Ladbrokes Future Stars do battle in Southside Pakenham finale

More owners are set for a handsome reward in Victoria this Thursday night (26 February) when the fourth annual $250,000 Ladbrokes Future Stars Final (1400m) is conducted at Southside Pakenham.

The Ladbrokes Future Stars is the second of three lucrative series for maiden horses in Victoria this season, each offering at least $900,000 in prizemoney across their heats and finals.

The series headlines Victoria’s growing investment in maiden races which has seen an additional $5,000 prizemoney added to every country maiden in 2025-26.

The Ladbrokes Future Stars featured 10 heats at Southside tracks throughout January and February with nine of the heat winners set to take their shot in the final which has also attracted a host of in-form jockeys.

Fresh off his Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) success with Streisand on Saturday, leading jockey Ben Melham takes the ride aboard Team Hawkes’ Ladbrokes Future Stars Series Heat 7 winner I Stand By You.

Having claimed the other two Group 1s on Saturday’s Caulfield program, Craig Williams heads to Pakenham to link up with the well supported Ten Warriors for Cranbourne trainer Trevor Rogers – his only ride for the night.

Ten Warriors has finished runner-up twice this Ladbrokes Future Stars Series and will look to turn the tables in the final on heat winners Savoyard (Heat 2) and Berlemont (Heat 8), the latter of whom is a half-brother to VOBIS Sires Guineas winner and dual Country Cups hero Chartres.

Star hoop Ben Allen, having nabbed a treble on Saturday’s feature Caulfield program, reunites with Heat 3 winner Silver Bullet for Pakenham trainer Charlotte Littlefield in what would prove a popular winning result for the locals.

Dominant Heat 9 winner Plunger is the early favourite from barrier 1 as owner-trainer Enver Jusufovic aims to go one better after his filly Astral Flame finished second in last year’s Future Stars Series Final behind Nostringsattached.

The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young stable will saddle up Heat 4 winner Nostro Roccia in their quest to land back-to-back Ladbrokes Future Stars Finals, while Heat 10 winner The Benchmark could continue a memorable week for Mornington trainer Michael Mehegan following Bossy Benita’s Group 3 victory at Caulfield. 

The Ladbrokes Future Stars Series has already proven a rich breeding ground for talent in its short history with the likes of subsequent Group winners Gringotts, Marble Arch, Von Hauke, Eternal Flame and Oh Too Good having made their mark in the night racing series.

The Ladbrokes Future Stars Final will be broadcast live on Racing.com at 8.45pm (AEDT) (Race 7) from Southside Pakenham where the first of eight races will be run at 5.45pm.