Attica overcomes bad draw in the 2025 Spring Champion Stakes

Despite drawing wide, Attica ($4) produced a stunning performance for trainer Joe Pride to capture the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick.

Expertly handled by Adam Hyeronimus, the colt by Lonhro unleashed a determined late burst to defeat favourite Shangri La Boy ($3.20F) by a short neck, with The Pearls ($21) another 2½ lengths away in third. Outsider Tambeloa ($201) boxed on gallantly for fourth after setting the pace.

It was a remarkable effort from the three-year-old, who only debuted in early September and now boasts a Group 1 victory at his fourth career outing.

Pride said he was thrilled with Attica’s progress and believes the Godolphin colt is only just scratching the surface of his potential.

“Spring Champion is a very nice race, a group one, but there’s still a lot to be done with this horse,” Pride said.

“Bear in mind it’s his first preparation, the manner of that win I thought he had too much to do at the furlong.

“Chasing the favourite, but just the way he pinned his ears back and attacked the line. Two-thousand metres no problem.”

Jockey Adam Hyeronimus, who had ridden Shangri La Boy in his previous two victories, knew what he was up against after galloping the colt in the lead-up.

“I’ve ridden the second horse and I didn’t know if Adrian (Bott) was trying to play mind games with me, but I galloped it through the week and I know how good he is going,” Hyeronimus said.

“To my horse’s credit, he was always picking him up.

“The final one hundred and fifty metres I had them covered and he was too strong late.”

Following his Group 1 triumph, Pride confirmed Attica will be spelled before targeting top-tier autumn races.

“He’ll go straight to the paddock now, he’s just a really exciting horse,” Pride said.

“It would be nice to see if we can get him a bit sharper in the autumn and aim up at races like the Randwick Guineas, but we’ll worry about all of that later on.”

Fans keen to back Attica or other autumn contenders can find competitive odds at trusted Australian betting sites including Sportsbet, Ladbrokes, and TAB.