Racing was conducted at Caulfield on Saturday on a Good 4 surface and while a number of races were run at controlled tempos early, the meeting still produced several performances that stood well clear of standard Saturday fare. Importantly, this looks a card that will continue to throw up winners in similar company, with a few horses already screaming out for stronger tests.
STAR PERFORMER
Race 2 – Castellar (1st) (Navy Blue, White Silks)
This was a win that went well beyond Benchmark 70 level.
Castellar didn’t just win — he put space on them late, accelerating away in a manner that made it clear he’s already outgrown this grade. The margin was decisive, but more importantly, it was built through raw late speed rather than race shape or luck in running.
The depth behind him was solid enough. Runlikenencryption and Du Clisson are both horses I have time for, while Rhia and Madame Maserati also look capable of progressing through the grades, even if their racing patterns may limit how far they can climb.
What separated Castellar from the rest was his closing work. His final 200m of 11.61 seconds was the fastest of the entire meeting, and his last 600m of 33.68 seconds rated strongly against anything else on the card. He did it while racing wide and covering extra ground, though being off the fence from the chute at Caulfield is less of a disadvantage than elsewhere.
Perhaps most telling was how easily he did it. This wasn’t a slowly run race, yet Castellar cruised into the contest and put it away without being fully asked. On this evidence, he looks a horse who will thrive when stepped up in class and exposed to genuine speed.
Caulfield Race 2 I Castellar
Previously trained by the late Robbie Laing, Castellar proves too strong for new trainer Gavin Bedggood 👏
📺 Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app
REPLAYS: https://t.co/ZIa4a02wC0 pic.twitter.com/nHUFYJJutP— Racing.com (@Racing) January 31, 2026
BLACKBOOKER
Race 7 – Damask Rose (2nd) (Tangerine, Blue Stars)
This was a high-quality first-up return from a mare who is right on the verge of her best form again.
Damask Rose is not a natural 1200m horse, yet she produced a sustained and powerful finish in a race that was run in a way that found out plenty of others. Dean Yendall’s aggressive ride aboard Wrote To Arataki ensured the pressure went on from the 800m, forcing the field to chase and blunting the sprint of those attempting to run on from the back.
Visually, the run was strong. Sectionally, it was even better.
Her final 600m of 33.80 seconds was the fourth quickest of the entire meeting and only bettered by three runners from Race 2’s 1000m contest. That’s elite late speed in the context of how the race was run.
Sustained pressure races like this often see first-up horses weaken sharply late, particularly over the final 200m. While her final split of 11.68 seconds was slower than her 400–200m of 11.04 seconds, the drop-off was far less than expected given the work she did earlier.
In fact, her last 200m was the second fastest of the day, only behind Castellar, underlining just how strong this effort was.
With the Mannerism Stakes over 1400m at Caulfield in three weeks’ time and the Futurity Stakes at Group 1 level on the same day, both races shape as logical next steps. Wherever she turns up, this looks the perfect platform run for Damask Rose to peak second-up.
The winner Wrote To Arataki was strong again and will be hard to beat in similar company, while Miss Aria and Eternal Flame also produced credible runs from the back.
THE DEEP DIVE
Big Sky’s Chairman’s Stakes win on Saturday was dominant to the eye and has understandably pushed him towards the top of early Blue Diamond markets.
But if we strip the performance back to the clock, the win reads as impressive without being informative, and at this stage there’s still not enough in it to get carried away.
Big Sky bolts in the Chairman’s Stakes ⚡⚡
A statement made by the Price/Kent colt on his way to the Blue Diamond!@BMelham @MickPriceRacing pic.twitter.com/G29cDnshnj
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) January 31, 2026
The son of Bivouac controlled the race from the front and was never placed under any genuine pressure. He did exactly what a good two-year-old should do against limited opposition, but the race shape and sectionals leave several key questions unanswered.
To put the performance in context, it’s worth comparing it to Race 2 on the same program, a 1000m Benchmark 70 for older horses, using the leader’s sectionals in both races.
| Split | Race 2 – BM70 (Older Horses) | Race 6 – Chairman’s Stakes (2YOs) | Difference |
| To 800m | 13.01s | 13.23s | +0.22s |
| 800–400m | 21.44s | 21.95s | +0.51s |
| Last 400m | 23.21s | 22.88s | –0.33s |
| Overall Time | 57.66s | 58.06s | +0.40s |
The older horses went significantly quicker through the middle stages, while the Chairman’s Stakes was run at a comfortable speed early. That softer tempo is crucial when interpreting Big Sky’s late strength.
Castellar, a five-year-old gelding racing in the Benchmark 70, produced one of the standout performances of the day. Despite competing in what remains low-grade Saturday class, he recorded the fastest last 200m of the entire meeting and finished off powerfully through the line.
| Horse | Last 600m | Last 400m | Last 200m |
| Castellar | 33.68s | 22.64s | 11.61s |
| Big Sky | 34.14s | 22.88s | 11.73s |
Castellar’s raw closing speed was sharper, achieved off a stronger mid-race platform and against older, more seasoned horses. Big Sky’s late splits are still good, but he was never asked to chase, sustain speed for an extended period or respond under pressure.
The winning margin tells its own story, with Big Sky scoring by three lengths, which roughly equates to half a second gap. The sectionals, however, paint a far tighter picture and suggest the margin was built through race control rather than superior late speed.
That’s not a negative. In fact, it’s a sign Big Sky is doing things easily. But it does mean this race hasn’t taught us anywhere near enough to anoint him as the clear standout of the two-year-old crop.
He beat a below-par field in a race run to suit, and while his performance confirms he has class and upside, it didn’t force him to show how he handles genuine pressure or whether he can sustain a sprint at a true Group 1 tempo.
Big Sky is a quality colt with plenty of upside, but for now this was a comfortable win, not a defining one. The hype can wait until he’s asked harder questions.
