2025 Vain Stakes test for Express Class

Trainer Gerard Moloney and jockey Patrick Moloney will gain a much clearer picture of Express Class’s standing among his age group when the colt steps into Stakes company at Caulfield this Saturday.

The father-son team produced Express Class for a winning debut in a two-year-old handicap at Sandown on the closing day of the 2024/25 racing season. That performance has prompted them to test him in the Group 3 Vain Stakes (1100m).

Despite starting at $31 on debut, Express Class charged home to score by half a length, validating the stable’s long-held belief in his ability. “We’ve always thought he was a smart horse,” Patrick Moloney said. “Given the big wraps on the others, we might have dodged that race if there’d been another option, but he was ready to go. We expected him to run well — probably not to win, but he showed us plenty.”

Moloney says the move from a midweek maiden to Stakes grade is a significant jump and will act as a vital form guide. “The others have had more racing, he’s only in his first prep,” he said. “It’s a big step up, but he’s done nothing wrong and he’s a horse on the improve. What he’s showing now is a bonus ahead of the autumn.”

Since Sandown, Express Class has been kept ticking over and is in good order. “He’s fit and ready,” Moloney added. “He hasn’t been breaking the clock at home, but he’s done enough. He’ll have to go to another level again on Saturday, but we think he’s capable of doing it.”