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The 2026 Sydney Cup results at Randwick saw an incredible upset as the Kris Lees-trained Changingoftheguard gave his rivals a staying lesson claiming the two-mile classic as a 50/1 outsider in betting.

One of the country’s few remaining true, two-mile Cup races, the Group 1 $2 million Sydney Cup (3200m) saw a return to form by Lees’ rising eight-year-old who posted his first victory since September last year.

Fourth-up off a string of unplaced performances this autumn, the dour Galileo gelding relished a rise in trip and short seven-day turnaround to improve off a ninth in last weekend’s Group 2 Chairman’s Quality in the wet and secure his maiden Group race success.

“He’s very tough,” Collett said.

“I think when Rachel King (on Newlook – 8th) came to me down the side and he didn’t throw in the towel I thought ‘that’s a change’.

“So, that definitely gives me a bit of confidence and it’s a long straight but it’s pretty cool to win a Sydney Cup.”

Ninth over the same distance in last year’s Melbourne Cup results, the galloper was ridden to perfection by regular hoop Jason Collett to deny the better fancied Chris Waller-trained Soul Of Spain victory by a quarter-length with Phillip Stokes‘ Adelaide Cup runner-up Highland Bling also eye-catching in third.

“Great run. At start 16 it feels like he’s got a stack of scope left,” jockey Ben Thompson, who earlier scored an upset win in the Group 2 Percy Sykes aboard Cherry Bombshell at $17, said of the third placegetter.

“To run third in this grade, off the back of a good second in the Adelaide Cup, he’s got a bright future.”

In a Sydney Cup upset for the ages, Changingoftheguard ($51) with 55.5kg led all-the-way outlasting his rivals and holding off the late charge by the fast-finishing runner-up – who had to use up early energy from a wide gate (11) – to become just the second champion since 2013 to carry more than 55kg to victory.

“It’s a great thrill, to win in those colours too,” Lees said post-win.

“What a lovely-rated ride, I thought he was actually going too slow.

“He got him back to 14 (second sectionals), he goes quicker in trackwork most mornings, but he upped the ante when they came up around him and it was really pleasing.

“As he’s gotten older, he’s a little bit cunning.

“He looks after himself when the tracks are wet.

“He held back last week, you could see he just didn’t have that same action that he’s normally got.”

Collett made the most of his mount’s favourable barrier three draw landing in front and leading from barrier to box.

Far from fading, the eventual Sydney Cup winner gave a great sight at the top of the straight hitting another gear as the challengers came for him and having just enough left in the tank to beat off his rivals for an all-important Group 1 success.

The addition of blinkers proved a master move by the Newcastle-based Lees who celebrated his first Sydney Cup success with the most unlikely of horses.

“We saved the blinkers, we said after the Melbourne Cup, he ran a bold race in the Melbourne Cup (9th) and we said we’ll save them for Sydney,” Lees explained.

“It was a good plan and happy to get the win.

“They were always going on; we were just trying to wait for today.”

2026 Sydney Cup Results

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