By James Lamb, Jett Hatton, Luke Sheehan and Tyler Maund.
Our review of racing around Australia on Saturday, November 8, headlined by Champions Day at Flemington. Check out all the highlights and lowlights here.
Star Performer
Via Sistina (G1 Champions Stakes – Flemington)
Ceolwulf was as tough as they come winning the Champions Mile but it’s hard to go past Via Sistina for Star Performer honours. Australia’s best horse bounced off her Cox Plate win to get the job done in emphatic fashion in the Champions Stakes, coming from near-last to sail right down the outside under James McDonald. The victory made it a staggering 50 Group 1 wins for the Waller and J-Mac combination and the pair certainly aren’t slowing down.
Via Sistina has now won an incredible 12 Group 1s and has done it on all surfaces. She’s a champion in every sense of the word.
Front Bar Fodder
FLEMINGTON
Track cops it
A Soft 5 at the start of the day quickly became a Soft 6, before persistent rain saw the track downgraded to a Heavy 9. Conditions were terrible for all involved, with cold winds also whipping those on-course.
Boom colt eventually comes out
There was plenty of talk about Tentyris being withdrawn from the Champions Sprint if the track got into the heavy range. That didn’t happen, with the Godolphin colt jogging to the gates as a drifting second-favourite. However, things went pear-shaped as he played up in the barriers and was declared a late scratching after failing to pass a brief vet examination. Thankfully there was nothing seriously amiss, according to co-trainer Anthony Freedman, and he’ll now head for a well-earned stint in the paddock.
ALSO READ: Schofield suspended for month, fined $35k after Ceolwulf win
ROSEHILL
Vivy Air sneaks up on the inside to win Five Diamonds
No one wanted to go to the inside and it opened it up for Reece Jones to save all the ground on Vivy Air and get the win. On the four day back up after finishing runner up to Gringotts in the Big Dance, she broke her winning drought and did it in a big way, knuckling down with a powerful finish to nail Group 1 winners Transatlantic and Militarize. Jones has won at Group 1 level but the Five Diamonds is now the biggest paycheck in his career.
Arctic Glamour knocks punters out of the quaddie
Not too many would have had Arctic Glamour winning the Hot Danish at $51 but she was far too good for them in the feature for fillies and mares. She hadn’t won a race since the Reginald Allen Quality in 2023 and resumed off two very quiet trials. Settled up on the pace, kicked clear at the 200m mark and Bauhinia couldn’t catch her. Miraval Rose closed as favourite. She set the tempo but was under siege a long way from home. The other Victorian, Miss Roumbini, had nothing go her way and it was similar to her last start performance. From barrier six, she was never on the track and it told late.
Star colt unleashed in Golden Gift
A good run on debut in the Breeders’ Plate but Revengeance took good improvement out of that and won with a bit in hand. Takes home the Golden Gift prizemoney and as a result, booking his spot in the Golden Slipper. Gai Waterhouse knows exactly what it takes to win the juvenile grand final and this colt looks like an early candidate. Spicy Miss was one of two fillies in the race and ran super. Loomed at the 200m and just quite couldn’t go with Revengeance, but it was a good debut run.
EAGLE FARM
Firm deck sees track records fall
The market had it spot on in plenty of the races at Eagle Farm on Saturday. And the track was on fire, with a couple of records falling as it eventually reached the rare ‘Firm 2′ status, that being one above ‘Good 3′. Lyles claimed the 1000m track record in 55.34s, after Now Is The Hour claimed the 1200m benchmark when winning in 1:08.63s. The previous records on the new Eagle Farm surface were held by Steady Ready (55.89s) and Kisukano (1:08.69s). It wasn’t a great day to be a bookie there – only one double-figure shot won (Negotiations – $11), and the only others to remotely threaten victory were Araletta ($11, R1), Tajawal ($31, R8) and En Pointe ($19, R10). Other than that favs, or strong market fancies, were at the pointy end for much of the day.
AROUND THE GROUNDS
Mother and son commemorate feat with winners
We’ve had husband and wife ride against each other in a Melbourne Cup (not only that, Jamie Melham won it!), and seen a few father/sons compete in recent memory, but not sure how many mother/sons we’ve seen ride against one another in a race. That happened when Australian-based apprentice Logan Bates headed back across the ditch to link up with Mum, the NZ-based Kylie Williams, and compete in the same races for the first time. They both chalked up a winner – Bates with a double for his first-ever NZ winners – and Williams also rode home a couple of healthy-priced placegetters too as they both savoured the familial vibes on raceday.
First winner in Australia for French jockey
Jockey Valentin Le Boeuf rode his first winner in Australia on Saturday, prior to making his Flemington debut just hours later. That’s right – with an early ride at Geelong, and a late pick-up ride at HQ, Le Boeuf was doing what some jockeys just have to do when the rides are available – hop around the tracks the same day. His ride at Flemington was Flux ($101), who wasn’t expected to impact the finish (and didn’t), but neither really was Nostra Bella ($18) at Geelong but the Frenchman produced a momentous winning ride.
Best Win
FLEMINGTON
Ceolwulf (G1 Champions Mile)
Via deservedly picked up Star Performer honours, but outside of her, Ceolwulf produced the win of the day at HQ. The Pride galloper made it back-to-back Group 1 victories with a seriously gritty win in the Champions Mile, fighting tenaciously under the urgings of Chad Schofield to outgun Pericles who was clearly in front for the majority of the final 100m. In a two-horse war that few would have expected – Mr Brightside and Pride Of Jenni were nowhere to be seen – it was the Sydney-based pair that handled the testing conditions better than their rivals.
EAGLE FARM
Lyles (Race 5)
Skipped clear and dominated under Ben Thompson, glorious viewing for those on the Matthew Smith-trained galloper who was having his first start in Queensland. And in fact, he knocked off the 1000m track record, winning in 55.34s. Granted, the track was lightning (eventually firming to a Firm 2).
Crystal Ball
NOT SO OBVIOUS BLACKBOOKER
Anthropoid (Rosehill R6)
Convinced that this is a good horse and while he didn’t run top three, it was a blackbook worthy performance. From barrier one, he settled a little worse than midfield and in a race where the leading pair got away from them, he hit the line as good as anything for fourth. It might take a few runs but he’ll win a nice race.
WINNER THAT WON’T WIN AT THEIR NEXT START
Luskaire (Rosehill R5)
Thought he was given every opportunity to win the race with the speed battle in the early stages. Got the perfect run along the fence and with the leaders tiring, he was able to pounce on them and win.
Negotiations (Eagle Farm R3)
While it was a nice win carrying 60kg, he’ll go up in the ratings (and had a long time between successes before this win).
Punters Pearler
Jacob Opperman on Falaise (Morphettville Parks R6)
Opperman produced a brilliant steer to get Falaise first past the post. Jumping from a wide barrier (10), the hoop settled back in the field on the gelding, and rather than peeling wide on the turn, rode for luck and backed himself in to snare all the gaps up the straight. Falaise got there just in time to burst through and hold off a fast-finishing Thermodynamic out wide. It was the ride that won the race, and also handed Opperman a double on the card after earlier success on Zoupurring.
Sat Slaughter
Joao Moreira on Frosty Girl (Rosehill R10)
It hasn’t been a carnival to remember for Joao Moreira and the ride on Frosty Girl in the last at Rosehill certainly left more than a few punters sick in the stomach. Second favourite Mawjood settled on the outside of her and turning for home, we feel he could have pushed out and got Frosty Girl into clear running. Instead, he held his line waiting for the gaps and they didn’t appear until it was all over. She’s rattled through the line after picking up and running third but she should have cruised in.
*unfortunately the replay wasn’t posted to X, hence why there is no embed below
slaughter of the day (and the whole Spring) in the last at Rosehill there @Punters
Moreira with an absolute shocker on Frosty Girl
— Gothemightypies! (@Upthemightypies) November 8, 2025
Frosty Girl the slaughter of the carnival, Moreira never to return after that 💩
— Smitttyy_ (@Smitttyy2) November 8, 2025
Frosty Girl 😂😂😂
That’s got to be it for Joao Moreira here.
Seriously if Chris Waller gave him a ride on Winx he’d managed to get beaten on it 🇧🇷 👍 pic.twitter.com/Jxd6bGq56Q
— ralph horowitz (@rtralphy) November 8, 2025
Can someone tell me what Joao Moreira strike rate is in Australia?
— MJG (@pacman1072) November 8, 2025 
Saints
Calamari Ring (Flemington R1)
Ciaron Maher and Ethan Brown combined, again, to hit the board early on Champions day. In a race dominated by those drawn closer to the inside rail (straight-course affair), Calamari Ring was just a bit too strong for a brave Streisand. You’d be forgiving a fair chunk of the beaten brigade.
Sabaj (Flemington R2)
The query was the wet track with Sabaj ($2.80F) but Zahra got him into a nice trailing position from the wide gate and cuddled him until peeling off heels in the straight to let the favourite rip. He’ll Rip put up a fight but the Price and Kent-trained galloper never really looked like losing, taking his record to four wins from just seven outings. He’s an exciting prospect.
Need Some Luck (Flemington R3)
Need Some Luck didn’t require any at all, with Jamie Melham finding a back to follow straight out of the gates. The consistent Snowden-trained galloper travelled comfortably in the conditions before putting his foot down to score in impressive fashion. Runner-up De Bergerac was typically honest.
Sunset Park (Flemington R4)
The backmarkers made absolutely no impact whatsoever in this 2000m affair as Jamie Melham controlled things from the front on Sunset Park. She turned the tables on She’s A Hustler and Sea What I See from their last-start clash on a good track at The Valley. The form from that race well and truly stood up, with those three gallopers finishing in the first four here.
Giga Kick (Flemington R6)
Many thought his Group 1-winning days were behind him but Giga Kick turned back the clock with a gutsy win in the G1 Champions Sprint (1200m). Helped by the late scratching of Tentyris, the Douglas-trained galloper travelled in a tight spot in behind the pacesetters but quickened nicely through a gap as race favourite Joliestar came under pressure. However, just as Zahra drove Giga Kick to the lead, Magic Time loomed large on his inside and appeared to have her nose in front at the 100m mark. With the red-hot Zahra riding hard, The Everest winner found another gear when it counted to rise off the canvas and stick his nose out to score.
Zambardo (Flemington R8)
The winner Via Sistina was in a class of her own but the run of Zambardo was outstanding. He was probably the most poorly-weighted horse anywhere in Australia on Saturday but ran out of his skin to run a clear 2nd in his first crack at the top level. The performance hasn’t helped him from a handicap perspective though, with his pre-race rating of 78 likely to jump to something closer to 100.
Would’ve won the BM90 I reckon Zambardo
— Jackson Oldham (@Jackson_Oldham1) November 8, 2025
Zambardo BM78 8 Starts 4 wins and a group 1 second.
What does the handicapper do to him ?
— Sir M.B.Anshaw § (@djebel) November 8, 2025
Grand Larceny (Flemington R9)
It’s been a very lean period for the Hawkes camp but they finished the Melbourne Cup carnival on a high with Grand Larceny taking out the last under Ben Melham.
Oakfield Jupiter (Rosehill R2)
Talented mare from the Damien Lane stable that made it two for two this preparation with a strong win in the Midway.
Thebudgiesmugla (Rosehill R3)
Well named horse and there no doubt would have been some happy punters after the win of the former Kiwi. Held up for a bit when they swung for home but Dylan Gibbons was able to find the gaps and the horse did the rest. Sharp win and off that, there’s more to come.
Tuned (Rosehill R4)
First-up as a gelding and it looks as though the ultimate gear change has done the trick.
Weeping Woman (Rosehill R9)
Met with good support in the final five minutes prior to the jump and it was spot on. Settled up on the pace and actually looked gone at the top of the straight. Strada Varenna kicked up but a few strides after, Weeping Woman got into her gears and won pretty dominantly.
Zoupurring (Morphettville Parks R1)
This was an impressive win by the Stokes-trained gelding. Race leader Nasho skipped away on the turn, but despite spotting him four lengths and racing into a fierce headwind, Zoupurring continued to eat into the margin, grinding the leader down and cruising away with a strong win. Has now strung together three wins in four starts, going well.
Skadoosh (Morphettville Parks R2)
Had been racing consistently without winning against some talented gallopers such as Snow Mercy, Virtual Illusion and Intellection, and got some reward on Saturday, nailing a 1000m Maiden after a nice ride from Teagan Voorham. Had a gun run on the rail behind race leader Street Legal, and popped off the rail at the 300m to chase him down and win.
Wild Winner (Morphettville Parks R3)
The mare hit the line strongly on Saturday to score a deserved third career win. Has been an honest performer over 15 career starts, placed in 12. She was nicely handled by apprentice jockey Taylor Johnstone.
Thebigsosso (Morphettville Parks R4)
Brought up a hat-trick of wins with a strong showing over 1400m on Saturday. It continued a strong run of form for the Luke O’Connor stable, the Morphettville trainer is striking at 33.3 per cent so far this season.
Falaise & Jacob Opperman (Morphettville Parks R6)
Falaise notched consecutive wins for trainer Stuart Padman, but it was Jacob Opperman’s daring ride that allowed him to do so. The hoop went back from a wide gate (10), and rather than peeling wide turning for home, rode for luck and snared all the gaps up the straight. Got up in a close finish with Thermodynamic. Also handed Opperman a double on the nine-race card.
Murph (Morphettville Parks R7)
Strung two wins together with a determined chasing effort behind Round Two over 1250m. The gelding is ultra consistent, and will now tackle the Riziz Series Final for trainer Paul Carey on Sportsbet Finals Day later this month.
Isaac Sit (Morphettville Parks R9)
The young gun apprentice nailed a first metro win at Morphettville Parks on Saturday, guiding Super Alana to a speedy frontrunning win over 1100m.
SAINTS
The Munce men (Eagle Farm)
They’re finding themselves in this column most weeks now, Corey and Chris Munce, with a remarkable strike-rate in Brisbane this season (28.7 per cent!). Their winners on Saturday were Pocketmoney ($3.60F) and Chief Witness ($3.70).
Ryan Maloney (Eagle Farm)
A double continues his hot season, with 34 winners @ 27.8 per cent. Wasn’t far off lifting Tajawal ($31) to victory either in R8.
Boomtown Boss (Eagle Farm R10)
Touted as a potential Stradbroke horse come the Brisbane winter carnival, the Gollan galloper had too much class here. Settled in the second pack of the split field, and did have to gun down a few lengths at the top of the straight (which was proving hard for a lot of horses throughout the day!) but he did it in style with 60kg.
Grafterburners (Eagle Farm R7)
The Schweida-trained colt did it, uncharacteristically, from the front but really extended late in the 3YO handicap. His trainer said post-race that he had been keen to geld, but one of the owners said to hold fire. Wins like that will only prolong the ultimate gear change!
Negotiations (Eagle Farm R3)
Led, kicked and won at the $11, comfortably upending the more-fancied She Ours ($2.90) and holding out the fast-finishing First Mission ($2.40). The reason for the price is a bit down to the fact he hadn’t won in 18 months (when he had won his first three career starts). Assistant trainer Declan Maher said post-race that the horse got off the truck recently and stood on a nail, so that was a setback. There was no such hiccup on Saturday with a seamless victory under Ryan Maloney.
Cavalry Man (Eagle Farm R6)
The grey was (funnily enough) green late as he ran a bit wayward, but he still had panels on his opposition here. The horse does have a tendency to hang out – did so on his Qld debut earlier this prep – but he’s flying regardless of his manners.
Sinners
Nadal (Flemington R3)
They scratch him when it’s dry, and he was completely legless here on a wet track. That doesn’t leave Maher with too many options for Nadal. He looks a shadow of his former self after a lengthy lay-off.
Birdman (Flemington R5)
McDonald took him back from the wide gate to settle at the tail of the field. There is no doubt he was set a task from back there but he didn’t make any impression at all. If he flashed home for 5th, you could blame the jockey, but he just plodded home to be beaten nearly 10L. The performances aren’t matching the hype with this imported stayer.
Joliestar (Flemington R6)
It might be harsh to put her in the Sin Bin after a Group 1 placing but she was well-backed again and didn’t threaten the quinella pair in the Champions Sprint.
Pride Of Jenni (Flemington R7)
These days, POJ either wins or finishes well out the placings. That is not a generalisation either – it has become an established pattern.
The Pride Of Jenni pattern continues:
UNPLACED
WIN
UNPLACED
WIN
UNPLACED
WIN
UNPLACED
WIN
UNPLACED
— Punters+ (@Punters) November 8, 2025
Mr Brightside (Flemington R7)
It’s rare for Mr B to find himself in this section but he produced a rare stinker in the Champions Mile. He landed up on the speed but was under pressure a long way from home and was a spent force before runners straightened for home. He whacked away for 5th but was beaten more than 10L.
Social Circle (Rosehill R1)
The favourite in the Highway lost the race at the barriers when she missed the kick by three lengths. Ran on well for third but made the job too tough for herself.
Miraval Rose (Rosehill R7)
Led them up but had little to offer when called upon in the straight. Jury’s out after that performance.
….so Miraval Rose golly unbelievably disappointing. 🤮
— Yawn (@WhoDidIt118) November 8, 2025
Militarize (Rosehill R8)
Thought he had every chance but just couldn’t get there. Ran on strongly at the 200m and looked like he was going to flash straight past them but shortly after, he peaked on his run and didn’t get there.
Stoli Bolli (Flemington R9)
He never runs badly but never wins. The Hayes gelding, who is always hard in the market, just keeps finding or two stronger at the business end.
The Muffin Man (Morphettville Parks R5)
Was under pressure early on straightening and dropped out to finish eighth.
Dolcemente (Morphettville Parks R6)
Got back and was hard ridden a long way for home, never looked likely.
Tahnee Treasure (Morphettville Parks R8)
Never figured in her first start for the new stable.
She Ours (Eagle Farm R3)
On market expectations, it was quite disappointing – while the margin read only 1.55L, she never looked like getting close to the winner Negotiations in the straight who had led (and carried 2.5kg more).
The Winners