Oakleigh Plate Preview and Tips 22/02/25

It’s Blue Diamond Stakes week at Caulfield Racecourse this week which also includes the Oakleigh Plate and the Futurity Stakes. The Oakleigh Plate is worth a whopping $750K and we see some of the best runners line up for the 2025 edition. I will provide horse racing tips for all three Group One races.

We see 17 runners confirmed for the Oakleigh Plate, however, at the time of writing, Brudenell has been scratched, so only 16 runners will head to the starting barriers. It’s a quality field which is also quite open with five runners listed in single digits.

Right now, you can sink your teeth into my Saturday tips for the Oakleigh Plate here at OnlyRacing. The Autumn Racing Carnival is heating up and I can’t wait to see how it all shakes out across the next few months. I have a total of five best bets available, so there is something for everyone.

The race tempo is going to be fast in this one as we see a lot of runners with fast barrier speed. The likes of Golden Boom (barrier 13) and Arabian Summer (barrier 15)will probably push to the front and look to take the lead from wide barriers.

The current narrow favourite, She’s Bulletproof, will likely sit just off the pace, with some cover. She’ll need to hope that some gaps open up at the right time for her to slot into. Estriella, who is currently on the second line of betting, does have some barrier speed and should sit just off the leaders.

It’s another open race and a tricky one for me to pick. However, I’ve landed on Estriella as my best bet for the Oakleigh Plate on Saturday. The 4YO is currently on the second line of betting with PlayUp, paying $6.50 to claim the win. We haven’t seen Estriella since the Spring Racing Carnival when she finished ninth in the Champions Sprint.

We all know how much of a genius Ciaron Maher is and it seems as though he has shaken up the strategy for Estriella and is now choosing to run her fresher. Jockey Blake Shinn sticks after a recent trial as well, which is always a good sign. Shinn gets a lot of options from barrier nine, so I’m excited to see what she can do.

Jimmysstar is a star in my eyes and I’ve locked him down as my safe bet for the Oakleigh Plate and he also presents some value. He will have to overcome a wide barrier draw, jumping from barrier 14. The 5YO is currently going around with odds of $9.00 at Bet365 and the thing I like the most about him is his closing speed. 

I reckon he has the best closing speed out of the entire field and if he’s close enough, he’ll be very hard to hold out. Looking back at his recent races, his effort at Caulfield back in September across the same distance for this one was excellent and he beat the likes of Ashford Street and Rey Magnerio in that one.

Espionage is one of two runners in this one that will only carry 50kg on his back. The colt is currently going around with odds of $13 at Dabble to win the Oakleigh Plate, so there’s a reasonable amount of value to be had. We didn’t see him during the Spring Racing Carnival due to injury, but I’m hopeful he’ll have an injury-free Autumn.

It’s been a little bit of the luck of the draw with 3YOs for the Oakleigh Plate over recent years, but Espionage could really shake this one up. Recently won at Group Three level and has trialled twice since. The trials were both pretty good and I’m willing to take a chance on the 3YO for this one.

Sghirripa was included in my tips for the Oakleigh Plate in 2024 and while the gelding did let me down on that day, I’m confident enough in his ability and form coming into this race in 2025 to give him another chance. Not only do I think Sghirripa presents a real threat to the top runners in the market, but he also presents some value.

The 5YO is currently going around with odds of $13 at QuestBet to claim victory on Saturday. He gets a better barrier draw this year compared to in 2024, barrier three as opposed to barrier 13. He was disappointing in the Group Three Gilgai Stakes last time out but has been back to the trials since which shows he is ready to bounce back.

I don’t think Ashford Street has the same level of class as some of the others in this one but comes in super light at the weights and barrier four works in his favour. Ashford Street will carry just 52kg on Saturday, which is a 5kg swing from the top weight. Taking a little punt with the 7YO and he is worth a little something on the place, or for the wider exotics.

Ashford Street is currently paying $34 to win the 2025 Oakleigh Plate on Saturday with Bet Right. His previous two runs across the 1,100m at Caulfield have been great and he drops in the weights from those races so he should feel like a whole new horse. He gave Jimmysstar (paying $9.00) a run for his money recently. Certainly worth a chance.

All my Oakleigh Plate horse racing tips and their odds can be found here:

Bookmaker	Tip	Odds
	Estriella (win)	$6.50
	Jimmysstar (each-way)	$9.00/$3.25
	Espionage (place)	$4.00
	Sghirripa (place)	$3.90
	Ashford Street (place)	$8.00