Having narrowly failed to make the Melbourne Cup field by a single spot, Pinhole has now successfully qualified for the prestigious 2026 event following his victory in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, signalling him as a stayer of considerable promise on the Australian racing scene.
The horse was ranked 25th in the order of entry for the 3200-metre feature held last Tuesday, which was won by Point Of Law, and therefore did not gain a start in the 24-horse capacity field.
That disappointment was put aside as the $2.60 favourite, Pinhole, made his move at the 300-metre mark, sweeping past the front-running Defiantly to record a 2¾-length win. Outsiders Manzor Blue ($41) and Torranzino ($26) filled the minor placings.
“He’s a bright, bright stayer of the future,” commented winning trainer Chris Waller.
“He was a good winner at Caulfield two starts ago, and then last start he had no luck at all. So he’s a really promising horse, and it’s all about getting him to the I guess the Cup for next year. It’s a good step forward. He’ll be qualified and we just have to find the best path for him now.”
Both trainer Chris Waller and jockey James McDonald acknowledged that the UK import settled more readily in this race compared to his seventh position in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) run a fortnight prior.
“He was really good (and) he relaxed a lot better too,” McDonald said.
“He’s still a young progressive stayer. He probably should have been in the race on Tuesday, but there will be plenty of time.”
Defiantly, prepared by Joseph O’Brien and also excluded from the Melbourne Cup field by stewards’ discretion, finished fourth after leading for a significant portion of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle observed that the five-year-old gelding demonstrated too much early pace from the start, suggesting that he is more suited to races over greater distances.
It’s a notable historical footnote that Makybe Diva won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2002 before claiming her first of three Melbourne Cup victories twelve months later.
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