The Golden Ticket effect

In just his third start from five since arriving from overseas – and his second consecutive Stakes victory after a dominant display in the Torney Cup – Deakin’s win granted his connections the luxury of a more measured campaign leading up to November 4, 2025.

“This ticket means we can actually concentrate on going to the race without the horse being re-handicapped,” said OTI’s Terry Henderson. “If we didn’t have that golden ticket, we’d be on the cusp. We’d have to go to another race, maybe win again – but be carrying extra weight. That reduces your chances in the race itself.”

In the Lexus Roy Higgins, Deakin (who is by the stallion Australia) fought tooth and nail down the Flemington straight. Jockey Daniel Stackhouse, who has ridden him in each of his local runs, guided him home to win by a neck over Berkshire Breeze. Mostly Cloudy was four lengths away in third.

“Now that we’ve won the race,” said assistant trainer Shae Dinunzio, “the whole spring campaign is a bit more relaxed. We can plan back from the Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup … work out when we need to have him back in to work, what races to target, and make sure he’s peaking on those two days.”

Stokes, who has trained multiple elite performers, knows exactly how
special this opportunity is. “We’ve always known what the Melbourne Cup’s about,” he said. “To be there, and to have a runner in the race, it’s a great honour. I was always confident he was good enough to find his own way there, but now we’re in. And that makes life easier.”

Henderson has experienced both sides of the Melbourne Cup – utter joy with a win with Doriemus in 1995, then heartache in 2008 when Bauer lost to Viewed by the narrowest of margins. He also knows how rare these chances are.

“All those people have now got this dream alive for the next few months,” he said. “They’re on a magnificent path toward a great race.”

And with a ticket already in hand to Flemington’s biggest stage, the team behind Deakin can now simply fine-tune their prospect.

“It’s exciting for us,” Dinunzio added, “but you’ve got to get the job done too. Between now and November, it’s head down, bum up. Do the basics right to get the result you want.”

Another coveted golden ticket – and a direct path to the Lexus Melbourne Cup – will be claimed today, when the Lexus Andrew Ramsden (2800m) offers its winner a place in racing history.
But for Deakin and his team, the road has already begun.

2025 Golden Ticket Races

Find all the 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup golden ticket race information here