Australia Preview for September 26-27, 2026
Rosehill Racecourse, Sydney (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Australian racing is a little quieter than usual this Saturday, mainly because Melbourne is hosting the Aussie version of the Super Bowl, the Australian Rules football grand final. This pushes Melbourne Saturday feature racing to Sunday.
However, Sydney still features one major prize, the Golden Rose for three-year-olds, while Melbourne does host a Group 1 race on Sunday, the Manikato Stakes. We’ll have a look at both races.
Rosehill, Race 8, 2:05 a.m. Saturday ET
Golden Rose (G1), 1,400 meters (about 7 furlongs, three-year-olds
#1 Guest House (9-5) dominates the market. Last season’s Golden Slipper (G1) winner returned to racing in style over 5 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 29, and the son of boom first-season sire Home Affairs is most people’s fancy to prevail.
The biggest query about Guest House is the distance. He’s yet to race beyond six furlongs, and his pedigree is packed with short-distance speed. Class may take him to seven furlongs, but he’s probably worth opposing at the price.
Chris Waller’s army is five-strong, and most of them are some hope. Three of them, however - #3 Tron Bolt (11-1), #8 Stormy Marco (31-1), and #10 Central Europe (18-1) – are saddled with the widest three barrier draws, which won’t help them, while Sires Produce (G1) winner #2 Campione D’italia (21-1) disappointed when resuming. The best of his crew is probably #5 St Gotthard (5-2), who narrowly lost his unbeaten record first-up in the Run to the Rose (G2).
St Gotthard’s conqueror that day was #4 Warwoven (11-2), who looks a great chance. He’s perfectly placed in gate one and should get a great trip for jockey Rachel King. Also worth a look is #9 Under Focus (12-1), a strong-finishing third to Warwoven last start.
Given the odds, I’m going for Warwoven, but I’m also including Guest House at the top of exotics.
Caulfield, Race 8, 3:45 a.m. Sunday ET
Manikato (G1), 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs), three-year-olds and up
- $10 win/$30 show: #9 Oliveanotherday ($40)
- $1 trifecta: 5, 9 with 5,9,13 with 1,3,5,8,9,11,13 ($20)
This is an interesting race, with question marks over most of the competitors. The favorite is #5 Beiwacht (5-2), understandably after his dominant performance in the Memsie (G1). Significantly, however, that was over seven furlongs, which has been his pet distance to date. He’s yet to win over six furlongs, so breaking that pattern in a Group 1 race is a big ask.
The leading chance to beat him in the market is #9 Oliveanotherday (4-1). He looked outstanding when winning five in a row, but the bubble burst a little when he was beaten in the Bobbie Lewis (G2) Sept. 12 at Flemington. It’s possible that the straight track caught him out last time; he has a great record at Caulfield.
At their best, #1 Giga Kick (8-1) and #3 Jimmysstar (10-1) would be huge chances, but they haven’t been at their best for a little while, the latter in particular. Giga Kick may also want seven furlongs at this point in his career. There’s also a question mark over recent Moir (G1) winner #11 My Gladiola (12-1) over six furlongs.
Fourth in the Moir was #13 Extragalactic (15-2), who will probably be happier at six furlongs and has the services of James McDonald. Another not to be ignored is #8 Napoleonic (20-1), a good second in the Missile (G2) at the start of the season.
Given the doubt about Beiwacht at six furlongs, I’m going for Oliveanotherday to put his Flemington run behind him and return to form.
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