The Turnbull Stakes is a significant race for the future spring ambitions of a number of its participants.
Adding an element of complexity to this Group 1 2000m contest, run under set weights and penalties at Flemington, are the heavy track conditions.
The Flemington track was assessed as a Heavy 9 on Friday morning, following 52mm of rain, with showers predicted throughout Friday and into Saturday.
While this may dampen the prospects for some, those at the top of the market, including Sir Delius and Aeliana, are adept at performing on rain-affected ground.
Sir Delius has an undefeated record across two starts on heavy tracks, while Aeliana finished behind her former stablemate Via Sistina when resuming in the 2025 Winx Stakes, her only prior experience on a heavy track.
Aeliana does, however, possess excellent credentials on soft ground, having won four times from six attempts, with a second placing also recorded.
Her most recent victories on soft ground came in the Ranvet Stakes and Tancred Stakes at Rosehill earlier in the year.
Trainer Chris Waller stated that after two runs this campaign, Aeliana was getting back to her best, although there was still room for improvement leading into the Cox Plate (2000m) at Flemington on October 24.
He observed that Aeliana’s coat was finally starting to improve.
“She was much better the other day,” Waller said. “She looked like she is ready to peak and hold her form. “I’m keen to run her here despite it being a set weights and penalties race because she gets three weeks to get ready for the Cox Plate.”
Aeliana will be joined by Caulfield Cup hopefuls Asterix and Ohope Wins, along with last year’s Cox Plate runner-up, Buckaroo.
Soul Of Spain, another runner prepared by Waller, has been scratched and will instead compete in The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick.
“Asterix, he’s just going really well,” Waller commented. “He can get to the Caulfield Cup through this race while Buckaroo gets in with 55 (kilos) which is a good weight.”
Waller expects an improved showing from Ohope Wins with the step up in distance, following her most recent outing in the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) on September 12.
“First-up it was a 1700-metre handicap and was too short,” Waller noted. “She’s never run over shorter than 2000 (metres) before, but she ran well the other day in the Makybe Diva.”
The Turnbull Stakes presents a challenging but potentially rewarding race, with keen interest expected in the racing odds.
