Canterbury Stakes 2025 Betting Tips - Magic Time can salute again

Alex Marsh

Editor

Last updated: 05 Mar 2025

Alex Marsh 05 Mar 2025

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The 2025 Canterbury Stakes features Magic Time as the favourite
Sunshine In Paris showcases an impressive first-up record
Celestial Legend could be a blowout option

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Magic Time winning the Expressway Stakes on February 15. (Getty)

Given Group 1 status in 2013, a year which saw the champion Pierro celebrate in style by denying More Joyous a hat-trick of wins in this race, the Canterbury Stakes has a fine honor roll since first being run in 1929.

2025 Canterbury Stakes Tips
2025 Canterbury Stakes Field & Odds

Along with popular recent winners in Trapeze Artist and Happy Clapper, this 1300m WFA Group 1 has seen the likes of Sky High, Manikato and Placid Ark salute over its history, all elite gallopers in their time.

In a competitive market with PlayUp, Magic Time is a $4.40 favourite to win the 2025 Canterbury Stakes.

2025 Canterbury Stakes Tips

2025 Canterbury Stakes Best Bet - Magic Time

She overcame trouble to salute first-up in the Expressway Stakes and the six-time stakes winner is aiming for her third Group 1 victory in the 2025 Canterbury Stakes.

Magic Time has needed a run or two to get warm early in recent campaigns, but her lead-up work prior to her February 15 return was sharp and she looks in great touch.

The prospect of rain shouldn't hurt her chances, as the daughter of Hellbent is a two-time winner on Heavy ground and both of those victories were at Randwick.

She ate up a Heavy 10 when bringing up her second Group 1 win here in last year's All Aged Stakes, while Magic Time was unlucky second and third-up via a short spring prep.

2025 Canterbury Stakes Next Best Bet - Sunshine In Paris

The five-year-old has an excellent first-up record, with three wins from four tries and she was terrific via her only fresh loss, where the mare was runner-up in The Galaxy.

She was working home in the inferior going on last year's Golden Slipper Day card, so Sunshine In Paris could easily be undefeated fresh and she's a dual Group 1 winner.

The last of her feature victories was in the Champions Sprint and she bookended her last campaign, having recorded a slick first-up win in the Sheraco Stakes.

Sunshine In Paris doesn't want the track to be too testing, as she didn't relish a Heavy 10 in the All Aged Stakes last year, albeit she does get through soft ground.

2025 Canterbury Stakes Value Bet - Celestial Legend

He was the star three-year-old last autumn, with Celestial Legend recording a hat-trick and the last two of those were at Group 1 level (Randwick Guineas and Doncaster Mile).

While he wasn't bad in his first and second-up performances, the son of Dundeel wasn't the same horse last spring and he was tipped out after the King Charles III Stakes.

While he's likely to improve from this hit-out, both trials leading into this fresh attempt have been sound and he was good past the line in the last of those heats.

A testing 1300m brings Celestial Legend further into calculations, as he's a strong miler who is proven on all surfaces and he could be the forgotten horse in this field.

2025 Canterbury Stakes Field & Odds

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds
1	Ceolwulf (NZ)	Joseph Pride	Adam Hyeronimus	1	59kg	$8
2	Here To Shock (NZ)	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	Nash Rawiller	2	59kg	$7
3	Airman	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	Tyler Schiller	4	59kg	$41
4	Militarize (NZ)	Chris Waller	Tommy Berry	5	59kg	$18
5	Pericles	James Cummings	Kerrin McEvoy	10	59kg	$26
6	Royal Patronage (FR)	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Tim Clark	11	59kg	$14
7	Celestial Legend	Les Bridge	Jason Collett	8	59kg	$26
8	Encap	Gary Portelli	Rachel King	3	59kg	$71
9	Sunshine In Paris	Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald	Chad Schofield	12	57kg	$6
10	Magic Time	Grahame Begg	Jordan Childs	6	57kg	$4.40
11	Stefi Magnetica	Bjorn Baker	Zac Lloyd	7	57kg	$8
12	Switzerland	Chris Waller	James McDonald	9	56kg	$4.80