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The wait is finally over as we head to Royal Randwick for the opening day of The Championships, a weekend that truly represents the grand final of Australian racing.

THE QUEEN ELIZABETH SIR DELIUS, ROYAL RANDWICK 2026."He's the best two-thousand metre horse, racing in Australia"said Gai, before the feature race not contemplating failure Sir Delius, the stable starwas primed to give his very best in this year's "Queen Elizabeth"he'd surely pass the testShe's never shy to voice a strong opinion she possessesshe trusts her skills and instincts so, with honesty confessesMeticulous in her approach to the science and art of training she wears her heart, on her sleeveand reasons, whilst explainingIt was a race of tacticsas form analysts predicted would Autum Glow, be too good as speed maps, had depictedBut Gai and Adrian had a planthat had their great horse peaking which was executed with finesse by Craig with midrace tweaking He won with brute authoritywhich did highlight his dominanceby introducing pressure and that showcased, his prominence The Cox Plate, twenty, twenty-fiveis now a distant dreamhe's justified his profilefor their dedicated teamBest middle-distance weight for age at Group One in our land?he's raised the bar, staked a claimin a race he did command Exciting times ahead for himin twenty, twenty-six there are options for connections,they will navigate the mix.John Sullivan April 2026

SATURDAY 18th APRIL - KEMBLA GRANGERail Position:  TrueCanadian Fling, Race 7, 1500m, 4.40pm, Z Wadick, 56.0kg Canadian Fling has been a model of consistency this preparation and she ran another extremely honest race when finishing second at Canberra last time. She’s had a faultless three weeks since then and she hasn’t missed a beat, and despite having six runs already she’s showing no signs of having had enough which is a testament to her toughness. She’s dropping back in trip slightly here to 1500 metres which is probably her optimal distance, and Zac’s ridden her in all bar one of her starts so he knows her inside out. He will let her roll forward from barrier 7 to lead as she likes to do, and whilst this race has a fair bit of depth to it if she gives a strong kick we’re confident she will take plenty of catching. SATURDAY 18th APRIL - MORNINGTONRail Position:  True Entire CircuitSatirically, Race 7, 1600m, 3.20pm, J B Stanley, 59.0kg Satirically is thriving ahead of this run. He couldn’t have been more impressive when disposing of his rivals at Sandown last time, and he confirmed himself as a thoroughly likeable colt with plenty of ability. He relished the step up to the mile which he gets again here, and whilst his outside barrier doesn’t make life easy there’s a very long run to the first turn so Jett should have plenty of time to roll forward and get across the field. From there we envisage him settling nicely as he’s done all preparation, and whilst he’s taking on tougher opposition he’s got plenty more to offer and we see no reason why he won’t be right there at the finish once again.SATURDAY 18th APRIL - RANWICKRail Position:  +7m 1000m-W/Post, +5m RemainderTomato Toastie, Race 4, 1400m, 1.15pm, R Bayliss, 55.0kg Tomato Toastie ran an almighty race when resuming over 1200 metres a fortnight ago. She was caught wide in the run and covered plenty of extra ground as a result, but she was rattling home late and with a few more strides would’ve been the winner. She’s taken good improvement from the outing and hasn’t missed a beat since, as her work’s been excellent and her coat is glowing so she’s in fine fettle. She’s going to relish stretching out to 1400 metres, and she’s drawn a better barrier in 8 this time so Regan should be able to roll forward and land close to the speed without having to do too much early work. This is another lovely race for her against her own age and sex, and if she builds upon her first-up run she’s entitled to win this.Little Iris, Race 4, 1400m, 1.15pm, Z T Lloyd, 55.0kg Little Iris gave us a big thrill when finding her way back into the winner’s circle at Rosehill last week. It was a competitive field and she defied a big weight of 61kg, so it was a hugely meritorious victory. She steps up in grade here but the race is confined to her own age and sex, and whilst she has a bit to find on the ratings she’s by no means out of place in the lineup. Zac’s riding fantastically at present so we’re thrilled he’s aboard, and he’ll let her roll forward from barrier 9 and settle her where she’s comfortable in the run. She will likely appreciate a bit further in time but she sticks to 1400 metres for now, and in what looks to be a fairly high pressure race she will appreciate the genuine end to end gallop. We’ve always held her in high regard and we think she’s a Black type filly, so we are excited to see how she measures up and we expect her to give this a good shake. Bellazaine, Race 4, 1400m, 1.15pm, T Clark 56.0kg Bellazaine took a big step forward from her first-up run when finishing a terrific fourth over 1200 metres at this track last time. She’s come through that run in magnificent order and she hasn’t missed a beat since, so she looks to be building towards a peak for this third-up run. We’re confident that she’ll relish stretching out to 1400 metres, and she’s got the speed to roll forward from barrier 12 and get across into a more favourable inside position. There’s a fair amount of pace in the race so she should be able to settle just off this and hopefully enjoy a smooth run in transit, and we see no reason why she won’t be right there at the finish once again.Just Fine, Race 6, 2000m, 2.25pm, T Clark 59.0kg Just Fine has taken everything in his stride since returning from Flemington. He’s had three weeks between runs to help him get over his exertions, and he’s carrying good condition by his standards so we’re pleased with how he’s training ahead of this outing. He hasn’t raced at Randwick since September 2024 when he finished a close fifth in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes, but he has a good record at this track and we’re looking forward to seeing him back here. He’s drawn well in barrier 3 so we anticipate him racing close to the speed, and he should be able to find his feet and relax into a comfortable rhythm. He mixes his form and is a horse who needs things to fall his way to shine, but the set up of this race promises to suit him so we hope he can bounce back to his best and give it a good shake.Royal Patronage, Race 9, 1400m, 4.20pm, T Clark 59.0kg Royal Patronage is delighting us ahead of his return. He’s had three trials so he’s as fit as we can get him, and whilst he’s resuming against some seasoned warriors who have been up and racing throughout the carnival he did win the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes first-up so him being fresh could be his biggest asset. He’s drawn a lovely barrier in 6 so he should be able to roll forward from there to race on or close to the speed, and 1400 metres is an ideal trip to start him off over. There’s no such thing as an easy Group 1 and this is no exception with plenty of fascinating form lines converging, but he’s in fine fettle and we are confident he will hold his own.