2025 Verry Elleegant Stakes Day Preview

Our 2025 Verry Elleegant Stakes Day preview focuses on the elite Sydney race card for Saturday! Group 1 racing is back in Sydney, and two feature races headline Saturday’s Verry Elleegant Stakes Day at Royal Randwick.

The Surround Stakes represents a terrific curtain raiser to the Verry Elleegant Stakes, where Ceolwulf and Via Sistina look to bounce back from first up defeat.

I’ve run the rule over all ten races, and you can find my 2025 Verry Elleegant Stakes Day tips and Randwick best bets below.

Open race to kick of Verry Elleegant Stakes Day and at publish, we’re looking at $5.50 the field.

That being said, the early favourite Mogul Monarch was impressive in his first run back and does look well placed again.

Mogul Monarch turned in several fine performances last time in, but his fresh effort and win in BM64 company at Wyong in February was arguably his best to date.

With natural improvement and under Timmy Clark, this certainly looks winnable as well.

2 Units Mogul Monarch

Another wide-open race and $5 the field in Highway Handicap betting, and the toppie Massira was one that I thought represented value at odds of $12 (at publish).

Massira hasn’t finished worse than second in three runs back from a spell, winning in Class 1 company at Kembla Grange most notably before a couple of near misses in midweek metro company.

He’s hard fit and something like this represents a nice target for him.

1 Unit E/W Massira

Spring Lee drops in class into a very winnable race on Verry Elleegant Stakes Day.

The Zoustar mare filled the minors in a pair of benchmark sprints at Rosehill first and second up this time, while she was last than two lengths behind the winner in the Triscay Stakes last time out.

In peak order, from an inside draw and under James McDonald, she is my best bet on the program.

5 Units Spring Lee

Shaggy puts his unbeaten record on the line in the Skyline Stakes, but I’m taking him on this week with Comedy.

Comedy stamped himself as a colt to follow by winning on debut here back in October, while his first run back from a break saw him attack the line from the tail of the field to finish second behind Shaggy in the Pierro Plate.

With the benefit of that run under his belt and settling a little closer in the running this week, I think this is a perfect race for Comedy.

3 Units Comedy

There’s a case to be made for several of the fillies engaged in this year’s Sweet Embrace Stakes field and I’m going to have an each way bet on Inkaruna at huge odds ($20 at publish).

Inkaruna has only made one appearance at the races so far, but I loved the way she quickened to win the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes at Sandown in early February.

She’s been kept up to the mark with a trial since that race and with appropriate luck from a wide draw, I think she looks over the odds.

1 Unit E/W Inkaruna

Amelia’s Jewel resumes in the Guy Walter Stakes but I am going to take her on with the second-up Olentia.

Olentia has been a great horse for the Waller yard throughout her career, picking off some nice races and finding form around some quality opposition.

She finished within a length of Magic Time fresh in the Expressway Stakes a fortnight ago, she’s a multiple winner at this point of her preparation, and getting out to the 1400m looks ideal at this point of her preparation.

2 Units Olentia

I’m still of the opinion that Lady Shenandoah can go through the entire season undefeated, and the $1.60 about her in Surround Stakes betting (at publish) seems to agree.

Lady Shenandoah recorded two wins from as many starts during her spring prep last year, peaking with a maiden win at the highest level in the Flight Stakes, while she picked up where she left off with a dominant victory in the Light Fingers a fortnight ago.

With natural improvement and with James McDonald jumping into the saddle, I think she’ll just win again, so I am going to select her on top in a Same Race Multi and pump up my odds with Lilac running into the first three.

Same Race Multi selections:

• No. 1 Lady Shenandoah (Win)
• No. 6 Lilac (Top 3)

Another horse that James McDonald climbs back aboard this week is Via Sistina in the Verry Elleegant Stakes, and I think that will prove the difference.

Nothing went right for her in the Apollo Stakes here a fortnight ago, but we know how good she was the further she got into her prep in the spring, and there’s no doubt she’ll be better here second up and out to a mile.

With even luck this time, I think she just wins.

4 Units Via Sistina

This is a quality edition of the Liverpool City Cup, and a great fresh target for Encap in my opinion.

We haven’t seen Encap at the races since December, but he wound back the clock with some nice efforts during his spring prep, highlighted by his performance and victory in the Group 2 Theo Marks.

He’s yet to miss placing over 1300m, while an inside draw and the services of a senior hoop in Nash Rawiller are also ticks.

2 Units E/W Encap

Another winning chance for James McDonald on Verry Elleegant Stakes Day comes up in the last – Birdman.

Birdman finished down the order in the Ladbrokes Geelong Cup on debut in Australia last October, but after trialling well ahead of his autumn prep this year, I thought there was plenty to like about his resuming effort when fourth over a mile here.

He won his only other second up start to date, while he’s another who’s going to relish getting further out in trip this week.

2 Units Birdman