Long established as the most informative juvenile contest of the season, the Dewhurst Stakes has a rich history of producing Classic-winning stars. Nine promising colts lined up for the 2025 renewal, with runners from the powerful Ballydoyle and Godolphin operations dominating the market.
With eight previous Dewhurst Stakes wins, Aidan O’Brien boasted the best record of the trainers on show. Coventry Stakes winner Gstaad led the charge for O’Brien and started as favourite following solid support on the day. Having finished second in the Prix Morny and National Stakes, could he break his Group 1 duck at the third time of asking? Italy looked like the Ballydoyle second string on jockey books and would need to improve on his third-placed effort in the National Stakes.
Charlie Appleby couldn’t match O’Brien’s overall tally. However, the Godolphin number one had made a significant splash in recent years, with three wins since 2019. Of the three Appleby runners in the 2025 field, William Buick opted to ride Distant Storm, following his impressive win in the Tattersalls Stakes. Pacific Avenue and Saba Desert had shown early promise but needed to bounce back from subpar efforts at this track and the Curragh.
Karl Burke’s Alparslan and Zavateri, from the Eve Johnson Houghton operation, were the only unbeaten runners in the field. Alparslan faced a steep rise in class, but Zavateri had already proven up to this level when conquering Gstaad, Italy, and Saba Desert in the National Stakes.
Andrew Balding’s Acomb Stakes winner Gewan had subsequently disappointed in the Champagne Stakes but looked like one of the more interesting outsiders. Oxagon, from the yard of John and Thady Gosden, rounded out the field and had finished two paces ahead of Gewan in the Champagne Stakes.
Result
- 1st – Gewan 25/1, Jockey: James Doyle, Trainer: Andrew Balding
- 2nd – Gstaad 7/4f, Jockey: Christophe Soumillon, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
- 3rd – Distant Storm 9/4, Jockey: William Buick, Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Prize Money Breakdown
- 1st – £283,550
- 2nd – £107,500
- 3rd – £53,800
- 4th – £26,800
- 5th – £13,450
- 6th – £6,750
Tote and Forecast Payouts
- Tote Win – £26
- Tote Places – 1st – £4.80, 2nd – £1.25, 3rd – £1.35
- Exacta – £112
- Computer Straight Forecast (CSF) – £67.45
- Trifecta – £372.70
- Tricast – £145.80
Recap
The two greys in the field – Pacific Avenue and Gewan – broke best when the stalls opened, with the pair flanking Oxagon up the centre of the track. Alparslan, Gstaad, and Saba Desert came next towards the near side, followed by Zavateri and Distant Storm. Italy found himself with work to do, having missed the break.
Approaching halfway, the field had split into two distinct groups. Gewan and Pacific Avenue continued to set the pace up the centre of the track, with Oxagon moving well on their heels. Zavateri and Italy followed that trio. On the near side, Alparslan had made his way to the lead, with Gstaad, Distant Storm, and Saba Desert all seemingly content to wait.
The two groups merged at the two-furlong pole, with the runners then fanning out to launch their challenge. Pacific Avenue held a narrow advantage on the far side but looked to be coming to the end of his tether. In contrast, Oxagon and Gewan had yet to be asked for maximum effort. Looking further back, Distant Storm was staying on, without showing the type of acceleration he had in the Tattersalls Stakes. Gstaad looked like a bigger threat, having switched into the clear behind Gewan.
Gewan drifted markedly left as the field hit the furlong pole. Now racing against the inside rail, James Doyle’s mount held the overall advantage. Fellow pacesetters Pacific Avenue and Oxagon were beaten off at this stage, leaving Gstaad, Zavateri, and Distant Storm as the only realistic challengers. Gstaad tried valiantly to claw in the leader but never looked like getting there as Gewan held on to score by ¾l. Distant Storm plugged on to take third.
It was a second Dewhurst Stakes win for Andrew Balding and a first for James Doyle. Balding’s previous winner, Chaldean (2022), went on to claim the 2,000 Guineas during his Classic campaign.
Runners
- 1. Alparslan – SP: 50/1, Trainer: Karl Burke, Jockey: Clifford Lee
- 2. Distant Storm – SP: 9/4, Trainer: Charlie Appleby, Jockey: William Buick
- 3. Gewan – SP: 25/1, Trainer: Andrew Balding, Jockey: James Doyle
- 4. Gstaad – SP: 7/4F, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien, Jockey: Christophe Soumillon
- 5. Italy – SP: 12/1, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien, Jockey: Wayne Lordan
- 6. Oxagon – SP: 9/1, Trainer: John & Thady Gosden, Jockey: Oisin Murphy
- 7. Pacific Avenue – SP: 33/1, Trainer: Charlie Appleby, Jockey: Rossa Ryan
- 8. Saba Desert – SP: 33/1, Trainer: Charlie Appleby, Jockey: Billy Loughnane
- 9. Zavateri – SP: 9/2, Trainer: Eve Johnson Houghton, Jockey: Charles Bishop
Non-Runners
All ran.