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Caulfield Guineas Prelude News

Waller’s Prelude Winner Estremo Chance for 2025 Caulfield Guineas

The Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude is a 1400m event held at Melbourne’s Caulfield Racecourse in mid to late September.

Run under set weights plus penalties conditions, the Caulfield Guineas Prelude is open only to three-year-old colts and geldings and serves as the major lead-up race to the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) the following month.

2025 Caulfield Guineas Prelude Results

Stay tuned for the official 2025 Caulfield Guineas Prelude results and finishing order on Saturday September 20, 2025 and to see what three-year-olds have the Caulfield Guineas on the radar. 

• 1st: #7 Estremo ($7)
• 2nd: #1 Vega For Luck
• 3rd: #6 Planet Red

The $3 million Caulfield Guineas on October 11 is calling for the progressive Chris Waller trained colt Estremo ($7) after he fought hard late to run down Vega For Luck in an exciting 2025 Caulfield Guineas Prelude result on Underwood Stakes Day. 

Click here for the full story. 

The Caulfield Guineas Prelude offers a recently boosted $300,000 total prize money. While it is a major lead up event, participation is not requisite for acceptance into the Caulfield Guineas field and the Caulfield Guineas Prelude – Caulfield Guineas double was last achieved by Helmet (2011).

The Caulfield Guineas Prelude is currently held on Underwood Stakes Day with racing at the meeting headlined by the Group 1 $1 million Underwood Stakes (1800m) for Cox Plate types and the Group 1 $1 million Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) which moved back to the card ahead of the 2025 edition to again serve as a key Toorak Handicap lead-up. 

The other key event on the program is the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) for Caulfield Cup-bound stayers which is currently known as the MRC Foundation Cup. 

The Caulfield Guineas Prelude is considered one of the ideal preparatory races for horses taking a number of different spring routes including being freshened up and dropped down in distance for Flemington’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

The 2021 Caulfield Guineas Prelude form was franked with the winner Lightsaber running fourth in that year’s Caulfield Guineas results before returning the following autumn to run second in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) in 2022.

In 2023 the Caulfield Guineas Prelude winner, Steparty, went on to place third in that year’s Caulfield Guineas trifecta. The form was further franked with the Prelude runner-up, Southport Tycoon, returning the following autumn to win the 2024 Group 1 Australian Guineas.

The 2025 Caulfield Guineas Prelude ran on Saturday September 20, 2025 as part of Caulfield’s Underwood Stakes Day and was won in a thrilling late effort by the progressive Chris Waller trained Estremo ($7). 

2025 Caulfield Guineas Prelude Betting 

The updated Caulfield Guineas Prelude 2025 betting odds and links to the Group 3 Caulfield racing markets online at Ladbrokes.com.au will be available at Races.com.au as soon as released.

Aft Cabin ($2.15 in 2022) and Steparty ($2.60 in 2023) are the latest favourites in Caulfield Guineas Prelude markets to salute for the punters.

2025 Caulfield Guineas Prelude Form

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2025 CAULFIELD GUINEAS PRELUDE FORM GUIDE

2025 Caulfield Guineas Prelude Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Caulfield Guineas Prelude 2025 Tips on the important Guineas lead-up this season.

• To Win: #5 Stay Cosmic ($3.20 at time of publish) – BET NOW

After the scratchings of my original top pick BACASH (3), I’ve now turned to STAY COSMIC (6) who is current market mover in this wide-open edition of the Prelude. Phillip Stokes’ consistent Cosmic Force rig hasn’t won since his successful debut at Cranbourne back in March, but he looks to be building back up to winning form. His latest three runs have all produced second place finishes by narrow margins so he’s consistent. Fresh at The Valley he was runner-up a half-length off Rosberg in the Listed McKenzie Stakes which is a form line I’m happy to follow into this tougher assignment now. He was forgotten in betting that day but presents fitter for the run and should enjoy getting up to 1400m. Two back at HQ he came withing a neck of the winner in a Black-Type over this distance and is more mature now. Small field, was strong late fresh and gets the chance to go one better now. 

2025 Caulfield Guineas Prelude Field

Each season the Caulfield Guineas Prelude field attracts the season’s top three-year-old colts and geldings with the potential to see out the mile of the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) next-up.

The official 2025 Caulfield Guineas Prelude field and barriers will be released by Racing Victoria on the Wednesday of race week and published in full below.

The Caulfield Guineas Prelude 2025 has drawn a diminutive but smart field of eight three-year-olds including the Phillip Stokes trained Stay Cosmic coming off a Listed McKenzie Stakes second at The Valley fresh. 

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2025 Caulfield Guineas Prelude Nominations

The 2025 Caulfield Guineas Prelude nominations close on the Monday leading-up to Underwood Stakes Day and will be detailed right here once early entries are announced.

2025 Caulfield Guineas Prelude nominations extended until 10:00AM (AEST) – 16/09/2025

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Caulfield Guineas Prelude History

Inaugurated in 1985, the Caulfield Guineas Prelude has experience multiple renowned horses throughout its relatively short history.

Originally held over 1200m, the Caulfield Guineas Prelude changed to 1400m from the 1991 edition onwards. A Listed race from 1985 to 2000, the 2001 Caulfield Guineas Prelude ran as a Group 3 event, a status which the race has retained since.

The Caulfield Guineas Prelude has experienced a few name changes over the years. Between 1985 and 1989 the Caulfield Guineas Prelude was named the “Show Day Stakes”. Between 1990 and 1997 the race was referred to as the JD MacDonald Stakes. For two years in 1998 and 1999 the name was shortened to the MacDonald Stakes. Since 2000, the race has been known as the Caulfield Guineas Prelude, or more simply, the Guineas Prelude.

Some of the more notable Caulfield Guineas Prelude winners include Brequillo (1985), Alfa (1996), Elvstroem (2003), Apache Cat (2005), Epaulette (2012), and Alligator Blood (2019) who won the following year’s Group 1 Australian Guineas.

Caulfield Guineas Prelude results since 2000 are listed below.

Caulfield Guineas Prelude Results

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