probably the key to the race and it’s probably the race of the year given there’s five or six proper Group 1 horses and they are all genuine winning hopes.”
However, despite the crowd likely to be with the two favourites, Gately is looking to the third line of betting with a quality miler coming down from Sydney.
“I’m gonna tip Ceolwulf, he was outstanding first-up on a heavy track and then below his best and then last start, the blinkers went on and he was back,” he said.
“He will handle the ground and he’s my top pick in a great race.”
Ceolwulf wins the King Charles III Stakes at Randwick Getty
VRC Champions Sprint 2025 full field
1. Giga Kick (4)
Weight: 58.5kg
Trainer: Clayton Douglas
Jockey: Mark Zahra
Career: 18: 8-2-3
Odds: $5 / $1.70
2. Jedibeel (8)
Weight: 58.5kg
Trainer: Brad Widdup
Jockey: Ethan Brown
Career: 25: 8-7-1
Odds: $34 / $6
3. Caballus (9)
Weight: 58.5kg
Trainer: Bjorn Baker
Jockey: Jason Collett
Career: 16: 5-0-2
Odds: $16 / $3.40
4. Libertad (1)
Weight: 58.5kg
Trainer: Annabel & Rob Archibald
Jockey: Tom Marquand
Career: 15: 4-1-1
Odds: $71 / $11
5. Tropicus (6)
Weight: 58.5kg
Trainer: A & S Freedman
Jockey: Damian Lane
Career: 10: 3-2-1
Odds: $9 / $2.30
6. Joliestar (7)
Weight: 56.5kg
Trainer: Chris Waller
Jockey: James McDonald
Career: 17: 7-4-2
Odds: $3.10 / $1.40
7. Magic Time (5)
Weight: 56.5kg
Trainer: Grahame Begg
Jockey: Michael Dee
Career: 23: 8-2-4
Odds: $18 / $3.70
8. Benedetta (10)
Weight: 56.5kg
Trainer: Ciaron Maher
Jockey: Jamie Melham
Career: 23: 8-1-5
Odds: $34 / $6
9. Flying For Fun (2)
Weight: 56.5kg
Trainer: Bryce Heys
Jockey: Jordan Childs
Career: 9: 2-3-1
Odds: $26 / $4.80
10. Tentyris (3)
Weight: 53.5kg
Trainer: A & S Freedman
Jockey: Craig Williams
Career: 7: 4-1-1
Odds: $2.70 / $1.30
David Gately’s expert tips
It will come as no surprise to see Tentyris at the top of the market following a quality win in the Coolmore Stakes last weekend – but Gately is leaning elsewhere.
“I think he’s gonna measure right up and you only need to use Tempted as a guide, the three-year-old filly who was so good in The Everest,” he said.
“It’s an easy line to draw, but I’ve just defaulted back to the proven and that’s Joliestar.
“She was terrific off a wide run in The Everest and of course she won the Newmarket here in the autumn, so I’m with her narrowly and Tentyris is the danger.”
James McDonald riding Joliestar Getty
The other horse who could factor into calculations is Giga Kick, fresh off a strong performance at Caulfield in the Group 2 Shillaci Stakes a month ago.
“I think he’s back, it was great to see him return to the winner’s list and it was a dynamic sort of win,” Gately said.
“He will handle the ground, whereas there might be a question mark on some of the others, so he is in the game.”
Gately isn’t so sure any of the rough hopes in the race can take out the $3m race.
“I would be surprised – they would probably need some of these stars to underperform, which can happen on effected ground – but we will stick to what we know,” he said.
