The Champions Mile 2025 Preview
The Champions Mile 2025 Preview
The Champions Mile 2025 headlines Champions Day, offering punters one of the most exciting Group 1 mile clashes of the spring.
With the elite of Australian and international milers set to converge, expect a high-pressure, genuinely run contest that’s sure to deliver fireworks on closing day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
What is the Champions Mile?
The Champions Mile is a Group 1 Thoroughbred race run over 1,600 metres at Flemington on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, known as Champions Day. Open to horses aged three years and older, it’s one of three elite Group 1s that close out the spring carnival in style.
When is The Champions Mile 2025?
The 2025 race takes place on Saturday, 8 November at Flemington Racecourse.
Who Won Last Year’s Champions Mile?
Local hero Mr Brightside claimed top honours in the 2024 Champions Mile, producing a typically gritty finish to get the better of a strong field and etch his name alongside modern champions.
Race History
Previously known as the Cantala Stakes and Kennedy Mile, the race was rebranded as the Champions Mile in 2022 to align with the carnival’s high-profile finale. The straight mile at Flemington provides a true test of speed and requires great timing as the race regularly draws many of the best milers from across Australia and overseas
Previous Winners
Local favourite Mr Brightside claimed the choccies in 2024, whilst in 2023, Pride Of Jenni stole the show with a brave front-running win, backing up a dominant campaign. In 2022, Alligator Blood produced a classy performance to take out the renamed event, confirming his status as one of Australia’s best at the mile. Earlier editions under its former name were won by stars like Superstorm (2021), Yulong Prince (2020), and Best Of Days (2018).
With a rich history under various names, the Champions Mile continues to be one of the spring’s most competitive and prestigious races over the classic distance.
Latest Champions Mile Odds & Tips
It’s the feature mile of the Melbourne Cup Carnival — the Group 1 Champions Mile (1600m) — set to run at Flemington on Saturday, November 8, 2025, as Race 7 at approximately 4:30 PM AEDT. This $3 million weight-for-age showdown down always attracts the nation’s elite milers, and this year’s edition looks set to live up to the hype.
The established stars are all here. Mr Brightside ($3.80), the 2024 winner, is a crowd favourite and a proven specialist over the Flemington mile. Pride Of Jenni ($5.00), the bold-front-running mare, returns to the scene of her famous double in 2023 and will look to control the tempo again. Ceolwulf ($5.00) brings trademark consistency for Joseph Pride, while Treasurethe Moment ($6.50) comes off a strong Cox Plate effort and remains unbeaten at the track — a big tick dropping back in distance.
But the Pickabookie.com.au experts are tipping Leica Lucy ($8) as the one with the value edge. The four-year-old bay mare caught the eye in the Toorak Handicap, tracking the runner-up despite laying inwards late, and then produced an excellent run from the back off a brutal tempo last start. With genuine speed expected again, she could launch late and blow this race wide open. Keep an eye, too, on Lake Forest($20), the UK visitor who looks set to improve sharply now that Tom Marquand is back aboard.
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