Birdman has secured championship status, reversing the placings from the Cox Plate with his regular spring rival, Cosmic Crusader, at Flemington on Saturday.
The $3 million Champions Stakes saw the Chris Waller-trained Birdman finish ahead of Cosmic Crusader in the 2000-metre Group 1 event, a reversal of their previous encounter.
This was the third Group 1 quinella for the pair during the spring carnival, following their earlier one-two finish in the Underwood Stakes, which Birdman also won. Waller admitted to experiencing visions of a Cox Plate repeat but was ultimately delighted 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 achieved his third Group 1 victory of the year, adding to his earlier win in Brisbane’s Doomben Cup (2000m) in May. This marked the eighth win of his 27-start career.
The $1.8 million winner’s cheque earned by the six-year-old gelding, who is partly owned by a group of Carlton footballers including Patrick Cripps and Marc Murphy, pushed his career earnings beyond $5 million.
“You like the buzz, that’s why you get into these games for, whether it’s footy or racing,” Cripps said of his immediate post-race emotions. “It’s a nice feeling. He’s won three Group Ones now, so it’s pretty special.”
Ben Melham, Birdman’s regular rider, guided the $5 chance with a strong late run in a solidly-run race, where Land Legend again set the pace, to win by three-quarters of a length.
Cosmic Crusader, the $3.30 favourite, recorded yet another top-four finish – the eighth of his debut campaign for Andrea Leek, which also featured a Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) success – finishing half-a-length clear of the third-placed Sir Delius ($5).
Melham considered the Cox Plate a race Birdman could have won and was proud of his horse’s significant 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 victory was Melham’s first Group 1 of the week, a week where he also finished runner-up in the Melbourne Cup aboard Zahrann. It was the fourth Group 1 for Waller for the week, who also clinched the preceding race, the Champions Mile, with Autumn Glow.
Waller also trained a Group 1 double on Day 1 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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