The Verry Elleegant Stakes (previously known as the Chipping Norton Stakes), a weight-for-age middle-distance race at Randwick Racecourse will be held on Saturday 1st March 2025. The 1,600m trip is one of two Group 1s that will take place at Randwick on March 1, with the Surround Stakes being the other race.
Verry Elleegant Stakes Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2025
Verry Elleegant Stakes Information
Before we go into detail about the Verry Elleegant Stakes, let’s take a look at some of the key quick stats about this race:
📅Date: | Saturday 1st March, 2025 |
⌚Race Time: | TBA |
📏Race Distance: | 1,600 metres |
🛣️Racecourse: | Randwick Racecourse |
🐎Conditions: | Weight-For-Age |
🏅Status: | Group 1 |
🏆Prize Money: | $1,000,000 |
🏇2024 Winner: | Think It Over |
- Race Information
- About the Verry Elleegant Stakes
- Verry Elleegant Stakes Tips
- Best betting sites
- Verry Elleegant Stakes Betting
- Verry Elleegant Stakes Field
- Verry Elleegant Stakes Field
- Verry Elleegant Stakes Form Guide
- Verry Elleegant Stakes Horses
- Verry Elleegant Stakes Odds
- Verry Elleegant Stakes History
- Verry Elleegant Stakes Results
- Verry Elleegant Stakes Replay
- Verry Elleegant Stakes Winners
- Verry Elleegant Stakes FAQs
About the Verry Elleegant Stakes
If you’re a bit confused because you’ve never heard of the Verry Elleegant Stakes before, let us clear something up for you. You may know the Verry Elleegant Stakes as its former name, the Chipping Norton Stakes. The Verry Elleegant Stakes had a name change in 2024 to honour the achievements of the 2021 Melbourne Cup winner, who sadly passed away in 2024 after complications from giving birth.
The Verry Elleegant Stakes is for horses 3YO and over, with a weight-for-age system being applied. It is one of the most important Group One races in the Autumn Racing Carnival. The Verry Elleegant Stakes is known as a critical lead-up race for the Doncaster Mile. The winner of this race is exempt from the ballot in the Doncaster Mile.
The Verry Elleegant Stakes is the first major Group 1 event in Sydney, along with the Surround Stakes that takes place on the same day. It helps kick off what we expect to be a stellar Autumn Racing Carnival in Sydney! Randwick Racecourse is where the race is run, and it is one of the top tracks in the country.
Now, we can’t mention the Verry Elleegant Stakes without talking about Winx! Winx won this race four years in a row on her way to winning other key races like the Doncaster Mile as well as the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Verry Elleegant herself won the race two years in a row, in 2021 and 2022.
The current prize money for this weight-for-age race is sitting at a cool $1 million. With so much money at stake, we see some of the best horses Australia has to offer, so be sure to tune in on March 1, 2025, to not miss out on one of the most entertaining races of the day.
OnlyRacing’s Verry Elleegant Stakes page will go into detail on several different areas about the race including betting tips along with where to bet on the race. We will also get into the race history as well as previous winners of the Verry Elleegant Stakes.
Be sure to visit OnlyRacing.com.au in the week leading up to the meet on March 2 to see our three tips for the race. These tips will cover a range of bet types, so no matter the type of punter you are, we will have something for you!
Before we move on, we just want to share the breakdown of the prize money for the Verry Elleegant Stakes. Now we can dream of what we would buy if we were the owner of the winning horse!
Place: | Prize Money: |
1st | $580,000 |
2nd | $190,000 |
3rd | $98,000 |
4th | $44,000 |
5th | $22,000 |
6th, 7th & 8th | $10,000 |
9th & 10th | $8,000 |
Verry Elleegant Stakes Tips
We cover a lot of things here at OnlyRacing, but our favourite thing to cover is horse racing tips. We pride ourselves in providing some of the best free horse racing tips going around. Anything from your Randwick tips to tips on all the big races, including the Verry Elleegant Stakes itself.
At this stage, we aren’t able to provide tips for the Verry Elleegant Stakes as we are too far away from the event. We will share our tips with you close to race day, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled! Our tips will include the best bet, next best and best roughie, so there’s something for everyone!
While we wait for time to pass, check out our 2024 Verry Elleegant Stakes tips below:
Verry Elleegant Stakes Best Bet - Fangirl
Putting Fangirl on top for the Verry Elleegant Stakes as she is clearly the best horse in the race by far. But will I be putting any money on her for the win? Probably not - she is just too short in the market for my liking. I’ll be adding her to some multis to get some value out of her.
She still has to go on top though, I really don’t think any other runner is better than her. She draws the widest barrier which means she can stay out of trouble early and it doesn’t matter how much off the lead she gets, she’ll still be motoring home for the victory! Look for value elsewhere and just watch the amazing Fangirl do her thing, I say!
Verry Elleegant Stakes Next Best - Just Fine
Just Fine has an excellent Spring in 2023 and is coming into the Verry Elleegant Stakes first-up. In September 2023, Just Fine won The Metropolitan, so he knows how to perform at the top level. Anything other than Fangirl is just a throw at the stumps, but I think there is still value in Just Fine, listed as the $7.50 second-favourite in the betting markets.
He won on debut at Randwick in September last year and that form was carried throughout the entire month. Putting up another performance like we saw throughout September will ensure he gives Fangirl something to chase down come the closing stages of the race.
Verry Elleegant Stakes Best Roughie - Buckaroo
Let’s make some buckaroos from Buckaroo! Buckaroo got too far back in his first-up run and just left himself too much work to do in the end. He did show some impressive closing sectionals, so that’s a big tick in a race where I don’t think he will get that far back in the beginning.
The step up in trip is a great call and I’m expecting an improved performance from Buckaroo in the Verry Elleegant Stakes. With the current price of $10, Buckaroo is certainly the value play of the race for me.
Best Betting Sites for Group One Races
Verry Elleegant Stakes Betting
If you’re thinking about betting on the Verry Elleegant Stakes, then you’ve come to the right place! In this section, we will go through everything you need to know about Verry Elleegant Stakes betting, so you can make the best choice possible and hopefully come out a winner!
One of the things we recommend when it comes to Verry Elleegant Stakes betting is to bet on a wide range of different markets. Many betting apps offer different markets on the race. It’s fun to try your hand at different bet types, but you should understand how it works before betting on it.
Let’s take a look at some of the different markets you could bet on come Verry Elleegant Stakes day:
- Quaddie at Randwick Racecourse.
- Quinella/ Trifecta/ First Four in the Verry Elleegant Stakes race.
- Fixed Win/ Place bets on your favourite runners in the Verry Elleegant Stakes as well as across the whole meet at Randwick Racecourse.
- Multi bet across multiple races at the Verry Elleegant Stakes meet.
So, there are your betting options, but you’re not done yet! Who are you going to bet with? There are so many horse racing betting sites available for Australians and with so much choice it makes the decision a little tricky. The team here at OnlyRacing are here to break things down for you and help guide you to an easy decision.
We’ve gone through all the best Australian betting sites and provided in-depth reviews so you have all the information at your fingertips. Having multiple bookie accounts is also a good idea because you can take advantage of the different odds on offer as well as any of the best betting sites bonuses going around.
When it comes to the Verry Elleegant Stakes, there are a few bookies in particular that we like and think you’ll like as well. Firstly, you can’t go wrong with PlayUp! Many factors go into making them one of the best betting apps, but we just love their unique promotions. For example, horse owners can get an extra 15% of winnings.
If you’re more interested in same race multi bets, then we think you’ll like PuntersPal. They also have great betting promotions that you can take advantage of for races like the Verry Elleegant Stakes. Their app is as smooth as they come and really easy to use.
Another bookie that really stands out from the rest is JungleBet. They have a particular focus on horse racing, so it’s a perfect place to bet on the Verry Elleegant Stakes and their fixed odds for racing are always super competitive.
PlayUp, PuntersPal and JungleBet are just three of the many bookies available for your Verry Elleegant Stakes betting needs. So, if you want more don’t forget to check out our “Betting Sites” section above!
Verry Elleegant Stakes Field
The Verry Elleegant Stakes field for the race in 2025 is yet to be determined. While we don’t know who will line up, we can certainly expect a star-studded field that will be fighting it out for Group 1 glory. Also, once available, we will list the odds of all the fancied runners in the Verry Elleegant Stakes in our “Odds” section below.
Please remember that as the Verry Elleegant Stakes field hasn’t been announced, the odds will be constantly changing. So, if you see a runner at odds you like, we recommend jumping on it now while you have the chance!
No one likes waiting around, so keep yourself occupied by checking out the field that lined up in the Verry Elleegant Stakes in 2024 below:
No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight |
1 | THINK IT OVER | Kerry Parker | Nash Rawiller | 3 | 59kg |
2 | CASCADIAN (GB) | James Cummings | Tom Marquand | 9 | 59kg |
3 | ARAPAHO (FR) | Bjorn Baker | Zac Lloyd (a) | 8 | 59kg |
4 | BUCKAROO (GB) | Chris Waller | Tommy Berry | 1 | 59kg |
5 | JUST FINE (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Regan Bayliss | 2 | 59kg |
6 | NAVAJO PEAK | David Payne | Jason Collett | 4 | 59kg |
7 | LINDERMANN | Chris Waller | Tim Clark | 5 | 59kg |
8 | ATHABASCAN (FR) | John O’Shea | Tyler Schiller | 6 | 59kg |
9 | FANGIRL | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 10 | 57kg |
10 | ATISHU (NZ) | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 7 | 57kg |
In the 2024 edition of the Verry Elleegant Stakes, there were just 10 runners in the final field. On top of this, there ended up being two pre-race scratchings from the race, as Buckaroo and Atishu were both scratched. That means, in the end, there were just eight runners!
You’ll find that scratchings are a fairly common occurrence, even in a race as major as the Verry Elleegant Stakes. There are many reasons that a horse will be scratched and it can happen at any time before the race. We know just how annoying it is to see the horse you bet on be scratched, but at the end of the day, you do get your stake back if this happens.
Something else to note when looking at the final field is the barrier draw. Barriers can have a major role in race tactics and certain barriers are more successful than others. In a small field, the barrier draw isn’t as critical, but it’s still a good idea to check out where each runner will jump from.
Verry Elleegant Stakes Form Guide
Studying the Verry Elleegant Stakes form guide can take a lot of work, but it is important if you’re trying to find a winner in the race! With a race that has been running as long as the Verry Elleegant Stakes you’ll find there are lots of patterns that have emerged, guiding you to a winner.
It’s hard to go past cold, hard stats and you don’t have to do any of the work either. We have gone through the form guide ourselves and have found some key form indicators that we think are important to note for your betting decisions. Let’s take a look at some of the key stats!
When looking for lead-up races, you should check out the Apollo Stakes. The winner of the Verry Elleegant Stakes has come from this race 12 of the last 14 times. The Apollo Stakes is by far the most common lead-up race. In 2024, winner Think It Over finished in third place in the Apollo Stakes before the Verry Elleegant Stakes.
Good news for all the favourite punters out there! The Verry Elleegant Stakes has been kind to the favourites over the past few years, with 10 favourites winning in the last 12 years. This is thanks to the likes of Winx (who won four years in a row) and Verry Elleegant herself!
It seems as though 3YOs aren’t too successful in recent times in the Verry Elleegant Stakes. The last 3YO to win the Verry Elleegant Stakes was back in 2007 with He’s No Pie Eater. You should also look at runners that are trained in Sydney, since the last non-Sydney trainer winner was Te Akau Shark in 2020 and before that, it was Starcraft all the way back in 2004!
Wide barriers aren’t your friend in the Verry Elleegant Stakes. Only two horses since 1993 have won from a barrier wider than eight, which were Te Akau Shark in 2020 and Kingston Bay in 1993.
Speaking of Winx and Verry Elleegant, they are the exception as mares traditionally haven’t had a good record in this race. Winx was the first mare to win the Verry Elleegant Stakes since 1984!
Verry Elleegant Stakes Horses
There have been some amazing, out-of-this-world horses that have won the Verry Elleegant Stakes in the past. This section is dedicated to shining a light on some of these great horses. We have only picked a handful of horses to feature here, so we’ve had to make some tough choices on who to include!
So, let’s see who we’ve picked as some of the best Verry Elleegant Stakes horses to ever win the race below:
Phar Lap - 1930
Known for winning some amazing races, including the biggest race of them all, the Melbourne Cup, Phar Lap also won the Verry Elleegant Stakes! He also won races like the Cox Plate, the Memsie Stakes, the Victoria Derby and the Underwood Stakes. In the end, he held a career record of 51:37-3-2.
Tulloch - 1958 & 1960
Tulloch was one of the greatest Australian stayers, so we just had to include him in our list of best Verry Elleegant Stakes horses! He won the Verry Elleegant Stakes on two occasions and even has a Group 2 race named in his honour, the Tulloch Stakes. He has also won major races like the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the Victoria Derby, the Cox Plate and the Caulfield Cup.
Super Impose - 1991 & 1992
Inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2007, Super Impose won the Verry Elleegant Stakes in back-to-back years, in 1991 and 1992. He ended with a record 74: 20-24-8, which helped him amass a total career prize money of $5,659,358. Not bad for a horse that was purchased by a syndicate for $40,000!
Tie The Knot - 1999-2002
Tie The Knot won the Verry Elleegant Stakes four times in a row. An amazing feat that many thought would never happen again, well how wrong they were (thanks Winx!). He won several other Group 1 races including the Spring Champion Stakes, the Rosehill Guineas and the Ranvet Stakes, just to name a few.
Winx - 2016-2019
Do we really need to say anything about Winx? She was a once-in-a-generation horse who won almost every major race on the Australian calendar! She was named Australian Horse of the Year multiple times and also has a Group 1 race named after her, the Winx Stakes. With prize money over $26 million, it’s no wonder she is much loved by many Australians.
Verry Elleegant - 2021 & 2022
We couldn't have a section about the best horses of the Verry Elleegant Stakes without featuring the horse the race is named after! She won several Group 1 races throughout her career and ended with a record of 36:16-7-3, which amounted to over $14 million in prize money!
Verry Elleegant Stakes Odds
If you’re looking for Verry Elleegant Stakes odds, then you’ll have to keep waiting a little bit as our favourite bookie, PlayUp, is yet to release their market. It’s important to know that PlayUp isn’t the only bookie either, all the top horse racing betting apps will release markets for the Verry Elleegant Stakes in advance, so punters can get their bets on.
Don’t forget that the odds are constantly changing, so if you see something you like, jump on it while you can! There are many different horse racing markets available for the Verry Elleegant Stakes, so there will be something for everyone!
If you see the market is “Before Noms”, then it’s a great time to place your bets. This is because you’ll get your cash back if your horse doesn’t end up making the final field. You won’t have any such luck if you’re betting when the market is “All-In”, so make sure you keep an eye on that.
While the market isn’t released just yet, why don’t you take a look below at the odds of all the runners in the Verry Elleegant Stakes in 2024, just days before the race took place:
Runner: | Odds: |
Fangirl | $1.55 |
Just Fine | $7.50 |
Think It Over | $9.50 |
Buckaroo | $10 |
Lindermann | $13 |
Cascadian | $17 |
Navajo Peak | $31 |
Atishu | $31 |
Arapaho | $61 |
Athabascan | $151 |
*Odds correct as of 29/02/2024.
Verry Elleegant Stakes History
The Verry Elleegant Stakes has a long and rich history, first run in 1925, the race was won by Wallace Mortlake. This race is known as the perfect lead-up race to the Doncaster Mile, which is one of the major races on the Australian racing calendar. The winner of the Verry Elleegant Stakes is exempt from the ballot for the Doncaster Mile!
The winner of the Verry Elleegant Stakes is also exempt from the ballot of the Sydney Cup as well and is a good lead-up race for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, one of the biggest Autumn Racing Carnival races. The Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival is one of the biggest horse racing carnivals of the year.
As recently as 2023 the race was known as the Chipping Norton Stakes, but in 2024 it was renamed the Verry Elleegant Stakes to honour Verry Elleegant who won the race in 2021 and 2022. In the past, the Verry Elleegant Stakes was run at Warwick Farm Racecourse, but it moved to Randwick Racecourse in 2016.
Originally, the Verry Elleegant Stakes was run over a distance of 2,000m, and in 1979 it was even extended to 2,100m, but in 1980 it was reduced to its current race distance of 1,600m The Verry Elleegant Stakes was elevated to Group 1 status in 1986.
As you may have already figured out, the Verry Elleegant Stakes is just one of many races on the Australian racing calendar. If you’re keen to find out more information on other races then you’re in luck, we have a page on all of them! Just check out our Group One races list to see which races we cover!
Verry Elleegant Stakes Results
Everyone wants to know who won the Verry Elleegant Stakes. Was it the favourite who got the chocolates, or was there an upset? All will be revealed in this section, including a full race replay video, so you can relive all the action.
The Verry Elleegant Stakes was taken out by multiple Group 1 winner, Think It Over. He finished just 0.8L in front of the heavy pre-race favourite, Fangirl. Fangirl just couldn’t make her way through the field and broke the hearts of all the favourite backers. In third place, we saw Lindermann finish 2.6L off the pace.
Want to see where each of the runners finished? Check out the full Verry Elleegant Stakes results below:
Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Barrier | Weight |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | THINK IT OVER | Kerry Parker | Nash Rawiller | - | 2 | 59kg |
2 | 9 | FANGIRL | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 0.8L | 8 | 57kg |
3 | 7 | LINDERMANN | Chris Waller | Tim Clark | 2.6L | 4 | 59kg |
4 | 2 | CASCADIAN (GB) | James Cummings | Tom Marquand | 2.9L | 7 | 59kg |
5 | 3 | ARAPAHO (FR) | Bjorn Baker | Zac Lloyd (a) | 4.7L | 6 | 59kg |
6 | 8 | ATHABASCAN (FR) | John O’Shea | Tyler Schiller | 6.4L | 5 | 59kg |
7 | 6 | NAVAJO PEAK | David Payne | Jason Collett | 7.7L | 3 | 59kg |
8 | 5 | JUST FINE (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Regan Bayliss | 11.2L | 1 | 59kg |
- | 4 | BUCKAROO (GB) | Chris Waller | Tommy Berry | 0 | ||
- | 10 | ATISHU (NZ) | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 0 |
Verry Elleegant Stakes Replay
As promised, we have the full race replay video of the Verry Elleegant Stakes! Check it out below:
Verry Elleegant Stakes Winners
We’ve seen some pretty epic races over the past few years in the Verry Elleegant Stakes, which include some amazing wins. Let’s take a step back in time and see all the latest winners from the Verry Elleegant Stakes, up until 2010:
Year: | Runner: |
2025 | TBC |
2024 | Think It Over |
2023 | Anamoe |
2022 | Verry Elleegant |
2021 | Verry Elleegant |
2020 | Te Akau Shark |
2019 | Winx |
2018 | Winx |
2017 | Winx |
2016 | Winx |
2015 | Contributer |
2014 | Boban |
2013 | Shoot Out |
2012 | Shoot Out |
2011 | Danleigh |
2010 | Theseo |
Verry Elleegant Stakes FAQs
One last section before you’re a qualified Verry Elleegant Stakes expert! We’ve listed some common FAQs about the race, so if you have any last-minute questions, we hope you find the answers you’ve been searching for below:
Where to bet on the Verry Elleegant Stakes?
You’ve got several different bookie options available to you for the Verry Elleegant Stakes. If you’re in the market for a new bookie, make sure you check out our bookie reviews page, as we go into detail on all the top bookies in Australia.
How to bet on the Verry Elleegant Stakes?
You should check out our bookie reviews page for more information on how to bet on the Verry Elleegant Stakes. We have a step-by-step guide on what you need to do to get your bets on for the Verry Elleegant Stakes Stakes.
How to watch the Verry Elleegant Stakes
There’s a handful of options if you want to watch the Verry Elleegant Stakes live. Firstly, you can watch the race on free-to-air. You can also watch the race through Foxtel or the sports streaming website, Kayo. Another way you can watch the Verry Elleegant Stakes is through your bookie. Some bookies offer live-streaming services for domestic races.
When is the Verry Elleegant Stakes?
The Verry Elleegant Stakes is scheduled for Saturday 1st March 2025 and will be one of the key races on what we expect to be a jam-packed race card, which includes another Group 1, the Surround Stakes.
How long is the Verry Elleegant Stakes?
The Verry Elleegant Stakes is a middle-distance race and is 1,600 metres.
Where is the Verry Elleegant Stakes?
The Verry Elleegant Stakes takes place each year at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.
Who won the most recent edition of the Verry Elleegant Stakes?
In 2024, we saw Think It Over win the Verry Elleegant Stakes. Leading into the race, Fangirl was the heavy favourite, but couldn’t get the job done, finishing in second place.
What is the prize money for the Verry Elleegant Stakes?
As the Verry Elleegant Stakes is a Group 1 race, there’s a lot of prize money to be handed out! There is a share of $1,000,000 on offer for the Verry Elleegant Stakes.
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