Verry Elleegant Preview and Tips 01/03/25

We are officially in Autumn for the Verry Elleegant Stakes on Saturday at Randwick Racecourse. To sweeten the deal, there’s also the Surround Stakes, which is also run at Randwick, a race before the Verry Ellegant Stakes. Not to be outdone, there is also the Australian Guineas, which takes place in Melbourne at Flemington.

There are three Group One races to sink our teeth into and for the Verry Elleegant Stakes specifically, we see nine high-quality runners tackling the 1,600m race for the lion’s share of the $1 million that’s on the line. The likes of Via Sistina, Fangirl, Ceolwulf and more will line up in the starting barriers on Saturday.

So, without further ado, my Saturday tips have landed for the epic 2025 Verry Elleegant Stakes here at OnlyRacing. I’ve taken the time to go through the entire field and I’ve put together my best bets for the Group One. A lot is going on, so make sure you check out my tips before placing your bets!

A moderate pace looks to be the order of the day for the Verry Elleegant Stakes which sees yet another small field in 2025. Lindermann and Zarakem look to be the likely leaders with Nash Rawiller expected to cut across with Lindermann from barrier seven and Tim Clark won’t have to do much work from barrier three with Zaraken.

The current pre-race favourite, Via Sistina, will probably settle around mid-field or further back, looking for cover. Jumping from barrier eight means she can easily slot in behind some of the other runners with faster barrier speeds. Fangirl, like always, will settle at the rear of the field and give them a sight in the closing stages.

It’s the talk of the town. Can Via Sistina get one back over her rival Fangirl in the Verry Elleegant Stakes? The market and overall general consensus is yes. I do tend to agree as well, which is why I’ve locked Via Sistina in as my best bet, but the $1.80 quote with PlayUp is getting a little skinny.

Via Sistina jumped as the favourite in the Group Two Apollo Stakes and ended up finishing behind Fangirl and Lindermann. Not a lot went right for her that day, getting held up at an important stage. If she gets even a smidge of luck, it’s looking like she’ll pop in a bounce-back performance.

The market seems very convinced that Via Sistina will be able to turn the tables on Fangirl after their last outing and I tend to agree. However, I wouldn’t discount Fangirl completely and she is still more than capable of winning this one, beating Via Sistina again. A lot went right for her in the last run, so luck would have to be on her side again.

Fangirl is going around with odds of $3.40 with Bet365, at the time of writing. She is coming off a win in the Apollo Stakes, where a lot went right for her. It’s looking like the track will be rated Good and her Good record sits at 16:6-3-5. Jockey Jason Collett sticks with her here and I think she's got a decent enough chance to beat out Via Sistina again.

If you’re looking for value, I’ve found it with Lindermann. I’m very surprised that the gelding is currently going around with double-digit odds and you can pick up odds of $13 for Lindermann to win the Verry Elleegant Stakes at Dabble. If he gets his way and can settle in at the front of the field, he’ll give them something to chase.

We see a lot of the field in this one coming through the Group Two Apollo Stakes, a race where Lindermann finished second, by 1L. He is following a similar pattern of races that he did last year when he finished sixth in the Apollo Stakes and then improved to finish third in the Verry Elleegant Stakes in 2024. Nash Rawiller’s race tactics will play a role in this one.

Ceolwulf is another that is coming through the Apollo Stakes and he finished fourth, 1.5L behind Fangirl. I think Ceolwulf will enjoy the extra 200m that he’ll pick up here in the Verry Elleegant Stakes on Saturday. You can get Ceolwulf to take the win for $5.75 (at the time of writing) with QuestBet.

Proven to be a track specialist, with Group One wins in the King Charles III Stakes and the Epsom Handicap recently. I think he’ll be all the fitter for the run in the Apollo Stakes and will look to stay out of trouble from barrier nine (the widest barrier of them all). He’s not without hope and he could even win this one of the top two in the market trip over themselves.

I like Fawkner Park and I’m very surprised that the gelding is going around with some of the highest odds on offer. Bet Right is currently offering $51 for Fawkner Park to take out the win in the Verry Elleegant Stakes on Saturday. It’s unlikely that he’ll get the better of the likes of Via Sistina and Fangirl, but $51 seems a little overs.

Fawkner Park is taking a different path to others in the field and we haven’t seen the 6YO since the Rosehill Gold Cup, which he won by 0.2L. He has a decent Good record as well, sitting at 14:8-1-0, so as long as the track stays in that range, he’s in with a chance (his Soft and Wet record sits at 5:0-0-2).

All my Verry Elleegant horse racing tips and their odds can be found here:

Bookmaker	Tip	Odds
	Via Sistina (win)	$1.80
	Fangirl (each-way)	$ $3.40/$1.28
	Lindermann (place)	$2.50
	Ceolwulf (each-way)	$ $5.75/$1.48
	Fawkner Park (place)	$5.75