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Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott‘s firming favourite for November’s $10 million Lexus Melbourne Cup, Sir Delius was outstanding at Flemington on Saturday making it back-to-back Group 1 wins with an emphatic victory over Antino and the beaten queen Via Sistina in the Turnbull Stakes 2025 results.
The progressive five-year-old son of ace sire Frankel continued his excellent spring campaign on way to a shot at the Melbourne Cup over the two miles on Tuesday November 4 when the last start Underwood Stakes champ saluted again in the Group 1 $750,000 Turnbull Stakes (2000m).
“He really is (a marvelous animal); a most exciting horse,” co-trainer Gai Waterhouse told Racing.com after the win.
“He’s put on condition (since the Underwood).
“He’s relaxed more and whatever he runs in, they’re going to have to beat him.”
Now three-from-four since joining the Waterhouse/Bott yard from overseas, Sir Delius relished a step-up in distance to easily account for a top-class field of stars thanks to a gun ride by big race specialist Craig Williams.
“He (Williams) had a bit of difficulty,” Waterhouse said.
“He had a wide draw (14) and he elected very quickly, which he said to me he might, he came in midfield and then he got caught in a pocket and any lesser jockey would not have got out of.
“The waters opened, and he went boom. That was the exciting part, the boom!”
Fifth in running with 400m to go, Williams finally got out on the home straight to wear down the brave Tony Gollan trained Queenslander Antino before drawing away to put 1.75 lengths on him at the finishing post.
“Super proud of him,” second placed hoop Blake Shinn said of Antino.
“Had the back of the winner early and then Craig had a bit of luck getting to one-off.
“From the 1400 (metre mark) I was left exposed, but the pace came out at that point of the race and Antino likes to have a bit of room.
“He blended into the turn super and got run down by a star. Great run.”
Last year’s champion and the reigning eight-length Cox Plate winner Via Sistina meanwhile lost back-to-back races for the first time in Australia having to settle for third in her failed title defence.
“I think she’s going well. That tough run will harden her up a bit for the Cox Plate,” jockey James McDonald said of Via Sistina.
Williams meanwhile was quick to credit the Turnbull Stakes winner describing Sir Delius as a “proper horse”.
“He is a great horse and it’s good people are getting behind him,” he said.
“I’ve been lucky to get on him. Adrian Bott and Gai Waterhouse, the horse’s trainers, all their staff, Sir Owen Glenn’s colours and all the owners, the horse they paid a big price for in Europe, you can see why he’s a proper horse.
“In Group 1 races, you don’t think you can win like that.
“We were very confident he could do it. We had the outside barrier draw.
“Gai and Adrian were very good about having an open book without too much pressure about riding him.
“I had to use a few carrots to find a spot, but when the chips are down, this horse is a winner.”
Sir Delius is now the outright $4 favourite in futures Melbourne Cup betting at Ladbrokes.com.au, but he could first have a rematch with Via in the Group 1 $6 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 25.
He has surged ahead of Via Sistina in the all-in Cox Plate odds at race sponsor Ladbrokes.com.au now into $2.50.
As for getting out to the 3200m in the ‘race that stops a nation’, Williams said he would leave that up to the stable but that Sir Delius’s current 55.5kg allocation in the Melbourne Cup was very favourable.
“I’m leaving that to Gai and Adrian,” he said.
“All I can say the target has been the Melbourne Cup this year and I just said you will never have 55-½ kilos in the Melbourne Cup again.
“I worked him during the week at Flemington, and he walked out and he owned the track.
“He owns everything he does and today you saw that attitude.
“He puts the writing on the wall when under pressure against these top horses, he’s delivering.”
Waterhouse will be chasing her second Melbourne Cup success in 2025 following her 2013 victory with Fiorente.
| 3. Sir Delius (14) J: Craig Williams58kg x1x21T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | ||
| 1. Antino (6) J: Blake Shinn59kg 11x54T: Tony Gollan | ||
| 4. Via Sistina (1) J: James McDonald57kg 11x13T: Chris Waller | ||
| 6. Half Yours (4) J: Jamie Melham56kg 12151T: Tony & Calvin McEvoy | ||
| 7. Aeliana (5) J: Damian Lane55kg 21x22T: Chris Waller | ||
| 12. Deakin (12) J: Daniel Stackhouse55kg 11x07T: Phillip Stokes | ||
| 9. Adelaide River (9) J: Michael Dee55kg 4x882T: Kris Lees | ||
| 8. Young Werther (13) J: Billy Egan55kg 78x63T: Danny O'Brien | ||
| 11. Middle Earth (7) J: Mark Zahra55kg 59x50T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 5. Moira (11) J: Ben Melham56kg 0x424T: Chris Waller | ||
| 13. Zardozi (2) J: Harry Coffey53kg 30x57T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 14. River Of Stars (8) J: Beau Mertens53kg 73x78T: Chris Waller | ||
| 10. Golden Path (3) J: Jordan Childs55kg 5x313T: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr | ||
| 2. Land Legend (10) J: Jye McNeil58kg 8x395T: Chris Waller |
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