The Melbourne Cup Carnival reaches its grand finale this Saturday with Champions Day, three contests fit for the best of the best. Three Group 1 showdowns, three different distances, and three thrilling conclusions to one unforgettable week at Flemington.
The action begins with the Group 1 Champions Sprint, where past meets future in a clash of speed and star power. Former sprinting king Giga Kick takes on the emerging sensation Tentyris. Giga Kick, who conquered The Everest as a three-year-old, showed he’s far from finished with a powerful win last start. Tentyris, meanwhile, proved the hype was real with a commanding victory in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes on Derby Day. Expect fireworks when they face off down the Flemington straight.
Next up, the Group 1 Champions Mile, a mouth-watering battle where the irrepressible Pride Of Jenni returns after another trademark, front-running demolition in the Empire Rose Stakes. But this time, she faces a world-class field. Ten-time Group 1 winner Mr Brightside is as tough and consistent as they come, while Ceolwulf, fresh off his King Charles III Stakes triumph, will relish the tempo Jenni sets. Add to that a stellar cast of mares: rising star Treasurethemoment, the gritty Stefi Magnetica, and New Zealand’s lightly raced Leica Lucy, who again teams up with world-class jockey James McDonald. And from across the globe, English contender Lake Forest, trained by William Haggas and ridden by Tom Marquand, adds an international edge. This could well be the race of the year.
And if that wasn’t enough, the curtain falls with the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2000m), headlined by the remarkable Via Sistina. A two-time Cox Plate winner and 11-time Group 1 victor around the world, she stands at the summit of global racing and looks to reaffirm her dominance in front of an international audience.
Form expert David Gately joins Marc Ohlmus for in-depth analysis of all three Group 1 features as one of the world’s greatest racing weeks comes to a close.
It’s become one of the true highlights of the carnival, three elite contests, a full card of feature racing, and the backdrop of the world’s most beautiful racecourse. It’s Champions Day and it’s not to be missed.
