Empire Rose Stakes 2025 Betting Tips - Will Leica Lucy Land an Australian Group 1?

Alex Marsh

Editor

Last updated: Wed 29 Oct 2025 06:39

Alex Marsh 29 Oct 2025

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Empire Rose Stakes features top mares, with Fangirl favoured at $3.30
Leica Lucy shows promising form with strategic race-day enhancements
Pride Of Jenni and Benagil present strong cases with solid past performances

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Pride of Jenni winning the 2023 Empire Rose Stakes. (Getty)

The Empire Rose Stakes brings together the best mares in the country for the traditional mile feature that rounds out Derby Day at Flemington. The Group 1 contest has long been a highlight of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, rewarding class, consistency, and toughness at the end of a demanding spring campaign.

2025 Empire Rose Stakes Tips
2025 Empire Rose Stakes - Field & Odds

This year’s edition shapes as another strong renewal, featuring proven performers such as Fangirl and Leica Lucy, along with emerging talents stepping into elite company.

At $3.30 with PlayUp, Fangirl heads the 2025 Empire Rose Stakes market.

2025 Empire Rose Stakes Tips

2025 Empire Rose Stakes Best Bet - Leica Lucy

Leica Lucy had an impressive record in New Zealand before coming to Australia, winning six of her first seven starts, including the New Zealand Oaks.

Spelled following a fourth-place finish in the Australian Oaks, she has returned in terrific order under Chris Waller and looks to be peaking third-up, with near-side blinkers now added in the hope they stop her from hanging in.

After producing the fastest last 400m of the entire Makybe Diva Stakes program, the daughter of Derryn again made inroads in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap, recording the quickest closing sectionals of the race.

This is a challenge against some seasoned mares at Group 1 WFA level, but the Toorak form has already held up through Transatlantic, and Leica Lucy finally draws a gate.

2025 Empire Rose Stakes Next Best - Pride Of Jenni

While it hasn’t been winning form, the subsequent Cox Plate references through both Treasurethe Moment and Attrition still warrant respect.

Pride Of Jenni defeated that pair via an all-the-way triumph first-up in the Feehan Stakes before heading to Randwick for the King Charles III Stakes.

Without her customary early dash — and with runners to her inside beginning better — she took time to find the front, and the three-length defeat was still a fair performance.

The Ciaron Maher-trained mare doesn’t need an invitation to dictate up front, and she shapes as the only genuine on-speed influence in this field.

2025 Empire Rose Stakes Value Bet - Benagil

After a busy late three-year-old season that took her from Melbourne to Sydney, then Adelaide to Brisbane, Benagil was always likely to have a more measured spring.

The Australasian Oaks winner arrives here second-up, and with a short campaign likely this time in, the Empire Rose Stakes looks her target.

Her 1400m Listed return at Caulfield was sound — flat-footed initially when the sprint went on, but strong through the line and past it.

A follow-up jump-out at Flemington was also encouraging and should top her off nicely, and she’s won two of three second-up attempts.

2025 Empire Rose Stakes - Field & Odds

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds
1	Pride Of Jenni	Ciaron Maher	Declan Bates	7	57kg	$5
2	Fangirl	Chris Waller	Kerrin McEvoy	6	57kg	$3.30
3	Abounding	Robert Heathcote	Jamie Melham	1	57kg	$14
4	Damask Rose (NZ)	Mark Walker	Blake Shinn	9	57kg	$10
5	Benagil	Glen Thompson	Craig Williams	4	57kg	$20
6	Leica Lucy (NZ)	Chris Waller	Mark Zahra	3	57kg	$6
7	Lazzura	Chris Waller	Tommy Berry	11	57kg	$15
8	Firestorm (NZ)	Chris Waller	Adam Hyeronimus	8	57kg	$31
9	Splash Back (FR)	Grahame Begg	Jordan Childs	10	57kg	$21
10	Idle Flyer	Matthew Smith	Michael Dee	5	57kg	$6.50
11	On Display	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	Ben Melham	2	57kg	$21