Looking for this year’s Vain Stakes betting tips, field and form? The experts at Neds have put together everything you need to know before this year’s race.
vain Stakes 2025 Results
The official 2025 Vain Stakes results will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday August 16, 2025.
- #5 Jimmy Recard
- #1 Tycoon Star
- #7 Express Class
The 2025 Vain Stakes was won by three-year-old I Am Invincible colt Jimmy Recard at $3.60 favouritism for trainer Ciaron Maher with jockey Jamie Melham aboard on 56kg from barrier 1 to win by 0.25 lengths on a Soft (6) track in a time of 1:05.29.
| 5. Jimmy Recard (1) J: Jamie Melham56kg 8x11T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 1. Tycoon Star (2) J: Mark Zahra58kg 4340xT: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes | ||
| 7. Express Class (4) J: Patrick Moloney56kg 1T: Gerard Moloney | ||
| 6. Sonofkirk (7) J: Jye McNeil56kg 31T: Anthony & Sam Freedman | ||
| 2. Shining Smile (5) J: Daniel Stackhouse57kg 111x1T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes | ||
| 8. Hay Street (6) J: Ethan Brown56kg 24xT: Annabel & Rob Archibald | ||
| 4. Shaggy (3) J: Ben Melham56kg 115x7T: Allan Kehoe |
Run over 1,100 metres, the Vain Stakes is a Group 3 race taking place at Caulfield Racecourse in August each year. With a $200,000 prize purse, it is open to three-year-old colts and geldings and is run at set weights plus penalties.
Other races on the same program at Caulfield on this date include the PB Lawrence Stakes, the Quezette Stakes and the Regal Roller Stakes.
Horses that do well in this race might step-up in distance for Sydney’s Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) or contest the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) back down the Flemington straight on VRC Derby Day during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
In 2019 Bivouac became the last horse to do the Vain Stakes – Golden Rose Stakes double. The Vain Stakes – Coolmore Stud Stakes double meanwhile was most recently achieved by Sepoy (2011).
This race gets its name from former champion racehorse Vain. From the races inaugural race until 2012, this race was run as Principal race. Ever since then, it has been run as a Group 3 race.
The 2022 Vain Stakes form was franked with the winner Giga Kick going on to win the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) next start before his historical upset in the The Everest results in Sydney – a race now worth $20 million in prize money.
Vain Stakes 2025 – Quick Information
- Race Day: Saturday, August 16th, 2025
- Track Location: Caulfield Racecourse
- Track Surface: Turf
- Track Direction: Left-handed
- Race Distance: 1,100 metres
- Weight Conditions: Set weights (plus penalties)
- Qualification: Three-year-olds (colts and geldings)
- Type: Thoroughbred
- Grade: Group 3
- Operator: Melbourne Racing Club
- Prize Purse: $200,000
- Inaugural Race: 1992
- 2025 Vain Stakes Winner: Jimmy Recard
Vain Stakes Betting 2025
There are many different ways to bet on the Vain 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 Vain Stakes |
|---|---|
| Win Bet | Place your bet on the horse you think will take first place in this year’s Vain Stakes. |
| Place Bet | Place your bet on the horse you think will place in the top three finishers at this year’s Vain Stakes. Pays less than a win bet, but offers safer odds. |
| Each-Way Bet | If your runner finishes 1st in the Vain 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 Vain 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 Vain Stakes to win the Exacta. |
| Trifecta Bet | You must select runners to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order, within the Vain Stakes to win the Trifecta. |
| First Four | You must select runners that finish 1st, 2nd ,3rd and 4th in the correct order, within the Vain 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 Vain Stakes, in order to be eligible to place a Quaddie. |
How To Bet On The Vain Stakes in 2025
- Join up 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 Vain Stakes Betting above).
- Select the horse(s) for the race.
Which Horse Will Win The Vain Stakes in 2025
The best way to pick which horse will win the Vain Stakes in 2025 is to take into account their lead-up spring racing form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight each horse will carry.
Additional factors to consider when selecting the Vain Stakes winner include:
- Fresh Start – A lot of horses use this race to mark their return before Spring. Look for horses that had a strong season before they were spelled. Cylinder (2023) was the last first-up Vain Stakes winner.
- Local Youngsters – Look for a horse that did a good campaign as a two year old, preferably on Melbourne soil.
- Favourites – Top position has been dominated by favourites and single figure runners in recent years past.
Vain Stakes Favourites 2025
2025 Vain Stakes favourites include Lindsay Park’s resuming Blue Diamond third placegetter Tycoon Star, his ultra-consistent stablemate Shining Smile chasing a sixth win on the trot, and lightly raced Ole Kirk colt Sonofkirk coming off a last start win at the track.
Bivouac ($3 in 2019), Cylinder ($1.50 in 2023) and Jimmy Recard ($3.60 in 2025) are the latest favourites in Vain Stakes betting to salute for the punters.
Vain Stakes 2025 Field
The official 2025 Vain Stakes field of final acceptances will be released on the Wednesday of race week and published in full 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.
| Entrant | Last 6 | Sex | Barrier | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Tycoon Star
J: Mark Zahra
T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes |
x4340x | C | 2 | 58kg | |
|
2. Shining Smile
J: Daniel Stackhouse
T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes |
x111x1 | C | 5 | 57kg | |
| 3. Mcgaw (7) Scratched: | |||||
|
4. Shaggy
J: Ben Melham
T: Allan Kehoe |
1115x7 | G | 3 | 56kg | |
|
5. Jimmy Recard
J: Jamie Melham
T: Ciaron Maher |
8x11 | C | 1 | 56kg | |
|
6. Sonofkirk
J: Jye McNeil
T: Anthony & Sam Freedman |
31 | C | 7 | 56kg | |
|
7. Express Class
J: Patrick Moloney
T: Gerard Moloney |
1 | G | 4 | 56kg | |
|
8. Hay Street
J: Ethan Brown
T: Annabel & Rob Archibald |
24x | G | 6 | 56kg | |
Vain Stakes 2025 Tips
Favourite: #2 Shining Smile ($3.80 at time of publish) – BET NOW
Best Bet: #3 Mcgaw ($7 at time of publish) – BET NOW
Best Roughie: See Above – BET NOW
Our insider 2025 Vain Stakes betting tips will be detailed here the week of the race and a full betting preview for P.B. Lawrence Stakes Day available on the Neds Blog.
CLICK HERE FOR OUR COMPLETE 2025 PB LAWRENCE STAKES DAY PREVIEW & TIPS
Vain Stakes Race Day 2025
The 2025 Vain Stakes takes place as part of the 2025 P.B. Lawrence Stakes Day card at Caulfield on Saturday, August 16, 2025. The other Group status features held at the meeting are the:
- Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m), and the
- Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m).
Vain Stakes 2025 Barrier Draw
The 2025 Vain Stakes barrier draw will be released to the public a few days before the race and published in our above Vain Stakes Field section.
Vain Stakes 2025 Nominations
2025 Vain Stakes nominations close by 12:00 PM on the Monday of race week.
| Last 10 | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1531x | BLITZBURG | C | 3 | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou | 80 |
| 2 | DECANTED (NZ) | C | 3 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | ||
| 3 | 1 | EXPRESS CLASS | G | 3 | Gerard Moloney | 65 |
| 4 | 224x | FACILITATE | G | 3 | Leon & Troy Corstens & Will Larkin | 63 |
| 5 | 24x | HAY STREET | G | 3 | Annabel & Rob Archibald | 64 |
| 6 | 8×11 | JIMMY RECARD | C | 3 | Ciaron Maher | 69 |
| 7 | 11x | MCGAW | G | 3 | Emma-Lee & David Browne | 72 |
| 8 | 217x | MISSILE MAGNATE | C | 3 | Annabel & Rob Archibald | 63 |
| 9 | 6×381 | REDDERS | C | 3 | Danny O’Brien | 62 |
| 10 | 1115×7 | SHAGGY | G | 3 | Allan Kehoe | 74 |
| 11 | 231x111x1 | SHINING SMILE | C | 3 | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | 82 |
| 12 | 31 | SONOFKIRK | C | 3 | Anthony & Sam Freedman | 68 |
| 13 | 9126×5 | STEEL KNIGHT | G | 3 | Annabel & Rob Archibald | 62 |
| 14 | 14x4340x | TYCOON STAR | C | 3 | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | 86 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
Vain Stakes 2025 Weights
Set weight plus penalties apply to this race. Final 2025 Vain Stakes weights will be announced by 4:00 PM on the Monday of race week with weights on the final acceptors to be published in our above Vain Stakes Field section.
2025 Vain Stakes Topweight:
- #1 Tycoon Star (58kg)
Vain Stakes 2025 Acceptances
2025 Vain Stakes final acceptances must be declared before 9:30 AM on the Wednesday of race week and published in our above Vain Stakes Field section.
Vain Stakes 2025 Jockeys
The final riders’ announcement is at 1 PM on the Wednesday of race week with the official 2025 Vain Stakes jockeys published in our above Vain Stakes Field section.
Vain Stakes 2025 Scratchings
2025 Vain Stakes scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Saturday, the 16th of August 2025.
Vain Stakes Prize Money 2025
The 2025 Vain Stakes prize purse is worth $200,000 in total, distributed from places first through to eighth.
| Place | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1st | $120,000 |
| 2nd | $36,000 |
| 3rd | $18,000 |
| 4th | $9,000 |
| 5th | $5,000 |
| 6th | $4,000 |
| 7th | $4,000 |
| 8th | $4,000 |
Vain Stakes Race Number 2025
The 2025 Vain Stakes race number is scheduled as Caulfield Race 5 at 2:45pm (AEST) on Saturday, the 16th of August 2025. There are nine races in total that day at Caulfield Racecourse.
Vain Stakes Form Guide 2025
The final form guide will be available the week of the race. You can check below for a link to our full 2025 Vain Stakes Form Guide following final acceptances.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2025 VAIN STAKES FORM GUIDE
Vain Stakes Live 2025
You can watch or listen to the 2025 Vain Stakes live, across the following mediums.
Pay television: Sky Racing 1 (channel 526 on Foxtel)
Radio: Radio Sport National
Streaming: Racing.com
Mobile: Neds App
Vain Stakes Winners
Winners of the Vain Stakes going back to 1999 are displayed in the table below.
| Year | Winner | Trainer/s | Jockey | Weight | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jimmy Recard | Ciaron Maher | Jamie Melham | 56 kgs | 1:05.29 |
| 2024 | Band Of Brothers | Dominic Sutton | Damian Lane | 56 kgs | 1:03.61 |
| 2023 | Cylinder | James Cummings | Blake Shinn | 58 kgs | 1:03.14 |
| 2022 | Giga Kick | Clayton Douglas | Craig Williams | 56 kgs | 1:02.81 |
| 2021 | Ingratiating | James Cummings | Damien Oliver | 57 kgs | 1:03.97 |
| 2020 | Our Playboy | Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr. | Ben Melham | 56 kgs | 1:04.91 |
| 2019 | Bivouac | James Cummings | Hugh Bowman | 57 kgs | 1:03.42 |
| 2018 | Tony Nicconi | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Luke Nolen | 55 kgs | 1:04.85 |
| 2017 | Jukebox | Ciaron Maher | Craig Williams | 56.5 kgs | 1:04.87 |
| 2016 | Russian Revolution | Peter & Paul Snowden | Mark Zahra | 55 kgs | 1:05.14 |
| 2015 | Gold Symphony | Peter Moody | Glen Boss | 55 kgs | 1:04.42 |
| 2014 | Get The Nod | Lloyd Kennewell | Joe Bowditch | 55 kgs | 1:03.88 |
| 2013 | Safeguard | Peter Snowden | Kerrin McEvoy | 56.5 kgs | 1:04.87 |
| 2012 | Psychic Mick | Clarken | Chris Symons | 55 kgs | 1:06.13 |
| 2011 | Sepoy | Peter Snowden | Kerrin McEvoy | 58.5 kgs | 1:03.99 |
| 2010 | Toorak Toff | Rick Hore-Lacy | Damien Oliver | 57.5 kgs | 1:07.12 |
| 2009 | Starspangledbanner | Leon Corstens | Danny Nikolic | 56.5 kgs | 1:04.10 |
| 2008 | Fernandina | Leon Corstens | Vlad Duric | 55 kgs | 1:05.14 |
| 2007 | Shrewd Rhythm | Greg Eurell | Chris Symons | 57.5 kgs | 1:03.40 |
| 2006 | Haradasun | Tony Vasil | Nash Rawiller | 54 kgs | 1:03.51 |
| 2005 | Red Dazzler | Mick Price | Danny Nikolic | 56 kgs | 1:13.73 |
| 2004 | Zankel | Brian Mayfield-Smith | Steven King | 54 kgs | 1:12.69 |
| 2003 | Lisboa Stand | Rick Hore-Lacy | Greg Childs | 55 kgs | 1:10.38 |
| 2002 | Delago Brom | Tommy Hughes (Snr) | Steven Arnold | 55 kgs | 1:10.10 |
| 2001 | North Boy | Tony McEvoy | Damien Oliver | 57 kgs | 1:12.88 |
| 2000 | Surtees | Jan Bowman | Bruce MacDonald | 54 kgs | 1:12.95 |
| 1999 | Dandy Kid | Robbie Griffiths | Rikki Cartwright | 56 kgs | 1:13.80 |
How do I bet on the 2025 Vain Stakes?
Bet online or via the latest iOS/Android app with Neds.
The first step is to create an account at neds.com.au. The process is quick and easy!
Once you've created your account you can make a deposit via credit card, or any other of our secure payment methods.
Next up, head to the racing page and find the race and runner that's right for you.
Which horse will win the 2025 Vain Stakes?
The best way to pick which horse will win the Vain Stakes in 2025 is to take into account their lead-up spring racing form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight each horse will carry.
Additional factors to consider when selecting the Vain Stakes winner include:
Fresh Start - A lot of horses use this race to mark their return before Spring. Look for horses that had a strong season before they were spelled. Cylinder (2023) was the last first-up Vain Stakes winner.
Local Youngsters - Look for a horse that did a good campaign as a two year old, preferably on Melbourne soil.
Favourites - Top position has been dominated by favourites and single figure runners in recent years past.