Coolmore Classic Preview and Tips 15/03/25

After a jam-packed weekend of Group One races last Saturday, this Saturday is a little calmer, with just one Group One for us racing fans to focus on. The Coolmore Classic, a race exclusively for fillies and mares, takes place at Rosehill Racecourse and will be run across a distance of 1,500m.

A field of 15 runners has been confirmed for the Coolmore Classic on Saturday, but this has now been reduced to 14, with the scratching of Lazzura. Lady Shenandoah, who will be looking for her third straight win, currently holds favouritism with PlayUp, at odds of $2.15, with Lady Of Camelot on the second line of betting.

With just one Group One race, all my Saturday tips for OnlyRacing are focused squarely on the Coolmore Classic. I have gone through the entire field and evaluated each runner's chance of success on the Rosehill track. In the end, I’ve selected five best bets, so there is something for everyone.

I’m expecting a medium to fast tempo for this year’s Coolmore Classic. Grinzinger Belle and Sounds Of Heaven have the barrier speed, but look for Lady Of Camelot to start strongly and cut across from a wide barrier and claim a good position in the field, probably one or two back off the lead.

We might see the pre-race favourite, Lady Shenandoah follow Lady Of Camelot into a position closer to the front of the field. One of the more favoured runners, Amelia’s Jewel, also has some decent speed and I would expect her to settle in around the midfield. Coeur Volante, the final runner in single-digits, will try to hold the rail after drawing barrier one.

We see a quality edition of the Coolmore Classic and despite the wide barrier and the fact that only three favourites have won the race in the last 20 years, I’m sticking with Lady Shenandoah. She is clearly the one to beat and comes into this one in excellent form. James McDonald steps up, which is a massive tick in the pro column.

The 5YO is the pre-race favourite with PlayUp and is currently going around with odds of $2.15. She’s looking for the trifecta of wins here after claiming the Light Fingers Stakes and then the Surround Stakes. There’s a little bit of a swing in the weights in favour of her rivals compared to her Surround Stakes run, but she’s good enough to overcome that.

I’m going to do a little shuffle past Amelia’s Jewel and Lady of Camelot and head straight to Coeur Volante as my safe bet for the race on Saturday. The 4YO is currently on the fourth line of betting, going around with odds of $10, thanks to Bet365. I think she’s good enough to win this one if she gets some luck on her side.

She comes into this race third-up and her previous attempt third-up wasn’t the best, as a beaten favourite. However, Joliestar, Kimochi and Skybird were the runners that beat her home and they all went on to win Group Ones. The mare's last run was a dominant 4L win in the Mannerism Stakes and I think she can build on that form.

She brings some different form lines into the Coolmore Classic, which is one of the reasons I think we are getting a good price for her, punters aren’t exactly sure about her. While many of her rivals have been racing in Sydney, Marble Arch travels interstate from Melbourne to tackle this one.

The 5YO has a current price of $13 with Dabble and there is certainly some value there. Last time out she won the Blamey Stakes at Flemington by 2L. There’s a 3.5kg swing in weight from Amelia’s Jewel (the top weight), so that works in her favour. One of the things that has impressed me the most about some of her recent runs is her ability to cover ground quickly.

She has to lump around the top weight in this one, but I think Amelia’s Jewel is one to watch. She’s one of the more favoured runners in the market with QuestBet at the moment, on the second line of betting at $7.00. The 5YO is another that comes into the Coolmore Classic with a win last time out, winning the Guy Walter Stakes by 1.5L two weeks ago.

That win in the Guy Walter Stakes was as easy as you like. She went around the $1.80 favourite and James McDonald had it in the bag from very early on. The mare has the class and I think we are only getting $7.00 for her because of the weight she has to carry. Her class might be good enough to get the job done here.

Olentia is going around with excellent odds that I just can’t ignore, so she slots in as my best roughie for the 2025 Coolmore Classic. She’ll be peaking third-up in this one after back-to-back fourth places in the Expressway Stakes and the Guy Walter Stakes. Jockey Jason Collett sticks with her again as he has this entire prep.

The mare is currently going around with odds of $19 with Bet Right. She produced some great closing splits in the Guy Walter Stakes and does enjoy the Rosehill track, with three of her seven career wins coming here. Gets a good barrier draw as well, so there’s a lot to like, especially the price!

All my Coolmore Classic horse racing tips and their odds can be found here:

Bookmaker	Tip	Odds
	Lady Shenandoah (win)	$2.15
	Coeur Volante (each-way)	$10/$3.10
	Marble Arch (place)	$3.60
	Amelia’s Jewel (each-way)	$7.00/$2.35
	Olentia (place)	$4.60