Birdman, Tom Kitten ride streaks into Australian Cup

Birdman and Tom Kitten will start as two of the leading choices in Saturday’s Group 1 Australian Cup at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on the strength of two-race winning streaks in the last two months.

Birdman was the 5-2 favorite in early betting on Wednesday, while Tom Kitten was 7-2 along with the brilliant mare Pride of Jenni.

The $1.38 million Australian Cup will be Birdman’s first start at 1 1/4 miles since a win in a Group 3 at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney last September. Trained by Chris Waller, Birdman is a closer who has won his last two starts by 1 3/4 lengths – the Group 2 Blamey Stakes at a mile at Flemington on Feb. 28 and Group 2 Peter Young Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Caulfield Racecourse on March 14.

Tom Kitten, trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, was third to Via Sistina in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Flemington last November. Via Sistina, Australia’s Horse of the Year for the 2024-2025 season, has since been retired.

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Tom Kitten won the Group 1 Champion Stakes for Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds at 1 1/4 miles at Flemington in October 2023. This year, Tom Kitten has won the Group 3 Heffernan Stakes at seven furlongs at Caulfield on Feb. 7 and the Group 1 All-Star Mile at Flemington on March 7.

Pride of Jenni, the Australian Horse of the Year for the 2023-2024 season, was third in the All-Star Mile in her first start of 2026. An 8-year-old mare in the Southern Hemisphere, Pride of Jenni was second by a neck in the 2024 Australian Cup and ninth of 10 last year behind Light Infantry Man.

For Saturday’s race, Light Infantry Man is rated as an 18-1 outsider. He was fourth in the Peter Young Stakes.

Post time for the Australian Cup is 1:15 a.m. Eastern on Saturday.

Tancred Stakes

The Waller-trained mare Aeliana will be an odds-on favorite to win her third Group 1 in Saturday’s $1.04 million Tancred Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney. The Tancred Stakes will be the first start at the distance for Aeliana since a win against males in the Group 1 ATC Derby at Randwick last April.

Aeliana is part of a strong field of eight in the Tancred that includes the British shipper Dubai Honour, an 8-year-old gelding who won the race in 2023 and 2025. Saturday’s running is Dubai Honour’s first start since a second by 1 1/2 lengths in the minor Wildflower Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on the synthetic track at Kempton Park near London in December.

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The well-traveled Vauban, sixth in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup at two miles last November, is an outsider with good credentials. He won his first start of the year in the Group 3 Sky High Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Rosehill Gardens on March 14. Vauban was third to Dubai Honour in the 2025 Tancred Stakes.

Vinery Stud Stakes

Similar to the Australian Cup, the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday is an open race.

Waller trains the early favorite in Ohope Wins at 2-1, as well as Penova, a 9-2 chance. Belle Cheval and Salty Pearl were 5-2.

The $521,100 Vinery Stud Stakes is the first start in Australia for Ohope Wins, who has won 3 of 6 starts in New Zealand, including her last three starts. She won the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks at 1 1/2 miles on Feb. 26.

Belle Cheval is another New Zealand import with three wins in six starts. Now trained by Mark Walker, Belle Cheval was second by a head in the $2.41 million Kiwi Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs at Ellerslie Racecourse on March 7.

The Kiwi Stakes is New Zealand’s richest race, with a field consisting of runners named by the owners of berths.

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