Australia is blessed with a golden generation of gallopers heading into the spring, but who is the best?
Chris Roots, looking at previous performances and possible targets, comes up with an order.
- Aeliana
While she has only won six of her 18 starts, it could be argued Aeliana has only got to her ideal trip twice. She won the Australian Derby by a big space at 2400m and then last time she was seen Aeliana fended off a long-range attack and challenge from Dubai Honour in the Tancred Stakes. That win came after beating Sir Delius in the Ranvet Stakes. Although she only won two Group 1 races in 2024-25, her quality came with runner-up finishes in the Winx Stakes, Makybe Diva Stakes and Verry Elleegant Stakes, where the brilliance of sprinter-milers just had the better of her.
Chris Waller decided to let her mature last season, missing the Cups, and she could be ready for a Cups campaign this spring. But don’t be surprised if she misses the Caulfield Cup for the Cox Plate on the way to the Melbourne Cup, as it has become the preferred lead-up for top liners in the past decade.
- Sir Delius
He arrived in Australia with a big price tag and reputation from Europe and in seven starts he has more than lived up to it with four wins. We didn’t see enough of him last spring because of Racing Victoria’s scans, but he did win two Group 1s, taking care of Via Sistina in the Turnbull Stakes. The flow-on effect of the vet requirements to return to the track compromised his autumn campaign, but he was able to show his best beating Autumn Glow in Queen Elizabeth Stakes. It took his Group 1 Australian tally to three, and he beat the other two horses that won three Group 1s last season.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will probably focus on Melbourne because the program suits Sir Delius’ means better. The Makybe Diva Stakes is the first target. As he is a stallion, a mile Group 1 would add to his resume and then it will be onto the Cox Plate, via a Turnbull defence with a possible international target later in the year.
- Autumn Glow
Like a boxer that falls in the ring, Autumn Glow lost her invincible aura in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, which had her fall down these rankings. She has carried the top price tag from the Inglis Easter sale with an ease rarely seen, although it took a while to see her at the top level. She missed the Flight Stakes as a spring three-year-old through injury and had a shortened autumn campaign, but it was worth the wait last season. She won the Epsom effectively carry a bigger impost than Winx, then the Golden Eagle, when not at home in the conditions. She swept through autumn showing off her brilliance in the Apollo Stakes, Verry Elleegant Stakes and the George Ryder Stakes, her most devastating victory.
Chris Waller has said she will not return to 2000m, but there are plenty of targets for Autumn Glow. A choice between The Everest and King Charles III Stakes will be made after the Winx Stakes. But there is an eye to next year and Royal Ascot, which might play a role in her spring program.
- Tempted
Here is the x-factor of the spring and might be the Ka Ying Rising buster. She has only been in open class once, when runner-up to the Hong Kong superstar last year. That was the best Everest finish by a filly. She only has the one Group 1 win in the Surround Stakes after an autumn where she was kept to her own age, rather being tested at the highest level. In her two seasons, Tempted has been luckless in Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper, where she was third when she zigged when she should have zagged. She was third in a Golden Rose where she was run off her feet, but as a fully mature mare, she could be in for her best preparation.
Godolphin and Ciaron Maher will choose a path to the Everest for her, which is likely to have one or two runs, possibly the Sheraco Stakes or The Shorts. She has been the best ‘blue sprinter’ for some time but with a couple of colts out of the way, she now has the no. 1 seed.
- Sheza Alibi
Good horses have a habit of finding good horses early in their careers and coming from North Queensland, Sheza Alibi ran into Autumn Boy in Brisbane as a two-year-old. She was moved down to Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman after that and since the blinkers went on Sheza Abili is unbeaten and looked unbeatable. In the Randwick Guineas and Doncaster she put lengths into her rivals with a lightning turn of foot they simply can’t match. She went from in trouble in the Doncaster to an easy winner in a couple of strides, albeit with only 49kg. The nature of her victories suggest there is more to come as a four-year-old but she runs into fantastic group of horses at the top level.
Sheza Alibi will target the now-Group 1 Golden Eagle and other Group 1s in the spring. Her reputation will see her start favourite in most of her starts. She will get the chance to move up the rankings if her unbeaten run continues.
- Joliestar
A five-time Group 1 winner has been superbly handled by Chris Waller winning the Newmarket and TJ Smith to join an elite club including Takeover Target, Lankan Rupee and Santa Ana Lane. She went to Royal Ascot and was a brave third in a blanket finish to the Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Stakes. On performance she is the best sprinter in the country and will head to The Everest again, where she has finished midfield in the past two years. In some ways she is like the Australian tennis star Alex De Minaur of these rankings, in that without winning a major she can’t go forward.
Her program will probably follow the same path as last year to The Everest, defending her crown in The Shorts before the big one. She could head to Melbourne after that for the Champions Sprint.
- Autumn Boy
It is hard to imagine winning the Caulfield Guineas and Rosehill Guineas and being a Doncaster runner-up and not being the best three-year-old of the year. But Autumn Boy had to dip his cap twice to Sheza Abili. He is only lightly raced and Chris Waller horses make habit of getting better as they rise in age. Just remember he beat the rest by a couple of lengths in the Doncaster and was poorly weighted compared to the winner.
It is an interesting decision for Chris Waller with Autumn Boy, whether he goes to the Golden Eagle or Cox Plate. He looked strong at the 2000m and Flemington will no doubt suit him. He will probably look to the Epsom as his fork in the road for the spring, where he will be well suited at the weights.
- Cosmic Crusader
The Perth star is being given his chance to take on the best Australia has to offer this spring. His first-up win in Saturday’s Bletchingly Stakes gave an insight into his talent, but it is a long way from taking on Group 1 quality. He is already a Group 1 winner at weight-for-age in the Northerly Stakes, but remarkably seven days later he dropped back from 1800m to 1400m to split proven Eastern staters Rey Magnerio and Overpass in the Gold Rush.
It has been a smart move to get him going early and he will run in the Lawrence Stakes before his biggest test in the Memsie Stakes. If he can stand up in that he could become a star.
- Beiwacht
He is the quiet achiever when it comes to last season’s three-year-old class. He broke the track record in the Golden Eagle and then in the autumn proved too strong in the All Aged Stakes. They were his only wins of the season, both at 1400m where using his speed and stamina he can dominate.
Chris Waller has so many options in his stable, so Beiwacht could be the Memsie Stakes horse where he can run over his preferred trip of 1400m. His barrier trial schedule suggests that could be an option. After that maybe Alan Brown Stakes, Russell Balding Stakes and Orr Stakes could be on the cards to play to his strengths. Although there will be Group 1 considerations.
- Central Europe
There are five two-year-old Group 1 winners last season that are all ready to take the next step, but this maiden might usurp them all. He has only had the two starts, being beaten a pimple by Sires winner Campione D’Italia in the Skyline Stakes on debut and chasing Warwoven in the Pago Pago Stakes. He was into second favourite for the Golden Slipper at one point, which a pointer to his quality, but didn’t make the field.
There are plenty of options for the son of Frankel but he will not have a penalty in the Run To The Rose, which might be his second-up run, with the Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas possible targets. Even a Cox Plate might not be out of the question.
- Central Europe [Bradley Photos]
