Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1)

SIR Delius, ruled out of last year’s Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup following adverse scans, found redemption in the Aus$5 million Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, the Frankel five-year-old entire also inflicted the first defeat upon star filly Autumn Glow. In a select seven-horse field, Craig Williams settled in third, three lengths ahead of Autumn Glow, with Lindermann bringing up the tail.

Racing with his high head carriage, the pace was true, with Williams keen to exploit any staying weakness in his rivals. Taking over at the top of the straight, Sir Delius lived up to the hype he generated in the spring with a powerful run to the line, winning by two and a quarter lengths.

Autumn Glow and Lindermann closed the gap, but the previously unbeaten The Autumn Sun filly and the Lonhro gelding peaked about 100 metres from the line. The William Haggas-trained Dubai Honour was never a threat, finishing fourth, whilst his stablemate Caviar Heights was eased down long before the line. The time was a quick 2:00.59, just 0.29 seconds outside Randwick’s 2,000 metre course record.

The one

“This is the one that counted,” said Bott. “Obviously, it was difficult those first parts of this preparation (two Group 1 third placings), he had a little bit of expectation on him from what he was able to achieve in the spring.

“But we kept focus and this was the goal that we really wanted to be able to achieve. Today was the right set-up and Craig (Williams) executed it perfectly.

“I’m delighted for all the owners that are involved and the team that’s made it possible. I think a high-pressure 2,000 metres is right in his sweet spot.”

Sir Delius was previously trained by Jean-Claude Rouget for Coolmore partners and Westerberg before topping the 2024 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale at 1,300,000gns, and now racing in the colours of Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock.

He has now won four of his seven Australian starts, including three Group 1s, and is now the early favourite for the Cox Plate and equal-favourite for the Melbourne Cup.

“What an amazing racehorse and what a great performance by him,” said Craig Williams. “This is one of the biggest prizes on the Australian racing calendar. In the gates, he had Autumn Glow next to him and he went to check her out. I said to him ‘mate, if you win this, you’ve got a chance of dating her’.”

For Chris Waller, he admitted he made an error stepping Autumn Glow up in trip. In a social media post, he said: “I’m disappointed for the horse, as she gave everything in the race, but I simply got her distance range wrong. I apologise to everyone for that - we’ll accept defeat graciously and come back better.”

Schweppes Sydney Cup (Group 1)

JASON Collett rode a textbook front-running race on former Ballydoyle inmate Changingoftheguard to lead home an Irish-bred trifecta in the Aus$2 million Sydney Cup over two miles. Collett broke from stall three on the Kris Lees-trained Galileo gelding, ninth in last year’s Melbourne Cup, and controlled the tempo, with a three-length lead by midway.

Challenged before the final turn, Collett wasn’t flushed into a fight and Changingoftheguard continued to find, holding a two-length advantage with 200 metres remaining. With the line in his favour, the margin was a neck as former Joseph O’Brien trainee Soul Of Spain took second, ahead of former Jessica Harrington trainee Highland Bling.

“What a lovely rated ride, I thought he was actually going too slow,” said Kris Lees of the winner, who is owned by a Lloyd and Nick Williams managed syndicate. “He got him back to 14 (second sectionals), he goes quicker in trackwork most mornings. But he upped the ante when they came up around him and it was really pleasing.

Older and wiser

“As he’s gotten older, he’s a little bit cunning. He looks after himself when the tracks are wet. He held back last week, you could see he just didn’t have that same action that he’s normally got,” added Lees as explanation for Changingoftheguard’s muddling form this preparation, which led to a 50/1 starting price.

“We saved the blinkers, we said after the Melbourne Cup, he ran a bold race in the Melbourne Cup (ninth) and we said we’ll save them for Sydney. It was a good plan and happy to get the win. They were always going on, we were just trying to wait for today.”

Soul Of Spain, now trained by Chris Waller for the Go Racing syndicate, will likely clash again with Changingoftheguard in the Spring. “We got an update from Chris yesterday, who said he is going to go out for a spell now and come back for a Caulfield and Melbourne Cup preparation, it is really exciting,” said Go Racing’s Matt Allnutt.

Asahi Super Dry Australian Oaks (Group 1)

THE former New Zealand-trained filly Ohope Wins, whose Yulong purchase saw her switch from Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott to Chris Waller, started a short-priced favourite in the Group 1 Australian Oaks over Randwick’s 2,400 metres.

Fourth in the Vinery Stud Stakes at Rosehill over 2,000 metres a fortnight earlier, her first run since her February 26th New Zealand Oaks win, the Ocean Park filly was ridden with plenty of confidence by James McDonald.

Second last and 15 lengths from the lead with 800 metres remaining, McDonald began improving the filly to take the corner as the widest runner on the bend in the 12-horse field.

“Looming ominously,” in the words of course broadcaster Darren Flindell, Ohope Wins kept improving as the field splintered.

Catching the second-favourite Profoundly with 100 metres remaining, Ohope Wins won as comfortably as a half-length victory can be, to consign the Farnan filly to second.

Third went to The Autumn Sun filly After Summer.

Gritty

“They ran it really quickly, so it suited her down to the ground,” said McDonald. “Obviously on paper it didn’t look that way, but I always had a plan to ride her quiet. I was blessed when the pace went on and it never stopped, so it was going to be the toughest stayer and that’s exactly what she was.

“She’s gritty, she’s a very gritty filly. She had enough on the line, the other two were brave.”

“It hasn’t been hard at all inheriting her for this Oaks campaign, because you know the horse is good enough,” added Chris Waller. “It was just about keeping it simple.

“We might not have got it quite right with the Vinery, but I think she just needed the run. Speaking with Lance O’Sullivan, the confidence he had in her - he said she’s one of the best horses he’s ever dealt with, so it’s a pretty big comment coming from him.”

Moet & Chandon Queen Of The Turf Stakes (Group 1)

THE Matthew Smith-trained Dundeel filly Idle Flyer upstaged her more fancied rivals to win a maiden Group 1 in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes for fillies and mares over the Randwick mile on Saturday.

With a race pattern locked in due to the presence of Pride Of Jenni, Zac Lloyd slotted Idle Flyer - a last start Group 2 Emancipation Stakes winner - in fourth behind the multiple Group 1 winners Lady Shenandoah and Treasurethe Moment.

Declan Bates took Pride Of Jenni out to a five-length lead, but approaching the bend she looked hard ridden and nearing empty. Lady Shenandoah closed the gap to hit the front at the 200-metre mark, just as Idle Flyer was relishing her task.

Matching motors with the Snitzel filly, Idle Flyer got the better of Lady Shenandoah over the last 75 metres to win by a length, as the Alabama Express filly Treasurethe Moment filled third. Pride Of Jenni, ever brave, was three lengths from the winner in fifth.

Team effort

“I can’t believe she won, I knew she was going good, but I didn’t think she could win that today,” said Matthew Smith. “But we’ll take it. I was really happy in the run. She was on the back of the right horses, the three horses to beat were in front of us, and she was able to finish over the top of them.

“Everyone at home, all our staff that put an incredible amount of work into getting her here today, I’m just so happy it’s come off. She’s always ran a strong mile and you need to run a strong mile to be able to win these good mile races.”

Purchased for Aus$70,000 at the Inglis Classic yearling sale, Idle Flyer has now won eight from 15 with consideration being given to the Brisbane carnival, specifically the Group 1 Stradbroke Season worth Aus$3 million on June 13th.