Champions Stakes Day at Flemington delivered a spectacular finale to the Melbourne Cup carnival on Saturday, 7 November 2026, with three Group 1 races each worth 3 million dollars — and three very different stories.
In the feature Champions Stakes over 2,000 metres, Birdman avenged his Cox Plate defeat, beating Cox Plate winner Cosmic Crusader by three-quarters of a length. Birdman, a 5-dollar chance trained by Chris Waller and ridden by Ben Melham from barrier one, settled last of the 10 runners before coming three-wide around the turn. Sir Delius was third, a length and a quarter back, with Aeliana fourth.
It was Birdman’s third Group 1 win of 2026, after the Doomben Cup and the Underwood Stakes, and his eighth win from 27 starts, taking his career earnings past 5 million dollars, including the 1.8 million dollar winner’s cheque. He is part-owned by Carlton footballers including Patrick Cripps and Marc Murphy.
The Champions Mile was a procession for the favourite. Autumn Glow, at 1.18 dollars with James McDonald aboard for Waller, beat her stablemates Lindermann by a length and a quarter and Buckaroo by another length — a Waller trifecta. It was her 15th win from 16 starts and her sixth Group 1.
The Champions Sprint produced the boilover of the day. Point Barrow, at 19 dollars with Mark Zahra aboard for Anthony and Sam Freedman, beat 101-dollar chance Plaintiff by a neck, with Skybird third. Favourite Tempted finished fifth, and a post-race vet check found she had suffered exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage.
Waller won two of the three Group 1s, taking his 2026 Group 1 tally to 27 — one short of Aidan O’Brien’s calendar-year world record of 28. The Matriarch Stakes also produced an upset, with Sun Gift beating Too Darn Discreet by three-quarters of a length.
It was the perfect close to a carnival that also gave us Proxima Dea staying unbeaten in the Crown Oaks, and it came in a huge week for Australian sport, from the Ashes squad announcement to the Flemington finale. Champions Stakes Day belonged to Birdman, Autumn Glow and Point Barrow.
Bhudev Bhagaliya is an experienced and senior journalist who has carved a distinct niche for himself in the world of Hindi journalism through his profound understanding and precise writing style. With over two decades of experience in the field of journalism, he has held key responsibilities at Dainik Hindustan for 12 years and at Amar Ujala for one year. Currently, he serves as the Content Editor for the Jagrook Youth News newspaper and portal, where he plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and credibility of the news content. Bhudev Bhagaliya consistently writes about issues that help raise awareness within society and among the younger generation.