Read the comments from the trainers and each of the jockeys about their rides in the 2025 Champions Mile raced at Flemington on Saturday 8th November.
Winning Trainer: Joe Pride
Pride of Flemington today: “That was fantastic, really special. I love winning races here. This horse has really turned it on in the second half of the preparation and has strung a couple of very good wins together.
“I thought at the 200 that he wasn’t enjoying it he was wandering around a little bit but as soon as Pericles challenged him he rallied and they it was a really good go to the line with two good horses.”
Loves winning Group 1’s: “He’s an amazing horse. I’m just so proud of him. I’ve thought for a long time he’s the best horse I’ve trained and with his last two wins, he’s certainly cemented his spot there. It’s great work from the team at home and it’s a big effort to get these horses here on the big days. He’s never travelled away before, but he’s handled it really well and we’ll be back.
“I’d like to think he can go on for another couple of seasons yet.
“I’d like to think this confirms his spot despite what people will say about him. Take it easy on him. He’s a very good horses. These horses can’t perform at that level every time they step out there and I think it is important to acknowledge that.
“Once he gets deep into his preparation, he’s a hell of a competitor.
“I’d love to be back here for the Cox Plate. Whether or not he is as good at 2000 (metres) as he is at a mile, we’ll find out in the autumn (and) probably in the Queen Elizabeth. Great way to finish the year.”
Massive tick for having travelled: “I normally travel my horses at some stage of their career but through circumstance he hadn’t had a trip away, but it’s nice to see him do that today as some horses don’t like it, don’t enjoy it, but he’s relished it.”
Winning Jockey: Chad Schofield
Beaten and fought back to win fourth Group 1: “Very gutsy. He jumped really well today and he took the most out of that good jump and put himself in a more forward position and when the race heated up around the 600 metres, I was still going really well. Mr Brightside was gone and I had to get off his back and get going. He ambled into it and then he had a good look when he hit the big Flemington stretch for the first time and he got a bit lost for a while until Pericles got in front of him and then he could see him with his blinkers and he was the stronger horse late.
“If you had’ve asked me how I was feeling at the 400, I’d have said it was race over. He ambled up and came into it but in the Flemington straight he put his head up and baulked. That allowed Pericles to get a margin on me, and when he saw him he went again.
“It looked tough and hard fought but that gawk at the top of the straight cost him a bit.”
Prospect of Cox Plate next year: “I’ve got one Cox Plate, I’d love another.”
Best horse ridden?: “He’s very good. I’ve been lucky and I’ve ridden some very good ones, but he’s getting better. He’s top class.”
Still improving: “He’s got a lot to go and Joe has done an amazing job with him. He’s a horse that keeps getting better each preparation. He was enormous the other day in the King Charles and today we saw another quality of his, his fighting spirit. It was huge.”
“It’s great to come down and be a part of the carnival here. I’m so proud of the horse and he’s a horse who I believe is incredibly good. It was a race full of quality and a proper race.”
Beaten Jockeys:
Craig Williams (Mr Brightside): “It’s a shame. He wanted to hang out throughout the race so he definitely wasn’t at his best. Most importantly he’s come through the race okay.”
Ben Melham (Pericles): “Terrific run. He was there to win, just got out toughed by a tough bugger on the day.”
Tom Marquand (Lake Forest): “Just hated the ground. We knew he was a top of the ground horse but he’s travelled half way across the world so he wasn’t going to scratch, shame so much rain came.”
Harry Coffey (Steparty): “Travelled well but under full pressure at that level, lost his action in the ground.”
Ethan Brown (Von Hauke): “He didn’t handle the conditions.”
Declan Bates (Pride Of Jenni): “She just hated this heavy track today, a long way out she was sort of dipping and diving underneath me and I just wasn’t able to use that stride to get away, just purely simply hated the ground, I think.”
Jason Collett (Stefi Magnetica): “She copped a bit of a squeeze early, not really comfortable when the pace went on so to finish where she did, she went very well.”
Damian Lane (Treasurethe Moment): “She ran super. To present as well as she did, in that ground, I thought she really toughed it out. She really struggled with her footing over the last four hundred metres so to run fourth in such a good race, in a testing run race, I thought a really good effort. Just a testing run mile on a heavy track really found her out.”
