Derby Day! It's the race day for purists, when the biggest and best pedigrees tend to be on show, and their merits are tested over all distances.
In successive races for three year olds, the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes field will charge down the famous Flemington straight, and the 2500m VRC Derby contenders will strive for the winning post on the same long stretch of turf - which will feel endless to a few of them!
Registered as the Ascot Vale Stakes and inaugurated in 1863, the race we know as the Coolmore Stud Stakes was “the Golden Slipper of the South” for two year olds and remained thus until 1965.
It was run in the Autumn, usually on Australian Cup day, and during this period was won by great horses like Newminster, Chesham, Newhaven, Bobadil, Maltster, Woorak, Two, Heroic, Powerscourt, Mollison, High Caste , Comic Court, Blue Era and Star Affair in 1965
The VRC removed the race from its calendar in that great year of change 1966, and restored it in 1969 as a three year old sprint to be run in the early Spring.
Its very first winner was one of its greatest, Vain.
He was followed by the likes of Century, Taj Rossi, Plush, Toy Show, Surround, Manikato, Tolhurst, Rose Of Kingston, Rancher, Kaapstad, Zeditave, Courtza, Encosta De Lago, Innovation Girl and Alinghi.
In 2006, the VRC moved the famous race to a premier slot on the opening day of the Spring Carnival, Derby Day. At this time it was awarded its deserving G1 status and an increase in prizemoney.
The similar race run in early September is now the G2 Danehill Stakes - an important race in its own right but also an ideal lead up for some of the Coolmore contenders.
In any incarnation it has always been a race to launch the stud careers of some very famous names, and since 2006 has been won by Gold Edition, Northern Meteor, Star Witness, Sepoy, Zoustar, Brazen Beau, Flying Artie, Merchant Navy, Sunlight, Exceedance, Home Affairs and In Secret. What a list!
In 2024 Switzerland (Snitzel) beat Bellatrix Star (Star Witness) and Growing Empire (Zoustar) and 2024 was the year of glory for Zoustar colt Ozzmosis.
In 2025 the Coolmore Stud Stakes is worth $2 million in stakes, but is worth so much more than that in terms of prestige and stud credentials for the winner - you can't put a price on it.
A field of 12 will contest this year's race and the number one saddlecloth will be carried by the extraordinary G1 Golden Rose winner Biewacht (Bivouac).
Freshened for the return to 1200m, Chris Waller's star colt races at Flemington for the first time and attempts to go one better than his sire Bivouac - who won the Golden Rose and was narrowly beaten in this race by Exceedance.
Biewacht is not the certain favourite though! - he's battling for that honour with the exciting Street Boss colt Tentyris, a racehorse blessed with a rare turn of foot.
Also attracting plenty of support is the impeccably bred Beadman (Snitzel), and punters reckon these three colts have it between them.
Outstanding filly My Gladiola (I Am Invincible) might have something to say about that. John McArdle’s flying grey comes from a long line of pure speed machines and her close relation Doubtland was fourth in this race!
The chances don't end there - champion sire Written Tycoon has two classy sons engaged in Skyhook and Tycoon Star, while his Golden Slipper hero Capitalist is the sire of Hidden Motive, who beat Beadman at Rosehill last start.
Supersire I Am Invincible has a colt and a filly running for him - the abovementioned My Gladiola and Ciaron Maher's highly promising Jimmy Recard, while his son I Am Immortal is the sire of the very brilliant McGaw.
The great Northern Meteor won this race as did his champion son Zoustar and while we have no Zoustar runner in 2025, we do have a contender from this sireline.
He is the Peter Snowden trained Cosmic Force gelding Raging Force, a runner up to Tentyris last start. Punters are keeping him safe - wary of both the good formline and the bloodline's affinity with this particular race!
The cracking field is completed by promising talent Legacy Bound (Ole Kirk) and the undefeated Skyglider (by Coolmore winner Flying Artie) - both will start at long odds but have done nothing wrong in their brief careers and are obviously blessed with well above average ability!
It looks like the famous Victorian spring weather might be setting us up for one of Flemington's classic mud splattered Melbourne Cups, but - apart from a light shower or two on Friday - Derby Day should dawn just about perfect for horses and humans alike. What a great day it is to be a lover of all things thoroughbred!
Top Pick: TENTYRIS
Tentyris commanded attention from the day he set foot on a racecourse, when he appeared in the parade ring before his first start at Sandown in February this year for the G3 Chairman's Stakes.
He is a magnificent powerhouse of a colt - and though he was fifth that day (his sole unplaced run as it turns out!) the son of Street Boss was the one you wanted to follow out of the race - potentially all the way to the Golden Slipper.
Unfortunately, injury ruled out a Slipper run for the Anthony and Sam Freedman trained Tentyris, but that will be neither here nor there if he can win this.
At his second race start the colt dead heated in the Listed Talindert Stakes 1100m down the Flemington straight, where he matched motors with the extremely fast and talented Shining Smile (Spirit Of Boom) - they dropped the rest of a quality field by three lengths.
It was Tentyris who went on to tackle G1 company in the Blue Diamond Stakes, pulling out a huge performance and going down oh so narrowly to Devil Night.
Then it was off to Sydney, where he came with another scintillating late burst to beat boom colt Wodeton and subsequent G1 Champagne winner Nepotism in the G2 Todman Stakes.
His Coolmore rival and the runaway G1 Golden Rose winner Biewacht was well down the track that day.
Tentyris resumed at Flemington with a solid third in the G2 Danehill Stakes behind McGaw, then won the Listed Gothic Stakes at Caulfield and is ready to peak for this potentially career defining performance.
Tentyris is a homebred for Godolphin and is the second foal and second winner for Deity, a fast metro winning daughter of Exceed And Excel from a fantastic family!
Her dam Divine Madonna (Hurricane Sky) was one of the great sprinter-milers of her time amassing more than $2 million in stakes and four G1 wins, including the VRC Emirates Stakes and Toorak Hcp in open company.
She produced eight named foals before her passing in 2018, the best her Street Cry daughter Maternal who won the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic
The third dam of Tentyris is My Madonna - by the excellent broodmare sire Prego, she produced not only her champion daughter but also the G3 VRC Standish Hcp winner Blessum by Umatilla, and is also the grand dam of excellent race mare Angel Of Mercy (Hussonet) who notched up four stakes wins but has been a revelation at stud!
Angel Of Mercy is the dam of G1 winners Autumn Angel (ATC Australian Oaks) by The Autumn Sun, and this season's brilliant G1 AJ Moir Stakes winning sprinter Baraqiel (Snitzel)
This exceptional family goes back to the stakes winning Pakistan daughter Countess Wynard and has its roots in some fabulous old Kiwi bloodlines that have provided the foundation a great sprinter or sprinter miler needs.
The line goes back to the GB import Pearl Ash, a taproot mare bred 4f x 3m to full brother and sister Voltigeur and Volley.
Her daughter Pearlshell won the VRC /AJC Oaks double of 1888, while another daughter Industry became the dam of two Melbourne Cup winners, Gaulus and The Grafter.
This family has always loved Flemington!
Tentyris is bred
Northern Dancer x5m,5m
He is bred on the outstanding Street Boss / Exceed And Excel nick which has produced seven stakes winners including the freakish filly Tempted - a great juvenile, an even better 3yo who just ran second in The Everest to the fastest horse in the world, Ka Ying Rising!
Deity produced a filly to Blue Point in 2022 named Parcae who is in the Freedman stable, and this season saw the arrival of another exciting daughter and a three quarter sister to Tentyris - by Darley's champion son of Street Boss, Anamoe.
This prepotent nick - anchored by the wildly successful pattern of linebreeding to the Almahmoud family through Machiavellian and Danehill - seems to produce a blend of stamina, acceleration and mental and physical toughness that creates a fearsome equine competitor.
The damsire of Tentyris, Golden Slipper winner Hurricane Sky brings that Dancing Show damline that contributes so much to any pedigree - and his sire Star Watch is an important cross for Street Boss with his line to Blushing Groom relative Pipe Of Peace.
Be My Guest carried by the dam of Tentyris also taps into this affinity, and a ripper of a nick is created by the relatively obscure sire Chamozzle and the far more famous Pakistan, the fifth and sixth damsires of Tentyris - between the two of them they have much in common genetically with Street Cry's Blue Hen dam Helen Of Troy
Tentyris has got it all - the looks, the talent, the attitude, the blossoming tail male dynasty, the blue chip female line - all he needs now is the big G1 and this is just the perfect race for him.
Tentyris and Mark Zahra will launch from gate 5.
Next best: BEADMAN
At his third race start, Snitzel colt Beadman won the G3 Ken Russell Memorial Classic on a heavy Gold Coast track by more than 8 lengths, and blew onlookers away with this ruthless display of sustained speed.
He is out of a French bred Iffraaj mare and you'd expect him to improve again as a 3YO - also to relish a full bore 1200m cavalry charge down the Flemington straight.
He is yet to race here so that's always a query, but the Snitzel breed mostly seem to take to it like ducks to water and so generally do the progeny of Iffraaj, so Beadman may well go to another level after warming up with two excellent runs in Sydney.
The big, scopey colt was a $900,000 buy for China Horse Club/ Newgate / Go Bloodstock / Trilogy from the Arrowfield draft at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast sale.
The Peter Snowden trained Beadman is named to honour legendary jockey Darren Beadman, so he wouldn't want to be embarrassingly slow - and fortunately he's anything but!
Beadman was bred by Arrowfield in partnership with Hermitage Thoroughbreds.
He is the best of two winners from three to race for French stakes-winner Iffranesia, a flying 1000-1100m sprinter and three quarter sister to the G3 winning stakes producing Iffraaj daughter Dibajj.
Iffranesia was the best performer from her dam Farnesia (Anabaa), a half sister to G2 King's Stand Stakes winner Chineur.
Beadman’s dam is closely related to dual G1 placed The Summit by the great Iffraaj son Wootton Bassett.
The next dam in this deep European speed family is Wardara by the champion sprinter and G1 July Cup hero Sharpo (Sharpen Up, and she was a dual Listed winner and stakes producer.
Beadman's female line goes back to the G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Queen Of Sheba to GB 1000 Guineas winning filly and champion older mare Canezou. In the early days of the studbook this family (31) produced many Classic winners.
In Australia it has a special place in our turf history and our breeding industry, and is very relevant today, as it is the family of the great sire Kaoru Star - who bequeathed to us an enduring source of class and speed through his champion son Luskin Star.
Beadman is bred
Northern Dancer 5m,5m x 5m,5m
Danzig 4m x 4m
His pedigree creates tried and true nicks - Nijinsky / The Minstrel, Danzig / Bletchingly / Rockefella, and he is linebred to Hornbeam, Lunchtime, My Babu, Tudor Minstrel and Gold Bridge.
Notably his ancestress Ward One is bred 5m x 4m to Italian Blue Hen Romanella through her immortal son Ribot and his half brother Raeburn- this is key for Ribot son His Majesty the damsire of Danehill
Beadman and Blake Shinn will fly from barrier 8!
Roughie: SKYGLIDER
An unbeaten colt by Coolmore Stud Stakes hero Flying Artie, the Chris Waller trained Skyglider is stablemate to glamour colt Beiwacht and at double figure odds but I reckon he's a real sneaky chance of denting some reputations here!
Bred by Gerry Harvey and a $100,000 MM Book 2 purchase for Ezybonds No 1 Syndicate from Baramul Stud, Skyglider is the first foal of his winning dam Ex Lady (by Skybird's sire Exosphere) - a half sister to stakes winner and producer Affable from the immediate family of dual G1 winning sprinter Turffontein.
His second dam Lady Gracious by Redoute's Choice is a half sister to Turffontein (G1 placed Flemington) but is closely related to Australian G2 winner Beauty Spirit (HK) and G3 winner / stakes producer Vergara.
Skyglider's third dam is Spirit Of Grace by Sir Tristram's champion Dr Grace and he hails from the Betty Box family, a prolific branch from Royal News (Sovereign Edition 13-a )
Skyglider is bred
Better Boy 5m,5f x
Danehill x 5m,4m
El Prado grandson Flying Artie is almost a criminally under rated sire - a World Champion 3YO Sprinter able to produce international class horses like Asfoora, Artorius (third in this!) and more.
Skyglider has many lines to My Babu sex balanced including his double of champion Better Boy - who sired one of the best winners of this race, the breed shaping sire Century.
Won't be shocked if he comes out and wins, especially from this stable.
Blowout: JIMMY RECARD
Jimmy is an exceedingly impressive looking colt with a bit of an aura about him.
He was a S350,000 buy at the MM Gold Coast for trainer Ciaron Maher and Bennett Racing from the Yarraman Park draft.
Bred by Gall Bloodstock, he is by champion sire I Am Invincible and the second winner from his dam the G3 placed Aquamosa, a daughter of O'Reilly's excellent son and G1 sire Alamosa.
Aquamosa is closely related to Champion 3YO Sprinter and Champion Older Stayer Big Maverick (O'Reilly)
Jimmy Recard's damline is high caste, his second and third dams Adalia (Lucky Unicorn) and Ajfan (Woodman- dual G1 Classic placed at three in GB ) are both black type producers and have an international lineage with a heap of black type winners to its name!
Jimmy's ancestress is Kankakee Miss, the dam of the incredibly tough sprinter and very influential sire Clever Trick.
Jimmy Recard is bred
Last Tycoon x 4m,5f
He is linebred to Raise A Native, Round Table, Nijinsky, My Babu, Never Bend/Bold Reason, Star Kingdom and more.
Jimmy's got a bit of X-factor going on winning a G3 race at his fourth start and previous winners of that race - the Vain Stakes - include Bivouac, Cylinder, Giga Kick, Russian Revolution and Sepoy.
Jimmy Recard jumps from barrier 11 with Johnny Allen to steer.
Footnote: Hope the VRC have Jimmy's song ready if he wins!
