The best were on show at Caulfield on Saturday. Warwoven layed down a challenge to Autumn Glow as the best horse in the country, while James McDonald did what is expected of the World’s best jockey. But don’t expect to watch a Sydney Group 2 in Melbourne.
HITS
WARWOVEN
He is now clearly the best of his generation after completing the Golden Rose-Caulfield Guineas double with some ease on Saturday. The next step is taking on all-comers in the Cox Plate and become the best horse in the country. After that bloodstock agent Jim Clarke will secure which stud his future will be beyond the track. Clarke is the power behind Bjorn Baker’s stable, an agent who makes a habit of finding the right horse at the right price. He doesn’t play at the top end of the market but the $380,000 he spent on Warwoven is set to return his biggest return. A Cox Plate could see the colt from Sword Of State’s first crop get towards a $50 million price tag.
JAMES MCDONALD
J-Mac carries expectations every time he goes out in a Group 1, and his ride on Lady Shenandoah showed why. He took the narrowest of gaps, even making space for himself, to charge through and win the Toorak Handicap. It was part of a winning treble for the World’s Best jockey and trainer Chris Waller after Sequinned and Pinhole won earlier in the day. However, his beaten ride on Flying For Fun was equally as good, they just ran into a cracking sprinter in Jigsaw.
CIARON MAHER & LAND LEGEND
It was a masterstroke by Ciaron Maher to win the Might And Power Stakes with Land Legend. He outthought his five rivals and then Ethan Brown executed the plan perfectly. Ciaron Maher Racing post gave insight into how the coup was planned and the excitement when it came off. Maher has the strength of his stayers against the more brilliant stars and made 2000m races tests. He plays to his horses strength while taking away the advanatge from horses like Autumn Glow and Sheza Alibi. You could call it the Jenni effect.
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PETER MOODY
Sheza Alibi had to play second fiddle to Land Legend to everyone surprise but Peter Moody’s response was perfect to what had happened. “As long as his [Land Legend’s] arse points towards the ground he’ll never beat her again, but he’s had his day in the sun,” Moody said. “That’s life and we’ll bounce back and fight another day. It was a tough run race and all honours to the winner. We weren’t good enough on the day. We followed Birdman and unfortunately, he went terrible. We were going to use him to drag us into the race but that it didn’t pan out. But that’s life.”
“As long as his arse points to the ground he’ll never beat her again” 🤣
Xander gets the latest from an ever-entertaining Peter Moody after Sheza Alibi’s second in the Might And Power 👇 pic.twitter.com/rlRX4esLXc
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) October 10, 2026
ADAM CAMPTON
The care a master has for his apprentice was shown by Adam Campton for his star apprentice, Bella Youngberry, on Saturday night after she was thrown from Metaphorically at Eagle Farm. “We are pleased to confirm that Bella has been cleared of any serious injuries, which is a tremendous relief to everyone involved,” Campton wrote. “We are aware there has been speculation surrounding the incident, and we kindly ask that people refrain from spreading rumours or making assumptions. Bella’s health and wellbeing remain our absolute priority, and we appreciate everyone’s understanding and respect. Bella would also like to sincerely thank everyone who has reached out with messages of support and concern. The overwhelming kindness shown by the racing community has been greatly appreciated. Bella is a tough girl and we have absolutely no doubt she will bounce back from this setback bigger, better and stronger than ever. We look forward to seeing Bella back doing what she loves in no time.”
That is very classy.
MISSES
HILL STAKES
Once a great staging point for the biggest races of the spring has become big money payday for horses that have found their level. When the Hill Stakes was run in mid-September, it ranked along the Prix Foy and Royal Ascot’s Hardwicke Stakes as a great Group 2 in world racing. Throwing money at it and moving it into October has made it a worse race. Stakes doesn’t equal status. The same horses have fought the finish in the past three years. Mitchell Freedman has done a great job to win it twice with Attrittion, which has won $2.8 million of $4.3 million career earnings in the Hill Stakes. And he is no Hartnell, Verry Elleegant or Descarado.
BEN THOMPSON KING OF POP
Wrong place, wrong time was Thompson’s problem on King Of Pop in the Eagle Farm straight. King Of Pop travelled as well as winner Bring Me Kash passing the 300m, but as the Bring Me Kash made the winning charge, King Of Pop was dragged back to last on the back of a fading leader. The margin went from just over a length to six in 50 metres. When King Of Pop finally got clean he trimmed the margin back to run well-beaten third. King Of Pop could be one for nect time, but that was been said about him often in Sydney.
Bookies with CHUCHICHASCHTI
She was completely missed by the bookies in the early markets with smart punters able to get $26, which was a long way from the $3 she started in the Tapp-Craig. TAB’s Tim Ryan admitted the mistake in Saturday’s radio preview, and I don’t think you will see $26 against the unbeaten filly’s name again. Team Hawkes will place her well, and she looks a top-level horse in the making but a Group 1 challenge will have to wait until next year.
SEPALS
Last year’s Golden Eagle and Stradbroke runner-up was sent out favourite in the Alan Brown Stakes, but never raised supporters’ hopes, dropping out to run last. Jamie Mott told stewards he “failed to stretch out comfortably and after being required to make a wide run making the home turn Sepals was unable to close off and dropped out of contention.” Stewards will follow up with trainer Cliff Brown this week, hopefully he is all right.
CAULFIELD ADS
The Sydney-Melbourne rivalry is alive and well down south with the one of the Rosehill features punted from on-course vision for a Sportsbet advertisement on Saturday. Just as Paradoxium sped to the lead in the Roman Consul Stakes, Caulfield decided it was a good time to support their sponsor. It sent punters diving for their phones to watch the hot favourite get run down by Satono Glow and Steel Will in the lead-up for next month’s Coolmore Stud Stakes.
