Melbourne Cup golden ticket on offer in Moonee Valley Cup 2025
The Moonee Valley Gold Cup will again serve as a key pointer to the Melbourne Cup, with a strong field set to chase both prize money and Cup qualification on Friday night.
Traditionally, the 2500m staying test provides Cup hopefuls with a vital stepping stone, and this year’s edition holds even greater value. For the first time, the winner will receive a ballot exemption into the Melbourne Cup (3200m), mirroring the Geelong Cup which runs 24 hours earlier. Few horses win both, but history shows the Moonee Valley race often shapes the final Flemington field.
Connections of Gilded Water and Changingoftheguard have opted for Geelong, leaving 12 runners for Friday’s contest. Among them, Smokin’ Romans is already assured a start in the Cup, while Onesmoothoperator (24th), Athabascan (25th), Post Impressionist (30th) and Scary (31st) will be looking to push their cases further. Berkshire Breeze and Hezashocka are the only entrants not still in Cup contention.
Trainer Ciaron Maher, who won last year’s race with Okita Soushi before that galloper ran third in the Melbourne Cup, again holds a strong hand with Smokin’ Romans and Berkshire Breeze. Smokin’ Romans, the 2022 Turnbull Stakes winner and Warrnambool Cup champion, ran a creditable fourth in the Herbert Power Stakes last start.
“He just continues to wind back the clock. He’s in as good a form as ever,” Maher said. “He carried a stack of weight last time and ran very well. Again, the race was probably run too slow for him — he just couldn’t get that momentum, even though he was leading. He’s in good order and has good form at Moonee Valley.”
Meanwhile, Berkshire Breeze, who is not among the remaining Melbourne Cup nominees, comes off strong runs in the Naturalism Stakes and The Bart Cummings. “He’s got it there to run well. He needed to draw well and (barrier) six looks ideal,” Maher said.
For punters tracking both Cups, full markets and updated odds are available through Australia’s best betting sites.
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