While Cosmic Crusader claimed the coveted Cox Plate, Birdman cemented his championship status by gaining a decisive victory over his consistent spring rival at Flemington on Saturday.
The placings from the Cox Plate were flipped in the $3 million Champions Stakes, with Chris Waller’s charge, Birdman, relegating Cosmic Crusader to second in the 2000-metre Group 1 feature.
This marked their third Group 1 quinella of the spring season, following their earlier one-two finish in the Underwood Stakes, which Birdman also won. Waller admitted to having fleeting thoughts of a Cox Plate repeat but expressed immense satisfaction with his horse’s performance.
“He hit the 200-metre mark with purpose and he was running down some good horses,” Waller stated. “I could see Cosmic Crusader on Aeliana’s back and I thought, ‘oh no, here we go again’, but he just really launched and he said ‘I’m here’. It was good to see.”
The son of Free Eagle secured his third Group 1 win of the year, having previously triumphed in Brisbane’s Doomben Cup (2000m) in May. This victory represented his eighth career win from 27 starts.
The $1.8 million prize money earned propelled the six-year-old gelding, co-owned by a group of Carlton footballers including current and former captains Patrick Cripps and Marc Murphy, to career earnings exceeding $5 million.
“You like the buzz, that’s why you get into these games for, whether it’s footy or racing,” Cripps remarked on his immediate post-race emotions. “It’s a nice feeling. He’s won three Group Ones now, so it’s pretty special.”
Birdman’s regular jockey, Ben Melham, guided the $5 chance with a powerful late surge in a strongly-paced race, with Land Legend again setting the tempo, to win by three-quarters of a length.
Cosmic Crusader, the $3.30 favourite, achieved another top-four finish – the eighth in his debut campaign for Andrea Leek, which also included a Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) victory – finishing half-a-length ahead of the third-placed Sir Delius ($5).
Melham felt the Cox Plate had been a missed opportunity for Birdman and was delighted with his horse’s strong rebound.
“In the Cox Plate, he burst through and thought he was the winner, but he couldn’t see the horses out wide with his winkers on. I just reckon that didn’t help us all,” Melham explained. “I was happy to concede a little more start with the tail wind down the back and coming into the turn I was happy to get into the three-wide line which was getting some protection from the wind which was coming at us.
“He’s always the last horse off the bridle and he’s got a good turn of foot and a great will to win and he’s very well deserving of another Group 1 win.”
The Champions Stakes triumph marked Melham’s first Group 1 success in a week where he also guided Zahrann to a runner-up finish in the Melbourne Cup. It was the fourth Group 1 victory for Waller in the week, who also clinched the preceding race, the Champions Mile, with Autumn Glow.
Waller also achieved a Group 1 double on the opening day of the carnival, with Stormy Marco winning the Victoria Derby and Lady Shenandoah taking out the Empire Rose Stakes, contributing to his leading trainer title for the week.
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