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A class line-up of female gallopers will do battle over the Flemington mile in one of the three Victoria Derby Day Group 1 races on Day 1 of the Melbourne Cup Carnival this Saturday, and Races.com.au have our expert 2026 Empire Rose Stakes field preview, predictions and betting tips on the million-dollar showdown right here.
First run in 1988, the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) has become one of the standout fillies’ and mares’ features of the spring and boasts an outstanding winners’ list including dual champion Pride Of Jenni (2023 & 2025).
Ciaron Maher’s front-running queen is absent from this year’s Empire Rose Stakes field as she has not fully recovered from the leg infection that forced her withdrawal from the King Charles III Stakes earlier this month but remains a chance to return on November 7 for the Champions Mile on Stakes Day.
In her place at the top of Empire Rose Stakes 2026 betting is the Chris Waller-trained Lady Shenandoah paying $2.30 to secure her second Group 1 mile victory on the trot.
The talented Snitzel five-year-old returning to winning form after a host of solid but frustrating top four performances when carrying 58kg to a narrow Group 1 Toorak Handicap victory at Caulfield on October 10 where she gave away six kilos to the runner-up Changing Colours.
She is back at WFA this weekend against her own kind and with an excellent 1600m strike-rate ticks plenty of boxes to win again with James McDonald sticking with from gate eight.
A trio of other female gallopers are also under double figure Empire Rose Stakes odds at time of publish including the main danger, the flying Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Surfin’ Bird, at $4.20 and firming to make it three wins on the trot.
The five-year-old daughter of The Autumn Sun is the standout mile specialist in the mix with a flawless five-from-five 1600m record heading into her acid test on Saturday.
She was emphatic in victory second-up at Caulfield claiming the Group 3 Ladies’ Day Vase by two lengths before saluting again, this time at the track and trip she returns to on Saturday, when beating home the boys in the Group 2 Crystal Mile on Cox Plate Day.
On the quick back-up now and flying fit, she brings in terrific credentials and has Blake Shinn coming aboard from barrier nine from which she’s likely to take up front running and try to go all-the-way.
Co-trainer Bott confirmed after the Crystal Mile that the Empire Rose had been the long-term goal for Surfin’ Bird, and after showing plenty of guts at the track last weekend, she’s in with a winning chance again.
Charlotte Littlefield‘s consistent Concord Connie is also in the mix at $7.50 drawn gate six for veteran jockey Craig Williams.
The bonny four-year-old has won both her previous Flemington assignments in easier company last time in and is third-up on Saturday coming via a lead-up third at Caulfield in the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes.
While a progressive type having just her seventh start, she needs to go to another level in this Group 1 field of proven performers, and she sees the 1600m for the first time.
Mark Zahra‘s mount, Idle Flyer for trainer Matthew Smith, is also being kept safe in betting at $9.50 as the Dundeel five-year-old looks to return to her better form.
She beat Lady Shenandoah back in April by nearly a length in the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) at Randwick but hasn’t managed to reclaim that elite form this time in.
All five of her spring starts have seen her run out of the money, including her fifth behind Lazzura in the Group 2 The Invitation last weekend, and Saturday sees her in Melbourne for the first time since her dead last (11th) to Pride Of Jenni in last year’s Empire Rose making her a risk.
For value further down the markets there’s a number of double-figure fancies with claims including the Bjorn Baker-trained Unleeshing ($10) who comes off a Group 3 Angst Stakes win over the Randwick mile, Ciaron Maher‘s rails-drawn four-year-old grey Salty Pearl ($19) out to make up ground off her Toorak sixth last start and the standout roughie Sass Appeal who looks overs at $17 for trainer Danny O’Brien.
Sass Appeal has won five from nine so far and has finished out of the money just twice with both of those unplaced efforts still full of merit when running back-to-back fourths earlier this campaign.
She was last seen running a length second to Changing Colours in the Group 2 Stocks Stakes (1600m) at Caulfield on September 27, so has been kept fresh for this assignment where she returns to Flemington boasting an outstanding four-from-five record at the track.
The 2026 Empire Rose Stakes is set to run as Flemington Race 8 at 5:00pm (AEDT) as the penultimate Derby Day race.
Empire Rose Stakes 2026 Best Bets
Favourite: No. 1 Lady Shenandoah
| 1. Lady Shenandoah (8) J: James McDonald 57kg 2×441 T: Chris Waller | |||
| Racing well recently. Last start favourite; ran on from midfield and won by a head in the G1 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield on October 10 over 1600m defeating Changing Colours with 58kg at $5.50. The run before that raced on the speed and boxed on steadily 4th of 16 in the G1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield on September 19 over 1400m, 1.3 len behind Angel Capital with 56kg at $4.80. Classy mare who is very well suited back to set weights here, rates clear. | |||
Each Way Danger: No. 3 Surfin’ Bird
Best Roughie: No. 9 Sass Appeal
2026 Empire Rose Stakes Same Race Multi Selections
$9.50 (at time of publish) through Ladbrokes
- Top 2 – No. 1 Lady Shenandoah
- Top 3 – No. 3 Surfin’ Bird
- Top 4 – No. 9 Sass Appeal
