The Champions Sprint 2025 Preview
The Champions Sprint 2025 Preview
The Champions Sprint 2025 is set to light up Flemington with the nation’s premier speedsters thundering down the iconic straight in one of the spring’s most anticipated contests. Expect lightning early pace, a fiercely competitive home straight, and a finish that will have punters and fans on their feet.
What is the Champions Sprint?
The Champions Sprint is a Group 1 weight-for-age race run over 1,200 metres at Flemington Racecourse on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival—Champions Day. Open to horses aged three years and up, it’s one of the ripper sprint races of the Australian spring, staged down the famous Flemington straight.
When is The Champions Sprint 2025?
The Champions Sprint 2025 takes place on Saturday, 8 November.
Who Won Last Year’s Champions Sprint?
The 2024 edition saw Sunshine In Paris sweep down the famous Flemington straight to claim her maiden Group 1 win, showing sharp acceleration and confirming her place among the top tier of Australian sprinters. The year before, Imperatriz dominated her rivals in 2023, following up on a memorable upset by Roch ‘N’ Horse in 2022. The honour roll for the Champions Sprint is crammed with legends such as Nature Strip, Bivouac, Santa Ana Lane, and the unbeaten Black Caviar.
Race History
Formerly known as the VRC Sprint Classic, the race was rebranded as the Champions Sprint in 2022 to reflect its role in the grand finale of the carnival. The event features the best sprinters in the country, and often includes runners backing up from The Everest or setting their sights on global campaigns.
Previous Winners
Sunshine In Paris claimed the 2024 edition with a sharp sprint down the straight, following on from Imperatriz who was too strong in 2023. Roch ‘N’ Horse caused an upset in 2022, while Nature Strip delivered a dominant performance in 2021 after already winning the race in 2019. Bivouac blitzed them in 2020, Santa Ana Lane took the honours in 2018, and Redzel won in 2017. Other previous notable winners include Buffering and Black Caviar.
Latest Champions Sprint Odds & Tips
The Group 1 Champions Sprint (1200m) at Flemington, set for 3:50 PM AEDT on Saturday, is shaping up to be a blockbuster. The three-year-old colt Tentyris ($2.80) has been the talk of the track after his dazzling win last week, while Joliestar ($3.10), from the Chris Waller stable, remains a model of consistency and class. But if you’re after a tip with a bit more bite, there’s one runner that’s catching serious attention.
Pickabookie.com.au expert selection is Giga Kick ($5.00), the six-year-old gelding who looks ready to recapture his best. After overcoming a few health setbacks, trainer Clayton Douglas has deliberately skipped the Sydney features to have him spot-on for this race. His first-up victory in the Group 1 Schillaci Stakes proved he’s back in business, and with a favourable barrier draw, the experts reckon he’s primed to make a statement.
Tentyris might be backing up too quickly, and while Joliestar will no doubt be competitive, Giga Kick’s return to form has the punters buzzing. If he brings his A-game down the Flemington straight, he’ll be right in the mix when it counts.
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