Champions Mile
Champions Mile
Group One Betting Guide
| Date: | Saturday, November 9, 2024 |
| Location: | Flemington Racecourse – Melbourne, Victoria |
| Prize Money: | $3,000,000 |
| Distance: | 1600m |
Punters love betting on the Group 1 Champions Mile at Flemington because it has been taken out by some of the greats of Australian racing.
The 1600 metre race – which is now known as the Champions Mile as of 2022 – is for horses aged three years and older is worth a total prize purse of $3 million.
It changed its name from the Emirates Stakes to the Cantala Stakes in 2016 and it changed dates from the last day of the carnival to Derby Day. It is run on the same day as the Victoria Derby and Coolmore Stud Stakes and the Empire Rose Stakes.
2024 Champions Mile betting odds
Markets for the 2024 Champions Mile are currently unavailable.
Champions Mile best bookmakers
The Champions Mile and most big Group one races held in Australia will have markets framed for them months out from the race by the big corporate bookmakers. For Australians this means we have a handful of really positive options to bet on the biggest race meetings.
Take a look at our comprehensive reviews below for our trusted online bookmakers.
Latest Champions Mile News
In this week’s Follow Files, we have focused on three horses that are worth backing next preparation after impressive Melbourne ...
Ciaron Maher & David Eustace and Declan Bates have combined with Pride Of Jenni to claim the Group 1 VRC ...
A stacked nine-race card awaits punters at Flemington on Saturday for Champions Stakes Day. Check out HorseBetting's free race-by-race preview ...
The VRC Champions Mile will be run and won on Saturday, November 11, at Flemington, where seven runners will do ...
Racing Victoria and the Moonee Valley Racing Club are considering moving the Group 1 Cox Plate to later in the ...
Alligator Blood has taken out the Group 1 Champions Mile for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, capping off a successful ...
Champions Mile race history
The Champions Mile hasn’t always been under that name, as principal sponsor Emirates only came on board in 1998.
Prior to the sponsorship of Emirates, the race was sponsored by company’s such as Ampol, Honda, Nissan, Chrysler, Cantala and its current name of Champions Mile.
With the former international banner of Emirates, and their involvement in world racing, the Champions Mile attracts big attention from Australians and even race goers and punters in Europe and Asia.
The race was first run in 1881 where it was won by Courtenay and it has been run every year since, even throughout the war periods.
Some real champions of the turf have etched their name on the trophy, and also etched their name into Australian racing history.
Vain was a winner in 1969 and champion Gunsynd followed suit two years later to win the 1971 edition of the then called George Adams Handicap.
In recent times, the winning names on the list don’t feature some of the world’s best milers, but the race is continually growing in stature and the increase in prize money in 2014 was a big stepping stone to attracting international horses.
2024 Champions Mile Final Field
HorseBetting will update this page when the 2024 Champions Mile field is released.
Previous Champions Mile Fields
Plenty of Group 1 superstars have won the Champions Mile. Check the previous fields of the Champions Mile here.
No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight 1 
Mr Brightside Ben, Will & JD Hayes Craig Williams 2 59kg 2 Alligator Blood Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Tim Clark 5 59kg 3 The Inevitable John Keys Damien Oliver 4 59kg 4 Bankers Choice Mike Moroney John Allen 6 59kg 5 Victoria Road Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Blake Shinn 1 58kg 6 Fangirl Chris Waller James McDonald 7 57kg 7 Pride Of Jenni Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Declan Bates 3 57kg No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight 1 Kolding Chris Waller Damien Oliver 1 59kg 2 Private Eye Joseph Pride Brenton Avdulla 5 59kg 3 Cascadian James Cummings James McDonald 11 59kg 4 Alligator Blood Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Tim Clark 3 59kg 5 Mr Brightside Ben & JD Hayes Craig Williams 4 59kg 6 Dalasan Leon Macdonald & Andrew Gluyas Michael Dee 2 59kg 7 Aegon Andrew Forsman Jamie Kah 10 59kg 8 Tuvalu Lindsey Smith Jarrod Fry 8 59kg 9 My Oberon Annabel Neasham John Allen 7 59kg 10 Kiss Sum Tracey Bartley Nash Rawiller 9 59kg 11 Sinawann Anthony & Sam Freedman Ben Melham 6 59kg No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight 1 Zoutori Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra Luke Currie 13 58kg 2 Cascadian James Cummings James McDonald 15 57.5kg 3 Superstorm Danny O’Brien Damien Oliver 14 56kg 4 Riodini Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Rachel King 10 55kg 5 Buffalo River Michael Moroney Linda Meech 4 54kg 6 Aramayo Chris Waller Glen Boss 3 53.5kg 7 Icebath Brad Widdup Jye McNeil 16 53.5kg 8 Lunar FoxPaul PreuskerBrett Prebble753kg9 Kahma Lass Jamie Richards Michael Dee 1 52kg 10 Quantum Mechanic Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr Craig Newitt 9 52kg 11 Chaillot Archie Alexander Declan Bates 12 52kg 12 Just Folk Josh Julius Dean Holland 2 52kg 13 Romancer Grahame Begg Will Price 8 52kg 14 Mr Brightside Ben & JD Hayes Craig Williams 6 52kg 15 King Magnus Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock Dean Yendall 11 52kg 16 Flash AahMatt KroppMadeleine Wishart552kgNo. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight 1 Fifty Stars Tom Dabernig & Ben Hayes John Allen 15 58kg 2 Mr Quickie Phillip Stokes Jamie Kah 16 58kg 3 Olmedo Chris Waller James McDonald 20 56kg 4 Wild Planet Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes William Pike 8 55kg 5 Yulong Prince Chris Waller Damian Lane 14 55kg 6 Best Of Days James Cummings Ben Melham 13 54.5kg 7 Cascadian James Cummings Damien Oliver 18 54.5kg 8 I Am Superman Peter & Paul Snowden Jye McNeil 1 54kg 9 Rock Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes Michael Poy 2 54kg 10 Streets Of Avalon Shane Nichols Zac Spain 11 54kg 11 The Velvet King Peter Moody Luke Nolen 4 53.5kg 12 Age Of Chivalry Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra Daniel Moor 19 53kg 13 Buffalo River Michael Moroney Craig Williams 9 53kg 14 Chief Ironside Kris Lees Kerrin McEvoy 3 53kg 15 Nonconformist Grahame Begg Jordan Childs 10 53kg 16 King’s Legacy Peter & Paul Snowden Glen Boss 6 51kg 17 Reykjavik (1E)Lindsey SmithDean Yendall1253kg18 Junipal (2E)Ciaron Maher & David EustaceJye McNeil1753kg19 Harbour Views (3E)Matthew WilliamsKerrin McEvoy753kg20 Reloaded (4E)Chris WallerMichael Dee553kg
2023 Champions Mile result
1st – Pride Of Jenni (+1200)
2nd – Mr Brightside (-142.86)
3rd – Alligator Blood (NTD)
Recent Champions Mile runnings
- Pride Of Jenni ($13.00) took luck out the equation and led at a breakneck tempo in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes seven days ago, and with Declan Bates on board again, the same tactics were adopted in the Group 1 VRC Champions Mile to record the same result. Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained mare loves to lead and run the race at a quick speed and considering that the Flemington track is playing favourable to leaders, she was always going to be hard to run down, no matter the class of opposition. From the moment the field came out until the horses left the mounting yard, all of the attention was on the Cox Plate runners, as Fangirl ($2.40), Mr Brightside ($3.00) and Alligator Blood ($4.20) dominated the betting. However, the Champions Mile was near on a one act affair as Bates took the eventual winner to the front and led the field by three lengths midway through the race, with Alligator Blood sitting in second and tasked with the job to bring the field up to the tearaway leader. Pride Of Jenni led into the home straight with four lengths on the rest of the field and even though Mr Brightside and Fangirl took a lot of ground of the leader, she held on to claim her second Group 1 victory in the space of a week.
- The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Alligator Blood added the VRC Champions Mile to his resume alongside the Underwood Stakes as he relished the drop back to the mile. Having struggled in the Might And Power (2000m) and Cox Plate (2040m), the drop back to the 1600m was clearly the recipe for success for the front-runner. Having been aided by a soft tempo alongside Mr Brightside, the ‘Gator managed to kick clear in the home straight and held off the fast-finishing Tuvalu.
- Danny O’Brien trained Superstorm made a late charge down the Flemington straight to win the geldings first group one in a nail biting four-way photo finish. All praises wen’t out to Damien Oliver for the heroic win after earlier also taking out the Empire Rose Stakes with Colette.
- Despite winning a Group 1 in South Africa earlier in his career, Yulong Prince broke his Group 1 duck in the Cantala Stakes with a strong run from the rear of the field. With a breakneck speed set from Buffalo River, it was always going to suit the backmarkers and following a perfect steer from Damian Lane, it was Yulong Prince who held off the fast finishing Cascadian and Rock. The win handed Chris Waller a second Cantala victory in four years.
- In one of the closest finishes in Cantala Stakes history it was the Matthew Smith trained Fierce Impact who got the bob in during a driving finish where he held out Fifty Stars in an exciting finish. Read our full report on the 2019 Cantala Stakes here
- Godolphin galloper Best Of Days finally delivered on his promise, taking out 2018 Cantala Stakes in terrific fashion. Getting caught in a midfield position with a wall of horses in front of him, Best Of Days was steered brilliantly towards the fence by Craig Williams, who willed the stallion to the line when it looked like Le Romain had his measure.
- Kiwi import Shillelagh was considered an outside hope in the Cantala Stakes in 2017 but history suggests this race was extremely winnable Group 1 event. Fresh off a strong third in the Tristarc Stakes, Shillelagh got a beautiful tail into the race before unleashing down the outside to overrun perennial bridesmaid Tom Melbourne, who registered yet another second in his career.
- An extremely open Cantala Stakes saw Le Romain jumping as a $14 hope in 2016, but in hindsight that price was extremely generous. Settling midfield and getting a great trail into it, Le Romain was produced at the 400m mark and forged its way to the front before kicking away in the shadows of the post to record his second Group 1 victory of his career.
- It was another Kiwi import that won the Cantala Stakes, this time it Turn Me Loose under a strong front-running ride. Taking the lead at the beginning of the race, Turn Me Loose was the lamp lighter for the majority, but looked vulnerable coming into the latter stages of the race. No other horse was coming hard enough in the final 100m however, as Turn Me Loose gripped on to record a heart-stopping win for backers.
- Another double figure saluted in the Cantala after Hucklebuck pounced in the straight to claim his maiden Group 1 crown. Making the most of the hot tempo set by The Cleaner, Hucklebuck strode to the front when the front runner wilted and did enough to hold out a fast-finishing Lucky Hussler.
Past Champions Mile winners list
| Champions Mile Past Winners | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2023 | Pride Of Jenni | Declan Bates | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace |
| 2022 | Alligator Blood | Tim Clark | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott |
| 2021 | Superstorm | Damien Oliver | Danny O’Brien |
| 2020 | Yulong Prince | Damian Lane | Chris Waller |
| 2019 | Fierce Impact | Craig Williams | Matthew Smith |
| 2018 | Best Of Days | Craig Williams | James Cummings |
| 2017 | Shillelagh | Michael Dee | Chris Waller |
| 2016 | Le Romain | Hugh Bowman | Kris Lees |
| 2015 | Turn Me Loose | Kerrin McEvoy | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman |
| 2014 | Hucklebuck | Dom Tourneur | Phillip Stokes |
| 2013 | Boban | Glyn Schofield | Chris Waller |
| 2012 | Happy Trails | Damien Oliver | Paul Beshara |
| 2011 | Albert The Fat | Mark Zahra | Chris Waller |
| 2010 | Wall Street | Hugh Bowman | Jeff Lynds |
| 2009 | All American | Corey Brown | David Hayes |
| 2008 | All Silent | Dwayne Dunn | Grahame Begg |
| 2007 | Tears I Cry | Nikita Beriman | Ciaron Maher |
| 2006 | Divine Madonna | Stephen Baster | Mark Kavanagh |
| 2005 | Valedictum | Steven King | Danny O’Brien |
| 2004 | Sky Cuddle | Jason Benbow | Peter Moody |
| 2003 | Titanic Jack | Brett Prebble | Tom Hughes |
| 2002 | Scenic Peak | Danny Nikolic | Danny Bougoure |
| 2001 | Grand Delight | Kerrin McEvoy | Mathew Ellerton |
| 2000 | Testa Rossa | Patrick Payne | Dean Lawson |
| Champions Mile Past Winners Pre 2000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Horse | ||
| 1999 | Bonanova | ||
| 1998 | Bezeal Bay | ||
| 1997 | Catalan Opening | ||
| 1996 | Miss Margaret | ||
| 1995 | Seascay | ||
| 1994 | Seascay | ||
| 1993 | Primacy | ||
| 1992 | Planet Ruler | ||
| 1991 | Pontormo | ||
| 1990 | Shaftesbury Avenue | ||
| 1989 | Better Loosen Up | ||
| 1988 | Our Westminster | ||
| 1987 | Warned | ||
| 1986 | Chanteclair | ||
| 1985 | Dazzling Duke | ||
| 1984 | Riverdale | ||
| 1983 | Honest Promise | ||
| 1982 | Magari | ||
| 1981 | Tower Belle | ||
| 1980 | Silver Bounty | ||
| 1979 | Bit Of A Skite | ||
| 1978 | Family Of Man | ||
| 1977 | Galway Bay | ||
| 1976 | Maybe Mahal | ||
| 1975 | Kiwi Can | ||
| 1974 | Skyjack | ||
| 1973 | Taj Rossi | ||
| 1972 | All Shot | ||
| 1971 | Gunsynd | ||
| 1970 | Levian | ||
| 1969 | Vain | ||
| 1968 | Cyron | ||
| 1967 | Heroic Stone | ||
| 1966 | Storm Queen | ||
| 1965 | Heroic Stone | ||
| 1964 | Brandy Lad | ||
| 1963 | Wenona Girl | ||
| 1962 | Woambra | ||
| 1961 | Aquanita | ||
| 1960 | Aquanita | ||
| 1959 | Wheat King | ||
| 1958 | Droll Prince | ||
| 1957 | Landy | ||
| 1956 | Matrice | ||
| 1955 | Kosciusko | ||
| 1954 | Prince Cortauld | ||
| 1953 | Rio Janeiro | ||
| 1952 | Phaethon | ||
| 1951 | Kintail | ||
| 1950 | Ellerslie | ||
| 1949 | Comedy Prince | ||
| 1948 | Beau John | ||
| 1947 | Money Moon | ||
| 1946 | St. Fairy | ||
| 1945 | Royal Gem | ||
| 1944 | Gay Revelry | ||
| 1943 | Burberry | ||
| 1942 | Queen Baccha | ||
| 1941 | Burrabil | ||
| 1940 | Gold Salute | ||
| 1939 | Manrico | ||
| 1938 | St. Constant | ||
| 1937 | Mohican | ||
| 1936 | Gay Lover | ||
| 1935 | Hostile | ||
| 1934 | L’elite | ||
| 1933 | Care Free | ||
| 1932 | Denis Boy | ||
| 1931 | Dermid | ||
| 1930 | Mystic Peak | ||
| 1929 | Amounis | ||
| 1928 | Highland | ||
| 1927 | Vaals | ||
| 1926 | Amounis | ||
| 1925 | Waranton | ||
| 1924 | The Night Patrol | ||
| 1923 | Claro | ||
| 1922 | Violoncello | ||
| 1921 | Beeline | ||
| 1920 | Ethiopian | ||
| 1919 | Chal | ||
| 1918 | Fitness | ||
| 1917 | De Gama | ||
| 1916 | Colugo | ||
| 1915 | Fidelio | ||
| 1914 | De Gama | ||
| 1913 | Ireland | ||
| 1912 | Walter Tyrril | ||
| 1911 | Ladies’ Man | ||
| 1910 | Perilous | ||
| 1909 | Kerlie | ||
| 1908 | Iolaire | ||
| 1907 | Iolaire | ||
| 1906 | Benbow | ||
| 1905 | Debenture | ||
| 1904 | P.K. | ||
| 1903 | Graft | ||
| 1902 | Kinglock | ||
| 1901 | Caledonia | ||
| 1900 | Nitre | ||
| 1899 | Security | ||
| 1898 | Sailor Boy | ||
| 1897 | The Grafter | ||
| 1896 | Ayrshire | ||
| 1895 | Hindoo | ||
| 1894 | Escapade | ||
| 1893 | Rosebrook | ||
| 1892 | Cooya | ||
| 1891 | Cardoness | ||
| 1890 | Crown Jewel | ||
| 1889 | Boz | ||
| 1888 | Plutarch | ||
| 1887 | Quintin Matsys | ||
| 1886 | Day Star | ||
| 1885 | The Bohemian | ||
| 1884 | Josephine | ||
| 1883 | Paul | ||
| 1882 | Wizard | ||
| 1881 | Courtenay | ||
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