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The opening Group 1 of The Championships Day 2 has gone the way of the punters with Chris Waller‘s Kiwi expat Ohope Wins saluting second-up down under in the Australian Oaks 2026 results.

An impressive winner of the NZ Oaks, the talented daughter of Ocean Park broke through for her maiden Australian victory in Saturday’s Group 1 $1 million Australian Oaks (2400m) completing a rare Trans-Tasman Oaks double.

Ridden by the best in the biz James McDonald, the bonnie three-year-old relished a rise in trip back up to 2400m after her narrow fourth fresh in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) on Slipper Day.

“It didn’t go well last start (4th in the Vinery), Rosehill, slowly run race,” McDonald said after the ATC Oaks victory.

“She’s gritty, she’s a very gritty filly.”

Handing Waller his fifth ATC Oaks success since 2012, the well-backed Ohope Wins ($2.60F) proved too strong for her fellow fillies over the mile and half when denying last weekend’s Adrian Knox champ Profoundly by 0.42 lengths with the progressive After Summer third.

“I can’t take all the credit, obviously I’ve been trusted by Yulong,” Waller told Sky Thoroughbred Central speaking of inheriting the former New Zealander.

“(Her former trainer) Lance O’Sullivan did a great job with her prior to coming to me plus they gave me a hand with her as well.

“Very friendly and very helpful which we’ve got to thank them for.”

Showing plenty of guts and given a peach of a ride by J-Mac, the Kiwi ran down the Michael Freedman-trained Profoundly with the eventual Australian Oaks winner coming from third last on the turn for home to make up plenty of late ground after her off-speed run throughout having relished the hot pace in front.

Profoundly came with her run and hit the lead at the top of the straight, but Ohope Wins wound up beautifully down the outside to loom up inside the final furlong and take over 50m out from the line and go on to claim her second Group 1 success.

“They ran it really quickly, so it suited her down to the ground,” McDonald said.

“Obviously on paper it didn’t look that way, but I always had a plan to ride her quiet.

“I was blessed when the pace went on and it never stopped so it was going to be the toughest stayer and that’s exactly what she was.

“She had enough on the line, the other two were brave, and it was lucky we were on a good horse.”

It was another fighting performance by the Dominic Sutton-trained The Autumn Sun filly After Summer who never gave up running third between the quinella in her second Oaks placing after also finishing off the VRC Oaks trifecta last spring.

“Very proud of her. She ran as good as she could. To go down by that margin, was very happy with her,” After Summer’s jockey Billy Egan said.

Sutton also prepared fourth past the post, Classic Gem, who ran out of her skin on the quick back-up.

2026 Australian Oaks Results

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