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The final Australian Group 1 race of the year will be run and won at Perth’s Ascot Racecourse as The Pinnacles continues with the Northerly Stakes 2025 where unbeaten three-year-old, King Of Light, is firm favourite to remain undefeated.
A capacity line-up of summer staying types take to the Ascot track in Saturday’s Group 1 $1.5 million Northerly Stakes (1800m) – a race won by a host of turf greats over the years including triple Cox Plate champ Kingston Town and the event’s now namesake Northerly.
This year it is the progressive Daniel Morton trained Earthlight gelding, King Of Light, sitting top of the Northerly Stakes odds online at $2.35 through Ladbrokes.com.au.
He has won all five of his starts to date having stepped up in grade to easily account for his fellow three-year-olds in the Group 2 WA Guineas (1600m) over the mile here on November 22.
Dropping right back from 57kg there to 52kg at weight-for-age on the weekend, King Of Light has William Pike retaining the ride from gate eight in a big plus.
While the three-year-old fillies have an outstanding recent record in the race, the last three-year-old gelding to win was Ihtsahymn (2013).
Amelia’s Jewel ($2.90 in 2022) meanwhile was the last Northerly Stakes favourite to salute for the punters and also the last three-year-old to complete the WA Guineas – Northerly Stakes double.
Morton will also be represented by untapped Exceedance filly Pure Excess ($19) and roughie hope In Good Order ($61).
The three-year-old fillies have enjoyed four wins since 2014 most recently with Amelia’s Jewel (2022) and Pure Excess, who will be airborne with just 50kg, is looking to add to that imposing record.
Steven Parnham retains the ride on the narrow Group 3 Champion Fillies Stakes winner who ticks plenty of boxes to run a big race on the weekend but suffered a blow drawing out wide in gate 15.
Another key chance in Northerly Stakes betting at the other age of the age scale is the Grant & Alana Williams trained eight-year-old Western Empire ($10) drawn in barrier 6 for jockey Billy Egan.
Boasting a great record at the Ascot track (18:7-4-3), the $3.3 million earner contests the race for a second time having finished runner-up to Regal Power back in 2021 on the back of his win in that year’s Railway Stakes.
He showed he still had plenty of racing left in him last time out when second past the post in this season’s Railway Stakes results beaten three-quarters of a length by stablemate Watch Me Rock.
Watch Me Rock is also in the mix this weekend out to complete the Railway Stakes – Northerly Stakes double for the first time since Sniper’s Bullet (2009) and paying $9.50 to do so having eased out in the markets after a wide gate 16 draw.
A nine-time winner from 11 starts at Ascot and chasing a hat-trick on Saturday, Watch Me Rock has Nash Rawiller coming aboard for the ride with Pike opting to stick in the saddle of his younger rival.
Since the year 2000, Grant Williams is the most successful Northerly Stakes winning trainer with four victories including his latest three in partnership with his daughter Alana.
The Williams’ partnership saddle-up a total of three in the Northerly Stakes field in 2025 with Western Empire and Watch Me Rock joined in the starting line-up by 80/1 outsider Hemlock Stone.
Michael Grantham has another of the last-start winners in the event with Cosmic Crusader also being kept safe in betting currently at $5.50 following his lead-up victory here by a big margin as the odds-on favourite in the Listed Carbine Club Stakes (1400m).
Saturday has the Maurice gelding rise notably in grade and distance, but he oozes consistency and looks a genuine chance to handle his acid test especially since drawing gate nine.
The best fancied of the female gallopers to beat home the boys is the Ciaron Maher trained Vivy Air who is the early Northerly Stakes market mover backed in from $12 to $9.50.
Mares have a poor record in the race but there’s money coming for Maher’s five-year-old daughter of Hellbent to break the hoodoo after her $2 million Five Diamonds win over this distance at Rosehill on November 8.
Maher stole the show with his visitor Light Infantry Man (2024) last summer and now chases back-to-back Northerly Stakes wins.
The other standout interstate raider in the mix this season is the Ben, Will & JD Hayes trained Apulia at $18 with jockey Michael Dee given a tough task from gate 14.
The beautifully bred Fiorente entire has been putting together a nice record in Victoria and now heads west up in grade after his last start win in the Listed Chester Manifold Stakes over the Flemington mile on Oaks Day.
He has won up to 2040m previously so should appreciate the 1800m at this stage of his prep.
The 2025 Northerly Stakes is set to run as Ascot Race 9 at 9 at 5:00pm (AWST) / 8:00pm (AEDT) as the penultimate event in Perth on Saturday.
Northerly Stakes 2025 Results
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1st
11. Cosmic Crusader (9)
J: Clint Johnston-Porter 59kg
T: Michael Grantham |
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2nd
3. Watch Me Rock (15)
J: Nash Rawiller 59kg
T: Grant & Alana Williams |
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3rd
1. Western Empire (6)
J: Billy Egan 59kg
T: Grant & Alana Williams |
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4th
2. Osipenko (16)
J: Fred W Kersley 59kg
T: Chris Waller |
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5th
12. Depth Of Character (2)
J: Chris Parnham 58.5kg
T: Annabel & Rob Archibald |
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6th
14. Admiration Express (3)
J: Brad Rawiller 57kg
T: Jason Miller |
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7th
10. In Good Order (5)
J: Shaun O'Donnell 59kg
T: Daniel Morton |
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8th
13. Vivy Air (11)
J: Ethan Brown 57kg
T: Ciaron Maher |
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9th
6. Diamond Scene (12)
J: Brad Parnham 59kg
T: Michael Grantham |
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10th
4. Apulia (13)
J: Michael Dee 59kg
T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes |
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11th
5. Hemlock Stone (7)
J: Austin Galati 59kg
T: Grant & Alana Williams |
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12th
16. Pure Excess (14)
J: Steven Parnham 50kg
T: Daniel Morton |
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13th
9. Ginger Baker (10)
J: Joey Azzopardi 59kg
T: Daniel & Ben Pearce |
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14th
15. King Of Light (8)
J: William Pike 52kg
T: Daniel Morton |
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15th
7. Sentimental Hero (4)
J: Craig Newitt 59kg
T: Peter Fernie |
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16th
8. Zipaway (1)
J: Laqdar Ramoly 59kg
T: Neville Parnham |
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