The final Group 1 of the 2025/2026 Australian racing season arrives at Eagle Farm on Saturday with the running of the $700,000 Tattersall’s Tiara, and fittingly, the last elite-level prize of the campaign looks one of the most open.
Run over 1400 metres under weight-for-age conditions for fillies and mares, the Tattersall’s Tiara has again drawn together a deep and competitive field. As the 75th and final Group 1 race staged in Australia this season, it offers one last chance for a mare to add her name to the top table before the national spotlight turns toward the new racing year.
The market tells the story of the contest. Splash Back heads betting at 5-1, but there is little between the leading chances, with Group 1 winner Manaal and the consistent Gerringong just behind. It is the type of betting shape that reflects the field perfectly: exposed form lines, hard-fit mares, genuine Group-level talent and several runners coming through the same Queensland winter races.
Splash Back has been given her chance from barrier six for Grahame Begg and Jordan Childs. The French-bred mare has already made an impact in Queensland this preparation, winning the Group 2 Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm before closing off in both the Kingsford Smith Cup and the Stradbroke Handicap. Her sixth in the Stradbroke, beaten just over three lengths on a Heavy 9, reads well for this assignment, particularly now back against her own sex at weight-for-age.
Manaal brings proven Group 1 quality and a strong overall profile into the race. The Michael Freedman-trained mare has been placed at the top level and returned with an encouraging third in the Group 2 Moreton Cup over 1200 metres at Eagle Farm. From barrier nine, Ben Melham should have options, and the rise to 1400 metres looks suitable given she has already won twice at the trip. In a race lacking a standout, her class keeps her right in the conversation.
Gerringong is another who looks ready to peak. The Chris and Corey Munce-trained mare was excellent when second in the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes at Eagle Farm, beaten only 0.20 lengths after settling midfield. She now draws barrier 13, but with Nash Rawiller booked and a strong 1400-metre profile around her, she has the right form line to be a major player. Her narrow second to Stefi Magnetica in The Invitation last spring also highlights the quality she can produce when at her best.
The local challenge is strong. Abounding gives Robert Heathcote a genuine contender, although barrier 17 makes her task more complicated. She won the Group 3 BRC Sprint at Doomben two starts ago before struggling in the Stradbroke, and the booking of Tim Clark suggests she may be asked to overcome the wide draw with intent. Midnight In Tokyo, another Queensland-trained mare, has been handed the outside barrier in 18 but arrives off a last-start Listed win in the Hinkler Handicap and has already won twice at Eagle Farm.
Tony Gollan’s Savagery Vibe adds another layer to the race. She won the Helen Coughlan Stakes at Eagle Farm at big odds before running third in the Dane Ripper behind She’s Got Pizzazz and Gerringong. From barrier four with Daniel Moor aboard, she maps well and may again get the chance to run above market expectation.
Tuileries is one of the interesting interstate runners. The Peter Snowden-trained mare won the Group 3 Dark Jewel Classic at Scone last start and has drawn ideally in barrier three. She has won three times at 1400 metres and looks the type who can settle close enough to be dangerous if the race is run at a genuine tempo.
Chris Waller has two runners in Firestorm and Ahha Ahha as he looks to add another Tattersall’s Tiara to a race record that already includes Red Tracer and Invincibella. Firestorm draws barrier seven with Ben Thompson, while Ahha Ahha has the inside advantage from gate two for Michael Rodd. Both will need to improve off their Dane Ripper runs, but Waller’s record in mares’ races demands respect.
The lone three-year-old filly in the field is Within The Law, who gets in with 55.5kg for Bjorn Baker and Tommy Berry. She has been around strong company throughout her career, has placed at Eagle Farm, and gets blinkers first time. Startantes showed in 2022 that a younger filly can take this race from the older mares, and Within The Law has the profile to be more than a lightweight afterthought.
With Splash Back, Manaal and Gerringong all prominent in betting, the race has no clear-cut favourite and plenty of credible winning chances. The barriers have added another layer of intrigue, with several well-fancied runners drawn middle to wide while Tuileries, Savagery Vibe and Ahha Ahha have all landed softer gates.
As the curtain comes down on the Australian Group 1 season, the Tattersall’s Tiara shapes as a true finale: a deep field, a wide betting market and a final chance for one mare to turn winter form into black type status that will follow them to the breeding barn.
By Scott Bailey – iRACE
