Light Fingers Stakes 2025

Ladbrokes Tip: The Light Fingers Stakes is often the first run of the autumn for fillies

The latest edition of the Light Fingers Stakes took place on Saturday February 15, 2025 as a key Surround Stakes lead-up in Sydney and was won in impressive first-up fashion by Chris Waller’s resuming Flight Stakes winner Lady Shenandoah ($2.40F). 

2025 Light Fingers Stakes Results

The full Light Fingers Stakes 2025 results and finishing order will be available below on Saturday February 15, 2025.

2025 Light Fingers Stakes winner Lady Shenandoah. Photo: © 2025 – Bradley Photos.

• 1st: #3 Lady Shenandoah 
• 2nd: #1 Lady Of Camelot
• 3rd: #9 Lilac

Chris Waller’s resuming Group 1 Flight Stakes winner Lady Shenandoah ($2.40F) was enormous fresh cruising to an impressive first-up victory in the Light Fingers Stakes 2025 results to beat home Golden Slipper champ Lady Of Camelot by over a length ahead of the autumn’s majors.

2025 Light Fingers Stakes Odds

The updated Light Fingers Stakes 2025 betting odds will be available below as soon as markets on the Group 2 fillies’ only autumn feature are released.

The Light Fingers Stakes is an early Group 2 feature run at Royal Randwick Racecourse in mid-February during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

2022 Light Fingers Stakes winner Fangirl. Photo: Steve Hart.

Held on the same Saturday as Melbourne’s Black Caviar Lightning card at Flemington, the 1200m sprint runs alongside the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) for weight-for-age types and the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) for the sprinters at Sydney’s premier track.

The Group 3 Triscay Stakes (1200m) is the other Group status race on the card.

Open only to three-year-old fillies, the Light Fingers Stakes is contested at set weights and offers a total of $300,000 in prize money as of 2024. The best fillies out of the Light Fingers Stakes each year can continue on to contest the follow month’s Group 1 Coolmore Classic (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens.

The recently upgraded Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick is also a key follow-up for the best Light Fingers Stakes fillies with Nakeeta Jane (2019) the last to do the double.

Light Fingers Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday February 15, 2025
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: 3YO Fillies – Set Weights
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $300,000
• First Run: 1979

Light Fingers Stakes Betting

Light Fingers Stakes odds are released after the final field is known the Wednesday before the race. Fillies proven at Randwick with winning form over 1200m or further, and those that were Group 1 performed during the previous spring in Sydney dominate the Light Fingers Stakes betting markets.

The race is often a first-up option for three-year-old female gallopers so those with good resuming form feature high up the markets.

Favourites have a solid record in the Light Fingers Stakes, but those at longer odds in betting have scored some notable upsets in recent years including Every Rose ($21 in 2021).

In 2022 the odds-on favourite Espiona ($1.55) ran second in an upset to her stablemate Fangirl ($13).

In 2023 In Secret became the latest odds-on favourite to win at $1.95 Light Fingers Stakes odds having won the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington the spring prior.

Resuming Flight Stakes winning filly Lady Shenandoah ($2.40 in 2025) was the last Light Fingers Stakes favourite to win. 

In Secret returned with a bang to win the 2023 Light Fingers Stakes in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.

Light Fingers Stakes Field

The Light Fingers Stakes race field attracts a top-class line-up of three-year-old fillies each February, many kicking off their autumn campaigns.

The next run traditionally on the card for fillies out of the Light Fingers Stakes field is the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) back at the track over 200m further a fortnight later, with the last to complete the double being Nakeeta Jane (2019).

The 2023 Surround Stakes winner, Sunshine In Paris, also came via the Light Fingers Stakes having run second in her lead-up.

Many fillies that ran in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) at Randwick the previous October during the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival resume racing in the Light Fingers Stakes field. The Flight Stakes – Light Fingers Stakes double was achieved by the likes More Joyous (2009-10), Global Glamour (2016-17), Alizee (2017-18), and Lady Shenandoah (2024-25). 

Light Fingers Stakes nominations close the Monday before the race runs on the Saturday with the final field and barriers released on the Wednesday.

2025 Light Fingers Stakes Field

The complete Light Fingers Stakes 2025 field and barrier draw will be published below the Wednesday leading up to Apollo Stakes Day.

The 2025 Light Fingers Stakes final field features a talented line-up of three-year-old fillies led in betting by Chris Waller’s returning Flight Stakes winner Lady Shenandoah.

2025 Light Fingers Stakes Nominations

The official 2025 Light Fingers Stakes Nominations close on the Monday leading-up to Apollo Stakes Day, the full list of early entries to be announced below so stay tuned.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Light Fingers Stakes Tips

Light Fingers Stakes tips include looking for fillies out of the previous year’s Flight Stakes at the track, those with a solid Sydney race record and short-distance performers that will enjoy the 1200m early in the autumn.

Laying the favourite can also be a good Light Fingers Stakes betting tip and taking the top-fancy to Place over a Win is a safer option with upsets not uncommon in the event.

2025 Light Fingers Stakes Tips

Our exclusive Light Fingers Stakes 2025 betting tips will be available below the week of the race so stay tuned.

All the star fillies from last season are back in action in a star-studded Light Fingers field and the resuming favourite, Lady Shenandoah, looks a hard to beat top elect. Chris Waller’s Group 1 daughter of Snitzel finished last prep winning back-to-back races including a three-length demolition job here at Randwick over the mile in the Flight Stakes. No doubt she’ll appreciate getting up to a mile again later this time in but fresh the 1400m looks good and she’s proven first-up before. Barrier eight gives jockey Zac Lloyd options, and this filly was excellent in her lead-up trial beating the stable’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winning colt Switzerland home in a 900m Warwick Farm hit-out last month. Can kick off and make it a hat-trick.

Light Fingers Stakes Form Guide

The Light Fingers Stakes form guide gives punters crucial information to consider before placing a bet including the jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up form of the fillies in the field.

Wide barriers haven’t been an issue when it comes to doing the Light Fingers Stakes form with the likes of Every Rose (14 of 14 in 2021), Global Glamour (12 in 2017), Adrift (11 in 2015), and Sweet Idea (10 in 2014) all overcoming double-digit gates to win.

The Light Fingers Stakes form has stacked up in tougher races later in the season many times including First Seal (2nd in 2015) who went on to run second in both the Coolmore Classic and Vinery Stud Stakes that autumn, Sweet Idea (1st in 2014) who ran second in the Coolmore two runs later and Sea Siren (1st in 2012) who won that year’s BTC Cup – Doomben 10,000 double in Brisbane during the winter.

More recently the previous year’s Flight Stakes winner Alizee won the 2018 Light Fingers Stakes ahead of subsequent Group 1 wins in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes (2018) and Futurity Stakes (2019).

Nakeeta Jane also franked the Light Fingers Stakes form, the 2019 winner backing up to win the Group 1 Surround Stakes before a third in the Randwick Guineas.

In 2022 the Light Fingers Stakes winner Fangirl went on to win that year’s Vinery Stud Stakes and returned in the spring for a second in the $10 million The Golden Eagle (1500m).

The Light Fingers Stakes form in 2023 was franked with the winning filly In Secret going on to take out the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) against the older horses at Flemington that prep.

The 2024 Light Fingers Stakes form was franked with the winner Kimochi running third behind the older mares in the Coolmore Classic later that prep before a Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes victory in Melbourne in the spring.

2025 Light Fingers Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Light Fingers Stakes 2025 Form Guide will be provided below once final acceptances are out the Wednesday of race week.

Light Fingers Stakes Results

The Light Fingers Stakes race results are varied in recent years with a number of favourites beaten by roughie hopes in the mix.

Notable Light Fingers Stakes winners include Lady Shenandoah (2025), In Secret (2023), Flit (2020), Alizee (2018), Global Glamour (2017), Sweet Idea (2014), Sea Siren (2012), More Joyous (2010), and Forensics (2008).

Light Fingers Stakes Winners

Past Light Fingers Stakes winners and placegetters going back to 2000 are detailed in the below table.

FAQ

Who won the 2025 Light Fingers Stakes?

The 2025 Light Fingers Stakes winner was Lady Shenandoah at $2.40 (F) for trainer Chris Waller with jockey Zac Lloyd aboard from barrier 7 on 56kg to salute by 1.18 lengths in a time of 1:08.81.

When is the Light Fingers Stakes 2025?

What is the prize money for the Light Fingers Stakes 2025?

$300,000

Where is the Light Fingers Stakes 2025?

Randwick Racecourse, Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031.