Sportsbet Up & Coming Stars fight it out in Caulfield finale

A field of 15 exciting prospects will take their chance in the inaugural $300,000 Sportsbet Up & Coming Stars Series Final (1400m), which is one of many highlights on a terrific card at Caulfield this Saturday, 11 April. 

Featuring the four richest maiden races held in the state, the Sportsbet Up & Coming Stars Series is the third 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.

Having secured their spot in the final with victory earlier in the series, five heat winners will bid to take advantage of the incredible prizemoney on offer on Saturday, with the field spearheaded by the ultra-consistent Ten Warriors.

Trevor Rogers’ charge will be bidding to make it third time lucky in the final of a lucrative maiden series, having finished fourth in the $250,000 Sportsbet Emerging Stars Series final in December and fifth in the $250,000 Ladbrokes Future Stars Series Final back in February.

Ten Warriors got the monkey off his back when taking out Heat 4 of the Up & Coming Stars Series on the Caulfield Heath track last month, where he beat another of Saturday’s leading contenders in Santana – the most expensive purchase in the field having been snapped up by the Hawkes Racing team for $340,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. 

Santana, who has raced exclusively at metropolitan level in his short career to date, franked the form at his next start by winning Heat 6 at Sportsbet Sandown, a race in which he beat another of Saturday’s contenders in Cavalry Scout.

A further boost to the Santana form arrives courtesy of Hot Sand, who finished behind that rival in the series opener before securing his place in Saturday’s field with victory in Heat 5 at Sportsbet Ballarat.  

The red-hot Danny O’Brien stable will saddle up Manifest The Milli, who has been kept on ice since winning Heat 2 at Sportsbet Ballarat in early March. Her form from last preparation includes minor placings behind subsequent stakes performers Blindedbythelight and Azazel, which puts her among the leading chances for Saturday’s $300,000 feature. 

Another trainer whose stable is firing on all cylinders is Grahame Begg, who is responsible for the early market leader, Dirty Look. Having landed Heat 3 in the manner of a promising filly, the daughter of Super Seth tuned up for Saturday’s final with an eye-catching second at Sandown two weeks ago behind a well-regarded rival in a BM64. 

In a similar vein to Ten Warriors, the Ciaron Maher-trained Oyster Lane has been taking advantage of the prizemoney on offer in Victorian maidens this season by placing in heats of both the Future Stars Series and the Sportsbet Up & Coming Stars Series. The most recent of those was his solid second to Heat 7 winner Ole Royale over Saturday’s distance of 1400m. 

Providing an added layer of intrigue to Saturday’s final is the Sportsbet Jockey Contest, with double points on offer for the first (8), second (6) and third (4) riders home. All other jockeys will receive 2 points for starting in the final.

Luke Currie, who rides the well-fancied Santana, currently holds sway on 14 points over Jamie Mott, who sits second on 12 and will again partner his trusted ally Ten Warriors. Click here to view the full leaderboard.

The winner of the Jockey Contest is set to collect $15,000, whilst $7,500 will be on offer to the runner-up and $2,500 goes to the third placegetter.

The Sportsbet Up & Coming Stars Series Final will be broadcast live on Racing.com and the Seven Network at 1.45pm AEST (Race 4) on a Caulfield program also boasting a trio of Listed features in the Next Payments Redoute’s Choice Stakes (1200m), Manhari Galilee Series Final (2400m) and the Thoroughbred Club Anniversary Vase (1400m).