Ben Melham eyes a repeat Australian Cup glory after steering Birdman to a decisive win at Caulfield.
The hoop will reconnect with the Chris Waller-conditioned Irish-bred for the Flemington showdown on March 28, coming off the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) victory on Saturday.
At $3.30, Birdman triumphed by 1-¾ lengths in the customary Australian Cup warmup, ahead of Apulia ($11) and Bankers Choice ($41), who was a half-head back in third.
Melham notched consecutive Australian Cups (2000m) aboard Godolphin’s Cascadian in 2023 and 2024, and sees Birdman matching the profile for the Flemington 2000m prize.
“I’ve had a bit to do with him early doors this preparation and the way he was going he was heading in the right direction to be competitive in an Australian Cup,” Melham said.
“And the more I have to do with him the more I think he can win it.
“He’s been a bit of a revelation the horse.
“He’s in the right stable and might have taken a bit of time to acclimatise, but he’s a very relaxed customer.
“He takes a bit of waking up but the ability is certainly there.”
The gelding brought stamina from Irish races at 2400m-plus, but Waller has instilled pace this time in.
Melham indicated the extra turn of foot suits him fresher in shorter tests.
“I don’t think the run will have hurt him at all,” Melham said.
“He just got into a lovely position, didn’t sort of spend any pennies until the last 250 metres and I felt he had the race at his mercy a long way out.
“He seems to be going really well at these shorter trips. He’ll be no worries at 2000 (metres), but maybe that’s the way to go with him, a bit of freshness in his legs, but I’ll leave that to the expert.”
Check out the racing odds on sports betting platforms for Birdman’s chances in the Australian Cup.