Looking for this year’s VRC Champions Stakes betting odds, field and tips? The expert tipsters at Neds have put together everything you need to know before this year’s race.
Registered as the Mackinnon Stakes, this Group 1 VRC race was renamed the Champions Stakes in 2022 and is contested over 2000m at weight-for-age on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival contested at Flemington Racecourse the Saturday after the Melbourne Cup is run and won.
The $3 million VRC Champions Stakes makes an ideal final target for any gallopers that ran in the Group 1 $5 million Cox Plate over the same distance at Moonee Valley the previous month with plenty of former Mackinnon Stakes winners coming out of that classic.
Arcadia Queen (5th in 2020) and Zaaki (4th in 2022) are recent Ladbrokes Cox Plate graduates to back-up and win Flemington’s Mackinnon Stakes.
Zaaki (2021) also won the Mackinnon Stakes after being scratched as the favourite from the Cox Plate on the morning of the race before the event was renamed ahead of the 2022 edition.
Zaaki franked the 2021 Mackinnon Stakes form going on to win the next year’s then $5 million The All-Star Mile (1600m) before returning to successfully defend his Champions Stakes title in 2022.
In 2024 Via Sistina completed the Cox Plate – Champions Stakes double by a combined winning margin of 10.75 lengths!
Via Sistina went on to frank the 2024 Champions Stakes form when returning in 2025 to win a host more Group 1 races including Sydney’s $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes in the autumn.
vrc champions Stakes 2025 – Quick Information
- Race Day: Saturday November 8, 2025
- Former Race Name: Mackinnon Stakes
- Track Location: Flemington Racecourse
- Track Surface: Turf
- Track Direction: Left-handed
- Race Distance: 2,000 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: 1869
- 2025 VRC Champions Stakes Winner: TBD
vrc champions Stakes 2025 Results
The official 2025 VRC Champions Stakes results and will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday, November 8, 2025.
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
VRC Champions Stakes Betting 2025
There are many different ways to bet on the Mackinnon Stakes / VRC Champions Stakes, and we have included some of the most popular options below:
| Bet Type | How To Place This Type Of Bet In This Year’s VRC Champions Stakes |
|---|---|
| Win Bet | Place your bet on the horse you think will take first place in this year’s VRC Champions Stakes. |
| Place Bet | Place your bet on the horse you think will place in the top three finishers at this year’s VRC Champions Stakes. Pays less than a win bet, but offers safer odds. |
| Each-Way Bet | If your runner finishes 1st in the VRC Champions Stakes, you will collect both the Win and the Place dividend. If your horse finishes 2nd or 3rd you will collect the Place dividend. |
| Quinella Bet | You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in any order, within the VRC Champions Stakes in order to win the Quinella. |
| Exacta Bet | You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order, within the VRC Champions Stakes to win the Exacta. |
| Trifecta Bet | You must select runners to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order, within the VRC Champions Stakes to win the Trifecta. |
| First Four | You must select runners that finish 1st, 2nd ,3rd and 4th in the correct order, within the VRC Champions Stakes to win the First 4. |
| Quadrella Bet (Quaddie) | You must select the winners of four nominated races to win the Quaddie. This means you would have to select three other races apart from the VRC Champions Stakes, in order to be eligible to place a Quaddie. |
How To Bet On the VRC Champions Stakes in 2025
- Log in at neds.com.au
- Make a deposit, using your credit card, PayPal or other safe electronic method
- Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
- Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on the VRC Champions Stakes / Mackinnon Betting (above).
- Select the horse(s) for the race.
VRC Champions Stakes Field 2025
The official VRC Champions Stakes 2025 field of final acceptances is announced by Racing Victoria on the Wednesday prior to the race and will be published in full below.
WHICH HORSE WILL WIN THE VRC Champions STAKES IN 2025?
The best way to pick which horse will win the VRC Champions Stakes in 2025 is to take into account their lead-up spring racing form, assess the barriers, consider their past record at Flemington, and look at their previous weight-for-age performances.
Additional factors to consider when picking the VRC Champions Stakes winner include:
- Cox Plate Graduates: Between 2008-2024 11 of the 15 Mackinnon Stakes / Champions Stakes winners came off a lead-up run in the Cox Plate at The Valley most recently Via Sistina (2024) who did the double.
- Favourite Flops: Just four Mackinnon Stakes / Champions Stakes favourites since 2005 have won with So You Think (2010), Arcadia Queen (2020), Zaaki (2021), and Via Sistina (2024).
VRC Champions Stakes Favourites 2025
Favourites in 2025 VRC Champions Stakes betting at time of publish include the defending Chris Waller trained champion mare Via Sistina, Tony Gollan’s Doomben Cup winning Queensland star Antino, and VRC Oaks – Australian Oaks double winning filly Treasurethe Moment.
Arcadia Queen ($2.45 in 2020), Zaaki ($2.25 in 2021), and Via Sistina ($1.60 in 2024) are the latest Champions Stakes favourites to win.
VRC Champions Stakes 2025 TiPs
Favourite: TBD
Best Bet: TBD
Best Roughie: TBD
Our insider 2025 VRC Champions Stakes 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 STAKES PREVIEW & TIPS
VRC Champions Stakes Race Day 2025
Race day takes place on Saturday the 8th of November 2025 as the feature race of Flemington’s 2025 Champions Stakes Day program. The other Group status races on the card include the:
- Group 1 $3,000,000 Champions Sprint (1200m) – formerly the VRC Sprint Classic,
- Group 1 $3,000,000 Champions Mile (1600m) – formerly the Cantala Stakes from Derby Day,
- Group 2 $300,000 Matriarch Stakes (2000m), and the
- Group 3 $300,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m).
Mackinnon Stakes Day (known in 2025 as VRC Champions Stakes Day) in Melbourne takes place on the same date as Sydney’s $1 million Golden Gift and the recently created $2 million The Five Diamonds.
VRC Champions Stakes 2025 Nominations
2025 Champions Stakes nominations close at 12 PM, Monday the 3rd of November 2025.
VRC Champions Stakes Weights 2025
Weight for age conditions applies to this race. 2025 Champions Stakes weights are declared by 4 PM Monday, the 3rd of November 2025 with weights on the final acceptances to be published in our above VRC Champions Stakes Field section.
VRC Champions Stakes 2025 Acceptances
2025 Champions Stakes final acceptances must be declared before 9:30 AM on Wednesday November 5, 2025, and will be published in our above VRC Champions Stakes Field section.
VRC Champions Stakes 2025 jockeys
Riders must be declared by 1 PM on Wednesday November 5, 2025, and the official 2025 Champions Stakes jockeys will be published in our above VRC Champions Stakes Field section.
VRC Champions Stakes Scratchings 2025
2025 Champions Stakes scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Saturday the 8th of November 2025.
VRC Champions Stakes Prize Money 2025
The 2025 Champions Stakes prize purse is worth $3,000,000 in total and is distributed from places first through to eighth.
| Place | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1st | $1,800,000 |
| 2nd | $540,000 |
| 3rd | $270,000 |
| 4th | $135,000 |
| 5th | $75,000 |
| 6th | $60,000 |
| 7th | $60,000 |
| 8th | $60,000 |
VRC Champions Stakes Race Number 2025
The 2025 VRC Champions Stakes race number is TBC for Saturday November 8, 2025, on the final race day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. There are nine races in total that day at Flemington Racecourse.
VRC Champions Stakes 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 VRC Champions Stakes Form Guide post final acceptances.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2025 VRC CHAMPIONS STAKES FORM GUIDE
VRC Champions Stakes Live 2025
You can watch or listen to the 2025 VRC Champions Stakes 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
Grey Horses In The Mackinnon Stakes
Grey horses which have taken first place in the Mackinnon (formerly known as the Emirates Stakes) include Glass Harmonium (2011), Horlicks (1989) and Gunsynd Manighar (1971).
Mackinnon Stakes Winners
Winners of the Mackinnon Stakes – now known as the VRC Champions Stakes – going back to 1999 are displayed in the table below. If you would like to view the full list of Mackinnon Stakes winners, going all the way back to 1861, please visit our VRC Champions Stakes / Mackinnon Stakes Winners page.
| Year | Winner | Trainer/s | Jockey | Weight | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2024 | Via Sistina | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 57kg | 2:01.86 |
| 2023 | Atishu | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 57kg | 2:02.01 |
| 2022 | Zaaki | Annabel Neasham | Jamie Kah | 59kg | 2:02.00 |
| 2021 | Zaaki | Annabel Neasham | James McDonald | 59kg | 2:02.94 |
| 2020 | Arcadia Queen | Grant & Alana Williams | Luke Currie | 57kg | 2:03.53 |
| 2019 | Magic Wand | Aidan O’Brien | Ryan Moore | 57kg | 2:01.82 |
| 2018 | Trap For Fools | Jarrod McLean | John Allen | 59kg | 2:02.31 |
| 2017 | Tosen Stardom | Darren Weir | Damian Lane | 59kg | 2:01.22 |
| 2016 | Awesome Rock | Leon & Troy Corstens | Stephen Baster | 59kg | 2:02.49 |
| 2015 | Gailo Chop | Antoine de Watrigant | Ben Melham | 59kg | 2:03.56 |
| 2014 | Happy Trails | Paul Beshara | Damien Oliver | 59kg | 2:02.28 |
| 2013 | Side Glance | Andrew Balding | Jamie Spencer | 59kg | 2:03.59 |
| 2012 | Alcopop | Jake Stephens | Craig Williams | 59kg | 2:01.26 |
| 2011 | Glass Harmonium | Michael Moroney | Damien Oliver | 59kg | 2:02.72 |
| 2010 | So You Think | Bart Cummings | Steven Arnold | 58kg | 2:04.92 |
| 2009 | Scenic Shot | Daniel Morton | Shane Scriven | 59kg | 2:03.46 |
| 2008 | Theseo | Gai Waterhouse | Nash Rawiller | 59kg | 2:03.84 |
| 2007 | Sirmione | Bart Cummings | Peter Mertens | 58.5kg | 2:02.32 |
| 2006 | Desert War | Gai Waterhouse | Chris Munce | 58kg | 2:02.38 |
| 2005 | Lad Of The Manor | Roger Hoysted | Greg Childs | 58kg | 2:01.72 |
| 2004 | Grand Armee | Gai Waterhouse | Damien Oliver | 58kg | 2:00.91 |
| 2003 | Casual Pass | Mathew Ellerton | Glen Boss | 50kg | 2:05.86 |
| 2002 | Lonhro | John Hawkes | Darren Beadman | 57.5kg | 2:02.64 |
| 2001 | La Bella Dama | Graeme Rogerson | Scott Seamer | 55kg | 2:01.57 |
| 2000 | Oliver Twist | Brian Mayfield-Smith | Greg Childs | 58kg | 2:04.48 |
| 1999 | Rogan Josh | Bart Cummings | John Marshall | 58kg | 2:00.34 |
How do I bet on the 2025 Champions Stakes?
Log in at neds.com.au
Make a deposit, using your credit card, PayPal or other safe electronic method
Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on the VRC Champions Stakes / Mackinnon Betting.
Select the horse(s) for the race.
Which horse will win the 2025 Champions Stakes?
The best way to pick which horse will win the VRC Champions Stakes in 2025 is to take into account their lead-up spring racing form, assess the barriers, consider their past record at Flemington, and look at their previous weight-for-age performances.
Additional factors to consider when picking the VRC Champions Stakes winner include:
Cox Plate Graduates: Between 2008-2024 11 of the 15 Mackinnon Stakes / Champions Stakes winners came off a lead-up run in the Cox Plate at The Valley most recently Via Sistina (2024) who did the double.
Favourite Flops: Just four Mackinnon Stakes / Champions Stakes favourites since 2005 have won with So You Think (2010), Arcadia Queen (2020), Zaaki (2021), and Via Sistina (2024).