Chances are you're about to lose.
For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au
The Red Anchor Stakes is a Group 3 sprint held at Moonee Valley Racecourse on Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day.
Red Anchor Stakes News
The Group 3 Red Anchor Stakes is a 1200m sprint held at Moonee Valley Racecourse during the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival in late October on Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day.
2025 Red Anchor Stakes Results
Stay tuned for the official 2025 Red Anchor Stakes results and finishing order on Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day.
- 1st: No. 2 Napoleonic ($3F)
- 2nd: No. 9 Live
- 3rd: No. 5 Ornithology
Winning Margin: 4.25 lengths
Winning Time: 1:10.08
The Red Anchor Stakes 2025 results saw an absolute demolition job by the John O’Shea & Tom Charton trained favourite Napoleonic ($3F) as the class colt went into “beast mode” hooking out four wide before the turn for home before coming with a blistering turn of foot to loop the field and storm home for a 4.25 length victory for the punters. He has firmed in from $26 to $13 through Ladbrokes.com.au for the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes on Derby Day with the stable yet to confirm his run on the quick back-up.
Red Anchor Stakes 2025 Results
|
1st
2. Napoleonic (9)
J: James McDonald 57kg
T: John O'Shea & Tom Charlton |
||
|
2nd
9. Live (1)
J: Ben Melham 55kg
T: Clinton McDonald |
||
|
3rd
5. Ornithology (7)
J: Hugh Bowman 57kg
T: Chris Waller |
||
|
4th
4. St Edward (5)
J: Blake Shinn 57kg
T: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr |
||
|
5th
1. Prince Tycoon (6)
J: Damian Lane 57kg
T: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young |
||
|
6th
7. Palm Angel (8)
J: Ethan Brown 56.5kg
T: Jason Warren |
||
|
7th
8. Snow Mercy (4)
J: Lachlan Neindorf 56.5kg
T: Phillip Stokes |
||
|
8th
3. Virtual Illusion (2)
J: Mark Zahra 57kg
T: Richard & Chantelle Jolly |
||
|
9th
6. Cacchione (3)
J: Jordan Childs 57kg
T: Dominic Sutton |
Held under set weights with penalties conditions, the Red Anchor Stakes is restricted to three-year-old sprinters and offers $240,000 in prize money.
The Red Anchor Stakes is held on Cox Plate Day alongside a host of other Group status spring features. These include the renowned Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m), the Group 2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic (1600m), Group 2 Moonee Valley Vase (2040m), Group 2 Crystal Mile (1600m), Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1200m), Group 3 JRA Cup (2040m), and the Group 3 Tesio Stakes (1600m).
Classier types tend to perform well under the set weights plus penalties conditions of the Red Anchor Stakes. Some fairly decent young horses have gotten up over Group 1 types in recent years, so when punting don’t be too quick to immediately jump on the well-known horses when placing your bets on the Red Anchor Stakes.
Horses tend to target the Red Anchor Stakes following runs in races with similar conditions and similar distances including the Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) over the Caulfield Cup Carnival.
Following the Red Anchor Stakes, some runners may go on to the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m), run a week later at Flemington Racecourse on VRC Derby Day.
The 2020 Red Anchor Stakes form was later franked with the winner Portland Sky winning the following autumn’s Group 1 Oakleigh Plate.
The 2025 Red Anchor Stakes ran at the Moonee Valley track on Saturday October 25, 2025 as part of Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day and saw the favourite Napoleonic ($3F) shoot off on the home straight for a powerhouse 4.25 length victory.Â
| Red Anchor Stakes 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Saturday October 25, 2025 |
| Track: | Moonee Valley Racecourse |
| Distance: | 1200m |
| Race Type: | 3YOs SW+P |
| Status: | Group 3 |
| Prize Money: | $240,000 |
2025 Red Anchor Stakes Betting
The latest Red Anchor Stakes 2025 betting odds from Ladbrokes.com.au will be provided at Races.com.au for punters to lock in tips on the three-years-old sprint on Cox Plate Day at the best price.
Generation ($2.20 in 2021), Archo Nacho ($2.60 in 2023) and Napoleonic ($3 in 2025) are the latest favourites in Red Anchor Stakes betting to salute for the punters.
2025 Red Anchor Stakes Form Guide
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2025 RED ANCHOR STAKES FORM GUIDE
2025 Red Anchor Stakes Tips
Stay tuned for our insider Red Anchor Stakes 2025 Tips on the potential Coolmore Stud Stakes lead-up this spring.
To Win: No. 8 Snow Mercy
SNOW MERCY (4) has been excellent this prep posting back-to-back wins and I’m skeptical to discount Phillip Stokes’ flying Toronado filly in this. She came off a Morphettville win to parade beautifully under the lights at The Valley on Manikato Stakes Night and lived up to her appearance running out of her skin at 25/1 to take out the Group 3 Scarborough Stakes in a late surge at this track and trip in late September. Kept fresh since, the win here last time out is a big tick, and she’s drawn to get another good run from gate four on Cox Plate Day with Lachlan Neindorf sticking aboard. While the depth of her last win is up for debate, she showed grit and determination when it counted. Hard to fault her winning effort, and she returns to familiar surroundings with confidence on her side. Good filly going well enough to step up.
|
7th
8. Snow Mercy (4)
J: Lachlan Neindorf 56.5kg
T: Phillip Stokes |
2025 Red Anchor Stakes Field
The Red Anchor Stakes field tends to attract three-year-olds who have had fairly extensive preparations already that season. Horses that run in the Red Anchor Stakes field usually do so following several black type races already that season including Sydney’s Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) or Caulfield’s Group 3 HDF McNeil Stakes (1200m) in September.
Napoleonic (4th in 2025) was the last Roman Consul Stakes graduate to back-up and win the Red Anchor Stakes on Cox Plate Day.
The 2025 Red Anchor Stakes field and barriers are released on the Wednesday leading-up to Cox Plate Day and will be published in full below.
The Red Anchor Stakes 2025 final field features a small line-up of potentially Coolmore Stud Stakes bound three-year-olds including the resuming Prince Tycoon, Napoleonic coming off a fourth in Sydney’s Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes and Phillip Stokes’ last start Group 3 Scarborough Stakes winner Snow Mercy chasing a hat-trick.
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12x | PRINCE TYCOON | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Damian Lane | 6 | 57kg | Â | Â | 72 |
| 2 | 62×114 | NAPOLEONIC | John O’Shea & Tom Charlton | James McDonald | 9 | 57kg | Â | Â | 75 |
| 3 | 11 | VIRTUAL ILLUSION | Richard & Chantelle Jolly | Mark Zahra | 2 | 57kg | Â | Â | 67 |
| 4 | 21 | ST EDWARD | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | Blake Shinn | 5 | 57kg | Â | Â | 65 |
| 5 | 1 | ORNITHOLOGY | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | 7 | 57kg | Â | Â | 63 |
| 6 | 2 | CACCHIONE | Dominic Sutton | Jordan Childs | 3 | 57kg | Â | Â | 62 |
| 7 | 1510×0 | PALM ANGEL | Jason Warren | Ethan Brown | 8 | 56.5kg | Â | Â | 83 |
| 8 | 211 | SNOW MERCY | Phillip Stokes | Lachlan Neindorf | 4 | 56.5kg | Â | Â | 84 |
| 9 | 1 | LIVE | Clinton McDonald | Ben Melham | 1 | 55kg | Â | Â | 63 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
2025 Red Anchor Stakes Nominations
Nominations for the Red Anchor Stakes in 2025 close the Monday leading-up to the race.
Red Anchor Stakes History
The Red Anchor Stakes was inaugurated in 1985, with Seiger taking out the first edition. Since then, the Red Anchor Stakes has provided classy three-year-olds with an opportunity to showcase their skills against other horses of similar levels of skill.
The Red Anchor Stakes has always been held over 1200m. Between the years of 1990 and 2005 the race ran as the CS Hayes Stakes. Between 2006 and 2011 it was referred to as the City Pacific Finance Stakes. Following that, it adopted the name Telstra Phonewords Stakes.
Notable Red Anchor Stakes winners include Rubiton (1986), Sequalo (1993), Yell (2002), Royal Asscher (2007), Karuta Queen (2011) and four-length champion Napoleonic (2025).
Red Anchor Stakes results and winning times are listed below.
Red Anchor Stakes History
| Year | Place | Horse | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Napoleonic | 1 minute 10.08 seconds |
| Live | |||
| 3rd | Ornithology | ||
| 2024 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Bittercreek | 1 minute 10.50 seconds |
| Pisces | |||
| 3rd | Winnasedge | ||
| 2023 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Archo Nacho | 1 minute 11.35 seconds |
| Maharba | |||
| 3rd | Don’t Hope Do | ||
| 2022 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Sejardan | 1 minute 13.40 seconds |
| Sweet Ride | |||
| 3rd | Shalailed | ||
| 2021 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Generation | 1 minute 10.89 seconds |
| Scissor Step | |||
| 3rd | Sudoko | ||
| 2020 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Portland Sky | 1 minute 12.95 seconds |
| 2nd | Bella Nipotina | ||
| 3rd | Valaquenta | ||
| 2019 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Sartorial Splendor | 1 minute 11.22 seconds |
| 2nd | Condo’s Express | ||
| 3rd | Three Beans | ||
| 2018 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Charge | 1 minute 10.00 seconds |
| 2nd | Sunset Watch | ||
| 3rd | Ringerdingding | ||
| 2017 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Eptimum | 1 minute 09.98 seconds |
| 2nd | Single Bullet | ||
| 3rd | Trekking | ||
| 2016 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Archives | 1 minute 12.14 seconds |
| 2nd | Crafted | ||
| 3rd | Big John Cannon | ||
| 2015 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Holler | 1 minute 9.8 seconds |
| 2nd | Brockhoff | ||
| 3rd | Demonstrate | ||
| 2014 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Galaxy Pegasus | 1 minute 9.9 seconds |
| 2nd | Law | ||
| 3rd | Nicoscene | ||
| 2013 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Thermal Current | 1 minute 11.3 seconds |
| 2nd | Not Listenin’tome | ||
| 3rd | Selectify | ||
| 2012 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Hidden Warrior | 1 minute 11.2 seconds |
| 2nd | Haussmann | ||
| 3rd | Chosen Moment | ||
| 2011 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Karuta Queen | 1 minute 10.6 seconds |
| 2nd | Miss Stellabelle | ||
| 3rd | Amah Rock | ||
| 2010 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | That’s Not It | 1 minute 11.6 seconds |
| 2nd | Happy Trails | ||
| 3rd | Lone Rock | ||
| 2009 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Avenue | 1 minute 10.0 seconds |
| 2nd | Governance | ||
| 3rd | Broken | ||
| 2008 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Millbank | 1 minute 11.1 seconds |
| 2nd | Gold In Dubai | ||
| 3rd | Montana Flyer | ||
| 2007 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Royal Asscher | 1 minute 11.2 seconds |
| 2nd | El Mandon | ||
| 3rd | Wilsons Promontory | ||
| 2006 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Corton Charlemagne | 1 minute 11.6 seconds |
| 2nd | Fair Horizons | ||
| 3rd | Evacuate | ||
| 2005 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Coronga | 1 minute 12.6 seconds |
| 2nd | Facing The Breeze | ||
| 3rd | Angkhasa | ||
| 2004 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Oratorio | 1 minute 14.8 seconds |
| 2nd | Kingify | ||
| 3rd | World Peace | ||
| 2003 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Youth | 1 minute 11.3 seconds |
| 2nd | Flagmentation | ||
| 3rd | Happy Strike | ||
| 2002 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Yell | 1 minute 10.9 seconds |
| 2nd | Tycoon Ruler | ||
| 3rd | Before Too Long | ||
| 2001 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Deprave | 1 minute 12.5 seconds |
| 2nd | Firm | ||
| 3rd | La Lagune | ||
| 2000 Red Anchor Stakes | 1st | Sound The Alarm | 1 minute 12.1 seconds |
| 2nd | Wurabinda | ||
| 3rd | Senet Pete | ||
next to go
