By Molly Haines
Dramatical and Cleo Star have posted identical times to share the honour of fastest qualifier into the Group 1 Sportsbet Australian Cup Final, but it was Slick Splits who expert form analyst Nathan Rooney labelled the run of the night at The Meadows on Saturday.
Slick Splits finished second behind Dramatical, and while the winner was outstanding, the Warragul Cup hero’s performance caught plenty of eyes.
Trained by Jason Thompson, the exciting youngster is still yet to turn two, but he has already stamped himself as a serious contender in the Group 1 feature.
“We still don’t know how good he is, but he will be an exciting dog,” handler Luke Thompson said.
“More times than not he will be back in the field, but he is such a smart dog and has come along in leaps and bounds in the last month.”
Dramatical was spectacular in victory, stopping the clock in 29.72 seconds over the 525 metres.
Dramatical wins his way into the Sportsbet Australian Cup from box 5.
Cleo Star caused the upset of the night in semi-final two, taking out what many considered the deepest heat of the series.
Trained by Brendan Pursell, Cleo Star led all the way and held off last start Group 1 Sportsbet Temlee winner Mepunga Reward and star sprinter Dashing Slay, also recording 29.72 seconds after a slick 5.02 early split.
Cleo Star wins from box 1.
The opening semi-final went the way of Paw Oswald for Team Delbridge, who led all the way and proved too strong for Consigliere and Neo Devere in 29.75 seconds.
Paw Oswald wins the opening Sportsbet Australian Cup semi-final from box 2.
The final semi-final was claimed by Mav Reiko for John Barbara, who showcased his trademark mid-race strength, barging through the field before running down Aston Rayner. Irish Bill, for Stephen Whyte, was eye-catching in second.
Dashing Slay and Neo Devere are the reserves for the Sportsbet Australian Cup as the two fastest thirds.
The box draw for the Group 1 Sportsbet Australian Cup Final will be conducted on Tuesday, with the 2026 Sportsbet Australian Cup Carnival set to culminate next Saturday night at The Meadows.
