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The $1.5 million The Gold Rush is a Group 3 WFA event held at Ascot Racecourse in Perth in mid-December each summer.
The Gold Rush News
The Gold Rush is a recent addition to the Perth Summer Racing Carnival taking place for the first time at Ascot Racecourse in mid-December 2022.
2025 The Gold Rush Results
Stay tuned for the official 2025 The Gold Rush results and finishing order on Saturday December 13, 2025
- 1st: No. 9 Rey Magnerio ($5.50)
- 2nd: No. 10 Cosmic Crusader
- 3rd: No. 1 Overpass
Winning Margin:Â 0.4 lengths
Winning Time:Â 1:21.43
The Victorian visitor Rey Magnerio ($5.50) delivered a commanding performance to claim victory in the 2025 The Gold Rush results at Ascot on Saturday, stepping up to the trip for the first time and proving far too strong late.
The Robbie Griffiths trained sprinter had stayed on in Perth after his excellent third in the Winterbottom Stakes, and the decision to pay a late entry fee for the $1.5 million feature paid off in style.
Given a perfect ride by the ‘Wizard of the West’ William Pike, Rey Magnerio loomed up in the straight, swept past long time leader Overpass at the 50-metre mark, and held off a fast-finishing Northerly Stakes winner Cosmic Crusader to score impressively.
The Gold Rush 2025 Results
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1st
9. Rey Magnerio (5)
J: William Pike 59kg
T: Robbie Griffiths |
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2nd
10. Cosmic Crusader (9)
J: Clint Johnston-Porter 59kg
T: Michael Grantham |
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3rd
1. Overpass (8)
J: Josh Parr 59kg
T: Bjorn Baker |
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4th
8. Oscar's Fortune (1)
J: Alan Kennedy 59kg
T: Dion Luciani |
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5th
13. Super Smink (2)
J: Lucy Fiore 57kg
T: Daniel Morton |
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6th
12. Aztec Ruler (4)
J: Chris Parnham 59kg
T: Stefan Vahala |
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7th
4. Magnificent Andy (11)
J: Brad Parnham 59kg
T: Stephen Miller |
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8th
2. Western Empire (12)
J: Billy Egan 59kg
T: Grant & Alana Williams |
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9th
11. Rope Them In (7)
J: Shaun McGruddy 59kg
T: Steve Wolfe |
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10th
6. Bustler (10)
J: Steven Parnham 59kg
T: Neville Parnham |
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11th
7. Iowna Merc (3)
J: Joey Azzopardi 59kg
T: Bjorn Baker |
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12th
5. Comfort Me (6)
J: Holly Watson 59kg
T: Rhys Radford |
Following on from Perth’s three Group 1 feature races – the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m), Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) and the Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) – The Gold Rush is also worth $1.5 million but only holds Group 3 status currently.
The inaugural The Gold Rush winner, The Astrologist, came via a lead-up eighth in the Winterbottom Stakes and scored an upset at $19 odds.
It was a fairy tale The Gold Rush result in 2023 for the second edition with retiring super hoop Damien Oliver producing a 10/10 ride to score victory in his final feature race ride aboard Munhamek.
The third edition in 2024 saw 2021 Railway Stakes winner Western Empire return to his best with a win improving on a lead-up ninth in the Winterbottom.
In 2025, The Gold Rush winner Rey Magnerio came via a third in the Winterbottom Stakes.
Perth Racing is aiming at getting the weight-for-age showdown to grow to Group 1 status over the years with the race set to attract the best local and interstate talent of the season.
Open to horses aged three and above, The Gold Rush field faces off over 1400m.
The race name, The Gold Rush, was chosen by Racing and Wagering Western Australia from thousands of suggestions by readers of The West Australian to reflect WA’s rich history of gold discovery in the 1800s.
The 2022 The Gold Rush form was franked with the winner, The Astrologist, later sent overseas where he finished runner-up in Dubai’s Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200m) in March of 2023.
The 2025 The Gold Rush ran for the fourth time on Saturday December 13, 2025 at Ascot Racecourse in Perth offering $1.5 million in stakes and was won in a barnstorming late effort by the Victorian visitor Rey Magnerio ($5.50).
| 2025 The Gold Rush | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Saturday December 13, 2025 |
| Track: | Ascot Racecourse |
| Distance: | 1400m |
| Race Type: | 3YO & Upwards – Weight-for-age |
| Status: | Group 3 |
| Prizemoney: | $1.5 million |
2025 The Gold Rush Betting
The top The Gold Rush betting markets will be open at Ladbrokes.com.au for you to back your insider The Gold Rush betting tips at the right price this summer and also published here at Races.com.au.
There was a notable upset for the first edition with The Astrologist winning at The Gold Rush odds of $19.
2025 The Gold Rush Form Guide
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2025 THE GOLD RUSH FORM GUIDE
2025 The Gold Rush Tips
Stay tuned for our insider The Gold Rush 2025 Tips on the $1.5 million Festival of Perth Racing showdown this December.
To Win: No. 1 Overpass
OVERPASS (8) has firmed into outright favouritism for The Gold Rush and I’m happy to stick with the punters’ pick following the barrier draw.
Bjorn Baker’s class seven-year-old is a genuine Ascot track specialist (6:4-1-0) and looks every chance to bounce back and go one better than his lead-up second when attempting a Winterbottom Stakes three-peat here a fortnight back.
Fourth in the world’s richest turf race when only 1.5 lengths back in Sydney’s The Everest back in October, he was strong off a freshen-up going down in a photo-thriller to Libertad in the Group 1 here over 1200m and gets his chance to atone now with Josh Parr sticking in the saddle.
Parr took him to the lead, and he tried to lead from barrier to box last time out just lacking a slight bit of fitness to get the job done.
The 1400m is a slight stretch and he’s unplaced in two previous goes at the distance, but he oozes class and consistency and presents fitter ready to fire.
Tipping him to go all-the-way.
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3rd
1. Overpass (8)
J: Josh Parr 59kg
T: Bjorn Baker |
2025 The Gold Rush Field
The Gold Rush field is filled with some of the better Perth thoroughbreds as well as visiting stayers from the eastern states.
Horses in The Gold Rush field may come via earlier runs in events including the Railway Stakes and Northerly Stakes (formerly the Kingston Town Stakes).
Three-year-old runners in the field may have their final lead-up in the Group 2 W.A. Guineas (1600m) on Railway Stakes Day.
The 2025 Gold Rush field is announced on the Monday of race week and will be published in full below once released by Perth Racing.
The Gold Rush 2025 final field features a top-class line-up of 13 summer hopefuls led in betting by past The Quokka champions Jokers Grin and Overpass – drawn in gates 10 and 8 respectively – coming off runs for fifth and second respectively in the Winterbottom Stakes.
Click here to read more on the key runners in the 2025 The Gold Rush field and betting markets.
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 181x259x42 | OVERPASS | Bjorn Baker | Joshua Parr | 8 | 59kg | Â | 118 |
| 2 | 91x914x523 | WESTERN EMPIRE (NZ) | Grant & Alana Williams | Billy Egan | 13 | 59kg | Â | 114 |
| 3 | 12x121x115 | JOKERS GRIN | Bernie Miller | Shaun O’Donnell | 10 | 59kg | Â | 115 |
| 4 | x4222x1545 | MAGNIFICENT ANDY | Stephen Miller | Brad Parnham | 12 | 59kg | Â | 111 |
| 5 | x87300x236 | COMFORT ME | Rhys Radford | Ms Holly Watson | 6 | 59kg | Â | 106 |
| 6 | 049x89x070 | BUSTLER | Neville Parnham | Steven Parnham | 11 | 59kg | Â | 104 |
| 7 | 21100×6200 | IOWNA MERC | Bjorn Baker | Joey Azzopardi | 3 | 59kg | Â | 108 |
| 8 | 963569×226 | OSCAR’S FORTUNE | Dion Luciani | Alan Kennedy | 1 | 59kg |  | 104 |
| 9 | x13074x133 | REY MAGNERIO | Robbie Griffiths | William Pike | 5 | 59kg | Â | 110 |
| 10 | x11x113311 | COSMIC CRUSADER (NZ) | Michael Grantham | Clint Johnston-Porter | 9 | 59kg | Â | 113 |
| 11 | 45x170x124 | ROPE THEM IN | Steve Wolfe | Shaun McGruddy | 7 | 59kg | Â | 109 |
| 12 | 72420×0742 | AZTEC RULER | Stefan Vahala | Chris Parnham | 4 | 59kg | Â | 102 |
| 13 | 139379×310 | SUPER SMINK | Daniel Morton | Ms Lucy Fiore | 2 | 57kg | Â | 109 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
2025 The Gold Rush Nominations
The early The Gold Rush 2025 nominations are taken a couple of months prior to The Gold Rush Day in mid-December and will be provided in full below.
The Gold Rush 2025 nominations attracted 106 horses led in all-in betting by the ultra-consistent reigning The Quokka champion Jokers Grin.
The Gold Rush History
The Gold Rush history will be updated as the race grows in stature over the coming years following on from the inaugural running in 2022.
The first The Gold Rush was won by interstate raider The Astrologist ridden to victory as a $19 outsider in betting by star local jockey William Pike.
The second The Gold Rush winner was also trained outside of Perth with Nick Ryan’s Victorian visitor Munhamek ($7) saluting off a brilliant ride by retiring champion jockey Damien Oliver in 2023.
The third The Gold Rush winner Western Empire became the first locally trained champ for Grant & Alana Williams setting the race record of 1 minute 21.94 seconds in 2024.
The fourth The Gold Rush champion was Victorian galloper Rey Magnerio at $5.50 who was ridden by star local hoop William Pike.
The Gold Rush Winners
The table below shows the winners, placegetters and winning times of The Gold Rush since the inaugural running in 2022.
| Year | Place | Horse | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 The Gold Rush | 1st | Rey Magnerio | 1 minute 21.43 seconds |
| 2nd | Cosmic Crusader | ||
| 3rd | Overpass | ||
| Â | |||
| 2024 The Gold Rush | 1st | Western Empire | 1 minute 21.94 seconds |
| 2nd | Magnificent Andy | ||
| 3rd | Super Smink | ||
| Â | |||
| 2023 The Gold Rush | 1st | Munhamek | 1 minute 22.75 seconds |
| 2nd | Ripcord | ||
| 3rd | Comfort Me | ||
| Â | |||
| 2022 The Gold Rush | 1st | The Astrologist | 1 minute 22.44 seconds |
| 2nd | Kissonallforcheeks | ||
| 3rd | Comfort Me | ||
| Â | |||
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