About the race
The Champions Mile is a Group 1 race over 1600m at Flemington for three-year-olds and upwards, staged by the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) on TAB Champions Stakes Day, the fourth and final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The 2026 running is on Saturday 7 November with prize money of $3,000,000, the same as in 2025. In 2022, run as the Kennedy Champions Mile, it was won by Alligator Blood, according to the VRC.
The 2025 running, sponsored by Lexus, was won on 8 November by Ceolwulf, ridden by Chad Schofield and trained by Joe Pride, from the Bjorn Baker-trained pair Pericles and Stefi Magnetica. The IFHA rated it at 118.75, 41st in its list of the world’s top 100 Group 1 races of 2025. The VRC’s 2026 race-day page lists the race as the VRC Champions Mile.
The 2025 running
| Date | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 November 2025 | Ceolwulf | Chad Schofield | Joe Pride | n/v |
From the official result.
Recognition and facts
- Race day
- TAB Champions Stakes Day, final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival
- 2025 name
- Lexus Champions Mile
- 2025 placings
- 1st Ceolwulf, 2nd Pericles, 3rd Stefi Magnetica, 4th Treasurethe Moment (VRC)
Questions readers ask
When is the Champions Mile run?
On TAB Champions Stakes Day at Flemington. The 2026 running is on Saturday 7 November 2026.
What is the prize fund of the Champions Mile?
$3,000,000 (Australian dollars) for 2026, the same as in 2025, according to the VRC.
Who won the Champions Mile in 2025?
Ceolwulf, ridden by Chad Schofield and trained by Joe Pride, on 8 November 2025.
Sources
The rank and rating are from the IFHA's LONGINES World's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 Races 2025, published 21 January 2026, which ranks races by the ratings of their first four finishers. Other facts are from the pages listed below.
- IFHA: LONGINES World's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 Races 2025 (published 21 January 2026)
- VRC: TAB Champions Stakes Day 2026
- VRC Inside Run: TAB Champions Stakes Day 2025, Race 7
- VRC: Over 286,000 celebrate racing and entertainment at the Melbourne Cup Carnival (8 November 2025)
- VRC: Champions emerge as carnival closes with a bang (6 November 2022)