Birdman reversed the Cox Plate result to beat Cosmic Crusader in the $3 million Champions Stakes, the pair's third Group 1 quinella of the spring.
Cosmic Crusader beat him in the Cox Plate, but Birdman had the last word of the spring. He came from behind to win the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Third time these two have quinellaed
It was the third Group 1 of the spring in which Birdman and Cosmic Crusader ran first and second. Birdman won the Underwood Stakes, Cosmic Crusader turned it around in the Cox Plate, and on Saturday Birdman came out on top again.
Land Legend set a solid tempo, which suited the Chris Waller-trained six-year-old. Ben Melham, now his regular rider, raced him three wide with cover from the wind into the turn. Birdman finished strongly over the last 200 metres and won by three-quarters of a length.
- 1st: Birdman (Ben Melham) $5
- 2nd: Cosmic Crusader (William Pike) $3.30
- 3rd: Sir Delius $5, a half-length away
Aeliana, who was among the top chances before the race, missed the placings. Her connections said she lost momentum when the pace quickened and couldn't find clear running.
Winkers and the Cox Plate
Melham felt the Cox Plate was the one that got away. He said Birdman had raced in winkers that day, couldn't see the horses coming wide, and thought he had the race won when he hit the front. With a clear sight of his rivals on Saturday, he fought on strongly.
A Group 1 treble for the year
The son of Free Eagle has now won three Group 1s in 2026: the Doomben Cup in May, the Underwood and now the Champions Stakes. The $1.8 million first prize took his career earnings past $5 million from eight wins in 27 starts. He is part-owned by a group of Carlton footballers, captain Patrick Cripps among them.
Cosmic Crusader still had a fine first campaign for Andrea Leek. He won the Turnbull Stakes and the Cox Plate, and Saturday was his eighth top-four finish of the campaign.
The punting angle
Over 2000 metres at weight-for-age, little separated Birdman and Cosmic Crusader all spring. Small things like the run of the race, gear and track bias kept deciding which one won. If they meet again in the autumn, those details matter more than who won last time.