The 2026 edition of the Doomben Cup has been run, with Chris Waller’s star galloper Birdman proving too strong for rivals to claim the Group 1 race.
Below is what the winning trainer, winning jockey and beaten riders had to say following the Group 1 feature.
The Beaten Jockeys:
Jamie Melham (Half Yours): “He was great. They wanted me to push him a bit today and wanted me to take off a touch earlier and he was just flat hitting the line. He’s on track for the Q22.”
Tim Clark (Vauban): “I thought he ran really well. We just rode him quietly and obviously he had to sustain a long run and I thought he kept finding the line and it was a good solid effort.”
Jason Collett (Asterix): “It was not the right spot for him. We needed cover earlier and he got his head on the side when the pressure came on.”
Ryan Maloney (Kovalica): No comment
Declan Bates (Pride Of Jenni): “Couldn’t be happier with her. Great job by Ciaron to have her here so fresh after putting in such a huge run two weeks ago but she was on it again today. It’s tough here today with the wind conditions. She got a bit tired in the straight but it was a massive run again.
Jordan Childs (She’s A Hustler): “Happy enough with her. We sort of had to do the lead up work with Pride of Jenni and was sort of flat to the boards coming up to the turn. Going up to 2200m next start should be a plus.”
