The curtain comes down on the 2025 racing season with two feature races–the Gold Cup and the Juvenile Championship. While both races are a shadow of their former selves, racing fans can still look forward to a pleasant Friday out. It is hoped that many will come out to experience the six races scheduled to be run off.
Before we look at the major races, it should be mentioned that most of the 2025 racing champions have already been identified. The champion trainer and jockey are the deadly duo of John O’Brien and Dillon Khelawan. The champion three-year-old will be Triple Crown winner, Headliner, and unless he is beaten by Headliner in the Gold Cup, the champion horse will be Hello World.
The Juvenile Championship, which will be run over 1,200 metres this year, is fairly open. The winners of the two two-year-old races to date, Sweet Bird and Dream Maker, square off against two horses that have shown promise in their only starts, Power House and Band of D Year, as well as two newcomers, King Jumbie and St Omer. Dream Maker defeated Sweet Bird on their respective debuts, while Sweet Bird defeated Band of D Year and Power House when the latter two were making their own debuts.
St Omer is a nicely bred son of Saint Viguer and Derby-third, Glorious Country, while King Jumbie is a son of Nominee and Princess Suri. While experience usually counts for plenty in these events, it is difficult to say we have witnessed anything extraordinary among the juveniles to date. Given my personal interest as the owner-breeder of St Omer, along with my brother Nigel Mark Baptiste, this son of Glorious Country–the first not to be sired by Signal Alert–could fulfil the family potential before moving on to much better things in 2026.
The Gold Cup features the top horses in the country. The leading three-year-olds are represented by Headliner and Valiante; four horses imported in 2024 include The Goddess Nike, El Chico Malo, Sneaky Cheeky, and Striking Chrome and the country’s highest-rated horse, defending Gold Cup champion and 2025 Stewards Cup winner, Hello World. On all known form, Hello World, the winner of his last 11 starts, should be unstoppable. His win in the Stewards Cup, over a distance that would normally have been way too short for him, shows the type of form he is in and the only horse with a shot of stopping him is the Triple Crown winner, Headliner.
Many believe that Headliner was asked to do too much too soon in the Stewards Cup when his rider asked him to dispute the early lead, shot him clear of the field but could not resist the irresistible surge of Hello World. Ridden on this occasion by former champion, Brian Boodramsingh, a more patient ride may enable this colt to pose more of a threat to Hello World but with a rating fully 28 lbs below Hello Word and only a 10 lb difference for age, he will have to show significant improvement over the form shown when beating the likes of Free Pass and Have A Great Day in the Triple Crown races. The Goddess Nike and Sneaky Cheeky, who were second and fourth in the Gold Cup in 2024, may fill the minor positions once again.
The most competitive race on the day’s card is the finale over 1,500m on the turf. Any of six horses could take this one, if the race remains on the turf, with the race becoming a lot less competitive and lucrative for the Club, if it were to come off the turf.
The six leading contenders are Triple Crown contender, and perennial bridesmaid, Free Pass (still a maiden), Mona Lisa, who has won two of his last three starts, Unbelievable who has been a model of consistency but it much better on the turf with two wins and two places from his six turf starts; Crème de la Crème who is dropping in class, Crystal Alert, a winner of her last start on the dirt but one from one on the turf and Marmalade, a leading two year old last year who is still on the comeback trail and has been third in her two starts since returning from a 10 months absence. Once the race remains on the turf, fans can expect a really competitive event among these six horses.
Whatever the success of Boxing Day, all fans will be hoping for a brighter 2026 for the racing community in this country. Many plans have been mentioned and it is hoped that some gather momentum in the New Year. I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous 2026.
