Champions Sprint

Looking for this year’s Champions Sprint betting odds, field, tips and info on how to bet on the Champions Sprint in 2025? The experts at Neds have put together everything you need to know before this year’s edition of the race formerly known as both the VRC Sprint Classic and Darley Classic.

The Champions Sprint is held on the last day of the coveted four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival in November each spring. Taking place on the Saturday after the Melbourne Cup is run and won on the first Tuesday of November, the Champions Sprint is held over 1200m down the iconic ‘Straight Six’ at Flemington Racecourse. 

Offering $3 million in prize money as of 2022, the weight-for-age feature draws a field of the season’s best sprinters, many of which may be coming out of the world’s richest turf race – the $20 million The Everest (1200m) held at Randwick the month before.

In 2017 Redzel completed The Everest – Darley Sprint Classic double winning the inaugural edition of the first leg. Nature Strip (2021) became the second horse in history to do the double when winning the VRC Sprint Classic for a second time.

The Everest also produced the following four VRC Sprint Classic winners with Santa Ana Lane (6th in 2018), Nature Strip (4th in 2019), Bivouac (2nd in 2020), and as mentioned above Nature Strip (1st in 2021).

The Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley a fortnight prior is a key Champions Sprint lead-up. Buffering (2013) was the last horse to do the double. 

The event was renamed the Champions Sprint ahead of the 2022 edition which was won in an upset by the mare Roch ‘N’ Horse who defeated two-time champion Nature Strip.

In 2024 The Everest winner Bella Nipotina ran third in the Champions Sprint which was won by Sunshine In Paris who was fifth in that year’s The Everest results.

champions sprint 2025 – Quick Information

• Race Day: Saturday November 8, 2025
• Formerly Known As: VRC Sprint Classic, Darley Classic
• Track Location: Flemington Racecourse
• Track Surface: Turf
• Track Direction: Left-handed
• Race Distance: 1,200 metres
• Weight Conditions: Weight for age
• Qualification: Three-year-olds and over (excluding maidens)
• Type: Thoroughbred
• Grade: Group 1
• Operator: Victoria Racing Club
• Prize Purse: $3,000,000
• Inaugural Race: 1960
• 2025 Champions Sprint Winner: TBD

Champions Sprint 2025 RESULTS

The official 2025 Champions Sprint results will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday November 8, 2025. 

1. TBD
2. TBD
3. TBD

Champions Sprint Betting 2025

There are many different ways to bet on the Champions Sprint, and we have included some of the most popular options below:

How To Bet On The Champions Sprint in 2025

1. Log in at neds.com.au
2. Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
3. Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on Champions Sprint Betting above).
4. Select the horse(s) for the race.

Which Horse Will Win The Champions Sprint in 2025

The best way to pick which horse will win the Champions Sprint in 2025 is to take into account their lead-up spring racing form, assess the barriers and consider their past record at Flemington down the straight.

Additional factors to consider when picking the Champions Sprint winner include:

• Age – Most winners tend to be four years old or older. No three-year-old has won since Glamour Puss (2005).
• Favourites – Favourites had a poor strike-rate in the event until recent wins by the favourites Bivouac (2020), Nature Strip (2021), and Imperatriz (2023).
• The Everest Lead-Up – The Everest in Sydney is now considered the key form race to follow into the VRC Sprint Classic / Champions Sprint with Redzel (2017) the first to do the double followed by Nature Strip (2021). Sunshine In Parish (5th in 2024) was the last The Everest graduate to win the Champions Sprint. Horses may also run in the previous Saturday’s Group 2 Linlithgow Stakes (1200m) with Glamour Puss (2005) the last to take out both races.

Champions Sprint Favourites 2025

Favourites in Champions Sprint 2025 betting at time of publish include confirmed early The Everest raider Ka Ying Rising, the autumn’s All Aged Stakes champ Jimmysstar, and smart grey TJ Smith Stakes champ Briasa. 

Redzel ($4 in 2017), ($3.20 in 2020), Nature Strip ($1.28 in 2021), and Imperatriz ($2.15 in 2023) are the last VRC Champions Sprint  favourites to win.

champions sprint Field 2025

The official 2025 Champions Sprint field of final acceptances is announced on the Wednesday leading-up to the race, the day after the Melbourne Cup, and will be published in full below.

champions spirnt 2025 Tips

Favourite: TBD

Best Bet: TBD

Best Roughie: TBD

Our insider 2025 Champions Sprint tips will be detailed above the week of the race and a full betting preview available on the Neds Blog.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR COMPLETE 2025 CHAMPIONS SPRINT PREVIEW & TIPS

champions sprint Race Day 2025

The 2025 Champions Sprint takes place on Saturday the 8th of November 2025 as one of the feature races of Flemington’s 2025 VRC Champions Stakes Day program. The other Group status races on the card include the:

• Group 1 $3,000,000 VRC Champions Stakes (2000m) – formerly the Mackinnon Stakes,
• Group 1 $3,000,000 Champions Mile (1600m) – formerly the Kennedy Cantala Stakes,
• Group 2 $300,000 Matriarch Stakes (2000m), and the
• Group 3 $300,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m).

VRC Champions Stakes Day in Melbourne takes place on the same date as Sydney’s $1 million Golden Gift race along with the $2 million Five Diamonds event at Rosehill Gardens.

champions sprint 2025 Nominations

The 2025 Champions Sprint nominations close the Monday of race week and will be published below in full once released.

champions sprint 2025 Weights

Weight for age conditions apply to this race. 2025 Champions Sprint weights will be declared by 4 PM, Monday the 3rd of November 2025 and will be published in our above Champions Sprint Field section.

champions sprint 2025 Acceptances

2025 Champions Sprint final acceptances must be declared before 9:30 AM on Wednesday, the 5th of November 2025 and will be published in our above Champions Sprint Field section. 

Champions sprint 2025 riders

Riders must be declared by 1 PM Wednesday, the 5th of November 2025 with the official list of 2025 Champions Sprint jockeys to be published in our above Champions Sprint Field section. 

champions sprint Scratchings 2025

2025 Champions Sprint scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Saturday, the 8th of November 2025. 

champions sprint Prize Money 2025

The 2025 Champions Sprint prize purse is worth $3,000,000 in total, distributed from places first through to eighth.

champions sprint Jockeys

Some of the most memorable VRC Sprint Classic / Champions Sprint jockeys of all time include Hugh Bowman, Damian Browne and Glen Boss. In the past decade, two jockeys have won the Darley Classic twice with Kerrin McEvoy and Ben Melham, while James McDonald enjoyed his third victory in 2021 on Nature Strip. 

James McDonald aboard Sunshine In Paris in 2024 is the most recent Champions Sprint winning jockey.

champions sprint Race Number 2025

The 2025 Champions Sprint race number is TBC for Saturday, November 8, 2025. There are nine races in total that day at Flemington Racecourse.

champions sprint 2025 Form Guide

The final form guide will be available the week of the race. You can check below for a link to our full 2025 Champions Sprint Form Guide following final acceptances. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2025 CHAMPIONS SPRINT CLASSIC FORM GUIDE

champions sprint Live 2025

You can watch or listen to the 2025 Champions Sprint live, across the following mediums.

Pay television: Sky Racing 1 (channel 526 on Foxtel)

Free to air television: Channel 9

Radio: Radio Sport National

Streaming: Racing.com

Mobile: Neds App

vrc sprint Classic / Champions Sprint Winners

Winners of the VRC Sprint Classic / Champions Sprint going back to 2004 are displayed in the table below. If you would like to view the full list of winners, going all the way back to 1960, please visit our Champions Sprint Winners page.