All roads lead to the Cup for dominant Turnbull winner Sir Delius
High-priced import Sir Delius (Frankel) gave another strong indication of why connections paid $2.7 million for him by storming to an imperious victory in Saturday’s Turnbull Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) at Flemington.
In his first clash with Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock), and as a $7 chance to her $2.60, the Waterhouse-Bott trained entire hugely outshone the Horse of the Year, relegating her to a well-beaten third as he exploded late for a 1.8 lengths win.
Sir Delius was forced to race wide without cover from the outside gate of 14, including through the early stages of Flemington’s sweeping large arc, before Craig Williams managed to tuck him in with cover in the one-one position from the halfway mark.
After Blake Shinn aboard Antino (Redwood) was forced into an early wide move to share the lead from the 800 metres, Williams gained a lovely smother in the middle of the pack on Sir Delius, while James McDonald tried to improve from the read on Via Sistina.
Antino had the lead from the 350 metres but, in the clear, Sir Delius came out after him, drew level at the 150 metres, then produced an electrifying burst of acceleration, under second top-weight of 58 kilograms, to put the race to bed.
Via Sistina continued her run into third place, but was 2.2 lengths off the winner. Half Yours (St Jean) – one of only two Australian-breds in a field packed with eight northern hemisphere imports – worked home well for fourth to show why he is favourite for the Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m).
Despite their finishing order, Via Sistina still holds sway over Sir Delius in betting for the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m), which the eight-year-old mare won with a record time and margin last year, at $2.80 and $3.50 respectively.
But the five-year-old Sir Delius is now alone at the top of betting for the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m), at just $3.50. Second favourite is Australian Bloodstock’s coming Irish raider Al Riffa (Wootton Bassett) at $5, with Australian-bred Revelare (So You Think) next at $11.
After six starts in France highlighted by a Group 3 success and a Group 1 third over 2400 metres, Sir Delius topped last year’s Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale, when purchased by Waterhouse-Bott, Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock, De Burgh Equine and McKeever Bloodstock. Their price of 1,300,000gns, or AU$2.7 million, was a record for the sale, smashing the previous mark of 1,000,000gns.
The bold play has reaped instant dividends. In just four starts in Australia, Sir Delius has earned $1.23 million, on top of the $272,000 he made in his six French runs, the last of which was an eighth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m).
Racing in Go Bloodstock’s yellow and white, Sir Delius debuted in Australia with a 1.3 lengths victory at $1.80 in Doomben’s Chairman’s Handicap (Gr 3, 2000m) in May, before an eye-catching first-up 0.2 lengths second in Randwick’s Chelmsford Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m).
He then took Caulfield’s Underwood Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) by 0.5 lengths at $2.10, before Saturday’s explosive triumph which silenced anyone still questioning his quality.
“He’s a most exciting horse,” said co-trainer Gai Waterhouse, celebrating her 163rd Group 1 – her 29th with Adrian Bott – and praising Williams for his 86th.
“He had a wide draw, and he elected very quickly, which he said to me he might, to come in midfield.”
Waterhouse said after the home turn “the waters opened, and he went boom”.
“That was the exciting part – the boom,” she said.
“He’s put on condition. He’s relaxed more and whatever he runs in, they’re going to have to beat him.”
Williams said he’d been confident before the race that Sir Delius could overcome his wide draw.
“In Group 1 races, you don’t think you can win like that, but we were very confident he could do it,” Williams said.
“We had the outside barrier draw. Gai and Adrian were very good about having an open book without too much pressure about riding him.
“I had to use a few carrots to find a spot, but when the chips are down, this horse is a winner.”
Williams said he was unsure about Sir Delius’s maximum distance, but said the Melbourne Cup – in which he has 55.5 kilograms – was well worth trying for a horse who’s already shaping as a hot stallion prospect.
“I just said [Sir Delius] will never have 55-and-a-half kilos in the Melbourne Cup again,” Williams said.
“I worked him during the week at Flemington, and he walked out and he owned the track.
“He owns everything he does and today you saw that attitude. He puts the writing on the wall when under pressure against these top horses, and he’s delivering.”
Sir Delius has always had a price tag commensurate with his regal bloodlines.
Breeders David and Trish Brown of Furnace Mill Stud sold him to Coolmore’s MV Magnier for 675,000gns ($1.45m) at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale in 2021.
His dam, Whatami (Daylami), has bred five winners and three stakes victors among eight runners. His siblings include his Wolferton Stakes (Listed, 2000m) winning full-brother Juan Elcano and the Group 3-winning Nkosikazi (Cape Cross).
Whatami is a sister to Group 2 winner James Garfield’s (Exceed And Excel) dam Whazzat, who in turn is the second dam of another Group 2 victor in Wimbledon Hawkeye (Kameko).
One of 169 stakes winners globally for Juddmonte’s super sire Frankel (Galileo), Sir Delius is the stallion’s 19th in the southern hemisphere. That group now has four Group 1 winners, the others being Australian-breds Hungry Heart and Converge, and British import Mirage Dancer.
McDonald said of Via Sistina: “I think she’s going well. That tough run will harden her up a bit for the Cox Plate.”
Half Yours’s rider Jamie Melham was full of praise over the five-year-old gelding’s last run before the Caulfield Cup, in which he has 52.5k kilograms, having carried 56 kilograms on Saturday.
“Extremely excited for two weeks’ time with this horse,” she said. “He’s flying.”