A milestone edition of one of Australia’s most storied staying races will carry added financial weight in 2026, with the Melbourne Racing Club lifting prizemoney for the 150th Caulfield Cup to $6 million and broadening its international qualifying reach. The October 17 handicap, already billed as the world’s richest 2400-metre handicap, has received a $1 million increase from its previous $5 million purse, with the winner now set to collect $3.3 million and every runner guaranteed at least $60,000. The move brings the Caulfield Cup into line with the Melbourne Cup model by ensuring starters outside the top 10 receive one per cent of the total prizemoney, an acknowledgement of the cost and commitment involved in preparing a horse for such a major spring target. Melbourne Racing Club chief executive Tanya Fullarton said the Sportsbet Caulfield Cup remained “one of Australia’s great races” and that the club had a responsibility to protect its standing, adding that the 150th running provided the right moment to lift the race and make it an even more attractive option for elite staying horses. She said the increased purse, along with payments to every starter, recognised the scale of the challenge for connections, while the club’s latest changes were also designed with the race’s future in mind. That future will include a wider European pathway, with four overseas races added to the existing 11 Caulfield Cup ballot-exemption contests. The first of the new qualifiers will be staged at Royal Ascot this week, where the Listed Wolferton Stakes over 2004 metres offers its winner a direct route into the Caulfield feature, while Group 3 races in England, France and Ireland during August will also provide ballot-free entry. Fullarton said the selected races, held at premium European venues, were intended to create a more timely and practical avenue for British, Irish and French-trained stayers with a genuine Caulfield Cup profile, describing the broader package as a way of ensuring a race with “an extraordinary past” enjoys an equally strong future. Racing Victoria chief executive Aaron Morrison said the governing body supported the Melbourne Racing Club’s initiative to strengthen the Caulfield Cup, which already has a confirmed contender in Royal Supremacy after his Q22 victory at Eagle Farm last Saturday. Nominations for the race close on August 18, late entries will be accepted until September 8, and weights are scheduled to be released on September 17, exactly a month before the $6 million contest is run.
O’Rourke Hastens Slowly with 2YO Predation
Wednesday, 17th June 2026
Patience has become the key ingredient in the preparation of promising two-year-old Predation, and trainer Edward O’Rourke is hopeful a more measured approach will be rewarded when the gelding resumes in Wednesday’s Irresistible Pools & Spas Handicap at Canterbury. The Hawkesbury horseman has always held the son of Capitalist in high regard, reports racingnsw.com.au, but he admits he may have rushed him into race-day competition during the spring when enthusiasm overtook experience. After winning a barrier trial, Predation was sent to the Kirkham Plate at Randwick less than a fortnight later, only for the outing to unravel before he had a genuine opportunity to show his ability. “Sometimes you can get away with one trial but the race didn’t go to plan, he jumped a bit slow and they steadied up in front and got on heels and everything went to bits after that,” O’Rourke said. Rather than pressing on, the trainer opted to reset, giving the youngster additional time to mature and develop. The decision appears to have paid dividends. Predation returns as an unbeaten trial performer, having won all three of his official hit-outs, including two recent victories over 1030 metres at Rosehill. O’Rourke said the difference between the colt seen last spring and the gelding heading to Canterbury is significant. “He’s had a lot better grounding this time, everything has been straightforward and we’ve got to the trials and he’s done everything right. We’ve given him plenty of time and he’s continued to improve for us.” Positive reports have flowed from both Zac Lloyd and Rachel King, who partnered the youngster in his latest trial appearances, but with both riders unavailable, experienced jockey Kerrin McEvoy takes over. O’Rourke believes barrier one could prove an important advantage, given the gelding’s natural gate speed and tactical versatility. “It’s a huge advantage, he jumps well and he has good gate speed,” he said. “I’ll just tell him to jump well and he’ll ride him as he finds them, I don’t think Kerrin McEvoy needs instructions.” While not predicting immediate stardom, the trainer expects Predation to acquit himself well despite acknowledging there is still some greenness to his makeup. The youngster has consistently shown a sharp turn of foot in his home work, and O’Rourke is eager to hear McEvoy’s assessment after the race. “He’ll have a good turn of foot, he’s always shown us that at home. Hopefully he can get a lovely run and it’ll be interesting to see what Kerrin’s thoughts are.” Out of the Listed-winning and Group-performed mare Ygritte, Predation carries a pedigree that suggests he will ultimately appreciate longer sprint distances, which influenced the decision to begin his campaign over 1250 metres. With further improvement expected as distances increase, O’Rourke is quietly optimistic the gelding can make a competitive return and begin repaying the faith that has underpinned his carefully managed preparation.
Waller Happy with Joliestar Ahead of Gr1
Wednesday, 17th June 2026
Royal Ascot’s demanding straight six furlongs will provide the next stage for Joliestar on Saturday, with Chris Waller satisfied the Australian mare has come through her preparation in the right shape for the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. According to racenet.com.au, the five-time Gr1 winner has travelled to Britain as Australasia’s headline sprint hope and Waller was in the United Kingdom early on Monday to watch her complete an easy piece of work ahead of the 1200m showpiece. Victory would place Joliestar in rare company, making her the third Australian-trained horse to win the race after Choisir in 2003 and Black Caviar in 2012, while it would also preserve Waller’s perfect Royal Ascot strike-rate after Nature Strip’s dominant King Charles III Stakes success in 2022. Waller said he “couldn’t be happier with her”, noting that although the trip had taken a little weight off her, she had regained it and looked in excellent order when he saw her for the first time in two weeks. He described her as relaxed, eating well and cantering well, adding that it was “all systems go for Saturday”. Joliestar has done everything asked of her this year, winning all three starts in 2026, including twice at Gr1 level, and that unbeaten preparation has helped earn her $2.50 favouritism for one of the key sprint races of the Royal meeting. Her main market rival is Japanese 7YO Satono Reve, a $6 chance who brings strong international form after finishing second to Ka Ying Rising in the Gr1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin in late April. That formline adds another layer to a race already rich in global interest, with Joliestar needing to prove she can transfer her Australian brilliance to the testing Ascot course. Waller is not pretending the task is simple, but he is confident the mare has the quality to win if she handles each part of the challenge. He said she was good enough, while stressing that every step of the campaign had been significant and that she appeared to be coping with it all. The opportunity also carries obvious importance for Cambridge Stud’s Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay, whose colours Joliestar will carry on one of racing’s most visible stages. Waller said the exposure was valuable for a brand already held in high regard, and there is now the chance for Joliestar to extend that recognition internationally. For all the history attached to the assignment, her build-up has been deliberately quiet, leaving the mare to answer the biggest question under race pressure on Saturday.
Joliestar is no stranger to straight racing (pic: Mark Gatt)
Sibling to Gr1 Winner off the Mark
Wednesday, 17th June 2026
A patient approach paid off quickly at Wanganui on Saturday when well-related 4YO Hi Yo Fox Rox broke through at just his second start, giving trainer Kim Reid reason to believe the Complacent gelding can develop into a genuine staying prospect. According to loveracing.nz, the full-brother to Group 1 performer Hi Yo Sass Bomb had finished 10th on debut over 1400m at Waverley last month, but Reid, who races him with her parents Josephine and Graeme, felt that run had more merit than the bare result suggested and expected him to come forward with the experience. Stepping up to 1600m in the Manawatu-Whanganui Civil Contractors NZ Maiden, Hi Yo Fox Rox settled well back and still had plenty to do approaching the home turn, but apprentice Hayley Hassman angled him to the outside and he lengthened strongly down the straight, sweeping past his rivals to beat Released by 1.25-lengths, Hassman observed the gelding’s debut had been better than it appeared on paper, explaining that both she and Reid had been pleased with the way he kept trying despite receiving little help in running. She said he remained “so green” at Wanganui, but was able to put things together when the race was there to be won. Reid was delighted to see him convert that promise so early in his preparation, even though she had wondered whether Saturday’s assignment might come up a touch soon for a horse still learning his craft. She said the form from his first start may have looked plain, but she regards him as an up-and-coming type with stamina ahead of him and plenty of physical and mental improvement still to come. While his pedigree naturally invites comparisons with Hi Yo Sass Bomb, Reid made it clear the pair are far from carbon copies. She described Hi Yo Fox Rox as a willing horse with a great attitude and desire to be there, but said he looks and races quite differently from his sister, joking that he is more of a “lean bean” than the bigger, heavier mare. Hi Yo Sass Bomb, now rising eight, has returned to work ahead of a spring campaign and Reid said she looks fantastic, giving the stable confidence she can again make her presence felt next season. Hi Yo Fox Rox will now have a week in the paddock, where he will be joined by fellow New Plymouth galloper Capaci, who also struck at Wanganui when returning to winning form in the Neilo 1600, completing a satisfying day for the Taranaki visitors.
McNab Has the Wind Behind His Sails
Wednesday, 17th June 2026
A breakthrough treble at Te Rapa on Saturday gave 19YO apprentice Sam McNab another milestone in a season that has already confirmed him as one of New Zealand’s rising riding talents, reports racingnews.co.nz. McNab arrived at the meeting with a strong book and converted it in style, winning three races and adding two placings from his other three mounts, including a narrow second on Little Bit Of Love. He opened the day aboard Pure Lotus for his employer Tony Pike in the RDA Charity Raceday @ Cambridge Wednesday 1400, taking advantage of a clean beginning and a soft lead before the son of Lean Mean Machine kicked clear. McNab said Pure Lotus was a horse on the way up and that the return of blinkers this preparation had helped sharpen him, adding that he had been “leading towards a win like that” and deserved the result. The apprentice then landed the Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate 22/8 Mile on Allan Sharrock’s Tisse, who is being prepared for longer-distance assignments. McNab said the tempo over 1600m had him working for much of the race, but the early speed brought the leaders back late and Tisse was strong enough to capitalise, leaving the rider to suggest he could be one to follow in staying races if not asked to carry too much weight. The treble was completed on Stephen Marsh-trained Erin Go Bragh in the See You @ Te Rapa Tavern 1400, a ride McNab had regarded as his best of the day after the gelding’s close second at the same venue last start. Erin Go Bragh jumped well, was pressured early, but relaxed when needed before building strongly from the 500m and putting the race away in a performance McNab described as very promising. His near miss on Little Bit Of Love in the Thanks Bernard Kneebone – 25 Years On The Clock 1200 almost added another win to the haul, with McNab saying the gelding never runs poorly and is likely looking for 1400m after charging late over Saturday’s shorter trip. The three wins lifted McNab’s season tally to 46, with his campaign already including Gr2 victories on Agera in the Tauranga Stakes and Omega Boy in the Japan Trophy, as well as more than $1.67 million in prizemoney. McNab said reaching 50 wins in his first year had been a thrill, but he was equally grateful for the support of Pike, other trainers and those working behind the scenes. He now turns his attention to Cambridge’s synthetic meeting on Wednesday, where Loopy Farooki, Bad Education, Rosina and Delz Abeel await. He expects Loopy Farooki to be an each-way chance off a good Waipa trial, is looking forward to the consistent Rosina, and believes Delz Abeel’s love for the polytrack and 2kg claim make him a key hope in the last.
It's been a stunning season for Sam McNab (pic: Kenton Wright)
Brown Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Wednesday, 17th June 2026
Meanwhile, a short-term Hong Kong licence has become a career-shaping opportunity for Ethan Brown, with the Australian jockey acknowledging that a difficult choice may be approaching as the season nears its July 15 finish. The 27-year-old has ridden six winners during his stint, capped by a Sha Tin treble on Saturday, and while the Hong Kong Jockey Club has yet to confirm its licensing decisions for 2026/27, his recent impact has put him in the frame to be asked back on a permanent basis. “It’s a huge opportunity that I’ve grabbed with both hands,” Brown said on Giddy Up With Gareth Hall. “It’s something that I’ve really got to weigh up and consider. We’ll see how the next four weeks goes. It’s a decision I wouldn’t make lightly, that’s for sure.” Brown knows accepting any longer-term Hong Kong position would mean stepping away from a strong platform in Australia, where he has built a record that includes 11 Group 1 wins. “Back home in Australia, I’ve got a good thing going there, as well, and I can’t forget that. Hong Kong’s been great and I’ve got great support here. Financially, it’s great too, although that isn’t everything.” His fiancée, fellow jockey Celine Gaudray, is also in Hong Kong after pausing her riding career to support him, and Brown said any major decision would need to include her. “I’ve also got Celine here with me, as well, so it wouldn’t be 100 per cent my decision,” he said, adding that Gaudray had found the first couple of weeks difficult but had since met good people, built friendships and was enjoying the experience. Brown described the Sha Tin treble as a career moment, particularly given the depth of competition for rides in Hong Kong. “It was very special and certainly ranks high up,” he said. “To even get rides in Hong Kong is tough. I was in the right spot at the right time and was able to benefit from a few other jockeys being away. I was lucky enough to pick up a couple of nice rides, and most importantly, execute on them.” David Eustace, who trained with Ciaron Maher before beginning his Hong Kong career in 2024/25, believes Brown has adapted impressively to a demanding environment. “It was great to see him have a good day,” Eustace told Racing.com. “It’s obviously a tough place for any jockey to come on a short-term basis at the end of the season, when most people have struck up a relationship or two with different jockeys. It’s not an easy time, so he’s done really well.” Brown rode Group 1 winners Snapdancer and Smokin’ Romans for the Maher-Eustace partnership in Australia, and that link has been revived in Hong Kong through Podium’s Happy Valley victory on May 13. Eustace said Brown was enjoying the experience and learning quickly, adding that he hoped the rider could kick on through the rest of the season.
Pre-Season Boost for Sire Winning Rupert
Wednesday, 17th June 2026
A timely black-type boost at Eagle Farm has added further interest to Westbury Park’s refreshed 2026 roster, with Winning Rupert youngster Cool Gent producing a Listed Oxlade Stakes win just as Phil Ibbotson’s Western Australian operation prepares for a new season with both proven and incoming stallion appeal. Ibbotson had already been fielding calls after announcing the new-look line-up, with Straight Charge attracting breeder attention ahead of his first book and A Lot preparing to make his mark through a first 2YO crop conceived at Westbury Park. A Lot brings an elite American influence through Tapit, the Gainesway titan whose record includes 174 stakes winners and who, even at 25, remains active in Kentucky at a service fee of US$185,000. His early West Australian representation is spread through leading local stables, with David Harrison, Justin Warwick, Brandon Fiore and Gray Williamson all holding rising juveniles, while Greg Edwards has a homebred A Lot filly out of his Gr1 Kingston Town Classic winner Kay Cee likely to be given time for Neville Parnham. Westbury Park will also offer two more yearlings by the stallion at Sunday’s Perth Magic Millions Winter Sale, including a filly from Shihabi as Lot 14, a half-sister to multiple Hong Kong winner President’s Choice, and a colt out of Is A Bombshell as Lot 51, whose half-sister Admire The Girl won at Pinjarra and Ascot earlier this campaign. Their second dam, Is Amazing, adds further substance to the page as winner of the Gr3 Roma Cup and Listed Harry Bolton Sprint. Winning Rupert, meanwhile, could hardly have received a sharper introduction to Westbury Park life than the performance of Cool Gent in Brisbane. The 2YO gelding, trained and part-owned by Adam and Shane Barling, was detached from the field in the Heavy 9 conditions and still a long way off the leader Run Like A Girl approaching the home turn, but Tyler Schiller stayed patient, threaded runs through the pack and produced him late to overwhelm favourite Marffiano. Cool Gent became Winning Rupert’s seventh black-type winner, and his effort quickly drew attention beyond Australia. Adam Barling said the gelding had pulled up well and that he had been “fielding calls from Hong Kong” on Monday, while acknowledging the horse still has a habit of complicating things at the barriers. Barling said he put his head down when the gates opened, but Cool Gent again found a way to win, with Schiller later suggesting he could develop into a Guineas horse next season. Whether he stays in Australia or is sold overseas, Cool Gent is expected to have one more run this preparation in the Listed Tattersall’s Stakes over 1400m at Eagle Farm on June 27. The Barlings, who bought him at the 2025 Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the advice of Liam Birchley, have already returned to the same sireline, securing another Winning Rupert colt from Divine Stryke for $30,000 at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale, with Barling describing him as “a cracker”.
Winning Rupert (pic: Geisel Park Stud)
Locals Claim Racing SA Rewards
Wednesday, 17th June 2026
A productive shift to South Australia continued at Murray Bridge on Saturday when Harry Grace added another feature success to his fast-growing local tally, guiding Brevitas to victory in the Racing Rewards 2YO race for the Phillip Stokes stable. Grace rode nine winners through May and has kept rolling into June with six more at a 20% strike-rate, making the most of the opportunities he has received since relocating. His association with the Stokes team has been especially fruitful, and Brevitas gave both rider and stable another reason to look ahead with confidence after bouncing out of a luckless run in the Gr3 David Coles. The filly will now be aimed at the Listed Oaklands Plate at Morphettville in two weeks, a path the stable knows well after Matahga won the same Racing Rewards lead-up last year before also claiming the Oaklands. Grace said he had enjoyed a good run for the stable, while noting he had also been narrowly denied in a couple of photo finishes, and he felt Brevitas had overcome enough on Saturday to suggest there was more to come. Tommy Stokes said the race had always shaped as an ideal stepping stone and that it was pleasing to win it with a filly he regards as highly promising. The 3YO division of the Racing Rewards series produced an even more emphatic result, with Like A Drifter extending his winning sequence to four for local trainers Dan Clarken and Oopy MacGillivray. Bought by Clarken for just $10,000, the gelding has quickly become a valuable stable asset and gave Tala Hutchinson a soft 3.3l win, suggesting the stable may now have to look beyond South Australia for a suitable next assignment. Clarken said Like A Drifter had “turned into a little gold mine” and, with limited 3YO options left at home, Victoria could come under consideration, particularly given the horse’s ability to handle rain-affected ground. The Murray Bridge locals also struck early through Sir Now, who justified strong market support in the opening race and took his record to nine wins from 23 starts. Trainer Darryl Hewitt praised the gelding’s reliability, saying he was good for punters and made life easier by simply turning up and performing, while also identifying him as a genuine speed horse who handles heavy going. Sir Now’s win gave Alysha Warren the first leg of a double, with I Catchem Fox later completing her brace and allowing her to share riding honours with Jason Holder and Todd Pannell.
