Cliff Brown’s flying four-year-old Sepals is the horse to beat this Saturday, lining up as firm favourite to complete a hat-trick of wins and back-to-back Group 1 triumphs in the 2025 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield.
Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes winner Sepals is tipped to win another Group 1 at Caulfield in the Toorak this weekend. Ultimate Racing Photos.
Melbourne will stage a blockbuster Caulfield Guineas Day card, headlined by three elite-level features including the $1 million Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m).
A strong field of 11 will contest the famous mile, with Sepals topping Ladbrokes markets at $4.40 following his impressive last-start victory in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
The ultra-consistent son of Calyx looks to preserve his unbeaten Caulfield record while stepping up to 1600m for the first time since finishing fourth — just two lengths off Feroce — in the Group 1 Australian Guineas earlier in the year. Now third-up and rock-hard fit, Sepals shapes as the one to beat.
He carried just 52kg from barrier 14 of 15 to win the Sir Rupert and will aim to emulate Trust In A Gust (2014) as the most recent horse to complete the Sir Rupert Clarke–Toorak double.
Horse Racing Tip: Sepals is out to become the first horse since Trust In A Gust (2014) to win both the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and Toorak Handicap!
While Craig Williams guided Sepals to his Sir Rupert triumph, Ethan Brown — who partnered him to his first-up success — will take over the reins this weekend from barrier 4, this time carrying 57kg.
Williams, meanwhile, sticks with Athanatos, the $18 outsider drawn the rails for trainer Phillip Stokes. The gelding heads into the race off a solid third behind Evaporate in the Group 3 Sandown Stakes (1500m) on September 27.
Evaporate & Lazzura Loom as Key Dangers
That form ties in neatly, with Evaporate sitting on the equal second line of Toorak Handicap betting at $6. The Per Incanto four-year-old from Lindsay Park boasts a brilliant 1600m record (4:3-0-1) and will again have Blake Shinn in the saddle from barrier six. His narrow Group 3 Sandown win under 59kg should have him peaking as he drops slightly to 58kg here.
Sharing the $6 quote is Lazzura, the progressive Snitzel mare from Chris Waller’s yard. The classy four-year-old is flying this prep, chasing her third straight victory after stylish Group 3 and Group 2 wins in Sydney and Melbourne respectively. Her versatility across Heavy and Good tracks is a major plus, and she looks ideally placed with James McDonald steering from gate five on 56kg.
Waller is yet to win a Toorak Handicap but also saddles up another Kiwi-bred mare in Leica Lucy ($9), who reunites with Damian Lane from barrier 10. The former Group 1 NZ Oaks winner was luckless when fourth in the Let’s Elope Stakes first-up and looks well-weighted at 54.5kg stepping up in distance.
Kiwi Raider Willydoit a Wildcard
Adding further international flair is NZ Derby champ Willydoit, drawn wide in 11 for Ciaron Maher. After finishing fourth in the Australian Derby in the autumn, the Tarzino gelding resumed with an eye-catching eighth in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes. He was a late scratching from last weekend’s Epsom Handicap due to soreness but is reportedly back firing ahead of his Caulfield test. Priced at $16 with Ben Melham aboard, he looms as a serious value player.
Transatlantic Also in the Mix
Rounding out the single-figure chances is Transatlantic for Queensland trainer Tony Gollan, a $7 shot after a pair of narrow runner-up efforts in Melbourne, including his near miss to Evaporate in the Sandown Stakes.
The 2025 Toorak Handicap is Race 7 on Caulfield Guineas Day, jumping at 3:50pm (AEDT), with an elite field ready to chase Group 1 glory in one of the spring’s premier mile contests.
2025 Toorak Handicap Field & Barriers
| No | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Barrier | Weight | Age | Sex | Last Starts | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Desert Lightning | Luke Nolen | Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman | 7 | 59kg | 6 | G | 4×215 | $1,600,733 |
| 2 | Pinstriped | Jamie Mott | Enver Jusufovic | 2 | 58.5kg | 7 | G | 7×795 | $1,790,450 |
| 3 | Evaporate | Blake Shinn | Ben, Will & Jd Hayes | 6 | 58kg | 4 | G | 21×51 | $1,544,475 |
| 4 | Feroce | Billy Egan | Dominic Sutton | 8 | 58kg | 4 | G | 16×63 | $1,479,625 |
| 5 | Sepals | Ethan Brown | Cliff Brown | 4 | 57kg | 4 | G | 14×11 | $905,990 |
| 6 | Transatlantic | Mark Zahra | Tony Gollan | 9 | 56.5kg | 5 | G | 19×22 | $709,550 |
| 7 | Lazzura | James McDonald | Chris Waller | 5 | 56kg | 4 | M | 24×11 | $869,945 |
| 8 | Willydoit | Ben Melham | Ciaron Maher | 11 | 56kg | 4 | G | 014×8 | $793,472 |
| 9 | Leica Lucy | Damian Lane | Chris Waller | 10 | 54.5kg | 4 | M | 114×4 | $895,934 |
| 10 | Damask Rose | Jamie Melham | Mark Walker | 3 | 54kg | 4 | M | 11×57 | $1,879,287 |
| 11 | Athanatos | Craig Williams | Phillip Stokes | 1 | 52kg | 4 | G | 1×363 | $422,750 |
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