A record $6 million purse has sharpened attention around this year's Gr1 Caulfield Cup, with defending champion Half Yours heading a formidable collection of stayers being assembled for the 2400m handicap on October 17. Racenet reports that nominations are closing with the reigning Caulfield and Melbourne Cup hero prominent among the leading contenders, the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained gelding attempting to become the first horse since Rising Fast in 1954 and 1955 to win consecutive editions of the Caulfield feature. Half Yours produced one of the defining performances of last spring when he captured the race under Jamie Melham before completing the celebrated Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double at Flemington, joining an elite roll that includes Might And Power, Let's Elope, Doriemus and Ethereal. He remains at the head of early discussions despite going through his autumn campaign without adding another victory, with connections understandably building towards the longer-distance assignments that brought out his best last season. The increased prize pool, up from $5 million in 2025, has helped ensure strong interest from both local and internationally sourced stayers, while the broad complexion of the race remains unusually open this far from October. Racing.com identifies Half Yours at the top of early markets alongside several high-profile contenders, including international performers Al Riffa and Calandagan, while Aeliana is among the locally trained horses capable of developing into a major Cups force. The attraction of the Caulfield Cup extends beyond its own increased purse, with the race retaining its crucial place as one of the great tests on the road to the Melbourne Cup. Half Yours demonstrated that connection emphatically last year, becoming the latest horse to complete the famous double after his Caulfield success was followed by a three-length Melbourne Cup triumph. The Caulfield Cup itself dates to 1879 and has long rewarded horses combining stamina with the tactical agility required around the tight Melbourne circuit. With nominations now crystallising the first genuine picture of the 2026 field, much of the early focus inevitably rests on whether Half Yours can reproduce the extraordinary peak he reached 12 months ago. The richer prize has attracted no shortage of challengers, but until one displaces him on the track, last year's Cups hero remains the benchmark around which this year's Caulfield Cup narrative will be built.
Dual Cups hero Half Yours (pic: Mark Gatt)
Ryan Takes the Reins at Macedon Lodge
Tuesday, 18th August 2026
One of Australian racing's most celebrated training properties is entering another significant chapter with rising horsewoman Sara Ryan appointed to spearhead the racing operation at Macedon Lodge while retaining her established NSW base. Punters.com.au reveals the 31-year-old will become the latest trainer to occupy the historic Mount Macedon complex, with businessmen Bruce and Michael Dixon entrusting her with the expansion of their Victorian racing interests. Ryan will continue operating from Wyong, where she established herself after previously serving as private trainer for Domeland, while Gr1-winning horseman Steve Farley and her husband, accomplished showjumper Will Mathew, are expected to play important roles in supporting the dual-state operation. The opportunity brings Ryan into surroundings steeped in Cups history. Macedon Lodge was developed by Kurt Stern in the late 1990s before becoming synonymous with Lloyd Williams, whose operation prepared Melbourne Cup winners Efficient, Green Moon and Almandin from the property. Bruce Dixon later purchased the complex from Williams for a reported $20 million and has invested heavily in its infrastructure, including 60 additional stables, two treadmills and two further horse walkers. Ryan's initial team is expected to number up to 20 horses, although that figure should grow as Macedon Racing's intake develops, with approximately 25 two-year-olds already coming through and internationally sourced horses also on the agenda. "The chance to train at Macedon Lodge was something I just couldn't pass up. It gives me an incredible opportunity to grow the stable and continue developing horses at the highest level," Ryan told The Straight. Her appointment follows a rapid rise through the training ranks highlighted by Attractable's victory in the 2023 Big Dance at Randwick, while Michael Dixon believes her combination of horsemanship and ambition makes her central to Macedon Racing's longer-term plans. John Symons and Sheila Laxon, who prepared 2024 Melbourne Cup winner Knight's Choice from the property, will remain tenants, maintaining Macedon Lodge's connection with elite staying success. Rather than attempting to recreate the Williams era, the Dixons are building a broader racing business around public ownership, relationships with leading breeders and a growing young-horse portfolio. For Ryan, the move provides access to one of the country's most sophisticated private training environments without abandoning the NSW platform from which she has built her reputation, giving a young stable an unusually powerful base from which to chase its next stage of development.
Red Hot Crack by Waller for Winx Stakes
Tuesday, 18th August 2026
A potentially outstanding edition of the Gr1 Winx Stakes over 1400m is taking shape at Randwick on Saturday, with Chris Waller preparing a formidable team around unbeaten mare Autumn Glow while Victorian star Sheza Alibi remains a possible rival. The $1 million feature has long been earmarked as Autumn Glow's spring starting point, but the depth of Waller's nominations could make the race an early-season showcase of elite talent, with Aeliana, Fangirl, Beiwacht, Lindermann, Lady Shenandoah, Autumn Boy and Angel Capital all in contention to join her. Waller, who has won the race nine times, will make final decisions later in the week, with several members of the squad also holding the Gr1 Memsie Stakes over 1400m at Caulfield as an alternative assignment. Interest in the Randwick contest intensified when Peter Moody confirmed Golden Eagle favourite Sheza Alibi would be nominated for the Winx Stakes after earlier expectations she would resume in Melbourne a week later, although a final decision on her programme is expected on Wednesday. Autumn Glow, Beiwacht, Autumn Boy and Lady Shenandoah all completed exhibition gallops at Rosehill on Saturday as Waller continued fine-tuning their preparations, and the trainer indicated those hit-outs would play an important role in determining which horses were best suited to resuming over 1400m. "They are well prepared, it's an important stepping stone for them and I think later in the week we will have a seat and think what can win, what will improve off the run and what is best suited to 1400m, things like that," Waller said. He added that the Rosehill work had provided both trainer and horses with an important guide seven days out from one of the first major weight-for-age tests of the spring. Champion jockey James McDonald partnered Autumn Glow in her gallop and emerged satisfied with her condition, declaring the mare "ready to go", while Tim Clark was similarly taken with Beiwacht, describing him as having "felt like a powerhouse". With so many high-class options under consideration from the Waller stable and Sheza Alibi potentially adding another major drawcard, the Winx Stakes is shaping as considerably more than a traditional starting point, carrying the possibility of an immediate clash between horses expected to feature prominently throughout the spring.
Chris Waller (right) has won the Winx Stakes 9 times (pic: Steve Hart)
She's No Saint Adds to Highline Honour Roll
Tuesday, 18th August 2026
Another high-class graduate may be emerging from Highline Thoroughbreds after She's No Saint transformed her Ruakaka dominance into a significant advertisement for the Cambridge operation that bought, prepared and subsequently sold her. Racing News NZ reports the Michelle Bradley-trained daughter of Prague has become the latest notable horse associated with Cam and Eva Heron's farm following her runaway victory in the Gr3 Northland Breeders' Stakes over 1200m on Saturday, a performance that elevated her to joint favouritism for November's Gr1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton. Highline has operated from its present Cambridge property since 2019, providing spelling, agistment, foaling and yearling preparation services while steadily compiling an impressive list of graduates. Working with Victorian-based New Zealand bloodstock agent Paul Moroney, the Herons secured She's No Saint for A$65,000 at the Inglis Sydney Weanling Sale after she caught their eye as an athletic filly with a powerful hindquarter and fluent movement. "Paul makes his recommendations and we all liked her, so we did our due diligence with x-rays etc and bought her," Cam Heron told Racing News NZ. The subsequent commercial result did not reflect the quality she would eventually display, with the filly selling to Bradley for NZ$55,000 at Karaka. Heron explained that Highline's approach is built primarily around identifying future racehorses rather than chasing short-term pinhooking profits, and She's No Saint has quickly vindicated that philosophy. The farm already has significant runs on the board, having sold five-time Group 1 winner Legarto and Gr1 Tarzino Trophy winner Dark Destroyer, while stakes winners Bona Sforza and Discretion Rules were also purchased as weanlings with assistance from Moroney and Catheryne Bruggeman before being resold as yearlings. Bona Sforza cost $65,000 before making $150,000 at Karaka, while Discretion Rules advanced from a $120,000 weanling purchase to a $165,000 yearling. Highline has also enjoyed success as a breeder through Gr2 Rich Hill Mile winner Bourbon Empress, produced from the older Proisir mare Amiga Mia, who is again in foal to Proisir. She's No Saint now has the opportunity to enhance that record further, with her Ruakaka performance suggesting Highline's latest graduate may possess the quality to follow some distinguished predecessors into elite company.
Rayif Claims Marois In Deauville Thriller
Tuesday, 18th August 2026
A season already decorated by Classic success reached another level at Deauville on Sunday, reports sportinglife.com, when Rayif defeated older opposition in a gripping Gr1 Prix Jacques le Marois over 1600m, giving trainer Francis Graffard, jockey Mickael Barzalona and the Aga Khan Studs a landmark victory. The French 2000 Guineas winner had been denied an intended clash with Bow Echo in the St James’s Palace Stakes after developing a fever and was then beaten when dropped back to 1400m in the Gr1 Prix Jean Prat, but the return to a mile restored his authority against a deep international field. Precise started favourite but was slowly away and settled towards the rear, while Thesecretadversary helped shape the race before weakening late. The two Japanese-trained runners, Sixpence and Strauss, remained isolated towards a different section of the course after most of the field gradually moved across, leaving them unable to make an impact. Zeus Olympios raced prominently throughout with More Thunder, Sir Tommy Cen and Rayif close enough to strike when the tempo lifted. Barzalona allowed the three-year-old to find his rhythm before attacking through the closing stages, gradually picking off the leaders and wearing down Zeus Olympios to score by a neck, with Precise another half-length away in third. Sporting Life reports it was the first Jacques le Marois success for both Graffard and Barzalona and the first for the Aga Khan Studs since 1973, adding further significance to a result achieved in a race sponsored by the operation itself. Princess Zahra Aga Khan praised Rayif’s courage and noted that additional speed had been introduced into the family, while Graffard was delighted his faith in the colt had been rewarded after the Jean Prat defeat. “It’s a wonderful race to win, a very hard race to win,” he said. Barzalona was equally impressed by Rayif’s development, describing him as improved since the Guineas and simply “a very good horse”. The victory also strengthened the colt’s future stallion credentials, an important consideration for a horse already possessing both Classic success and one of France’s most coveted open-age mile races. Graffard has several possible options ahead, including the Gr1 Prix du Moulin, a drop back for the Gr1 Prix de la Forêt or a trip to Ascot for the Gr1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. For now, however, Rayif has answered one significant question by proving his three-year-old form can translate against seasoned older milers.
Godolphin Flexes Muscle At Arqana
Tuesday, 18th August 2026
One of the great bloodstock rivalries supplied the theatre at Deauville on Sunday as Godolphin repeatedly outlasted Coolmore during a spectacular second session of the Arqana August Yearling Sale, headed by a €2.4 million son of the late Wootton Bassett. Consigned by Haras de l’Hotellerie on behalf of breeders Florent Couturier and his wife, the colt was only the second horse into the ring but immediately transformed the evening, with Anthony Stroud eventually signing for Sheikh Mohammed’s operation after a sustained duel with Coolmore. Thoroughbred Daily News reports the result proved deeply emotional for consignor Guillaume Garcon, who admitted expectations had been considerably more conservative before bidding accelerated beyond seven figures. The colt is a full-brother to multiple Group winner Topgear and is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Miss Lech, whose extended family also includes Melbourne Cup winner Americain. Couturier had hoped for somewhere around €450,000 to €600,000-plus, making the eventual price an extraordinary result for a mare he originally sourced in America despite enduring three barren seasons early in her breeding career. Stroud was particularly taken by the youngster’s athleticism and movement, telling TDN, “He’s a lively, very good mover and you’ve got to go for the ones you really like.” The Wootton Bassett colt proved only the beginning of a major buying spree. Later in the session Godolphin secured a Frankel colt offered by Baroda Stud for €2.3 million after Coolmore again finished runner-up in the bidding, while a further Wootton Bassett colt from Ecurie des Monceaux was purchased for €1.6 million. A Frankel filly out of Prix de Diane runner-up Philomene added another €1.7 million transaction, with Godolphin effectively buying out the remaining share in a mare it had previously raced in partnership. By the end of Sunday, Stroud had signed for five of the six seven-figure lots sold across the opening two sessions, with six yearlings costing Godolphin €9.95 million and accounting for 29 per cent of the sale’s turnover to that point. Japan also featured prominently when Yoshito Yahagi paid €1 million for a Siyouni colt closely related to four-time Group 1 winner Diamond Necklace. The wider market reflected the intensity at the top end, with Sunday turnover climbing 35 per cent to €20.262 million, the average rising 32 per cent to €326,806 and the combined two-day aggregate reaching €34.813 million.
Dabernig Stable Has Surfeit of Spring Riches
Tuesday, 18th August 2026
A strong on-speed success at Caulfield on Saturday has given Tom Dabernig another serious spring sprint option, with Shadhavar’s victory in the Listed Regal Roller Stakes over 1200m adding further depth to a stable already harbouring Group 1 ambitions for several runners. The Warrnambool trainer is still in the opening stages of mapping out his major carnival targets, reports racing.com, but Shadhavar’s latest performance has pushed her firmly into the conversation after she controlled the race prominently and proved too strong when the pressure intensified late. Joe O’Neill of Prime Thoroughbreds suggested afterwards that the Gr1 Champions Sprint over 1200m at Flemington on the final day of the carnival could ultimately provide the mare with her best opportunity at elite level, and Dabernig was prepared to entertain that prospect if she continues to progress. “It’s hard to know (if they’ll measure up) but the Pride of Dubai’s get better as they get older,” Dabernig said. “She came here with Adelaide stakes form and now she’s been able to come and do it here.” The trainer also drew a useful comparison with Vega Magic, who won the Regal Roller for the stable in 2017 before progressing to capture the Gr1 Memsie Stakes and later finish second in The Everest. “It’s a good horse’s race the Regal Roller, I remember we won it with Vega Magic, and he went on to become a G1 horse,” Dabernig said. Shadhavar is not the only sprinter from the yard with bigger assignments in view, with Cavalry Girl set to step out in the Gr3 Carlyon Stakes over 1000m at Sandown next week. Her performance there will help determine whether the Gr1 Moir Stakes at the same venue on September 5 becomes the next objective. “I think we’ll look at the Carlyon and then depending on how she goes, maybe into the Moir,” Dabernig said. A third possible top-level runner, Wangoom Handicap winner Oliveanotherday, is also nearing a return and is scheduled to trial at Caulfield on August 19 before resuming in The Heath over 1100m on August 29. Dabernig has indicated that the Gr2 Bobbie Lewis Quality and even the Gr1 Manikato Stakes could come into consideration if the gelding returns in suitable order, leaving the trainer with an unusually broad hand across Melbourne’s major spring sprint programme.
Yellow Jersey Puts Memsie Stakes In Play
Tuesday, 18th August 2026
A bold first-up tilt at Group 1 company has moved firmly onto the agenda for Yellow Jersey after the lightly raced import enhanced his spring reputation with an eye-catching Caulfield Heath trial victory over Mr Brightside and Giga Kick, reports racing.com. Tony and Calvin McEvoy have several options available for the French-bred son of Dubawi, but the Gr1 Memsie Stakes over 1400m at Caulfield on August 29 is now under serious consideration despite being the most ambitious of them. Yellow Jersey has raced only five times and made his Australian debut at Eagle Farm in June, finishing second over 1600m after a preparation compromised by wet weather. Calvin McEvoy believes the stable has since learned considerably more about the gelding, who had earlier shown high-class promise in France for Andre Fabre by winning his first three starts before finishing third behind Convergent and Dubai Honour in the Gr2 Prix du Conseil de Paris over 2200m. His Caulfield trial suggested he has returned with greater polish. Allowed to stride forward, Yellow Jersey travelled strongly before edging past Mr Brightside near the line, with former Everest winner Giga Kick finishing third in a field loaded with established Group 1 performers. “I think we’ve got a better handle on him this preparation and his trial in Sydney was super, he was very strong in that trial,” McEvoy said. “I thought today he was better, more controlled.” The Memsie represents the aggressive option, although a Benchmark 100 over the same 1400m course and distance on August 29 would allow him to resume under 62kg. A 1500m contest at Sandown the following week and the Listed Heatherlie Stakes over 1700m are also available, with the latter originally pencilled in as his likely starting point. McEvoy, however, now wonders whether Yellow Jersey may possess more brilliance than initially expected, creating the temptation to test him immediately against elite weight-for-age opposition. The bigger objective remains the Gr1 Cox Plate, which will be run over 2000m at Flemington this year, and the gelding has shortened from $26 to around $15 in early markets following his recent work. Qatar Bloodstock heads an ownership group that also includes Ozzie Kheir, Sonney Roth and Tony Guoga, while Sheikh Fahad Al Thani has previously described Yellow Jersey as one of the best horses he has sent to Australia. With his European staying credentials already established, the early spring question is now whether his apparent tactical speed can carry him into Group 1 calculations much earlier than anticipated.
Trapeze Artist Filly Targets Princess Series
Tuesday, 18th August 2026
A spring campaign carrying genuine Group 1 possibilities took another important step at Rosehill on Saturday when Chilly Girl maintained her unbeaten record with an impressive first-up victory in the Listed Rosebud over 1100m. Trained on the course by Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, the daughter of Trapeze Artist was returning from a lengthy interruption after a hamstring strain suffered soon after her debut win in the Gr3 Widden Stakes in January ended any hope of continuing towards the Golden Slipper. Sent out a $6.50 chance under Tim Clark, Chilly Girl enjoyed an economical passage behind $3.60 favourite Blue Door before being presented inside the final 100m, gradually wearing down the leader and drawing clear to score by a length. The performance gave Ryan and Alexiou consecutive Rosebud victories following Skyhook’s success 12 months earlier, but the greater significance lay in the way their lightly raced filly resumed after six months away. Ryan believes the additional time afforded by the injury may ultimately have worked in her favour, with Chilly Girl returning stronger and more physically mature for her three-year-old preparation. Attention will now turn towards Sydney’s Princess Series, beginning with the Gr2 Furious Stakes over 1200m before the Gr2 Tea Rose Stakes over 1400m provides a more searching examination of her capacity to stretch beyond sprint distances. A possible tilt at the Gr1 Flight Stakes over 1600m remains firmly on the table should she continue to progress. “We’ll go to the Furious, the Tea Rose then we’ll decide at the end of 1400 whether we’ll try her at the mile … I reckon she’ll get a mile,” Ryan said, later telling owner-breeder Bert Vieira that he was convinced she would handle 1400m comfortably. Chilly Girl has now won both career starts at stakes level at Rosehill, having announced herself with an authoritative Widden Stakes victory on debut, and her pedigree carries abundant speed through Trapeze Artist and her dam I Got Chills, a precocious daughter of General Nediym who was herself a dual stakes winner early in life. Yet Saturday suggested Chilly Girl may possess more than raw speed alone, with her ability to settle, travel and finish strongly giving her trainers reason to explore longer assignments. With only two starts behind her, her ceiling remains largely unknown, but the Rosebud ensured she will enter the Princess Series as one of the more intriguing fillies of the Sydney spring.
Well Written Sharpens Up For Proisir Plate
Tuesday, 18th August 2026
A more searching second trial has left Stephen Marsh increasingly satisfied with unbeaten star Well Written as the outstanding mare moves closer to her seasonal return in the Gr1 Proisir Plate over 1400m at Ellerslie on September 5. The daughter of Written Tycoon had been deliberately kept quiet when resuming at the Cambridge trials earlier this month, but Sunday’s 1100m heat at Taupo was designed to ask considerably more of her and produced exactly the response Marsh wanted. Matt Cartwright settled Well Written behind runners after beginning from a wide draw before shifting into clear ground and allowing her to stretch through her work, with the four-year-old lengthening strongly to defeat Twain and Wolfgang by two lengths. Racing News NZ reports Marsh was visibly relieved after watching his stable star complete the exercise, admitting there had been some pre-trial nerves despite her preparation having progressed smoothly. “I just loved the way she stretched out and ended up winning by two lengths,” he said, adding that Cartwright returned equally pleased. The Taupo track had absorbed substantial rain but remained in reasonable condition, although Marsh believes Well Written will appreciate returning to Ellerslie, where she has already produced some of the defining performances of her unbeaten career. Her rise through New Zealand’s three-year-old ranks last season was extraordinary. Bought by Stephen Marsh Racing and Dylan Johnson Bloodstock for a sale-topping $80,000 through the 2024 NZB National Online Yearling Sale, she won on debut before immediately stepping into stakes company to claim the Gr2 Soliloquy Stakes. That was followed by an emphatic Gr1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas success at Riccarton, the Gr2 Auckland Guineas and the $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO, before she preserved her perfect record in the $4 million NZB Kiwi over 1500m in March. The latter victory completed a remarkable six-start season and helped establish her among the finalists for New Zealand’s Champion Three-Year-Old honours. Yulong Investments acquired a 50 per cent interest after her Soliloquy Stakes win, while the original ownership group retained involvement in a mare whose earnings have already vastly exceeded her purchase price. Sunday’s trial was less about adding to that reputation than confirming she had returned in the right order, and Marsh believes the timing now gives him a comfortable three-week window before Ellerslie. Whether she has another public gallop beforehand remains undecided, but the Proisir Plate remains the intended launching point before attention turns towards richer targets across the Tasman.
