Mislead ridden by Michael Dee wins the Sportsbet Future Stars Final at Sportsbet Pakenham. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Racing Photos)
The first two heats of the $1.2 million Sportsbet Future Stars series at Sportsbet-Pakenham this Friday night, 10 January, will ignite the third edition of Australia’s richest maiden series.
The series will again serve to boost promising racing careers and provide a range of owners and trainers with opportunities to win big on Thursday and Friday nights at Sportsbet-Pakenham throughout summer.
The format of the series remains unchanged for 2025 with 12 maiden heats of $75,000, each over 1200m or 1400m, culminating in the grand finale, a $300,000 Class 3 Handicap (1400m) on Thursday night, 27 February.
Heats will be held weekly with the winners automatically qualifying for the lucrative final and the opportunity to follow in the hoofprints of series winners Marble Arch (2023, trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes) and Mislead (2024, Rachael Frost).
The opening heats, to be run over 1200m as Races 2 and 3 at 6.45pm (AEDT) and 7.15pm respectively on Friday, feature entrants from 24 different stables.
Heat 1 for the three-year-old colts and geldings features four debutants among a field of 11 including the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained No Verdict and the locally trained Colour Circle (Brian McGrath) to be ridden by visiting Irish jockey Shane Foley.
Among the more intriguing runners is the Greg Eurell-trained Untapped who is first up since finishing unplaced in the Group 2 VRC Sires Produce (1400m) at Flemington in March.
Heat 2 is for the three-year-old fillies where Mornington trainer Jerome Hunter, who qualified three horses for the 2024 final, is well represented with first-starters Divine Super and Our Almanzor.
In what shapes as a strong qualifier, Group 3 placegetter Flattered (Patrick and Michelle Payne) and locally trained duo Blue Hawaiian (Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman) and Secret Elegance (Peter Gelagotis) will be popular with punters.
The only trainer with confirmed runners in both heats is Clayton Douglas who saddles up gelding Ilovethistown and filly Manoora with the in-form Jamie Mott aboard both.
The Sportsbet Future Stars Jockey Contest will also return in 2025 with riders competing for a $50,000 prize pool across eight night meetings.
Jockey points will be awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis to the first five placegetters in each of the 12 heats, with the opportunity for double points in the final.
The three highest point scorers will be rewarded for their riding consistency at the conclusion of the series, with the winner receiving $30,000, the runner-up earning $15,000 and $5,000 awarded to the third-placed jockey.
To add further intrigue, jockeys will again be permitted to nominate one ‘Power Play’ across the heats, giving them the opportunity to earn double points in that race, thus adding an element of strategy to the contest.
Riders are required to advise RV by 12pm (AEDT) on the day of the meeting whether they wish to use their Power Play. RV will announce any Power Plays in the afternoon prior to the meeting.
Paul Bloodworth, RV Head of Racing, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Sportsbet Future Stars series back for the third year running and eagerly await the first two heats at Sportsbet Pakenham this Friday night.
“The series is an excellent opportunity for owners and trainers to score lucrative maiden wins with their horses and we have seen a considerable talent emerge from it.
“Horses like Gringotts, Eternal Flame, Von Hauke, Bel Air, El Soleado, and the inaugural winner Marble Arch have all gone on to achieve greater success and I’m sure we’ll unearth more future stars this year.
“Sportsbet Future Stars is a focal point of our night racing program over summer, and we are greatly appreciative of the support from Sportsbet for this series and the Victorian racing industry as a whole.”
The conditions of the 2025 Sportsbet Future Stars are as follows:
The program for the 2025 Sportsbet Future Stars Series is as follows:
