Evenly matched or lacking a leader? A look back at the 2025 juvenile G1s

Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

As Cool Archie (Cool Aza Beel {NZ}) flew home in the G1 JJ Atkins Plate, the juvenile Group 1s for 2024/25 were concluded with seven races and seven individual winners, showing the breadth of the 2022 born crop in Australia and New Zealand.

Devil Night takes the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes

The opening Group 1 of the season went the way of the outsiders with the first five across the line paying double or triple figures on the tote. Extreme Choice’s $1.4 million colt Devil Night came into the race for trainers Michael, John and Wayne Hawkes having had only one start, running second in the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (c&g) behind gelding Field Of Play (Deep Field) on debut.

Sent out at $16 by punters, Devil Night was ridden by Michael Dee to sit behind the speed and sprint home to win by 0.1l from $21 shot Tentyris (Street Boss {USA}) with $17 hope Tycoon Star (Written Tycoon) in third. The $4 favourite Field Of Play finished in sixth.

With the first and third horse owned by Yulong, who have had an incredible season in 2024/25, Devil Night did exactly what a buyer hopes when they spend seven figures on a yearling – win a Group 1 juvenile race at his second start. He became the fifth Group 1 winner for Extreme Choice whose record is beyond incredible having sired the winners of two juvenile Group 1s, having previously sired the G1 Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside and Devil Night adding the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes. He also has sired a G1 VRC Oaks winner (She's Extreme), a G1 Coolmore Classic winner (Espiona), as well as Knight’s Choice, who won the G1 Melbourne Cup over 3200 metres, showing the range of his capabilities.

Sold by Kingstar Farm at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Devil Night is a half-brother to Group 3 winner Our Playboy (Sebring), out of unraced Mischief Night (Shamardal {USA}) who is a half-sister to Yulong’s Group 1 winner and sire Pierata and Group 3 winner Ashokan (More Than Ready {USA}). Devil Night had one more start during the season, when fifth in the G1 Golden Slipper.

Snitzel dominates the Slipper

Recently deceased four-time Champion Australian Sire Snitzel celebrated his third G1 Golden Slipper winner when Michael Freedman-trained Marhoona won the Slipper at her third start. A homebred for Emirates Park, who were also enjoying their third Slipper winner after Estijaab (Snitzel) and Mossfun (Mossman), Marhoona had debuted with a win in Sydney in early February before running second to Godolphin’s filly Tempted (Street Boss {USA}) in the G2 Reisling Stakes.

By contrast to the Blue Diamond, the first four home in the Slipper were all well regarded in the market with the winner being the punters’ third choice. The favourite, Tempted, finished third paying $4.80, while second placed Chris Waller-trained colt Wodeton (Wootton Bassett {GB}) was sent out as second favourite by punters.

The race was not without drama with Bjorn Baker filly Within The Law (Lucky Vega {Ire}) going through the running rail early in the race, and fortunately both her and jockey Jason Collett were uninjured.

Jockey Damian Lane on Marhoona sat quietly behind the leaders and pounded to win by 0.14l with less than a length covering the first three home. The Blue Diamond winner, Devil Night, was 3.5l away in fifth. Marhoona became the 23rd Group 1 winner for Snitzel and his 155th stakes winner, although since then he has added five more to take his current total to 160 career stakes winners.

Winner of two of her three starts, Marhoona was sent out to spell after the Golden Slipper and didn’t partake in the next two legs of the Sydney triple crown for juveniles. As well as Marhoona and Estijaab, Snitzel’s third Golden Slipper winner is Coolmore stallion Shinzo. Snitzel also sired the New Zealand G1 Sistema Stakes winner Return To Conquer to give him two juvenile Group 1 winners for the season.

Marhoona's dam unraced Salma (Encosta De Lago) is very special as Marhoona is her fourth stakes winner from five foals to race. Her others are Listed Greyville Gatecrasher Stakes winner Trojan Harbour (Harbour Watch {Ire}), Listed Nudgee Stakes winner Salateen (I Am Invincible), and G2 Stan Fox Stakes winner and G1 Sires' Produce Stakes-placed and G1 Champagne Stakes-placed Hilal who stood his first season at New Zealand’s Grangewilliam Stud in 2024.

The Sires’ Produce Stakes double

Two weeks later, and without the G1 Golden Slipper winner, the juveniles stepped up in trip to 1400 metres for the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes. All the talk before the race was around the G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Vinrock (I Am Invincible) who came up from Melbourne with a completely different form line to many of the Sydney based runners.

It had been 44 years since a winner of the G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes took out the Group 1 version in Sydney, but for unbeaten colt Vinrock and trainer Matt Laurie, history didn’t matter with the $3.40 favourite prevailing by 0.2l over Ciaron Maher-trained colt State Visit (Wootton Bassett {GB}) with David Atkins-trained gelding Buffalo (Written By) in third.

Unbeaten in three starts, after winning on debut at Pakenham in February, Vinrock became the second juvenile Group 1 winner for Champion Sire I Am Invincible, who sired G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Move To Strike in New Zealand last season.

Shortly after his victory, Vinrock was purchased by Yulong who declared he would stay with Matt Laurie, who also trains their Group 1-winning 3-year-old filly Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express). Sent for a spell, the unbeaten colt will be set for spring targets. A $300,000 purchased at the Inglis Premier Sale to the bid of trainer Matt Laurie and Wilannah Park Bloodstock from the Rosemont Stud draft, he is out of Girl Gone Rockin’ (Redoute’s Choice) who is a half-sister to Australian Group 3 winner and G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes-placed Syreon (Flying Spur). Their dam, Sorrento (NZ) (Just A Dancer {NZ}) won seven races, five at black type level, led by the 2001 G2 Queen of the Turf Stakes before it was upgraded to Group 1-level in 2005.

Hawkes makes it two in Champagne

Team Hawkes, who won the G1 Blue Diamond with Devil Night, won their second juvenile Group 1 of the season in the G1 Champagne Stakes over a mile with colt Nepotism (Brutal {NZ}) who comes from one of Australia’s best families. They’d always had a high opinion of him, making his debut in the G2 Todman Stakes, where he flashed home for third, and then going one better in the G3 Baillieu Handicap on heavy ground. It is a similar pathway to last year’s Champagne Stakes winner Broadsiding, who placed in the Baillieu before winning the Listed Fernhill Stakes on his way to this race.

Like Marhoona and Vinrock, who won their Group 1 at their third start, Nepotism did the same in the G1 Champagne Stakes.

Sent out as $3.90 favourite by punters, Nepotism duly saluted by 0.13l for jockey Tyler Schiller with Bjorn Baker’s tough filly Within The Law second and Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained filly Tupakara (Trapeze Artist) in third.

Bred by Gilgai Farm, who have nurtured his female family to produce the likes of Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), All Too Hard, and Ole Kirk, Nepotism was purchased by International Thoroughbred Solutions (FBAA) for $160,000 at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale from Gilgai Farm. His dam, unraced Brigite (Casino Prince) is a half-sister to unbeaten Champion racemare Black Caviar. He became the first Group 1 winner for G1 Doncaster Handicap winner Brutal (NZ).

Nepotism will be set for the same Group 1 races won by close relative Ole Kirk – the G1 Golden Rose and G1 Caulfield Guineas.

Cool Archie bucks the trend

With all four Australian Group 1 winners having won their big event at only their second (Devil Night) or third start (Marhoona, Vinrock, Nepotism), Cool Archie bucked the trend for the season in the G1 JJ Atkins Plate. He is also the only Group 1-winning juvenile in Australia for the season by a first season sire, Cool Aza Beel (NZ).

Unlike his Group 1-winning counterparts, Cool Archie was a busy horse during the season, debuting for trainers Chris and Corey Munce in October when fifth. He ran fourth at his second start, then was, perhaps surprisingly given his form line, given a run in the G3 BJ McLachlan Stakes, where he ran second to Icarian Dream (Blue Point {Ire}). With three starts and a stakes placing before Christmas, he returned in January to run in the R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic, but finished mid-field in eighth.

Cool Archie resumed in April with a win, and then strung together five in succession, winning the Listed Dalrello Stakes on a Good surface, then the G2 Spirit Of Boom Classic and G2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes both on Heavy tracks, before ending his season with a storming win in the G1 JJ Atkins Plate on Good ground.

In the largest margin of the season, Cool Archie won by 1.25l from Chris Waller-trained colt Hidden Achievement (I Am Invincible) with Bevan Laming-trained gelding Call Da Vinci (Under The Louvre) in third.

With the most wins and most stakes wins of the five Group 1 juvenile winners, Cool Archie certainly put his hand up for the Champion 2YO Colt award. The first Group 1 winner for his first season sire Cool Aza Beel (NZ) and for co-trainer Corey Munce, he was purchased by Mick Malone Bloodstock for $100,000 on behalf of owner Whitby Bloodstock, from the draft of Newhaven Park Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

One of six winners for Aware (Tale Of The Cat {USA}), who won three times and was fourth in the Listed Oakbank Stakes, Aware is a daughter of G2 Magic Night Stakes winner Media (Gilded Time {USA}) who is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Timbourina (Timber Country {USA}) and Listed winner Cardinal Virtue (Elusive Quality {USA}).

New Zealand’s pair dominated by Te Akau Racing

With two Group 1 races for juveniles in New Zealand, David Ellis’ Te Akau Racing won both with a colt and filly from different ends of the market. Snitzel colt Return To Conquer dominated juvenile proceedings in New Zealand, winning all four of his starts, and all in stakes company. Purchased by David Ellis for $1.3 million from Blue Gum Farm’s inaugural Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft, the colt debuted in the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes in November winning that.

He resumed in February with a victory in the G3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic, adding the G3 Matamata Slipper Stakes two weeks later, before flying in the G1 Sistema Stakes at Ellerslie to conclude his season as an unbeaten Group 1-winning juvenile colt.

Ridden by Blake Shinn for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, Return To Conquer won by 0.2l from Cody Cole-trained Landlock (Merchant Navy) with Stephen Marsh-trained To Cap It All (Capitalist) in third, making it an all Australian bred trifecta.

Snitzel had a great season, also siring G1 Golden Slipper winner Marhoona, and Return To Conquer was the second million dollar yearling to win one of the seven juvenile Group 1 races across Australia and New Zealand after Devil Night's victory in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes. There was some talk about an attempt at the G1 Golden Slipper, but Return To Conquer was sent for a spell instead.

The victory also gave Kiwi syndicator David Ellis his 100th Group 1 win. Return To Conquer is the second foal of unraced Vaujany (Lonhro) who is a full sister to G2 Surround Stakes winner Ghisoni, dam of Listed winner Renosu (Exceed And Excel), and is out of G2 Magic Night Stakes winner, and G1 Golden Slipper and G1 Flight Stakes-placed, Portillo (Red Ransom {USA}).

Karaka Millions filly adds G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes

After winning the G1 Sistema Stakes with Return To Conquer, Te Akau Racing headed to the G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1400 metres with a filly, La Dorada (NZ) (Super Seth) who had shown her talent from the beginning of the season. In winning here, La Dorada became the seventh winner of this race for Te Akau Racing.

Her NZ$1.65 million stablemate, Hostility (I Am Invincible), produced an eye-catching performance to finish second in only his second career start, while Tajana (NZ) (Darci Brahma), run third after getting promoted ahead of Landlock from fourth position.

Kept away from their star colt Return To Conquer during the season, La Dorada was a winner on debut in November. She returned on New Year’s Day to run second in the G2 Eclipse Stakes to Too Sweet (NZ) (Satono Aladdin {Jpn}), before going on a three race unbeaten streak.

She won the R.Listed Karaka 2YO Million, then the G2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes, and she was scheduled to take on Return To Conquer in the G1 Sistema Stakes but missed the race with a small setback, heading instead to the G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes a fortnight later.

The third Group 1 winner for Super Seth, whose other two Group 1 winners are Classic winning 3-year-olds Feroce (NZ) and Linebacker (NZ), La Dorada is the fourth foal of Gold Fever (NZ) (Savabeel), who herself was a Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed as a juvenile. She was a relatively cheap purchase for David Ellis, at least compared to Return To Conquer and Hostility, costing NZ$190,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale from the draft of Waikato Stud.

The NZ$1 million Karaka Millions victory bolstered her earnings and she concluded her season with four wins from five starts and earnings over NZ$1 million.

Table: 2 Year Old G1 summary