Daniel Pryors Around The Grounds for Stakes Day 7/11/26

The Flemington Carnival has been nothing short of spectacular, and this Saturday it reaches its crescendo with Champions Stakes Day, featuring three Group 1 races to round out an outstanding week of racing.

Firstly, a big shout-out to the Flemington track staff, who have produced a quality racing surface throughout the carnival. We've witnessed some unbelievable racing, and the final day promises plenty more.

There are some massive drawcards on Saturday, headlined by the brilliant Autumn Glow in the Champions Mile. The beautiful, long-striding mare travels outside NSW to race for the first time, looking to extend her remarkable record to 15 wins from 16 starts.

Her opposition will try valiantly, but she's a seriously good mare, and even at the short quote, I expect her to win.

Cox Plate winner Cosmic Crusader is another star returning to Flemington. He's already beaten most of his rivals during a fantastic campaign, and I'm struggling to see how they turn the tables on him.

Then there's Everest winner Tempted, who tackles the famous Flemington straight six for the first time. You simply can't knock her winning form after claiming another two victories since her famous Everest triumph, where she defeated Hong Kong and world racing superstar Ka Ying Rising.

With three Group 1 contests and plenty of competitive supporting races, Champions Stakes Day shapes as a cracking finale.

Hopefully, we can find a few more winners and line our pockets to finish the carnival on a high.

 

 

Melbourne Cup Day Review – Maher Dominates the Cup

Melbourne Cup Day produced another remarkable chapter in Australian racing, with trainer Ciaron Maher dominating the feature event.

Maher prepared the trifecta from his seven runners, with the lightly raced Point Of Law charging to victory ahead of stablemates Zahrann in second and Juja Kibo in third.

It was an extraordinary training achievement, and he very nearly completed the first four.

Race leader Royal Supremacy battled on bravely to finish fifth, only to be bloused out on the line by Joseph O'Brien's Sons And Lovers, who grabbed fourth.

Now, here's where things got interesting for me.

I'd boxed all seven of Maher's runners in the first four as a novelty bet.

When Royal Supremacy looked like hanging on for fourth, I was jumping around like a madman, thinking I'd landed a massive dividend.

Then the numbers went up.

Sons And Lovers had grabbed fourth, and just like that, my dreams of a big collect came crashing back to earth!

That's racing for you.

On a more positive note, another nice winner I identified in my selections was Peyton ($5.20) in the Schweppervescence Plate over 1000m.

The O'Shea and Charlton-trained colt showed an outstanding burst of acceleration under Zac Lloyd, powering clear near the line.

His bloodlines suggested he'd take to the Flemington straight like a duck to water, and that's exactly what happened.

It was a terrific performance and another satisfying result for followers of my selections.

 

 

Oaks Day Review – Proxima Dea Delivers

Oaks Day produced another outstanding performance from an emerging star, with Proxima Dea living up to the market hype in the Group 1 VRC Oaks.

The David Payne-trained filly demonstrated superior staying qualities over the 2500m, with young gun jockey Zac Lloyd guiding her to another impressive victory.

She's now unbeaten in six career starts and hasn't put a foot wrong throughout her preparation.

It was three starts earlier in the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes that she really demonstrated the fighting qualities and strength required of a top-class staying filly.

Since making her debut in July, she's continued on an upward trajectory, and Thursday's Oaks victory was another example of her enormous potential.

Veteran trainer David Payne has always enjoyed targeting these classic races, and he's unearthed another very exciting prospect.

 

 

The other highlight for me came in the final race of the day.

I thought Rey Magnerio was the best of good things, and the $3.15 available looked excellent value over the 1000m.

For a few strides, though, I was thinking, 'Oh no!'

He looked to have plenty of work to do before William Pike got stuck into him.

Then he grew wings.

Rey Magnerio absolutely stormed home to blouse the field in the final stride before the winning post.

It was a heart-stopping finish but a terrific result for those who backed him.

I'm now looking forward to seeing whether the Griffiths stable decides to send him back to Ascot in Perth, as they did last year.

If he heads west again, I expect he'll be right amongst the leading contenders in their major sprint features.

 

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Daniel Pryor's Champions Stakes Day Free Tips

I've identified three runners worth following at Flemington on Saturday, including two of the biggest names in Australian racing.

Flemington Race 3 – #3 King Pedro ($4)

King Pedro looks to have his hoof right on the till after his first two runs this preparation.

He's been building nicely towards a peak performance and has already beaten another key rival who has been installed as favourite for Saturday's race.

That form gives me plenty of confidence that King Pedro can turn the tables on the market.

The obvious concern is the wide barrier.

He'll need an economical run without covering too much additional ground, and finding clear air at the right time will be crucial.

However, if he gets the right run, I expect him to be working strongly to the line.

He's the type of runner who could be storming past them over the concluding stages.

My Verdict: King Pedro looks ready to peak. If he can overcome the wide barrier and find clear running, he's a strong winning chance at $4.

 

Flemington Race 7 – #8 Autumn Glow ($1.22)

What more can you say about this extraordinary mare?

Autumn Glow is one of the marquee runners on Champions Stakes Day, and I can't wait to watch her go around at Flemington.

She's won 14 of her 15 career starts and now travels to Melbourne to race for the first time.

The big Flemington straight should be ideal for this beautiful, long-striding mare, giving her plenty of room to build momentum and unleash her outstanding finishing ability.

She's already demonstrated that she possesses an enormous amount of talent, and I expect that to continue on Saturday.

Her opposition will certainly try to make things difficult, but she's a genuine superstar.

At $1.22, there isn't a great deal of value in the win market, but I simply can't see her getting beaten.

She's an awesome horse to watch, and I expect we'll be celebrating her 15th career victory after the Champions Mile.

My Verdict: Autumn Glow should be winning again. A brilliant mare who looks ideally suited to Flemington and should extend her record to 15 wins from 16 starts.

 

Flemington Race 8 – #1 Cosmic Crusader ($3.20)

Cosmic Crusader has taken all before him during what has been a sensational campaign.

He's already claimed the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes and Cox Plate, defeating several of the key rivals he'll meet again on Saturday.

Those performances have been outstanding, and I see little reason to jump off him now.

He's proven himself against the best opposition, and the horses attempting to turn the tables will need to find significant improvement.

William Pike has also been riding in tremendous form throughout the Melbourne Cup Carnival, which is another major positive.

I've been with Cosmic Crusader throughout his preparation, and I'm more than happy to stick with him again.

He's tough, talented and racing with enormous confidence.

My Verdict: Cosmic Crusader is the horse to beat. He's already defeated most of his main rivals, and I'm sticking with him at $3.20.

 

Daniel Pryor's Champions Stakes Day Best Bets Summary

 

This Week's Winners & Dividends

It's been another successful week of racing throughout the Melbourne Cup Carnival, with several excellent results across the first three days.

Hopefully, we can add a few more winners to that list on Saturday and finish the carnival with another profitable day.

 

Get Daniel Pryor's Champions Stakes Day Tips

For punters wanting access to my full selections across the Flemington program, subscriber packages are available through The Great Tip Off.

With three Group 1 races and a competitive supporting program, there are plenty of opportunities to finish the Melbourne Cup Carnival on a high.

 

Final Word – One Last Big Day at Flemington

What an incredible Melbourne Cup Carnival it's been.

From Ciaron Maher's remarkable Melbourne Cup trifecta to Proxima Dea maintaining her unbeaten record in the Oaks, we've witnessed some exceptional performances.

Now we've got Autumn Glow, Cosmic Crusader and Tempted providing the star power for one final day of Group 1 racing.

I'm particularly keen to see Autumn Glow make her Flemington debut and whether Cosmic Crusader can continue his outstanding winning run.

King Pedro also looks a terrific chance to deliver another result for followers of my selections.

Without wanting to get too far ahead of myself, I already can't wait to do the Melbourne Cup Carnival all over again next year!

But first, let's finish this one with a few more winners.

Good luck and Giddyup Punters!

 

There are loads of tips for today's racing in our Horse Racing Tips market at theGreatTipOff.com.