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"License to print money": The emerging horses to follow this spring
Connor Scanlon • September 1st, 2025 1:40 pm
Australian racing has some of the most exciting four-year-old horses in the world right now, headlined by Treasurethe Moment and Aeliana.
Treasurethe Moment impressively won the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday by 2.5 lenghts, defeating stars like Mr Brightside, Buckaroo and Fangirl.
While Aeliana went head-to-head with superstar Via Sistina in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) in Sydney recently, losing to the Cox Plate champion by just 0.36 lengths.
David Gately and Peter Anthonisz joined SENTrack’s Giddy Up to discuss the exciting youngsters taking Australian racing by storm.
“We were really excited about this three-year-old crop of fillies, more so than the colts and geldings… but how would it translate to the four-year-old season?” Gately questioned,
“Well, the early evidence is nothing short of outstanding, both sexes.
“You saw Aeliana return last week and give Via Sistina a big scare, and then you saw Treasurethe Moment come back and give Fangirl and Mr Brightside windburn.
“It is exciting. You can add Sepals to that four-year-old mix, Tropicus (as well).
“So, what it does, it adds depth to our great sport, leading into what’s shaping as one of the better springs I’ve seen in a long time.”
The only question Gately had around Treasurethe Moment was: what distance will the emerging star be most effective at?
“The query is with Treasurethe Moment – when you’re this brilliant, you’re not often both an endurance athlete and a brilliant shorter-course athlete,” Gately said.
“So, this will be the trick with her, and what they do with her moving forward.”
Form analyst Anthonisz also touched on fellow four-year-old, On Display, reflecting on her amazing 1400m win at Caulfield on Saturday.
“Based off that first-up win, she’s pretty good,” Anthonisz said.
“But I will temper that with a little bit of the potential that she might be flat off that run.
“I’m always a little bit wary of those horses coming out of a very fast tempo, she might just be a little bit flat second-up.”
Gately agreed with Anthonisz’ synopsis, but believes On Display may be good enough to sustain her form.
“She travelled so strongly, didn’t she!” Gateley said.
“Ben Melham doesn’t make many mistakes, (he) steered her into the clear and she powered home.
“I think you have to factor in 60.5 kilos, it’s not easy to do – first-up at 1400m, they went hard in that race.
“I think Pete’s point’s pretty relevant, that sometimes a fast race can have an impact on any athlete, the next time they run.
“I’m hopeful she can sustain her form, I think she’s genuinely exciting.
“I’m just going to keep following all these four-year-olds, I reckon it’s gonna be a license to print money.”
