Underwood Stakes (Group 1)

DELIUS, the 1.3 million guineas sale top from the 2024 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, who races as Sir Delius in Australia, is challenging Al Riffa for Melbourne Cup favouritism following a tenacious win in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes over 1,800 metres at Caulfield last Saturday.

It was Sir Delius’ third Australian start for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for two wins and a second, all at group level.

Originally purchased as a foal by M.V. Magnier for 675,000gns, the Frankel colt now races in the colours of Sir Owen Glen’s Go Bloodstock.

Ridden out early by Craig Williams to take up a position two pairs back, one off the fence, Sir Delius swung wide on the final bend with Buckaroo on his back.

The Chris Waller-trained Buckaroo swept up as the widest runner, taking the lead at the 200-metre mark, looking all over the winner until inside the final 100 metres where Sir Delius, and to his inside Golden Path, wrestled back into the race.

Digging deeper, the Frankel horse, formerly trained by Jean-Claude Rouget for Coolmore, won by a half-length from the Fastnet Rock gelding Buckaroo who just shaded the Belardo gelding Golden Path.

Awkward draw

“The discussion we had pre-race was to let him be a really good horse,” said Craig Williams. “He gave me a really good run from an awkward draw. When the chips were down, he had to be tough and it’s his first way of going left-handed.

“I always said he reminded me of Dunaden (2011 Melbourne Cup winner who Williams won the 2012 Caulfield Cup on), he’s got that great tenacity and great will to win. He laid back his ears and we got the win today.”

Effervescent following the win, Gai Waterhouse indicated Sir Delius will follow the same path as Fiorente, who was also trained by Waterhouse and Bott. “He was just fabulous,” enthused Waterhouse.

“It was Adrian’s programme, and it was very much around Fiorente which we won the Melbourne Cup with in 2013. We’ll go to the Might And Power (October 11th ) and then we’ll go to the Cox Plate (October 25th) and then that elusive race on the first Tuesday in November.”

At present, local markets have Al Riffa at $5 for the Melbourne Cup and Sir Delius second favourite at $6.

Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (Group 1)

CLIFF Brown, who left Melbourne in 2008 to train in Singapore for the next 13 years, landed his first Group 1 since returning to Victoria, winning Saturday’s Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield with Sepals.

By Coolmore’s Kingman stallion Calyx, unfortunately euthanised earlier this year, Sepals, a Group 3 winner in the February, was second favourite at his first test at the highest level.

With Craig Williams in the saddle, the pair showed impressive pace from an outside gate at the 1,400 metre start to take up a position on the hip of the race leader. Making their move at the final bend, Sepals held his pursuers at bay to win by length. Second was the Zoustar filly Miss Roumbini ahead of the Super Seth gelding Feroce, as the race favourite, the Harry Angel colt Angel Capital, who was ridden for luck but found none, flashed home for fourth once clear.

“I’m really pleased for everyone,” said Cliff Brown. “Jo and the kids and the staff, they’re amazing. There’s a lot of work that goes into them. He’s a special horse and he deserves the attention that he gets.

“These are races I grew up with as a kid and that was a long time ago. To win it, it’s very special. Any Group 1 is hard.”

HALF Yours, by the Irish-bred Teofilo stallion St Jean, has earned a ballot-free entry to next month’s A$5 million Caulfield Cup following the five-year-old’s win in the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes over 2,000 metres at Caulfield on Saturday.

Carrying 54.5kg and gaining a run as an emergency, Half Yours, trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy drops to 51kg for the Caulfield Cup and has now just edged past Buckaroo to be favourite for the October 18th Group 1 at $4.50.

“Ever since we’ve had him (a $305,000 buy on Inglis Digital), he’s been straightforward, been a lovely horse to train and we haven’t got to his ceiling yet,” said Calvin McEvoy. “Look, he’s in the Cup now, he’s proven on a good track, so I think we’ll be all systems go to the Caulfield Cup.”

THE former Jessica Harrington-trained Birdman won his first race since the Yeats Stakes at Navan in May 2024.

Winning 10 starts later in the Group 3 Kingstown Town Stakes at Randwick on Saturday over 2,000 metres, Birdman has now put himself into Cup calculations for his trainer Chris Waller and his Ozzie Kheir-led ownership syndicate.

“It’s overdue from a punter’s perspective,” opined Waller. “From our perspective, he’s just steadily been working towards something. But he needed to start doing it.

“He got to a more suitable distance today and had a lovely draw, a nice run in transit, and yeah, a good confident ride. I’ll have a talk to connections. They are great tacticians and planners of races, so I use their knowledge a lot.

“Logically, he’s heading the right way towards the Cups - that’s what he was brought for a year out, and it’s coming together nicely for him.” The Free Eagle gelding has been allocated 52.5kg for the Caulfield Cup and 51 for the Melbourne Cup.

JOLIESTAR has overcome a four-wide position near the tail, midway in the Group 2 Shorts at Randwick to run over her opposition and post an impressive length and a half win in the 1,100-metre scamper.

It was the Zoustar mare’s first run since landing the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup over 1,300 metres in June and has her primed for a charge towards the A$20 million Everest on October 18th.

“She was awesome. She’s come back well, and she’s four weeks out from a very big race,” said trainer Chris Waller.

“We haven’t asked her a lot to be truthful, but I can see a more mature horse now. I’ve just got an all-around more confident horse, so we were confident. We knew from the draw it was going to be tricky, so our plan was just to come back, find some cover. We didn’t get the cover, but we didn’t need it.”

Joliestar has been selected for the Chris Waller Training slot, with only five of the 12 slots without nominated runners, those slots are owned by: Inglis, Coolmore, Mulberry Racing, James Harron and Godolphin.

HONG Kong’s reigning Horse of the Year Ka Ying Rising has landed safely in Sydney and is at Canterbury to prepare for his tilt at The Everest in October. Currently a prohibitive A$1.70 favourite for the 1,200 metre sprint, the David Hayes-trained number 1 world-ranked sprinter, with a Timeform rating of 135, has won his past 13 starts and fills the slot owned by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Australian Turf Club.

“We only have a small pool of horses in Hong Kong and the people here become quite parochial about their champions as every country does,” said the Shamexpress five-year-old’s jockey Zac Purton.

“With Ka Ying Rising going to The Everest, the race is creating a lot of interest in Hong Kong. It continues to build as we get closer to the race and I think that is great for racing in Sydney and Australia, and great for racing globally as well.

“Ka Ying Rising is the new superstar of Hong Kong racing and a lot of his followers are excited to be travelling to Sydney to watch him race. I was very conscious of booking my flight early to get a seat on the plane!”

FOUR International runners remain in the A$5 million Caulfield Cup which had 49 horses remaining after second acceptances were taken on Tuesday.

They are, Absurde for Willie Mullins, Golden Snap for Katsunori Tanaka, Meydaan for Simon and Ed Crisford and Presage Nocturne for Alessandro Botti.

The $6 million Cox Plate, run a week later on October 25th will be without any overseas starters after only 30 horses remained in the field following second acceptances, also taken on Tuesday.