Group 1-placed Ardrossan filly heads to Guineas

12 October 2026

Ardrossan’s talented daughter De Armas (NZ) is set to tackle the Gr.1 Thousand Guineas, with trainer Chris Waller happy with the filly heading into the classic.

The OTI-owned three-year-old comes into the race off a strong second in the Gr.1 Flight Stakes, an impressive effort given her light Australian campaign so far.

“She’s only had two starts in Australia. Went from 1200 metres straight to a mile,” Waller told racenet.com.au.

De Armas showed her class early, winning at Listed level as a two-year-old in New Zealand before joining Chris Waller’s stable for her three-year-old campaign. Her Flight Stakes placing has already given her valuable black type, and with that run under her belt, she looks well placed to measure up again at the highest level.

We’ll be cheering her on as she flies the flag for Ardrossan in one of the season’s key fillies’ features.

Oaks Day glory for Waikato Stud-bred Sulek

Waikato Stud enjoyed a special moment on Oaks Day at Flemington on Thursday, when the New Zealand-bred gelding Sulek – by Super Seth out the O’Reilly mare Tiff And Co, saluted on one of the biggest days of the racing calendar and in front of an international crowd. Bred by the farm in partnership with the Dowager Duchess of Bedford, Sulek took out the A$500,000 Cirka Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Final (1600m) for the third and most lucrative win of his career.

5 November 2026

The Corner with Garry Chittick

And so, another Melbourne Cup has been run. Regretfully, Mary and I were not there. I have no idea how many we attended up until COVID, and I miss the Cup week. Victoria prides itself as the sporting capital of Australia; it may be, they certainly know how to create an event.