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Vain Stakes News

Tycoon Star Wins 2025 McNeil Stakes, Firms in Coolmore Stud Stakes Betting

• Vain Stakes Winner Jimmy Recard Firms in 2025 Caulfield Guineas Betting

The 2025 Vain Stakes is an early Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival 1100m sprint that attracts some of the best new season three-year-old colts and geldings from both local and interstate stables.

2025 Vain Stakes Results

Stay tuned for the official 2025 Vain Stakes results and finishing order for the early spring sprint race in Melbourne.

• 1st: #5 Jimmy Recard ($3.60F)
• 2nd: #1 Tycoon Star
• 3rd: #7 Express Class

The Group 1 Caulfield Guineas on October 11 is a spring option for Ciaron Maher’s emerging young star Jimmy Recard ($3.60F) after he overcame some late race mishaps to dig deep and salute in the Vain Stakes 2025 results. 

Click here for the full story. 

Run under set weights plus penalties conditions, the Vain Stakes often features gallopers heading towards a race like the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) back at the track in October over a mile.

Held on PB Lawrence Stakes Day, the Vain Stakes field tends to be filled out with fairly successful colts and geldings who already have decent black type experience. With a total purse of $200,000, the Group 3 race is the male equivalent of the fillies-only Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) held at the same meeting for Thousand Guineas hopes.

Horses that end up in the Vain Stakes field tend to race first-up or come via smaller, unlisted events as part of their pre-warm up. Because there is such a considerable number of entrants who are first or second up, the Vain Stakes results can often be difficult to predict, as most horses are not in full form. Those runners that see success in the Vain Stakes results are likely to contest later events such as the Group 3 HDF McNeil Stakes or the Group 2 Danehill Stakes.

Giga Kick (2022) was the latest horse to complete the Vain Stakes – Danehill Stakes double.

Due to the high quality nature of the Vain Stakes field, you’ll often see horses continue on to compete in the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

The 2019 Vain Stakes winner Bivouac went on to win Sydney’s Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) later that season and ran second in Flemington’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m). He also followed the following autumn and won the 2020 Newmarket Handicap at elite level.

Sepoy (2011) was the last horse to complete the Vain Stakes – Coolmore Stud Stakes double.

The form out of the 2021 Vain Stakes was franked with the winner Ingratiating going on to run third in that year’s Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) against the older horses.

The 2022 Vain Stakes winner Giga Kick went on to make history winning the then $15 million The Everest (1200m) in an upset at 20/1 over the older horses just two starts later in Sydney.

Giga Kick would further frank the Vain Stakes form winning a number of Group 1 races the following year including the 2023 All Aged Stakes in Sydney and Brisbane’s Doomben 10,000.

The 2023 Vain Stakes form was franked with the winner, Cylinder, taking out Sydney’s Group 2 Run To The Rose at his next start before a third in that year’s Golden Rose trifecta. He was also competitive when fifth in that year’s The Everest results and returned in the autumn to win Flemington’s Group 1 Newmarket Handicap down the ‘Straight Six’ in 2024.

The 2025 Vain Stakes took place on Saturday, August 16, 2025 on P.B. Lawrence Stakes Day, Saturday, August 16, 2025, and saw the Ciaron Maher trained favourite Jimmy Recard ($3.60F) overcome interference on the straight to salute narrowly for the punters. 

2025 Vain Stakes Finishing Order

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2025 Vain Stakes Betting

Betting on the Vain Stakes 2025 will be available here at Races.com.au with market links to Ladbrokes.com.au once Racing Victoria announce the final field.

Cylinder ($1.50 in 2023) and Jimmy Recard ($3.60 in 2025) were the latest favourites in Vain Stakes betting to win.

2025 Vain Stakes Form

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2025 VAIN STAKES FORM GUIDE

2025 Vain Stakes Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Vain Stakes 2025 Tips on the early spring lead-up this season.

• To Win: #3 Mcgaw ($7 at time of publish) – BET NOW

A wide-open edition of the Vain Stakes awaits, and we may get a clearer picture of the early Caulfield Guineas contenders. For value, it’s hard to go past MCGAW (7) – an unbeaten son of I Am Immortal with a rising profile. Trained by Emma-Lee & David Browne, the gelding is chasing his third win from as many starts. He impressed on debut over this 1100m trip at Pakenham in January, scoring by 3.5 lengths, and proved his class again at Caulfield in March, taking out the $1 million VOBIS Platinum Showdown (1200m) by half a length over Befuddle despite jumping from gate 13 of 15. He now returns to Caulfield with just seven rivals to face, and the booking of Damian Lane, who’s been aboard for both wins, is a major plus. Having carried 58kg in both previous starts, he’ll appreciate the drop to 56kg in this Group 3. Still untapped and clearly talented, McGaw has the upside to make a statement here.

2025 Vain Stakes Field

The 2025 Vain Stakes field and barrier draw are announced the Wednesday leading-up to P.B. Lawrence Stakes Day with full acceptances to be listed below.

The Vain Stakes 2025 final field features eight gallopers with potential Group 1 spring targets in mind including Lindsay Park’s last start Flemington winner Shining Smile chasing his sixth win on the trot and the stable’s returning Blue Diamond placegetter Tycoon Star.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2025 Vain Stakes Nominations

The early Vain Stakes 2025 Nominations are taken by Racing Victoria on the Monday leading-up to race day, the full list of entries to be published right here once announced.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Vain Stakes History

Inaugurated in 1992, the Vain Stakes has always attracted a strong assortment of young colts and geldings. Never Undercharge took out the first edition of the Vain Stakes with a thrilling run to set the standard of tight finishes that the Vain Stakes is known for.

Initially referred to as the Vain Quality Stakes, the race name was shortened to the Vain Stakes in 1995. For a year in 2010 the race was named the Lister Diesel Stakes.

Initially held at Sandown Park Racecourse, the Vain Stakes shifted to Caulfield for a year in 1994 and then again in 1997. From 2002 onwards, the race’s permanent home has been at Caulfield Racecourse.

Although the Vain Stakes is now held over a distance of 1100m, it was raced over 1200m prior to 2006, when the drop to 1100m was first made. Since then, it has remained at 1100m with the exception of 2009, when it was run over 1200m.

Notable Vain Stakes winners include Cannibal King (1994), Haradasun (2006), Starspangledbanner (2009), Toorak Toff (2010), Bivouac (2019), and that year’s subsequent The Everest race champion Giga Kick (2022).

Giga Kick also set a new Vain Stakes race record winning in 2022 in a time of 1 minute 02.81 seconds.

Vain Stakes results since 2000, including winning times, are listed below.

Vain Stakes Results

This page and the written content within it were partially generated using AI or automated technology and edited and verified by our editorial team.