CF Orr Stakes 2025 - Barrier Draw & Final Field
The renowned CF Orr Stakes is set for a notable shift in 2025, rescheduling from February to November to end the Melbourne spring carnival. Traditionally the initial Group 1 race of the year, this weight-for-age 1400m feature has been a launching pad for top Australian sprinter-milers. With notable past winners, the race continues to attract promising competitors. Ciaron Maher's Jimmysstar leads a strong field alongside contenders like Warnie and Angel Capital, all poised for exciting performances in its new timeslot.
- The CF Orr Stakes has shifted to mid-November, concluding Group 1 action for the Melbourne spring
- Jimmysstar and Angel Capital are top contenders for the 1400m race
- The race, rich in history, maintains its prestige in Australian racing
Jimmysstar has drawn barrier three in the 2025 CF Orr Stakes. (Getty)
The Group 1 CF Orr Stakes will be staged for the second time in 2025 on Saturday, November 15, with the 1400m weight-for-age feature debuting in its new mid-November slot after long serving as Australia’s first Group 1 of the calendar year.
- CF Orr Stakes 2025 - Barriers & Final Field
- CF Orr Stakes Winners
Ciaron Maher, who prepared Another Wil to claim this race in February, again holds a strong hand with Jimmysstar (barrier 3), the six-year-old thriving this campaign after a determined last-start victory in the Russell Balding Stakes at Randwick.
The gelding had been building through Sydney earlier in the spring and, after an unlucky run in The Everest, capitalised when stepping to 1300m to record a much-deserved Group success. The rise to 1400m poses no concern given his Group 1 All Aged Stakes triumph over the same trip in April, and he also boasts two wins at Caulfield under identical conditions.
Angel Capital (barrier 5) found the drop back to 1200m unsuitable in The Everest, finishing off stylishly after encountering traffic issues. That came on the back of a luckless Group 1 effort over this course when beaten as favourite, and the four-year-old had previously impressed with a dominant win on stable debut for Chris Waller.
His record at Caulfield reads two wins from three attempts at the 1400m and a return to that scenario looks ideal.
Evaporate (barrier 6) has progressed well since a forgettable return in the PB Lawrence Stakes on August 16, placing in all three runs that followed.
The gelding defeated Transatlantic in the Group 3 Sandown Stakes before that rival reversed the result in the Toorak Handicap, while Evaporate closed nicely for third in The Golden Eagle last time out.
CF Orr Stakes 2025 - Barriers & Final Field
| No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jimmysstar (NZ) | Ciaron Maher | Ethan Brown | 3 | 59kg |
| 2 | Evaporate (NZ) | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | Jamie Melham | 6 | 59kg |
| 3 | Bosustow | Annabel & Rob Archibald | Jamie Mott | 4 | 59kg |
| 4 | Pinstriped | Enver Jusufovic | Carleen Hefel | 2 | 59kg |
| 5 | Angel Capital | Chris Waller | Ben Melham | 5 | 59kg |
| 6 | Mighty Ulysses (GB) | Annabel & Rob Archibald | Luke Currie | 1 | 59kg |
| 7 | Vinrock | Matt Laurie | Michael Dee | 7 | 53kg |
CF Orr Stakes Winners
The C.F. Orr Stakes has long been one of Australia’s hallmark weight-for-age contests, traditionally opening the Group 1 season as a 1400m feature at Caulfield. From November 2025, it takes on a fresh identity as the closing act of the Melbourne spring, run one week after Champions Stakes Day at Flemington.
Once regarded as the starting point for proven stayers returning for their autumn campaigns, the race has evolved over time into a genuine test for elite sprinter-milers. Famous middle-distance performers such as Talaq, Let’s Elope, Jeune and Saintly all used the event as a launching pad in decades past.
First elevated to Group 1 level in 1993, the C.F. Orr Stakes already possessed a rich legacy before that upgrade, with past greats including Flight, Tobin Bronze, Manikato and Vo Rogue adding their names to the honour roll.
More recently, the race has reflected the modern landscape of Australian racing, with Jacquinot (2023), Mr Brightside (2024) and Another Wil (2025) the most recent winners to etch their place in history.
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