Trainer Chris Waller could be set for plenty of success across the nation this weekend with dominant favourites across the Coolmore Classic Day card in Sydney as well as saddling-up the top fancy Buckaroo in Caulfield’s feature race – the 2026 Peter Young Stakes.

While autumn Group 1 racing rolls along at Rosehill this weekend, the focus further south is on the Group 2 $500,000 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) which serves as a key lead-up to the Group 1 $2 million Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 28.

While punters have to go back to Fiorente (2014) to find the last horse to complete the Peter Young Stakes / Australian Cup double in the same year, there’s a strong line-up of WFA hopefuls out to be the next starting with the opening leg on Saturday.

The Peter Young Stakes field may have drawn just eight final acceptors, but what it lacks in numbers it makes up for in class.

Heading the latest Peter Young Stakes betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au is the Waller-trained Buckaroo tipped to return to winning form second-up as the $3.20 favourite.

The Fastnet Rock seven-year-old is winless since his 2024 Underwood Stakes win at the track and trip he races over on Saturday but despite the drought there’s plenty of support for him.

Buckaroo enjoyed a stellar spring posting a host of top-level placings including coming within a nostril flare of winning the Ladbrokes Cox Plate when second to stablemate Via Sistina.

Things came undone when he went up to the two miles on the first Tuesday of November failing to beat home a single runner in the 24-horse Melbourne Cup field when walked over the line.

Jockey Craig Williams eased him out of the race around the 300m mark when he felt something was wrong, and vets later confirmed the gelding suffered an episode of Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage (EIPH), commonly known as a bleeding attack, but he was reported to be OK post-race.

Buckaroo proved he’d taken no long-term harm from the attack when resuming for the autumn to finish runner-up to Pericles at 30/1 in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) on Blue Diamond Day.

He won’t be found anywhere near that price now fitter for the run and back up to a more suitable trip looking to add to his solid Caulfield strike rate (6:1-3-2) from gate two with Jye McNeil continuing associations.

The stable withdrew him from last Saturday’s All-Star Mile, and I think that’s the right move as he’ll be better with that extra 200m here.

Waller also saddles-up the early Peter Young Stakes market mover with Birdman now firming into $3.20 co-favouritism with Buckaroo.

Jumping from barrier six with Ben Melham aboard, the Free Eagle five-year-old brings in the confidence of a win second-up having claimed the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on February 28.

He’ll relish the 1800m at this stage of his prep having won up to 2615m in the past and races at Caulfield for the first time since a credible sixth only three lengths off Half Yours in the Caulfield Cup.

His sectionals late in the Blamey were blistering and he’s set up beautifully for this now.

In a tight top half of betting the other best fancied at Peter Young Stakes odds of $4 is Light Infantry Man.

Ciaron Maher‘s reigning Australian Cup champ is heading towards a title defence and looks to be going every bit as good as 12 months ago.

The now seven-year-old son of Fast Company returned a first-up winner here at Caulfield taking out the Group 3 TS Carlyon Cup over the mile on February 7 by a narrow margin.

He didn’t have much to spare on the line but did lump around the 60kg topweight making the drop to 59kg at weight-for-age a plus now.

Fitter, confidence back, level weights and also suited to the 1800m so there’s evidence to support him becoming the first since Manighar (2012) to do the Carlyon Cup / Peter Young double.

It was a tough, determined win in the Carlyon Cup where he kicked back strongly to score, and while the form out of that race hasn’t really stacked up, this bloke is a proven multiple Group 1 winner and brings genuine class to a field lacking his top-end talent.

Jockey Harry Coffey will likely let him roll forward and be right on speed from the inside alley, which is a huge advantage around Caulfield, and if he produces anything close to his best, he’s going to take plenty of catching.

The Ben, Will & JD Hayes-trained Fiorente entire Apulia ($6.50) and Chief Little Rock ($8.50) for the Freedmans can also be found under $10 for the win.

Apulia was huge over on the west coast this summer winning both the Group 2 Ted Van Heemst and Perth Cup before dropping back in distance off a let up to finish fifth in the Blamey.

He crossed only 2.4 lengths off Birdman and improvement is pending back up in trip now.

The Irish-bred Chief Little Rock is the unknown in the line-up being kept safe for his eighth career start.

The European expat is a Group 3 winner back in Ireland, the 1800m looks right within his wheelhouse and there’s some hype ahead of his Australian debut that could prove justified based on his scintillating Cranbourne trial win earlier in the month.

The query is the 21-month break between runs, but he’s got the talent, has been gelded and could go all-the-way.

The 2026 Peter Young Stakes is scheduled as Caulfield Race 8 at 4:15pm (AEDT) on the 10-race card in Melbourne.

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