Sir Delius digs deep to land classy Underwood Stakes win
Imported star Sir Delius (Frankel) announced himself as a spring staying force after producing a fighting victory in Saturday’s Underwood Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) at Caulfield, a performance that confirmed the entire as a major player in both the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) and the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m).
Seemingly beaten when Buckaroo (Fastnet Rock) surged past him early in the straight, Sir Delius rallied under Craig Williams to claw back the margin and score by a half-length, with outsider Golden Path (Belardo) just 0.02 lengths away in third.
Sent out the $2.10 favourite, the win was his first Group 1 triumph and the latest step on a journey that began in France and has been carefully mapped out by co-trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
“It’s the most exciting thing I’ve seen in years,” Waterhouse said after claiming her third Underwood in four years, following Alligator Blood’s (All Too Hard) back-to-back successes in 2022 and 2023.
“He was not in a good position throughout the race. He was trying, trying [to get a position] and when he came around the home straight, he wasn’t any good thing, but then all of a sudden he saw the winning post, and he took off. He was just fabulous.”
Raced as Delius in Europe, the four-year-old son of Frankel (Galileo) was trained by Jean-Claude Rouget for Coolmore and proved his quality with three wins, including the Prix du Lys (Gr 3, 2400m). He also finished third in the Grand Prix de Paris (Gr 1, 2400m) and second in the Prix Niel (Gr 2, 2400m) before tackling the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) last October, in which he wasn’t disgraced when finishing eighth behind Bluestocking (Camelot).
When offered at the 2024 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, he topped the auction at a record 1,300,000gns. Waterhouse and Bott, alongside Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock, Hubie De Burgh and Johnny McKeever, signed the ticket, eclipsing the previous sale record of 1,000,000gns.
“He was always purchased as a Melbourne Cup prospect,” Bott explained at the time of Sir Delius’ Australian debut win in the JRA Chairman’s Handicap (Gr 3, 2000m) at Doomben in May.
Saturday’s victory showcased the winner’s temperament as well as talent, as he was forced to dig deep on an unfamiliar way of going.
“He’s just such a weapon and when Blake [Shinn] came past me [on Buckaroo] I thought ‘oh no’, but I just kept urging him,” Williams said post-race. “I have always said he reminds me of [Melbourne Cup winner] Dunaden. He’s got that great tenacity and great will to win. He laid back his ears and we got the win today.
“The discussion we had pre-race [was] to let him be a really good horse. He gave me a really good run from an awkward draw [barrier 11]. When the chips were down, he had to be tough.”
Waterhouse, who trained Fiorente (Monsun) to Melbourne Cup glory in 2013, has plotted a near-identical path for Sir Delius. Next stop is the Might And Power (Gr 1, 2000m) at Caulfield on October 11, followed by the Cox Plate at The Valley on October 25 before the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on November 4.
“They are both very similar, both are very handsome horses,” Waterhouse said of the comparison. “They have fabulous attitudes, like a will to win. They’re a pleasure to ride, they’re big-striding horses and just know where the winning post is.”
The trainer acknowledged that it was her co-trainer who insisted the Underwood was the right race after a narrow second in the Chelmsford Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) last time out.
“It was Adrian’s decision to send him to Melbourne,” she said. “And it was the right one.”
Bred by David and Trish Brown of Furnace Mill Stud, Sir Delius is out of Whatami (Daylami), making him a brother to Wolferton Stakes (Listed, 1m 2f) victor Juan Elcano.
Sir Delius became the 40th individual Group 1 winner for Frankel, and the latest addition to his sire’s growing southern hemisphere legacy, which includes Group 1 winners Hungry Heart, Converge and Mirage Dancer.
Waterhouse and Bott are now firmly focused on keeping Sir Delius sound and peaking for November’s first Tuesday. Striking his fifth career win from just nine starts, the performance also tightened the colt’s grip on Melbourne Cup betting, where he now shares favouritism with Al Riffa (Wootton Basset).
“We’ve got a great horse, it’s [the Melbourne Cup] a great race, it’s got the world talking,” Waterhouse said.
“He was trying all the way. He’s a horse that knows where the post is — and that’s what you need.”