Flemington in fine order ahead of the spring carnival
The Flemington track walked in unbelievable order on Friday and that’s exactly how it raced on Saturday.
Thanks to Vince Accardi/Daily Sectionals, horses won from lanes 1 to 8 in the circle races, both on speed and from back in the field, and it was hard to make a case for any meaningful pattern. That’s exactly what you want heading towards the spring carnival.
I still think the inside seven or eight lanes were superior in the straight races, although they did stay wider in the three-year-old races, especially Paradoxium. Lose Some Win More was closest to the inside rail when winning the Bobbie Lewis, which further highlighted that there was absolutely nothing wrong with that part of the track.
The fine weather brought the crowds, too, with the VRC reporting 13,522 people through the gates, up 45 per cent on last year.
Good weather, a big crowd and a track that gave everyone their chance. Flemington is in terrific order with the serious stuff just around the corner.
Sheza Alibi shines on a beautiful day at HQ
The Makybe Diva Stakes was effectively over before they reached the home bend.
Sheza Alibi lobbed into a beautiful spot, tracking the speed and minding her own business, and once Luke Nolen started to ease her into the race approaching the turn, it quickly became a case of times and margins. She put them away with the minimum of fuss and further enhanced her standing as one of the best horses in the country.
Oh, to be owner Fred Noffke. The racing world is this mare’s oyster and the Queensland cattle farmer is living the dream after parting with a paltry $10,000 for Sheza Alibi.
Noffke is also exactly the type of character racing needs to showcase. He’s laid-back and refreshingly himself. During the week, speaking with Racenet, he warned that “racing must realise it’s in the entertainment business”, and he’s spot on.
You only had to look around Melbourne this week to understand the point. The NFL came to town and turned a game of football into an event, generating enormous interest well beyond its traditional fan base. Racing is competing in that same entertainment market and characters like Noffke, along with horses like Sheza Alibi, are a huge part of what it has to sell.
As for the mare, the $10 million Golden Eagle looks hers for the taking and, after Saturday, she’d start favourite if she turned up in what is shaping as a moderate Cox Plate.
Autumn Boy was excellent in running second to Sheza Alibi for the fourth time. He’s becoming to Sheza Alibi what Hay List was to Black Caviar. Might be time to avoid the other wonder mare, Chris!
I thought Blake Shinn erred in handing up aboard Mr Brightside, who then proceeded to over-race behind the moderate tempo. He returned with blood in one nostril, so there may have been another issue at play, but being bottled up behind a slowly run race certainly didn’t help his cause.
Treasurethe Moment is at the crossroads. She had a soft time on speed and was bog average late, so she needs to improve sharply next time.
Sir Delius was a little more dour than many expected, but the sedate tempo probably didn’t suit him. Wait until he gets to 2000m in a genuinely run race and can start breaking their hearts.
| Horse | Grade | Report card |
|---|---|---|
| Sheza Alibi | A+ | In her own race. Pick a target. |
| Autumn Boy | A | Flying. Just avoid Sheza Alibi. |
| Another Wil | B+ | Wary he had a soft run on speed, but he was very good. |
| Sir Delius | B- | Happy to forgive… just. Assess again after the Turnbull. |
| She’s A Hustler | A- | Excellent. Caulfield Cup stocks rising. |
| Half Yours | C+ | Pass mark. Just. His form since the Melbourne Cup is becoming a concern. |
| Light Infantry Man | C- | Meh. Plain. Send him forward next time. |
| O’Hope Wins | D | Alarm bells. Two poor runs this prep and that Oaks win is looking increasingly weak. |
| Treasurethemoment | D- | Bog average. At the crossroads. |
The Archer move was exactly what the Melbourne Cup needed
I saw plenty of criticism during the week about The Archer being moved from Derby Day to Makybe Diva Stakes Day, along with its Melbourne Cup golden ticket.
What nonsense.
Firstly, trainers themselves essentially voted for the change by increasingly deciding they didn’t want to run 2500m on Derby Day and then back up three days later in a gruelling Melbourne Cup.
The race had historically been a last-chance saloon for Cup hopefuls and attracted big fields, but that had started to die off in recent years. Understandably, trainers decided that running 2500m on the Saturday before tackling 3200m on the Tuesday was a bridge too far for their horses.
But there’s a bigger picture here.
The Melbourne Cup is Victorian racing’s greatest talking point, yet so much of its narrative has been squashed by the year-round discussion surrounding The Everest. Every sprinter who wins a decent race is immediately talked up as an Everest contender. Once upon a time, that sort of constant speculation surrounded the Melbourne Cup.
Spreading golden-ticket races more evenly throughout the season can help bring some of that back. It gives local trainers and connections more opportunities to qualify while, importantly, putting the Melbourne Cup front and centre at different stages of the year rather than cramming so much of the conversation into a few weeks.
Just look at the scenes when Shockletz booked her place in the Cup on Saturday. They were electric. Connections had secured a spot in Australia’s greatest race and celebrated accordingly. That’s exactly the sort of emotion and theatre the Melbourne Cup needs to generate more often.
And Shockletz is a deserving Cup candidate.
The Archer was a brutal staying contest, something we haven’t seen much of over the past few months. They went out around 22 lengths above standard to the 800-metre mark in a genuine survival of the fittest, and Shocklet was the one left standing.
She wore blinkers for the first time on Saturday and they could be the making of the mare. She now gets her chance to emulate the deeds of her father, Shocking, who won the Melbourne Cup in 2009.
The move of the Archer exactly the right call.
SHOCKLETZ IS INTO THE MELBOURNE CUP 🏆
The daughter of Shocking earns her spot in the great race in a real staying test!@HTCoffey @cmaherracing pic.twitter.com/4PHwChMW2b
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) September 12, 2026
3YOs tune up for the Coolmore
The Blue Diamond form took another hit on Saturday, with Streisand failing to fire first-up in the Cap D’Antibes Stakes.
I’m prepared to cut her some slack. The stable had warned all week she would improve with the run and she was ridden quieter than usual, but the fact remains she has plenty of ground to make up on Satono Glow and Over Excited, who quinellaed the race.
As each week passes, Guest House’s seems to be the shining light out of the Diamonnd. To date, he’s the only horse holding the race together.
As for the Coolmore picture, Saturday didn’t exactly produce a superstar, but it did give us a decent measuring stick.
Satono Glow ran slightly quicker time than Paradoxium, who won the boys’ division 35 minutes later, stopping the clock at 62.86 compared to 62.96. Interestingly, the colts and geldings went a couple of lengths quicker early, although Satono Glow did appear to drift back towards the slightly better ground late.
If I had to pick one to take home from Flemington with the Coolmore in mind, it would be Satono Glow. But, there will be plenty more competition from north of the border.
A couple for the blackbook
Regal Ambition (Sandown Wednesday)
I’ve had a big opinion of this filly since before her debut at Ballarat last campaign, where she was unlucky not to win, and she quickly made amends with a brilliant victory at Sandown on Wednesday.
She’s a filly capable of rising through the grades very quickly and Stakes company looks well within reach. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see her lining up in a Thousand Guineas in a few weeks’ time.
Sandown Hillside Race 2 | Regal Ambition
The Palace Pier filly goes one better and improves from her 2nd placing on debut last preparation 🤝
📺 Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app
REPLAYS: https://t.co/pw2UETmFd1 pic.twitter.com/FUvB5wxCHo— Racing.com (@Racing) September 9, 2026
Conquer The World (Geelong Friday)
It was a good race for Clint McDonald, who won it with Turbo Saint, but the stable’s best horse to come out of it may well have been third-placegetter Conquer The World.
He settled last before absolutely hammering the line late in a performance that screamed next-start winner. He won’t be a maiden for long.
Geelong Race 4 | Turbo Saint
Another win for the Ben Melham and Clinton McDonald combination 🔥
Stable debutant Conquer The World also produced an encouraging effort to finish in the placings.📺 Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app
REPLAYS: https://t.co/HEhdpozFmy pic.twitter.com/ONfhUn7tCy— Racing.com (@Racing) September 11, 2026
