Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes 2025 Betting Tips - Open Caulfield handicap shapes as punters’ puzzle

Alex Marsh

Editor

Last updated: Wed 17 Sep 2025 09:00

Alex Marsh 17 Sep 2025

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Angel Capital is the best bet, with strong form and ideal weight for the handicap
Damask Rose offers solid each-way value, benefiting from lighter weight and proven stamina
Port Lockroy is the top value outsider, capable of surprising if he performs at his best

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Angel Capital winning the Chautauqua Stakes at Moonee Valley on September 6. (Getty)

Caulfield hosts the 2025 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes on Saturday, September 20, with the $1 million Group 1 handicap over 1400m drawing a competitive field.

2025 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Tips
2025 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes - Field & Odds

Angel Capital headlines the betting after his dominant first-up win, while Damask Rose and Sepals are among the main dangers.

Our preview breaks down the race with a best bet, next best, and value selection.

2025 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Tips

2025 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Best Bet - Angel Capital

The rise to 1400m looks perfectly timed, with two wins from as many attempts over this track and trip, and he couldn’t have been more impressive when resuming at The Valley.

Despite settling at the back in a small field over 1200m, Angel Capital looped his rivals and gave them a galloping lesson when taking out the Chautauqua Stakes.

With 53.5kg he profiles ideally for this handicap, as progressive four-year-olds often do when dropping down in the weights for this 1400m feature. It’s rarely a race for topweights.

The map isn’t a concern, as he can sprint off any tempo, and the main query is whether they’ll be making ground at Caulfield. The earlier races will provide a guide to the track pattern.

2025 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Next Best Bet - Damask Rose

Damask Rose made her Australian debut at Caulfield and, while she didn’t have the early speed to muster over 1200m, she did enough late to suggest she’ll be a player deeper into the prep.

Forced to settle at the back, she was left chasing throughout and inevitably lacked the brilliance of the winner, Magic Time, a proven dual Group 1 mare. Still, it was a solid chasing effort and one that will bring her on.

Her last two victories in New Zealand came at 1500m and 1600m, including a scalp of the handy Evaporate in her most recent success.

Getting to 1400m and carrying 5kg less than she did in her Cockram Stakes return are both big positives, and lightly weighted mares have won three of the last four editions.

2025 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Value Bet - Port Lockroy

It was a plain effort first-up in the Tramway Stakes, hence the long odds for this assignment, though it’s worth noting he had no prior winning first-up form.

However, Port Lockroy is prepared by Annabel & Rob Archibald, a stable renowned for turning horses around quickly off a poor run, and this entire has the class to measure up when right.

His Golden Eagle path and subsequent Group 1 attempts last season show he has the ability to be competitive here, and the five-year-old is well suited under handicap conditions.

He’s not the easiest horse to catch, but dangerous when things fall into place, and Port Lockroy has far more ability than his outsider quote suggests.

2025 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes - Field & Odds

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds
1	Another Wil	Ciaron Maher	Jamie Melham	7	59kg	$6.50
2	Here To Shock (NZ)	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	Daniel Stackhouse	6	58kg	$20
3	Pinstriped	Enver Jusufovic	Jamie Mott	5	56.5kg	$34
4	Airman	Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes	Ben Melham	12	56kg	$21
5	Arkansaw Kid	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	Blake Shinn	1	56kg	$8
6	Feroce (NZ)	Dominic Sutton	Billy Egan	10	56kg	$34
7	Zarastro	Tony Gollan	Angela Jones	11	56kg	$20
8	Port Lockroy	Annabel & Rob Archibald	Jye McNeil	3	54.5kg	$71
9	Angel Capital	Chris Waller	Damian Lane	13	53.5kg	$3.80
10	Damask Rose (NZ)	Mark Walker	Michael Dee	17	52kg	$15
11	Another Prophet	Ciaron Maher	Declan Bates	15	52kg	$67
12	Is It Me	Daniel Bowman	Patrick Moloney	8	52kg	$31
13	Jennilala	Gavin Bedggood	Harry Coffey	2	52kg	$91
14	Chorlton Lane (IRE)	Ciaron Maher	Celine Gaudray	9	52kg	$34
15	Miss Roumbini	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	Beau Mertens	14	52kg	$14
16	Sepals	Cliff Brown	Craig Williams	16	52kg	$4.40
17e	Zou Sensation	Leon & Troy Corstens & Will Larkin	Luke Currie	4	52kg	$20